Not such a bad day

I will write more on this later, but am generally so quick to report faults & failures I have to be equally diligent in saying how wonderful the staff were at Glenfield hospital, Leicester, if it was possible for the experience to be enjoyable, it would have been enjoyable, the staff were so caring (not patronising ), they treated me and everybody else with dignity and respect; it was a very pleasant and refreshing surprise, especially as it was on Wednesday 30th November, their national strike day. I am even going to write them a hand written thank you letter, these are rarer than Victoria crosses

Bad Day

I have just heard that due to a last minute cancellation I can now have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, both this Wednesday, the same day as the hospital strike but they said it was still OK, so wish me luck, its been a six month wait so I have to take the appointment or wait another six months

Sky News: Women's March To Highlight Impact Of Cuts

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Article/201111316113315

Re my blog about why women live longer and campaign for themselves

I don't blame them, men should be as selfish too.

See more adventures on the blog http://flukie007.blogspot.com

Hospital Complaints

This morning there is quite an in depth article in the daily mail about how hospitals are not very good, complaints are at an all time high, personally I  agree and have been saying for ages that hospital are geared up for the staff and not the patients, but that's explained in detail in many places in my blog, and your comments noted, but my reason for today's blog is that maybe I  only saw the bad side of hospitals, I  just saw uncaring staff and bad facilities for patients and good care and benefits along with a decent wage and short hours for the staff, but MAYBE I  was unlucky because according to the daily mail, I  was in the worst hospitals in the UK, lucky me, I'm in with three of the twelve worst hospitals, is that a record ?

Seven Ways To Get More Done!

There are seven methods you can use to get more done each day. Each suggestion is simple, direct, and costs no money.


Work Harder

Work harder than you are working today. You can concentrate with greater intensity on your work. You can focus single-mindedly and discipline yourself to work without interruption, diversion, or distraction. You can work harder than anyone else, which is a secret to great success.

Work Faster
You can work faster than you do today. You can pick up the pace. You can develop a faster tempo. You can move more quickly from place to place and from job to job. When you combine working harder and working faster, you can get more done in a single day than most people get done in a week.

Batch your Tasks
You can batch your tasks. You can do a series of similar jobs together, taking advantage of the learning curve.

Do More Important Things
You can batch your tasks. You can do a series of similar jobs together, taking advantage of the learning curve.

Do Things You’re Better At
Do things at which you excel. The better you are in a key skill area, the more you can get done, and at a higher level of quality. Because you are better at these tasks, they will be easier for you, so you will get them done with less effort, and you will have more energy as a result.

Make Fewer Mistakes
To get more done, you can make fewer mistakes. You can take the time to do it right the first time. You’ve heard it said, “there is never enough time to do it right, but there is always enough time to do it over.” One of the best time management techniques is to do it right the first time, even if it takes a little more effort and concentration.

Simplify the World
You can simplify the work by reducing the number of steps necessary to complete the task. This makes the job simpler and easier to get done.
Focus on doing a quality job the first time you do the task so that you do not need to waste time to go back and fix that task.

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. -Francis Bacon

Why women live longer than men

I  am not bitter and twisted or resentful, I  love women, I'm simply pointing out that they save there own asses and are not striving for equality, but superiority.

I hate to be a complainer and observer, but in real life if I just said I wanted lower tax, earlier retirement and a better health service it would not be a very interesting blog, so I  try to highlight events, as I  interpret them; I  believe I am factual, and unbiased. As always I welcome comments from readers, good or bad.

Women live longer than men, I  think that's undisputed, women are also under-represented in top jobs, BUT they are also very unrepresented in dirty and dangerous jobs too; yes it's true they have female police officers, you can see them on drug raids etc, there they are standing behind the SWAT, TSG etc, right at the back behind the men, and often behind the police cars, standing by with a pen, ready to be the "arresting" officer, that's not women's fault, they are just saving their own asses, it's selective equality, hence all of the women's breast cancer appeals, screening clinics etc. I  have never seen or heard of a sponsored run etc.. for male testicular cancer or even male breast cancer. They wanted to be treated equally but they still want to board the lifeboats first.

So not only do women live longer, they also retire earlier, they go to the front of the Q. They board lifeboats first, they stand behind the guys in the army.

