January 2024 – WrAnTz

Unforseen

None of us can see into our futures. It wouldn’t be much fun if we could.

However, Jon, my son in law probably wishes he had been touched with a small spoonful of prescience.

Yesterday, he was swapping out the battery in his car. It is a task that he has carried out many times over the years. What made this time a little different was his treading on uneven ground.

Before he knew it, his left foot tucked under as he put his weight on it. He heard a sharp crack, followed by his eyesight being impaired by blue spots and, as he parked his bum on the kerbside, an overwhelming feeling of nausea.

The net result was a trip down to the Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC) at St Mary’s hospital in Portsmouth, with yours truly acting as a taxi driver.

Generally speaking, nobody wants to go to the UTC. Primarily because the wait times can be horrendous and the waiting room would not be high on anyone’s list of must see places. At the time of writing the current wait time is indicated to be 3 hours.

So, at around 11:45 I dropped Jon at the UTC and went to find a parking space.

At 11:50 Jon was booked in and awaiting triage. By 12:15 he had been seen and was waiting for an x-ray having been told there was, potentially, a two hour wait.

At just after 13:00 immersed in Swedish detective thriller I was startled back to reality by my phone ringing.

Jon had been dealt with and was ready to head home.

The diagnosis, he had broken the very end of his fibula.

So no cast, no boot just a pair of crutches to help him keep the weight off and advised to take paracetamol to deal with any pain.

We obviously caught the UTC just at the right time. Jon had been dealt with in around 75 minutes.

So thank you and well done the NHS.

Grumpy Old Man

What do you complain about the most?

Everything and anything.

Aren’t you supposed to get wiser as you grow older ? I don’t recall anyone saying that with increased wisdom comes a marked decline in tolerance levels. I am 72 now, but I think I noted my intolerance building when I hit 60.

I find people, in general, to be rude and impatient. Just the other day, I was waiting 2nd in line to order food in a pub. I opened my mouth to order when a woman stepped past me and started her own order. Once upon a time, I would have said that it was the young that were rude, but these days, I think the older generation doesn’t set very good examples. This person was at least my age, if not older.

When I was young, we were taught to be polite and courteous. I still try to meet those standards, but boy, do I get bent out of shape if I don’t receive the same treatment

Our roads seem to have become more dangerous due to other drivers having forgotten the highway code. Happily tailgating, pushing me because I won’t exceed the speed limit. Not bothering with their indicators, presumably relying on my ability to read their minds and cutting into the safe distance I have left, causing me to have to brake excessively hard.

The driving issue seems to have worsened since the covid lockdowns. Maybe this is just my perception as I was in Australia when it all kicked off, and I spent seven months driving down there in WA. A different style of driving. When I got back to the UK, there were a couple of lockdown periods, and then everyone was back out on the roads. From there on in it seems to me that the UK driving standards have deteriorated.

I think the biggest thing I complain about is the lack of access to doctors. If you want an appointment you have to ring up at 08:00 if it’s urgent, 10:00 for a routine appointment. Woe betide you if you miss that time by a second.

Invariably when you dial you get the engaged tone, you may be lucky and be told you are “number n” in the queue. Then, if you get to speak to a real person you will be told that all appointments for the day are gone.

The online consult system is a joke, and if you happen to have two conditions to discuss with the doctor, you have to go through the whole process twice.

As I said, I spent seven months in WA. I had to sign up for Medicare. Brilliant. I could go on line, see my doctors available appointments, choose one that suited me and then see the doctor.

Six days a week !!! Why can’t we do that here in the UK?

I could go on, but I am sure you all have better things to do than read my rants.

Actually, come to think of it, that’s why you are here.

Twelve Months On

…. and still they, Scottish Power, have done nothing !!!

Even worse, Scottish Power now seem to be pointing the finger of blame at the UK government. As if they are responsible for my non functional smart meter.

I’m pretty sure that Scottish Power advertised, supplied, and installed the device

Some of you may have read my previous post from 2023. If you need a refresher, I have provided the link below.

https://siskinbob.wordpress.com/2023/01/01/scottish-power-not-so-smartmeter/?preview=true

So, I had a functional smart meter until December 2021. Prior to that time, all was hunky dory, and it was wirelessly providing readings to Scottish Power until it wasn’t.

Despite what they say in their latest email, Scottish Power has not directly communicated with me over this issue. Except when I phoned them on another matter, which is when they said the problem would be resolved by the end of October 2022.

Occasionally, usually when they want me to provide them with meter readings, they almost casually, as an aside mention that they are aware of the problem.

This is not good customer service. Silence, in this case, is not golden.

If there were any decent alternatives, I would have swapped providers by now.

Hairy

I thought it was time for a little cultural exchange.

So, for your delectation, I present you with a short poem courtesy of Jim Pitts of Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts

Hairy – Jim Pitts

I grow whiskers on my chin. I grow them on my chest
I grow them on my knees and legs, but the ones that l like best
Grow wild up and down my back and poke out through my vest
My mother says that lots of hair will keep out all the cold
And still, I’m quite a pretty girl and nearly twelve years old

“Little scroats” should be “willing to take a beating”

https://app.portsmouth.co.uk/2024/01/14/portsmouth-councillor-little-scroats-who-brazenly-stole-500-worth-of-vapes-should-be-willing-to-take-a-beating/content.html

I totally agree with this sentiment.

