What's wrong with our UK hospitals? I think we've all got our views on that particular old 'chestnut', haven't we! But at least our hospitals are trying to get better now, with some imaginative schemes that go a bit "outside the box" - no pun intended !!!! [??? - Ed].
This morning's Onion News is a case-in-point, and gives us all reason to hope at least, to put it mildly!
And Wellwang Hospital's brave 'rent-a-dad' scheme, we believe, is just papering over the cracks, when really our whole hospitals need a massive redecorating job... figuratively speaking only - we didn't notice any physical cracks in the walls (!), only some glaring, and massively "scarring", "policy-snafus" - just saying!!!!
And, if you're seeking ideas to solve the UK's current hospital crisis, look no further than the middle photo above!
Awwwww (again) !!!!!
One of the unintended pleasures of seeing these series is Michael's occasional asides about his long career as Cabinet Minister, under John Major in the 1990s', but also under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980's.
flashback to earlier today: Lois and I drive the 17 miles up the A3
to Guildford to visit the "poncily"-named Royal Surrey County Hospital
Lois and I noticed it as soon as we walked through the main entrance: Yes, the problem is, put simply, too many patients. It's obvious, isn't it, when you think about it! Crowds of people everywhere, some of them not looking at all well, and all "bumbling about", looking for this or that specialist department, to make it worse!
some typically confusing hospital "road-signs"
It's obvious now too, isn't it, as to exactly what's wrong with our hospitals.
When I walk through a hospital main entrance door, I want to be the only patient in the building, with a "legion" of nurses and doctors on hand but not being too obtrusive, ushering me politely through the labyrinth of corridors until I get to the department that's expecting me.
Is that too much to ask?
It isn't exactly rocket science, is it. Be fair !!!!!
in a lighter moment this morning, I pause in the hospital car-park
to "smell the daisies", and also to watch one of the cute bunny-
rabbits that's probably escaped from some lab or other - awwwww!
Just to clarify, Lois are here at the County Hospital, Guildford, this morning for a couple of reasons: Lois has had a cataract removed last month at the Optegra "Concession", and she wants to know about prospects for some follow-up work. It's also a dry run for us both for Thursday, when I've got my annual check-up. We only moved to this area in January 2025, and we're still trying to familiarise ourselves with the local roads etc.
Yes, we moved here from our former home in Malvern, Worcestershire, after being diagnosed unofficially as "clinically old", but, even at 79, we're still quite spritely, even if we say so ourselves! [I'd like some documentary evidence of that, Colin. Just saying! - Ed]
us, back from our hospital "adventure", on our daily walk,
today through nearby Radford Park
At least now, living here in rural, semi-leafy Liphook, Hampshire, we're only 5 miles away from our daughter Alison (49), plus husband Ed and their 3 teenage kids: Josie (18), Rosalind (16), and Isaac (14). And this afternoon, around 3:45 pm, Alison drops round to see us, which is nice. She texts us first, fortunately, which gives us a bit of time to get out of bed and answer the door (!).
flashback to this afternoon: our elder daughter Alison (49)
drops round to see us, from her home in nearby Headley
Alison's husband Ed is a hot-shot lawyer working for a conglomerate of UK railway companies. And surprisingly perhaps, Alison says there's a lot of ironic laughter to be heard in Ed's London offices most days at the moment. And it's all because of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his "shenanigans" (!).
Starmer, Ed says, is at last appearing to make good on his pre-election pledge to renationalise some of the UK's failing railway companies.
flashback to April 2024: Prime Minister Keir Starmer
seen here laughing on a train with deputy PM, Angela Rayner
Typically. however, according to Ed, the Government's only going to take over one company, for the moment, at least, and guess what - they've picked out the best-performing company in Ed's portfolio! The advantage of this for the Government is that they won't have to do much to correct the company's minimal failings - but it will make the Government look good, as it will make it appear that they're actually doing something. Although Ed expects the company, under public ownership, to run rapidly downhill (!).
What a crazy country we live in !!!
As always we love to hear Ali's news about our 3 teenage grandchildren. We're hoping to see young Isaac perform, as front-man and vocalist, with his boy-girl pop band - I can never remember the name of it - at a local village fete soon. This is mine and Lois's first summer in this part of the country, so our first chance also to see Isaac really "rocking out" at a local "knees-up", which will be nice!
Flashback to October 2024) Isaac, with his group of 3 girl guitarists
and a male drummer [not shown] singing the old Four Seasons 1967 bit
"Beggin'" at the prestigious local Fernhurst (W. Sussex) Annual Cricket Awards
And in July, Lois and I will hopefully be seeing Isaac's, singing skills and also his acting "chops", when he plays the Tin Man in his school's production of "The Wizard of Oz". It'll be at the prestigious Bedales School Theatre, where once such young luminaries-to-be as singers Lily Allen, and actors Minnie Driver and Daniel Day-Lewis, once "strutted their stuff" as kids, on the boards, right there at the Bedales school back in the day.
early school auditions for July's production of "Wizard", in which
our 14-year-old grandson Isaac will be playing the Tin Man, and singing
the Tin Man's iconic signature anthem, "If I Only Had A Heart" - awwwwww!!!!
16:30 Alison leaves, and Lois and I can settle down again for the evening with a traditional 'tongue sandwich', which is nice!
We're glad, however, that Ali's husband Ed is taking a philosophical view of the current Government's so-called big railway initiative, which may not actually amount to much, if Ed's somewhat caustic predictions are to be believed (!).
And it gives us something to smile about as we watch ex-Cabinet Minister Michael Portillo's recent "Great British Railway Journeys" on TV, as part of our traditional "Portillo Hour", just before bedtime, which always calms us nicely down in preparation, to put it mildly! And in this one, he's at Beaconsfield, Bucks, where Lois and I will hopefully be next month for the great cousins-get-together, at nearby Gerrards Cross.
After a visit to Stoke Mandeville, Bucks, birthplace of the Paralympic Games, Michael prepares to settle down for the night at a country pub near the official UK Prime Minister's Country House, Chequers.
Yes, "Make hay while the sun shines!" - wise words, indeed, and words which Michael himself had to cause to ponder himself, 7 years later, in 1997, when he lost his own parliamentary seat in the elections that brought Tony Blair's Labour Party to power. Remember all that malarkey ?!
flashback to General Election 1997, the moment when Michael hears that
he's unexpectedly lost his seat in Parliament to Stephen Twigg (Labour)
At the time, Michael was even being suggested as the next leader of the Conservative Party. And his opponent in the Enfield Southgate constituency, Stephen Twigg, had beforehand been so sure of losing that he had refused to write in advance anything other than a tear-stained draft of a scrappy "Congratulations, Michael, sob-sob" mini-speech (!). Still, I don't suppose Twigg would have minded that too much (!)
But poor Michael !!!!!
flashback to 1997: Conservative Party leader William Hague (left)
commiserates with Michael after his shock election defeat in Enfield
Nevertheless, Michael has gone on to arguably make a better, and certainly more lucrative, career out as a serial Celebrity Rail Travelogue Series Presenter in, like, a billion series (no pun intended!!!) around the world (more than a billion, probably!), than he ever would have as Prime Minister, that's for sure!
Clever Michael !!! Smart Michael !!!!
Will this do?
[Oh just go to bed! - Ed]
22:00 We go to bed - zzzzzzz!!!!
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