Misfits Mid-Life Crisis Adventures in East London & Surrey.

Week 388, Saturday 20^th until Friday 26^th November 2021.

This week I am annoyed (again).  All establishment/business these days no matter what they do have processes and procedures that everyone is still getting used to because of what has happened since early 2020.

For me nothing is more difficult than trying to see the GP.  As with many up and down the country mine is still only doing phone consultations.  This week I thought I should book an appointment, I won’t bore you with what I wanted to talk to the Dr about, unless you are a medical professional of course you know how to contact me.  The earliest phone appointment was 15th December, it was mentioned if I rang at 8am the following morning I might be able to get one of the small number of daily morning slots mainly used for emergencies.  Of course at the time stated I was on the phone which rang and rang and continued to ring for a very long time never being answered.

During lunch I walked to the surgery, hoping there might be a cancellation.  I personally feel it’s easier to sneak into the Tower Of London than enter my Dr’s surgery.  Once through all the doors, the temperature checks, multiple hand sanitiser stations I reached the women who are really in control of the building, the receptionist.  I stood for over 5 minutes being completely (I realise they are busy, but no one even looked up) ignore by the emotionless people behind the counter which with its wall of Perspex across the top.  When I was eventually asked my information (a broken bucket with water** pouring out of it has more emotion than the women I spoke to) this had to be shouted for all to hear, not because of the plastic wall but due to a row of chairs placed against the counter to ensure that you really are many feet from the desk.  Of course the masks don’t help trying to say my name and address.

As expected there was nothing, and now the earliest appointment is December 17th.  All the way home I fumed not about the women but the service.  I really wanted to ask why is this service still like this, when business/establishment are trying to get back to as near as normal while still being careful to protect staff and customers/patients.  Why are surgeries’ not seeing people in person, or more than the tiny number that are In general waiting lists are getting bigger and bigger, people are really suffering.  Personally I feel that NHS has been closed for general everyday medical issues.  Everyone these days blames Covid, it’s the perfect excuse for something not working.  But I believe it’s not just because of the virus, in my uneducated opinion there are a couple of big reasons why the NHS (I just want to make it clear, I am not knocking the service itself) cannot cope.  My main suspicion is the years of government underfunding, and possibly Brexit.  There are possibly other reasons if I sat and thought about it.

A few minutes after I arrived home all hot and bothered, I was on the phone to a famous private health care provider and paid for an appointment in a few days’ time.  Sadly I know a couple of people who have had to go down this route to actually see a human being.  Something’s are really not easy to explain on the phone or show on a web cam.  Local medical services really need to try to get back to normal as best they can.  My surgery wasn’t much good before the pandemic; it usually took between 7 to 10 days to see someone.  I am not expecting this private consultation to be any different to an NHS one, in and out as quickly as possible.  Sadly this is the new normal for many, many people, but only if you can afford it.  What concerns me is all the people who don’t have the money and cannot wait 3 to 4 weeks to be seen.

** My apology to all buckets of water.

And Finally…….

Took my nephew and niece for a walk and a visit to a local coffee shop.  Afterwards they wanted to go home walking through the park in the dark and show me there school which was on the way.  The school glowed brightly because every light was on.  Being curious we approached a classroom, I stopped when I saw the back of women but both the kids reached the window and peered in.  The situation was amusing until I noticed that this person was talking on Zoom.  I suddenly realised this must be the teacher conducting a virtual parents evening.

It wouldn’t have been good if little faces were detected in the background, especially ones pulling funny faces and children who attend the school.  Of course I called them back (I am a responsible adult occasionally) and hurried away glad that we had not been spotted.

My Mid Life Crisis Conts……

This week I have watched:

“Alias”, (S1, ep 15 & ep 16).  “Another Life”, (S2, ep 8).  “Babylon 5”, (S1, ep 9).  “Ben Fogle: New Lives In The Wild”, (S10, ep 1, “Sweden”, TX: 29/10/19)(S11, ep 1, “Iceland”, TX: 07/01/20).  “Blakes 7”, (SC, ep 6).  “Click”, (TX: 19/11/21).  “Christopher Lee On Bela Lugosi”, (YouTube)(TX: 16/10/21).  “Cowboy Bebop”, (2021 live action)(S1, ep 1 to ep 4).  “Directing Doctor Who – Behind The Scenes – Doctor Who: Flux”, (YouTube)(23/11/21).  “Gardeners World:2021”, (ep 30  TX: 22/10/21).  “Final Space”, (S3, ep 7 & ep 8).  “Grimm”, (S1, ep 7 and ep 8).  “Hanna”, (S3, ep 1 & ep 2).  “Miriam And Alan Lost In Scotland”, (S1, ep 2, TX: 23/11/21).  “Rare Star Wars 1977 Alec Guinness Interview On Parkinson Talk Show”, (YouTube)(TX: 05/09/14).  “Saloms Lot”, (1979)(Pt 1 & Pt 2).  “Sort Your Life Out”, (S1, ep 4, TX: 25/11/21).  “Space 2099 Clip Reel – Marketing Trailer”, (YouTube)(TX: 15/04/19).  “Space 2099 Opening Credits (Updated)”, (YouTube)(TX: 25/09/21).  “Star Trek (Animated Series)”, (S2, ep 1 & ep 2).  “Stargate Atlantis”, (S3, ep 15 to ep 17).  “Taskmaster”, (S12 (S3 on C4), ep 10, TX: 25/11/21).  “The Bureau Of Magical Things”, (S1, ep 17 to ep 20).  “The Golden Girls “, (S7, ep 15 to 26).  “The Graham Norton Show”, (S29, ep 9, TX: 26/11/21).  “The Great British Bake Off“, (S12 (S5 on C4) ep 10, “The Final”, TX: 23/11/21).  “The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice”, (S7 (C5 on C4), ep 10, “The Final”, TX: 26/11/21).  “The Lakes With Simon Reeves”, (S1, ep 2, TX: 21/11/21).  “The Last Leg”, (S23, ep 8, TX: 20/11/21).  “The Orville”, (S2, ep 8 to ep 11).  “Top Gear”, (S31, ep 2, TX: 21/11/21).  “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”, (S1, ep 1, TX: 23/09/88)(ep 2, TX: 30/09/88)(S2, ep 3, TX: 24/11/89)(ep 14, TX: 23/02/90).