Women are encouraged; almost bullied into having regular breast screening and smear tests, for cancer and cervical cancer etc. but men, men, get nothing. Some men have man boobs, I  don't think a doctor would take him seriously if he asked for a breast scan

My local swimming pool has women only swimming sessions, at the best times in the morning, I  have never heard of men only sessions (not that I want them) I  am simply pointing out the women have not achieved equality, they have superiority.

If you get married and divorced, the female gets the lions share of the assets, so she can be kept in the manner she has become accustomed, even if the divorce is her fault, she had an affair or whatever. In almost every case the women also gets custody of the kids, even if she is an unfit mother.

I  also notice that's it's quite normal and acceptable in soaps and films for a women to be violent towards a man, but the man (in theory stronger) is not allowed to strike back or defend himself

I  think this is born from tradition, men's instinct is to protect women and women's instinct to save themselves, and find a good provider, either to protect them from harm, and or buy them nice things.

It's not uncommon for women to be violent towards men in sit coms, and films, just as part of the story, not as the main event, but its wrong for men to be violent and complaints by abused husbands are not taking seriously by the authorities (I am not one of them but I empathise)

Women / girls are given the HBV virus vaccination free, and by their GP, men / boys are not, even though they are just as likely to get the cancer orally, and it is difficult, painful, and expensive to treat. Boys can get it but it costs around £300 / £400 and most boys don’t even know about it

And last but not least, women don't  get man flu

Trick Or Treat

Just a quick note to say that I don’t understand this trick or treat thing :-( We are told that a lot of old people feel intimidated by masked kids and teenagers knocking on doors asking for something, like sweets or a pound, At the very least they are trespassing by coming onto somebody's property uninvited, at worst, this is legally demanding money with menace; so why is it tolerated, I don’t understand. I personally am not going to donate anything to them as I think it only encourages them, and in any event, sweets rot their teeth and most kids these days are too fat anyway. Certainly they can buy their own sweets, I see loads of them walking around with skull candy headphones, new MP3's and Iphones.
Do we really have to copy the Americans at everything ?
It also endorses kids walking round the streets at night, they get used to it and turn into car thieves, muggers and rapists.

If absolutely nothing else they knock on the door and interrupt your evening meal, TV film, or bath etc. that’s even if you don't get your nice clean car egged.
It should be outlawed and discouraged. (apparently it already is in some parts of the USA)

Bankinter vs common sense

Bankinter have withdraw all of the incorrect and bogus charges against me and cancelled the court summons at the 11th hour :-)
I have been given a clean slate with no financial or legal charges
A big thank you to Jaime my solicitor in Spain

I  am glad it's over, it's been an eigh month struggle which I  don't deserve and cannot afford, but with eh Spanish system you are found guilty by default if you don't go to court to defend yourself

Cervical Dystonia post opp

I  have just got back from Plymouth after my post opp 6 week follow-up, I  thought everything went OK, my tests results showed a big improvement on movement, now 38 degrees left, 34 degrees right, I'm very pleased, surgeon, Dr. P said results were excellent, BUT he didn't seem very interested, I  only got a few minutes with him after travelling for a three day round trip, two over night stays and two seven hour trips. Anyway, he;s not there to make friends so I  guess he did his job.

Main damper on the event was that out of the blue, he tells me that there is a 10% chance the nerve connections will grow back, there is nothing I  can do to prevent it, and if they grow back, I  have to hope I  can get a second operation.

I  think it was at the forefront of his mind because as I  was there a lady had been re-admitted for the same reason, I'm told the critical time is six months to a year, so a follow up appointment will be needed in six month.

I  was also told I  would have to do the exercises 4 or 5 times a day forever; I  was not told about this before the operation, I  was told I  would need to exercise or the operation wouldn't be much use, but I  understood that was to build up the muscles, and then I  would be OK'ish.

I  realise I  could be looked on as complaining, maybe I  am but I  waited three years for the operation, they messed it up once, sort of got it right in the end but aborted the operation twice; now show no interest or support in my progress, because I  had to have the check-up I  have to travel from Leicester to Market Harborough, about seven hours each way, and a day hanging around the hospital while the physio's measure the change, so a three day trip, very tiring and expensive (trains and hotels), and the result is an uninterested overpaid neurologist face to face meeting for five minutes and then says come back in six months when it may be re-growing.

