A BAG OF MONEY

After depositing a present for a child in a Gift Bank, I was presented with a net bag full of milk chocolate money coins. 

The first nursery kid I saw on the street got them. I did ask the [surprised] taken aback parents first.

 “Oh goody chocolate”, said the kid as he reached to snatch what I offered him, to an embarrassed  parental chorus of, “ Say please and say thank you”.  Neither nicety materialised from delighted single-minded junior. 

 .......”It’s Christmas.” I said, and went on my way.  

I couldn't resist looking back.  The grown-ups had happy smiles on their faces.

NOT ENOUGH SECURITY

We are exhorted in endless ways to be security conscious, are we not? ...YES WE ARE.

Don't do this, don't answer that, we won't  phone you, we shall never ask you anything personal etc. etc.

I received a phone call. The guy asked for me by my surname, introduced himself with a first name and told me he was phoning about an issue I had raised about [nameless] bank. So that we could discuss the matter he would first need to go through security with me; so saying, he launched into the first (and last) personal question .

Giving me a first name was not sufficient for me, though he evidently thought it was.

No, he couldn't tell me anything more without going through security with me. And, if I was refusing to clear security with him then he could not give me any information.

One sided security here, ringing all the alarm bells. If  the call was being recorded, I wanted it to be recorded that this call was unsatisfactory. Like a good girl, I was keeping to the security rules and keeping mine safe. Surely, for his part to confirm his status to me, information could be given about when the issue was raised at least and perhaps who may have dealt with any call relating to it. (Those were my questions).

The answer: you've probably guessed it - not without me going through the [ bank's] security, with which, given the nature of the call, I was not going to oblige. Obviously tetchy, he said, in that case he would have to write to me.

I offered to phone him. Yes, I could have a number to call him on but, (there's always a but isn't there) " I am between two floors and you might not get me."
  
I await a letter.

MAKING ME DEMENTED ...AND IT'S ONLY FEBRUARY!

What has made me demented so far in 2013... and, it's only the 8th February:

It has taken two and a half weeks to sort out the issues with the email service.  Fingers crossed it keeps working.

An online application for a bank account - it would have been easier to apply by post.  One last letter sent to give the bank a chance to redeem themselves, (or else) yielded appropriate and satisfactory results. 

I discovered a) we have an opthalmic clinic in the county; b) the regional hospital 120 miles away, receives all medical requests and manipulates appointments to by-pass our local unit. That is what happpend to me. There is a maximum waiting time limit of twelve weeks from the time of received referral, to actually seeing a patient; if not achieved, the hospital trust is fined. A refused appointment is recorded. The refusal means you wait longer for initial triage.  I could have been saved masses of inconvenience and extra costs with a local appointment.

Government departments are known for their designed-in incompetence.  Guess what, we've just been given a foretaste of it.  This will be another path of nonsensical obstacles to overcome.   

To save energy...mine, on the Arctic cold day of the week, for our main meal, I made a salad.