Carol was scheduled to have an out-patients appointment with the stoma nurse at 11 o'clock this morning. Having arrived at the multi-storey carpark it took some time to find a space. A queue of cars winding through the different levels, some cars stationary on the ramp up to the first floor. It was as well we arrived when we did. We eventually found a space and then walked across to the entrance building. We spent some time in Costa coffee, having vanilla lattes and some rather good cakes. As I queued at the counter, I was really shocked to read a notice aimed at customers. It said that any behaviour towards staff would not be tolerated. It seems appalling that staff in any capacity should be treated badly by customers. Similar notices are up around the hospital which say that none of the staff will tolerate aggression of any sort and if patients or those related to them are aggressive or violent to staff then the police will be called and those who ill-treat staff or damage N.H.S. property will be prosecuted. Sad to think that things have got to that situation. We then walked through to the out-patients' department.
A really helpful receptionist showed us where we had to wait and even bleeped the stoma nurse to say we had arrived. I call that above and beyond the call of duty, more than can be said of the receptionists at Ashfield Medical Centre. Other patients coming and going, as usual. People reluctant to make eye-contact with anyone. Fiddling with mobile phones. One woman looking as if she had a plumb in her mouth, trying to get her to crack her face a complete impossibility. A load of ancient magazines to read. None actually of any interest or of some sort of intellectual content. Is it asking much to have something decent to read? Please, not Hello or O.K. or other celebrity rubbish!
Having completed her appointment, Carol appeared and we left the out-patients department. On the way out, Carol said she fancied a sausage roll for lunch. We wandered into the Little Fresh shop in the entrance building. But the hot food unit was totally empty. We bought some milkshakes, the one's I used to buy Carol when she was in ward 20 before Christmas and called Moo Milk. We then went into the Friends shop, which is back in the out-patients department and somewhat invisible to most people. You would never know it was there unless you had been told. Having searched the shelves for sausage rolls and finding none, we asked at the counter and the lady on the till said they could provide warm sausage rolls. But when we came to pay with our debit card, we were told that the sale had to be £5 or more. So we made our sale up with biscuits, sweets and other bits and pieces. Then I saw a poster on the wall saying that this shop was closing at the end of March. Their profits had gone down, not making it worth continuing, mostly due to the Little Fresh shop which has taken the custom away. It seems such a shame because the Friends shops in Milton Keynes Hospital are run by volunteers and the profits go to the hospital. No doubt Little Fresh profits go to some private company, similar to the profits from hospital parking.
So, we had a bundle of items to carry with us, hot sausage rolls amongst our shopping. We had to pay for our parking. The ticket machine inside the hospital entrance wouldn't take debit cards, only change, so we went to the near-by A.T.M. to withdraw £20. Two £10 notes so we had to go back into the Little Fresh shop and buy something so as to have change for the carpark ticket machine. From there we walked over to the multi-storey car park. I put the parking ticket into the machine, having queued up as there were several other people before me. I paid £3.50 and then went up to the car on the first floor. On driving out we then discovered that the barrier was up and we didn't need to use the ticket, so, to make things even more annoying, we'd wasted £3.50 for nothing, so you have some idea how frustrating it had been to get to this point. So, can we expect a refund? I doubt it. I just want to know why, if these carpark barriers are raised, allowing you to leave without needing to put your ticket in the machine, they can't put notices on the payment machine to let innocent motorists know that they don't have to pay. Just making money for some individual somewhere. All of this just adding to unnecessary stress and annoyance for all concerned.
When we got back home and were parked on the front drive (if it's really a drive. I don't know how else to describe it. More likely it's a 'dedicated parking space'.) Carol said she could see a red kite flying over the house. It's somewhat remarkable to think these fantastic birds are living around Milton Keynes. Our only worry is that they might scare off the different species of birds which visit the bird feeding station in our garden. As we sat and ate lunch we could see quite a variety of little birds coming to the feeding station. I don't know what became of the red kite, which are seen on the road out towards Aylesbury and at West Wycombe.
The sun has been out most of the morning. As a result it's quite warm. We've actually managed to turn the central heating down. With the sun out, the lounge is now pleasantly cosy. Let's just hope things stay that way, although on the BBC Breakfast weather forecast this morning they were saying we could expect snow. I'm not sure if it's for this area. I hope not, as we don't want to have a repetition of last week's events.