On a positive note, the lowly paid, humble physio therapist (Miss Z) was brilliant! she seemed really diligent and was obviously pleased and excited by my test results, she looked like she was going to cry, she is a star, I  wish I  could think her properly, I  got her some chocolates :-)

cervical dystonia operation checkup

Next week I'm going back to Plymouth for them to see how well my operation on 11th Aug 2011 worked, they already told me that I would never be cured, but I do definitely have a much better posture, reduced pain and reasonable left and right movement, I'm really pleased I got the operation, but have already been told that because of the delay in getting the operation, (I was diagnosed with cervical dystonia since February 2009) that some of the bones in my neck have knitted together and so even when I  was completely unconscious in the operating theatre my neck movement to the right was restricted, They will measure the angle of my head and how far I  can turn, then I  have another follow up in three months, then six months, then a year. I  have read that SOMETIMES they need to perform a second operation to get the right muscle's, I  don't think this is likely in my case because they did so many video tests with electrodes in me weeks before the operation, to me, it seems unlikely they got a false positive, but we will see.

Bankinter, Spain & court summons update

I heard back from my Spanish solicitor yesterday, it seems the whole problem with the court summons and Bankinter is communication within Bankinter itself, followers will know I was very very sick from February 2009, in truth I  have cervical dystonia and crones, my doctor thought I  was going to die, I  am much better now, and looks like I  will live a decent quality of life, but Bankinter took over a year to pay out on my Insurance to cover the mortgage, during that time my mortgage fell into arrears, it's now up to date, all OK and has been for fifteen months, I  knew Bankinter were unhappy about their costs during my illness but the delay was caused by their  back office insurance department.

They called me on 1st July 2011 and wanted me to pay their costs, I  didn't feel I  owe them anything, but asked for a formal letter detailing the costs and confirming that was the total costs and that they would not claim more money later, I  never got the letter!  but I  have a recording of their call, so I  can prove my innocence; anyway thanks to my solicitor I  have found out that they already issued a claim to sue me, in October, 2010 ! hence the court summons, so they want me to repay all of my mortgage now, even though it's up to date, it makes no sense, now to defend my self I  have to employ a barrister (procuradora)  in Spain to explain the truth (my side) to the or I  will lose the property, even though I'm innocent.

I  got an email from my solicitor and (procuradora) saying Bankinter will tell me the costs to withdraw their claim, but I  don't feel I  should have to pay anything as it was their error.

Volví a saber de mi ayer, abogado español, parece que todo el problema con el corte eh citación y Bankinter es la comunicación dentro de Bankinter en sí, los seguidores se sabe que era muy, muy enferma de febrero de 2009, en verdad tengo la distonía cervical y viejas, mi médico pensó yo iba a morir, me siento mucho mejor ahora, y parece que voy a vivir una vida digna, pero Bankinter tardó más de un año para pagar por mi seguro para cubrir la hipoteca, durante ese tiempo mi hipoteca cayó en mora, ahora es hasta la fecha, todo está bien y ha sido durante quince meses, yo sabía que Bankinter no estaban conformes con sus gastos durante mi enfermedad, pero el retraso fue causado por su departamento de nuevo seguro de la oficina.

Ellos me llamaron el 1 de julio de 2011 y quería que pagar sus costos, no me siento que les debo nada, pero pidió una carta formal que detalla los costos y que confirma que fue el importe total y que no iban a reclamar más dinero en el futuro , nunca me llegó la carta! pero tengo una grabación de su llamada, por lo que puedo demostrar mi inocencia, de todos modos gracias a mi abogado me he dado cuenta de que ya emitió un reclamo para demandarme, en octubre de 2010! por lo tanto, la citación judicial, por lo que ellos quieren para pagar todos los de mi hipoteca ahora, a pesar de que es hasta la fecha, no tiene sentido, ahora para defender a mi mismo que tengo que emplear a un abogado (Procuradora) en España para explicar la verdad (mi lado) a la o voy a perder la propiedad, a pesar de que soy inocente.


Recibí un correo electrónico de mi abogado y (Procuradora) diciendo Bankinter me va a decir el costo de retirar su demanda, pero yo no siento que tenga que pagar nada, ya que fue su error.

NHS wastage

I had cause to visit my local hospital in Kettering (nothing serious) and whilst in the waiting room are read the message board, information, infomercials and leaflets as the hospital were running late, surprisingly late since the appointment was for 9:30am, so they only just opened outpatients, it's difficult to accumulate an appointment overrun if you have only just started work, so the only conclusion is that they were late starting, I  wish I  could do that any time I  felt like it in my business; anyway, I  digress, my point is, they have lots of printed leaflets, very nice and glossy, but lots about nothing, and with own branding, is this necessary ? why do they advertise how great they are, when

1/ They are not great
2/ You have no choice but to go there anyway

it's all about them patting themselves on the back and self praise, self praise is no praise, and in this case a waste of my money.