Increasingly, over the years, my view has become that anyone who breaks the law automatically relinquishes their rights to protection under the law.

I also believe that these “scroats” should be prepared for some public humiliation. Bring back the birch, stocks, and pillory.

I would fully support the introduction of US style chain gangs, wearing bright jackets with the crime emblazoned across the back.

Get Your Ducks In A Row

It’s all about ducks:

Induction – Adding a duck
Deduction – Removing a duck
Reduction – Replacing a worn out duck
Production – Supporting ducks
Conductor – The duck in charge
Abduction – Sit-ups for ducks
Subduction – An underwater duck
Introduction – When ducks meet
Conduction – Moving a duck
Seduction – Ducks in love
Reproduction – Making copies of ducks
Ducting – What ducks do
Deductible – Offset your duck against tax
Duct tape – to record the duck, as there is no echo

Scam / Fraud Alert – Fake Website

Lets cut right to the chase …..

DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM jhenrys.co.uk or joneshenry.com or ihenrys.com

I have been scammed, ripped off, defrauded, robbed by these scumbags

I set out to purchase an air fryer for my granddaughter as a Christmas present. After trawling the web I found a good deal on the website for a company called joneshenry. Their website was very comprehensive, selling white goods, audio/visual equipment and mobile phones. The site had the same feel of retailer websites such as Currys, AO, Argos etc.

Also, you are always told to be careful. Look for the padlock symbol and only purchase from sites that have a url starting https://

I did check but the website met the criteria all appeared legit.

So, on the 7th December, I placed my order and within minutes received the following email ….

This was quickly followed by a second email, purporting to come from the courier …

Obviously there was no info when I clicked the link. However, 48 hours later and there was my order.

So far so good …… !!! Or so I thought.

I checked the tracker every so often and by the 11th December it was indicating that my order was progressing …

Of course I now know that this was all just smoke and mirrors designed to keep me happy while they made of with my money.

Also on the 11th I received this email which did start to sound alarm bells…

Of course this was just more obfuscation, and was also preparation for the scammers to disappear.

By the 18th the status was indicating that I should imminently receive a call from the courier.

And then, finally, on the 19th …

At this point in time the tracking links ceased to function and I tried to contact iHenrys using the message portal on their website. Of course I didn’t receive a reply. The negative aspect to using their portal is that you don’t have a copy of your message.

Since the 19th the tracking system stopped working and more recently the ihenrys.com website has disappeared.

I am down £107 which in itself is not a great sum of money. I have taken the necessary steps, informed my bank, cancelled my card and been issued with a replacement. No attempts have been made to take more money from my account so I believe I have gotten off lightly.

There isn’t much about these scumbags on the internet. I have discovered that I am not alone. Trustpilot are carrying some reviews, just four, with the worst being a victim who has lost £450.

Despite all indications to the contrary, my bank are treating my claim as if a reputable company had failed to supply goods. I had a somewhat circular conversation where I tried to provide my evidence but the bank are insisting I go through the dispute process. Only time will tell if anything comes of that. I won’t hold my breath.

So, to reiterate …

DO NOT PURCHASE ANYTHING FROM jhenrys.co.uk or joneshenry.com or ihenrys.com

Goodbye 2023 and Good Riddance

The last year has been a bit of a mixed bag. Some positive elements but predominantly negative.

The whole year was overshadowed by Gerrys back issues and a general lack of mobility which curtailed much of our normal socialising.

Ultimately the back issue was diagnosed as Stenosis. It cannot be underestimated, the impact of that diagnosis, initially on a mental level. A sense of relief that finally here was a real diagnosis, with a name, and with a treatment plan.

I believe that many back pain sufferers have to live with a degree of guilt brought about by the invisible nature of back pain. After all, there are no visible indicators, no broken bones, no hacking cough or streaming nose. You aren’t ill !!!

Those non sufferers only have your word that you are in pain and there is no standard measure for that as we all have differing pain thresholds.

Anyway, that diagnosis lead to surgery, Gerry being pain free, and able to walk upright for the first time in many many months.

So surgery ended the pain caused by the stenosis. However it seems that the stooped posture, may have been masking, or indeed causing some sciatic nerve issues.

Since the surgery, Gerrys posture has returned to a more upright form, and it seems, this in turn has apparently revealed, may have even caused, some issues with her sciatic nerve. It may be that Gerrys muscles, in adjusting to her posture and now having to relearn a new position following the surgery, maybe causing some pressure on her sciatic nerve. This is supposition on my part but we will have to consult the medics and also see what effects the physio has.

For now, Gerry is currently experiencing intermittent severe pain through her buttock, down her thigh to her knee. A consequence of this is that Gerry is still taking paracetamol on a regular basis

So it seems this is the next challenge for 2024.

Is This The First Of Many ?

Oh, I do hope so. I have posted before about the hoons blighting our society.

Whilst there are noise camera trials taking place at various sites in the UK, and the police can issue on the spot fines, the misery caused by these auto “enthusiasts” continues.

So, this first strike against a business blatantly breaking the law is very welcome.

I sincerely hope that 2024 is the year that the hoons get their comeuppance.