Post a good thing that happened in your life today

[John Morrison]

2 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

I found a letter from the NHS in my mailbox instructing me how to make an appointment for a vaccination.

Good news indeed!

 

I got a text from my local medical centre - basic message: "Don't call us, we'll call you" - which reassures me that I'll get a call when my turn comes...

[Ed Rooney]

Local, John? Good on you.

 

I have booked both my jabs online, the first one next week, the second in April. Both will be at a resort hotel pharmacy, a 24 mile taxi ride from me, about the same distance as the hospital I went to this morning. No, I don't plan to take any trains or buses. Those taxi fares are the only money I've spend on my healthcare since I arrived in Liverpool and joined the NHS.

 

I can't say enough good things about the NHS.  

[Bryan]

Great to learn that you have your jabs scheduled Edo, but I'm wondering why you have to travel so far to get them. Locally people are being vaccinated at the town's primary care centre which is next to the library and shops. 24 miles is taking you to the outskirts of Manchester! Or maybe I've misunderstood your post and that's the round trip - but still a fair hike.

Edited January 20, 2021 by Bryan

[spacecadet]

2 hours ago, Bryan said:

Great to learn that you have your jabs scheduled Edo, but I'm wondering why you have to travel so far to get them. Locally people are being vaccinated at the town's primary care centre which is next to the library and shops. 24 miles is taking you to the outskirts of Manchester! Or maybe I've misunderstood your post and that's the round trip - but still a fair hike.

Absent knowledge of our GP system I expect Ed has taken what he was first offered. I understand it is possible to have a choice but it may involve a wait.

Or perhaps he just fancies a trip out to a nice hotel- I probably would! Not that you can do anything hotelly there like have afternoon tea. But you might be able to do in April.

Sorry Ed, you can speak for yourself perfectly well, but I have heard about this in the press- there is a choice but you have to know how to exercise it.

[Ed Rooney]

25 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Absent knowledge of our GP system I expect Ed has taken what he was first offered. I understand it is possible to have a choice but it may involve a wait.

Or perhaps he just fancies a trip out to a nice hotel- I probably would! Not that you can do anything hotelly there like have afternoon tea. But you might be able to do in April.

Sorry Ed, you can speak for yourself perfectly well, but I have heard about this in the press- there is a choice but you have to know how to exercise it.

 

Bryan, Mark has it exactly right. Thanks, Mark.

 

My option is to take the closest choice offered me now. I don't expect the restaurant to be open for lunch. My regular surgery is a 12 minute walk from my building. It's been shut down since last spring. For me, this is just a bump in the road that will cost me about 40 pounds. The NHS has bigger problems. 

 

My friends in the States have been unable to find a vaccine anywhere.

 

Edited January 20, 2021 by Ed Rooney

[NYCat]

It's pretty chaotic at this point in NYC. West Virginia is the place to be it seems. I have my appointments in FEB and MAR but very little confidence that they won't be cancelled for lack of vaccine.

 

Paulette

[spacecadet]

OH was in One Of Those Moods so a nice half-bottle of Rhône with the sausage and chips. After we'd finished the Merlot.

[Betty LaRue]

15 hours ago, spacecadet said:

OH was in One Of Those Moods so a nice half-bottle of Rhône with the sausage and chips. After we'd finished the Merlot.

Is the wine you like dry? I’m not a wine connoisseur. I do know I like Zenfedel and sweetish wines. Like when you bite into an apple, sweet.  
My boss treated the whole office and spouses to a fine steak dinner at a supper house once at Christmas. There was a glass of red wine by my plate to go with the steak. I took a sip and nearly spewed it out. So dry I puckered. Not what I like. It wasn’t even cold. 🤢🤮

[Dave Colman]

I've just had an article about me on Chinadaily website. A photo I took that got 2nd prize in a local competition for expats in China has been highlighted as promoting the city (Jiaxing) I live in. Rather happy to get this kind of exposure, now I need to quickly upload the image and others for people to see.

[Bryan]

The contractors completed their work felling a line of trees around our allotment site. I was really impressed by the skill and professionalism of these people. They removed all of the wood alongside a cycle track/path on one side of the site, to prevent it being placed on the track as a hazard, while they left it elsewhere. Despite the fact that many of the trees were overhanging the gardens, and space very tight due to yet more trees, no real damage was done to our fences and structures. The place has been transformed, my garden is going to see at least another hour of light each day, while parts of some plots will receive direct sunlight for the first time in years. 

 

I love trees, but, when planting, you need to think carefully about the long term consequences. 

 

Finally, and nowt to do with trees, after two miserable days of heavy rain, the sun is predicted to shine today !

Edited January 22, 2021 by Bryan

[george]

I went to the supermarket today and as we are in lockdown (except for essentials) and have further restrictions coming into force this evening, I expected it to be busy. I really did not want to go over the weekend when it will be busier. Was very pleasantly surprised that it was virtually empty. Lots of the bits I wanted were on offer and when I went through the till I was given a swish cool bag with products inside as I had spent more than 75 euros. (I spent 77). When I got home and emptied the bag it was all sensible items you would normally buy, like kitchen roll, fabric softener, pasta etc. (the leaflet gave the prices of the items in the store and it was 15 euros worth plus the bag) When checking my receipt I saw that I had also saved 57.75 on my shopping as not only had I purchased many items on offer, but the store is also running a refund on VAT for some purchases for this month so 16.79 of the 57.75 was vat refund. Yay.  150 euros worth of goods for 77, happy bunny.  

