Yesterday proved to be an interesting day but the preceding evening was even better. I had been in a kind of ‘ping-pong’ of messages between myself and a South African Asian lady with whom Meg and I were friendly but who had moved to Droitwich ‘down the road’ as it were. We were trying to find a time when we could meet up for a chat but new work commitments were being sprung on her. We had arranged to meet on Friday which became Saturday but suddenly she was free on Friday afternoon so we both seized the moment. Anticipating that we might meet in a day or so, I had bought some little afternoon tea treats from Waitrose and when my friend called round as the day was so hot I treated her to the one remaining low alcohol beer I was keeping in the fridge. We spent a wonderful half an hour of so in each other’s company and as she was now living in Droitwich, I gave her the long and complicated account of how mother has actually been born in Droitwich in 1911. All good things have to come to an end, though, and I promised to cook our friend a nice fish pie for us to consume on another occasion and she particularly wanted me to see her new house in Droitwich, I have a feeling we may see more of each other as we enjoy each other’s company so much so perhaps, once my car situation is resolved, I will be able to pay a visit to Droitwich which is a little town that Meg and I used to enjoy so much.
During the course of the night before, I was idly checking my newly acquired RAC membership and was wondering whether it was worth the cost of the additional service whereby damaged tyres get replaced. These days, it is not uncommon for tyres with a certain amount of tread to pick up a nail or a screw and after one hears the inevitable ‘clicking’ sound a repair is necessary as soon as possible. But I re-discovered something that I sort of knew about but had forgotten which is the very quick and easy way to check whether the amount of tread on one’s tyres meets the legal minimum of 1.6mm across three quarters of the width. This is the ’20p coin’ test as all of our 20p coins have a band around them of approx. 3mm and so, if this is placed at various points in the tyres groove and the band is covered, then one’s tyres are evidently above the legal minimum. The RAC actually advises all motorists to check this out for themselves about once a month or before a long journey and it is such an easy check to perform. But my browsing around the web revealed a website devoted to tyre safety and the number of accidents that can be attributed to poor tyres is horrendous. Under the dual pressures of a squeeze on family incomes (where the expense of tyre replacement becomes a low priority) and poorly maintained roads, then the ‘tyre health’ of the nation has deteriorated alarmingly in the last year or so. So, the ability of tyres to shed water during wet conditions is critical and a new tyre can shed up to a gallon of water per second – as the tread wears down, this ability is reduced and the possibility of aqua-planing increased. Now that I am taking over my son’s car which is five years old but a low mileage, these things have suddenly assumed a new importance for me.
After breakfasting, I made my way down into town and met up with two of my Saturday morning friends in Wetherspoons. After our jolly chat, I made my way slowly up the hill but called in for a brief chat with my Catholic friends and we exchanged gossip about our priest who has announced his intention of leaving us in about 60 days. They kindly gave me a cold drink of apple juice and then I proceeded up the fill, chatting with some other mutual acquaintances who had turned up for Meg’s funeral a fortnight ago now. Then I returned home and contemplated doing my weekly shop at Aldi but I have never been at midday on a Saturday before. The car park was heaving but I managed to get parked and then proceeded with my shopping. The store seemed to be full of junky type stuff and some of the basics were lacking or hard to find. For example, I could not find basic non-diet tonic water but they were pushing some kind of soft drink for children which was advertised as ‘Guess what flavour this is?’ so goodness knows what kind of ingredients it had. After I got home and unpacked, I was disinclined to eat so I thought I would make myself a simple meal of fish and salad once I returned home from church this evening shortly after 7.00pm. I had a fairly quiet afternoon but in the evening, when I return, there is going to be the final of the Under 21 football competition in which England are going to play Germany. I have a feeling that I know who is going to win this particular match but I suppose I will put myself through the agony of watching it.
The latest idea emanating from government to ‘fix’ the NHS is to allow patients to have a say in what funding the part of he NHS they have experienced is to receive. But the chief executive of the NHS Confederation Matthew Taylor expressed concerns about the trial. He was of the view that ‘Patient experience is determined by far more than their individual interaction with the clinician and so, unless this is very carefully designed and evaluated, there is a risk that providers could be penalised for more systemic issues, such as constraints around staffing or estates, that are beyond their immediate control to fix.’ This sounds to me like a gimmicky, ill-thought through proposal and it will probably end up in the same dustbin such as hospital league tables a few years ago. Apart from anything else, poorly performing units probably require more money to be spent on time, not money taken away from them for ‘poor performance’