Tuesday. It's a very dull, grey and over-cast day. Somewhat depressing. We had to go to the Oncology Suite at 11.30 this morning as Carol had a blood test. Fortunately we managed to get the one and only parking space in the carpark. Always a problem when we have an appointment at the hospital so much later in the day.
We arrived in the Oncology Suite and it was extremely busy. The nurses work incredibly hard in this department. They never seem to stop. Probably dealing with more than one patient at a time. We sat and waited around a table as we usually do when we arrive. There was a lady in a wheelchair who went off to be set up with her chemotherapy session and I was left with Carol and an elderly man who was being very chatty. Carol went off with one of the nurses to a different area of the suite. The elderly man was telling me about the lady in the wheelchair. Apparently she was 94 and had been asked what was the secret of keeping so young and active. She responded with 'a glass of whisky every day!' We began to discuss the car parking at the hospital, and had the same thoughts about the morality of having to pay to park your car at hospital and how much it cost. I was shocked to learn that a private company ran these carparks and kept the profits for itself, which is appalling when you think of the financial difficulties the N.H.S. finds itself in.
I went to join Carol the other side of the suite. She had to have a blood test, which is how the chemotherapy treatment begins each time, so we have got used to the procedure. The nurses are extremely efficient and everything is done quickly, so we were out of the unit within about 45 minutes. Well, it has to be run like this, as there are so many people in the unit, arriving and leaving all the time during the day. It couldn't be run any other way as there isn't space for all the patients to sit and have their treatment at the same time otherwise.
Having had the parking ticket clipped in the Macmillan unit after we arrived, we then found, when we got back to the carpark and were about to leave, that the barrier was raised so we didn't need the ticket to raise the barrier. It must be very annoying to those patients who can't have free car parking to then find the barrier raised when they've already paid at the machine. I trust they get a refund. I don't expect they would, unfortunately.
Wednesday. It's a very wet morning. Had to put the pink recycling bags out along with the black bin bags. Probably not such a good idea to go out in night-wear, but it has to be done. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the bin-men didn't come until late last week, basically because of the Bank Holiday. Are we allowed to call them 'bin-men'? Do we have to call them 'bin-persons' or 'refuse operatives or something, just to keep things politically correct? I've no idea, but there are one or two person's of the opposite persuasion on board the Council-run wagons. Not probably on our collection, but no doubt elsewhere within Milton Keynes. Perhaps we can't say 'black bin-bags' to keep things PC and maybe even 'pink bin-bags' is going to upset someone or other. But let's be realistic, do people get their tights in a tangle over such things, or is it some bureaucrat somewhere who has to come up with such stupidity? No racial slur or homophobic suggestion in the slightest. They are just bin-bags, after all.
After all the fuss when Woughton Community Council left those notices as regarding fly-tipping when people put their bin bags out too early (me included), I notice that there is a lot of broken furniture, such as bits of what look like broken kitchen units, doors and drawers, as well as a rolled-up mattress and odd bits and pieces of furniture, including a worn out sofa, left around the estate. No doubt most is there for someone to collect, such as the Council (you have to organise this in advance, and pay to have it removed.) But who gets fined for 'fly-tipping'? Just a thought, 'Woughton' is actually pronounced 'Woof-ton.' If that's the case, why is Loughton (another village within the Milton Keynes area.) is pronounced 'Low-ton,' so why not 'Luff-ton,'? Weird or what? Just shows how strange our language is.
Later. We went to the hospital for 11.30 but couldn't find a space where we usually park. We had to drive around the hospital campus and park in Car park A and then walk round to Oncology, quite a long walk. Unfortunately we got things wrong. When we arrived in the Oncology Suite, the staff on reception couldn't find Carol on the system. It would appear we were 24 hours too early as Carol wasn't booked in until tomorrow morning. They could have fitted her in but on checking, they didn't have the prescribed material necessary for her chemotherapy treatment. So we left to go home and will return tomorrow at the same time.
We arrived in the Oncology Suite and it was extremely busy. The nurses work incredibly hard in this department. They never seem to stop. Probably dealing with more than one patient at a time. We sat and waited around a table as we usually do when we arrive. There was a lady in a wheelchair who went off to be set up with her chemotherapy session and I was left with Carol and an elderly man who was being very chatty. Carol went off with one of the nurses to a different area of the suite. The elderly man was telling me about the lady in the wheelchair. Apparently she was 94 and had been asked what was the secret of keeping so young and active. She responded with 'a glass of whisky every day!' We began to discuss the car parking at the hospital, and had the same thoughts about the morality of having to pay to park your car at hospital and how much it cost. I was shocked to learn that a private company ran these carparks and kept the profits for itself, which is appalling when you think of the financial difficulties the N.H.S. finds itself in.
I went to join Carol the other side of the suite. She had to have a blood test, which is how the chemotherapy treatment begins each time, so we have got used to the procedure. The nurses are extremely efficient and everything is done quickly, so we were out of the unit within about 45 minutes. Well, it has to be run like this, as there are so many people in the unit, arriving and leaving all the time during the day. It couldn't be run any other way as there isn't space for all the patients to sit and have their treatment at the same time otherwise.
Having had the parking ticket clipped in the Macmillan unit after we arrived, we then found, when we got back to the carpark and were about to leave, that the barrier was raised so we didn't need the ticket to raise the barrier. It must be very annoying to those patients who can't have free car parking to then find the barrier raised when they've already paid at the machine. I trust they get a refund. I don't expect they would, unfortunately.
Wednesday. It's a very wet morning. Had to put the pink recycling bags out along with the black bin bags. Probably not such a good idea to go out in night-wear, but it has to be done. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the bin-men didn't come until late last week, basically because of the Bank Holiday. Are we allowed to call them 'bin-men'? Do we have to call them 'bin-persons' or 'refuse operatives or something, just to keep things politically correct? I've no idea, but there are one or two person's of the opposite persuasion on board the Council-run wagons. Not probably on our collection, but no doubt elsewhere within Milton Keynes. Perhaps we can't say 'black bin-bags' to keep things PC and maybe even 'pink bin-bags' is going to upset someone or other. But let's be realistic, do people get their tights in a tangle over such things, or is it some bureaucrat somewhere who has to come up with such stupidity? No racial slur or homophobic suggestion in the slightest. They are just bin-bags, after all.
After all the fuss when Woughton Community Council left those notices as regarding fly-tipping when people put their bin bags out too early (me included), I notice that there is a lot of broken furniture, such as bits of what look like broken kitchen units, doors and drawers, as well as a rolled-up mattress and odd bits and pieces of furniture, including a worn out sofa, left around the estate. No doubt most is there for someone to collect, such as the Council (you have to organise this in advance, and pay to have it removed.) But who gets fined for 'fly-tipping'? Just a thought, 'Woughton' is actually pronounced 'Woof-ton.' If that's the case, why is Loughton (another village within the Milton Keynes area.) is pronounced 'Low-ton,' so why not 'Luff-ton,'? Weird or what? Just shows how strange our language is.
Later. We went to the hospital for 11.30 but couldn't find a space where we usually park. We had to drive around the hospital campus and park in Car park A and then walk round to Oncology, quite a long walk. Unfortunately we got things wrong. When we arrived in the Oncology Suite, the staff on reception couldn't find Carol on the system. It would appear we were 24 hours too early as Carol wasn't booked in until tomorrow morning. They could have fitted her in but on checking, they didn't have the prescribed material necessary for her chemotherapy treatment. So we left to go home and will return tomorrow at the same time.
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