Wednesday is supposed to be bin-day. So, why did I make a lot of effort yesterday morning, as I usually do, to sort out the recycling into a pink sack, and tie up the black rubbish bag in the bin in the kitchen and haul out the already full and tied-up black bag of rubbish and place it all at the front of the house at around 6.30 a.m. yesterday, to have it all (hopefully) taken away by the Council binmen sometime during the day? It's supposed to be out by 7 a.m., but it's very rarely taken much before midday. When we came back from the hospital appointment yesterday evening, around 6.45, and drove back into Eaglestone along Golden Drive, were there many black and pink rubbish bags all over the road, some in the road and difficult to avoid, and all along the side of the road? Why were they still there? It wasn't a bank holiday, which meant the rubbish collection being delayed by one day, usually a Thursday? What is the reason for this delay? Surely not the recent snow. If it was snowing, I can excuse the delay, but it has all gone now. Not a trace left. Then, mid-morning, the sound of a Council dustcart being driven along the road in front of our house. But it doesn't stop to collect the rubbish, as expected. By the time we get back from this morning's hospital appointment, all the rubbish bags had gone. No doubt the Council were obeying some Health and Safety regulation regarding workmen in the snow (or lack of it.) I can think of no other reason for the delay in collecting the rubbish. Does it matter? I think not.
Having completed her appointment, Carol appeared and we left the out-patients department. On the way out, Carol said she fancied a sausage roll for lunch. We wandered into the Little Fresh shop in the entrance building. But the hot food unit was totally empty. We bought some milkshakes, the one's I used to buy Carol when she was in ward 20 before Christmas and called Moo Milk. We then went into the Friends shop, which is back in the out-patients department and somewhat invisible to most people. You would never know it was there unless you had been told. Having searched the shelves for sausage rolls and finding none, we asked at the counter and the lady on the till said they could provide warm sausage rolls. But when we came to pay with our debit card, we were told that the sale had to be £5 or more. So we made our sale up with biscuits, sweets and other bits and pieces. Then I saw a poster on the wall saying that this shop was closing at the end of March. Their profits had gone down, not making it worth continuing, mostly due to the Little Fresh shop which has taken the custom away. It seems such a shame because the Friends shops in Milton Keynes Hospital are run by volunteers and the profits go to the hospital. No doubt Little Fresh profits go to some private company, similar to the profits from hospital parking.
So, we had a bundle of items to carry with us, hot sausage rolls amongst our shopping. We had to pay for our parking. The ticket machine inside the hospital entrance wouldn't take debit cards, only change, so we went to the near-by A.T.M. to withdraw £20. Two £10 notes so we had to go back into the Little Fresh shop and buy something so as to have change for the carpark ticket machine. From there we walked over to the multi-storey car park. I put the parking ticket into the machine, having queued up as there were several other people before me. I paid £3.50 and then went up to the car on the first floor. On driving out we then discovered that the barrier was up and we didn't need to use the ticket, so, to make things even more annoying, we'd wasted £3.50 for nothing, so you have some idea how frustrating it had been to get to this point. So, can we expect a refund? I doubt it. I just want to know why, if these carpark barriers are raised, allowing you to leave without needing to put your ticket in the machine, they can't put notices on the payment machine to let innocent motorists know that they don't have to pay. Just making money for some individual somewhere. All of this just adding to unnecessary stress and annoyance for all concerned.
When we got back home and were parked on the front drive (if it's really a drive. I don't know how else to describe it. More likely it's a 'dedicated parking space'.) Carol said she could see a red kite flying over the house. It's somewhat remarkable to think these fantastic birds are living around Milton Keynes. Our only worry is that they might scare off the different species of birds which visit the bird feeding station in our garden. As we sat and ate lunch we could see quite a variety of little birds coming to the feeding station. I don't know what became of the red kite, which are seen on the road out towards Aylesbury and at West Wycombe.
The sun has been out most of the morning. As a result it's quite warm. We've actually managed to turn the central heating down. With the sun out, the lounge is now pleasantly cosy. Let's just hope things stay that way, although on the BBC Breakfast weather forecast this morning they were saying we could expect snow. I'm not sure if it's for this area. I hope not, as we don't want to have a repetition of last week's events.
Wednesday is supposed to be bin-day. So, why did I make a lot of effort yesterday morning, as I usually do, to sort out the recycling into a pink sack, and tie up the black rubbish bag in the bin in the kitchen and haul out the already full and tied-up black bag of rubbish and place it all at the front of the house at around 6.30 a.m. yesterday, to have it all (hopefully) taken away by the Council binmen sometime during the day? It's supposed to be out by 7 a.m., but it's very rarely taken much before midday. When we came back from the hospital appointment yesterday evening, around 6.45, and drove back into Eaglestone along Golden Drive, were there many black and pink rubbish bags all over the road, some in the road and difficult to avoid, and all along the side of the road? Why were they still there? It wasn't a bank holiday, which meant the rubbish collection being delayed by one day, usually a Thursday? What is the reason for this delay? Surely not the recent snow. If it was snowing, I can excuse the delay, but it has all gone now. Not a trace left. Then, mid-morning, the sound of a Council dustcart being driven along the road in front of our house. But it doesn't stop to collect the rubbish, as expected. By the time we get back from this morning's hospital appointment, all the rubbish bags had gone. No doubt the Council were obeying some Health and Safety regulation regarding workmen in the snow (or lack of it.) I can think of no other reason for the delay in collecting the rubbish. Does it matter? I think not.
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