“Doctor Who Watched This Week”……

“An Unearthly Child, (Unaired Pilot)”, (Prod Code A)(Not Shown On TV Until 26//08/91).

“An Unearthly Child”, (S1, Prod Code A, TX: 23/11/63).  “The Cave Of Skulls”, (TX: 30/11/63).  “The Forest Of Fear”, (TX: 17/12/63). “The Firemaker”, (TX: 14/12/63).

“Flux: Village Of The Angels”, (S13 (S39 Since 1963), Chapter Three, TX: 14/11/21).

“Galaxy 4”, (BBC DVD)(Animated ep 1 to ep 4)(ep 3 original  B&W, TX: 25/09/65, Prod Code T).

This week I have listening to:

“30 Animals That Made Us Smarter”, (BBC World Service/Sounds)(S2, ep 22, 22/11/21).  “Box Of Delights”, (S3, ep 10, 06/03/20).  “Coronavirus Global Update”, (BBC World Service/Sounds) (20/11/21)(21/11/21) (22/11/21) (23/11/21) (24/11/21) (25/11/21)(26/11/21).  “Don’t You Want Me?”, (S1, ep 9, 18/11/21)(ep 10, 25/11/21).  “Griefcast”, (ep 156, 24/11/21).  “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha, (ep 45, 26/11/21).  “Maximum Power: A Blake’s 7 Podcast”, (SA, ep 10, 22/11/21).  “Mystery Hour”, (22/11/21)(25/11/21).  “NASA Curious Universe”, (23/11/21).  “NASA Gravity Assist”, (19/11/21).  “Nick Abbot Whole Show”, (20/11/21)(21/11/21)(26/11/21).  “Radio Astronomy (The Sky At Night Magazine)”, (25/11/21).  “Radio Times Doctor Who Podcast”, (21/11/21).  “Rob Beckett And Josh Widdecombe Parenting Hell”, (S3, ep 39, 23/11/21)(ep 40, 26/11/21).  “Smersh Pod – The Spy Who Loved Me”, (Pt 1, 18/01/21)(Pt 2, 19/01/21).  “Space And Things”, (STP17, 24/12/20)(STP65, 25/11/21).  “Space Boffins”, (22/11/21).  “Space Soldiers Podcast – Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe”, (Chapter Nine, “The Pool Of Peril”, 20/11/21).  “Star Trek Universe Podcast”, (22/11/21)(23/11/21).  “The Adam Buxton Podcast”, (ep 170, 26/11/21).  “The Audio Guide To Babylon 5”, (the Incomparable)(ep 55, 16/06/16).  “The Doctor Who Show”, (01/11/21)(08/11/21)(22/11/21).  “The Friendship Onion”, (S1, ep 27, 19/11/21)(ep 28, 23/11/21).  “The Froth With Rhod Gilbert And Sian Harries”, (S4, ep 9(ep 45), 23/11/21).  “The Incomparable”, (The Incomparable Network)(ep 589, 14/11/21).  “The Nick Abbot Habit”, (22/11/21).  “The Skewer”, (BBC Radio 4/Sounds)(S5, ep 4, 25/11/21).  “The Spaces Above Us”, (ep 147, 25/11/21).  “The Supermassive Podcast”, (ep 23, 26/11/21).  “Toby Hadoke’s Far Too Much Information (Bonus Minisode) – Class Of 63”, (23/11/21).  “Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels  – Happy Times And Places”, (26.1, “Love And Monsters”, 26/11/21).  “Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels – Too Much Information”, (2.3, 22/11/21).  “WTB”, (S3, ep 15 (ep 58), 26/11/21).  “What’s Your Problem With Nick Abbot And Carol Mcgiffin, (15/11/21)(22/11/21).  “Wolf And Owl”, (ep 51, 24/11/21)(Bonus #23, 26/11/21).

Songs I Enjoyed This Week, Were By:

“Morrissey”,  “Brian Eno”,  “David Bowie”,  “Diana Ross”,  “Divinyls”,  “Don McLean”, “ELO”,  “EMF”,  “Elbow”,  “First Aid Kit”, “Gorillaz”,  “Lorde”,  “Nick Cave  And The Bad Seeds”,  “Pixes”,  “Sleeper”,  “The Bluetones”,.