[Betty LaRue]

9 hours ago, Bryan said:

The contractors completed their work felling a line of trees around our allotment site. I was really impressed by the skill and professionalism of these people. They removed all of the wood alongside a cycle track/path on one side of the site, to prevent it being placed on the track as a hazard, while they left it elsewhere. Despite the fact that many of the trees were overhanging the gardens, and space very tight due to yet more trees, no real damage was done to our fences and structures. The place has been transformed, my garden is going to see at least another hour of light each day, while parts of some plots will receive direct sunlight for the first time in years. 

 

I love trees, but, when planting, you need to think carefully about the long term consequences. 

 

Finally, and nowt to do with trees, after two miserable days of heavy rain, the sun is predicted to shine today !

So right, Bryan. It always amazes me to see all the trees planted under power lines next to the streets in neighborhoods here in the U.S. When the trees grow large, here comes the city cutting the middles out and absolutely making them look horrible. I can understand wanting to see beautiful tree-lined shady streets, but by the time they are big enough to shade the street, they are interfering with power lines.

I love trees, too. People need to give thought toward future years when deciding where to plant them.

I’ve planted one since moving here. It’s in the wide open part of my yard where it can’t bother anything.

Send some of that rain my way. My yard is thirsty.

[Ed Rooney]

10 hours ago, Bryan said:

The contractors completed their work felling a line of trees around our allotment site. I was really impressed by the skill and professionalism of these people. They removed all of the wood alongside a cycle track/path on one side of the site, to prevent it being placed on the track as a hazard, while they left it elsewhere. Despite the fact that many of the trees were overhanging the gardens, and space very tight due to yet more trees, no real damage was done to our fences and structures. The place has been transformed, my garden is going to see at least another hour of light each day, while parts of some plots will receive direct sunlight for the first time in years. 

 

I love trees, but, when planting, you need to think carefully about the long term consequences. 

 

Finally, and nowt to do with trees, after two miserable days of heavy rain, the sun is predicted to shine today !

 

The British sun did show itself briefly here in Beatles Town today. I would not use the therm "shine." 

[NYCat]

Now we know why they were so excited when they sang "Here Comes the Sun".

 

Paulette

[Allan Bell]

Wheeeeeeeeee!  Just received a phone call offering me an appointment for the first anti covid jab on Sunday quite close by too.

 

Allan

 

[NYCat]

My news isn't as good as Allan's but I found out a couple in my building has had the first shot. My appointments in Feb and Mar still stand so I hope we have more vaccine in NYC by then. Our mayor and governor have been shouting "We are running out...". Does not give confidence. Too dramatic in this city sometimes.

 

Paulette

[Allan Bell]

I was told that the second jab will be 11 or 12 weeks after. April the 11th or 18th.

[aphperspective]

I think I have finally managed to understand "nurse language" which seems to involve the word "pop" allot.

" Hello pop yourself over to that chair, pop your shirt of and we'll pop this vaccination in" roughly translated means "Go and sit on that chair, keep quiet, take your shirt off while I shove this 3 inch lump of sharp steel into your arm"  😀

Andy.

[Allan Bell]

4 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

"pop" allot.

 

 Shouldn't that be all one word?        "popallot"

 

Allan

 

[spacecadet]

7 minutes ago, aphperspective said:

while I shove this 3 inch lump of sharp steel into your arm

Should be painless nowadays- they don't swab anymore (it was never necessary according to my pharmacist) and when they did, the pain was caused by the cold alcohol from the swab being injected into your arm!

Seriously for my flu vaccination, being poked with a fork hurt more. I tried it.

Edited January 22, 2021 by spacecadet

[NYCat]

1 hour ago, Allan Bell said:

I was told that the second jab will be 11 or 12 weeks after. April the 11th or 18th.

 

The version I'm getting has the second shot 3 to 4 weeks after the first and I'm properly scheduled at this point.

 

Paulette

[John Mitchell]

I had cataract surgery (lens replacement) done on eye #2 earlier this week, and I can now see clearly with both eyes without glasses (a.k.a. "specs"), except for reading and computer work. The changes in brightness, clarity, and colour perception are dramatic, even shocking. It's like going directly from Kodachrome to digital. Even the gloomy Vancouver winter looks a bit less gloomy. It will be interesting to see what effects this change has on my photography and post-processing. If there is anyone out there hesitant about getting their cataracts fixed, don't be. The operation is a piece of cake.

[Bryan]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

The British sun did show itself briefly here in Beatles Town today. I would not use the therm "shine." 

 

Wall to wall glorious sunshine over here Edo, perishing cold and a biting wind mind.

[MDM]

31 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

I had cataract surgery (lens replacement) done on eye #2 earlier this week, and I can now see clearly with both eyes without glasses (a.k.a. "specs"), except for reading and computer work. The changes in brightness, clarity, and colour perception are dramatic, even shocking. It's like going directly from Kodachrome to digital. Even the gloomy Vancouver winter looks a bit less gloomy. It will be interesting to see what effects this change has on my photography and post-processing. If there is anyone out there hesitant about getting their cataracts fixed, don't be. The operation is a piece of cake.

Great to hear that John. Echoes my own experience as described before. The changes are unbelievable. 

[gvallee]

2 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

I had cataract surgery (lens replacement) done on eye #2 earlier this week, and I can now see clearly with both eyes without glasses (a.k.a. "specs"), except for reading and computer work. The changes in brightness, clarity, and colour perception are dramatic, even shocking. It's like going directly from Kodachrome to digital. Even the gloomy Vancouver winter looks a bit less gloomy. It will be interesting to see what effects this change has on my photography and post-processing. If there is anyone out there hesitant about getting their cataracts fixed, don't be. The operation is a piece of cake.

 

I'm still waiting for mine. I had a first appointment but they wanted A$ 5,000 per eye. We are on a retirement visa which denies us Medicare. Waiting for another place which specialises in uninsured people at half-price. Shame I didn't discover them earlier.