Here is an example, three leaflets, all virtually the same about how amazing they are for having seperate men and women's toilets etc.

it's a waste of paper, money and time and resources, do we need to read three leaflets on the same subject ? do we need any ? I  don't think so. Hospitals should concentrate there resources on making sick people well again, not messing about being politically correct, as followers will know, I've spent a lot of time in hospitals lately; every time they come to your bedside to talk, or do any kind of invasive treatment they draw curtains round the bed, so do we need separate wards anyway ? we definitely don't need separate everything, especially in times of austerity and hardship. aircraft's don't have separate toilets do they ? I  agree in a perfect world it would be great to have separate wards, but is it really necessary, and a priority ? No, of course not! EVEN IF we do need them, do we need so many VERY similar leaflets bragging about it.

Spain, Bankinter v Common Sense

I  got back from Spain and so back to work, Friday evening was very welcome, I  was anxious about what was going to happen about the court case in Spain and the general rigours of running a business in very difficult times, I  was ready to relax and enjoy the weekend with a beer or two, But late on Friday I  received an email from my solicitor, it was a surprise, I  thought everybody had finished for the weekend, especially in Spain which is an hour ahead of the UK.

My solicitor says the court summons is about Bankinter (that would have been my only guess anyway). Basically they are suing me for the full amount of my mortgage, and their legal fees, why ? my mortgage is up to date, everything is OK, BUT two years ago when I  was in the worst phase of my incurable cervical dystonia they froze my account while the insurance was being sorted out, some mortgage payments were not paid (because in effect I  was about 90,000.00 € in credit with he bank, my mortgage arrears have been settled with interest, but now there is a little equity in the property they want me to pay for it outright, which is impossible as I  have no money, so of course, they will take the property away, I  will lose all I  have.

I  have already lost a 350,000.00 € property to the bank, and two cars, but my Bankinter payments were all up to date so I  never expected this, I  don't understand at all, you would think the bank would be happy I'm making my monthly mortgage payments on time, instead of re-possessing the property and then them not being able to sell it along with he thousands and thousands of property that cannot be sold.

As there is no way I  can pay the bank, and Spain has good and bad points, I  feel the decision has been made for me, I  have to give up the fight, and the struggle to make the monthly payments

On The Other hand

I  have very mixed and confused feelings about Spain, I  have lost 100,'s of 1000,00 of £ GBP in Spain, and yet I  feel happy and relaxed when in Spain, as I  said last week was a mission to see my solicitor because I  never broke any laws or committed any crimes that I'm aware of, and yet I  got a court summons, so I  wanted to get the matter wrapped up and concluded, All I  seem to have lately are problems and bills from Spain, Torrevieja is beautiful, I  really like Torrevieja, it's majestic, clean, romantic, vibrant, sexy and yet still relaxing. I  would be happy to sit in the harbour, enjoy the sun and a beer everyday, if I  could., but I  can't, I  have to work every day.

I  don't spend much time in Torrevieja for practical reasons, in real life, when in Spain I'm at Villamartin, unfortunately it's been neglected there lately, it has a beautiful square by two fantastic golf courses, in a wonderful location near so many great things, BUT the Villamartin square is very dirty and tired, it's needs repairing and cleaning, the businesses seem unconcerned, maybe now nonchalant after a few years of bad trade, but the trade is not helped by the run down and neglected appearance, I  realize that it's easy to criticise but I  also feel it would be an easy problem to fix. Now things are so bad in public areas that I  would be embarrassed to take member's of my family there, when I  used to be proud, I'm now ashamed and embarrassed at the filth and neglect. Most mornings if I  go to my local café for breakfast on  the square there is broken glass on the floor, lots of it, and many places the floor has fresh blood, not the amount of a cut finger, but a lot!.

When I  go to town, Villamartin, or Caba Roig, there are very few Spanish, or Spanish things, the brits have made almost every bar a run down, empty bar showing sports all of the time, or disco music, thousands of them all copying each other, all the same, and all nearly devoid of customers and being surprised . No Spanish is spoken, the signs are in English and they serve low quality food (with very few exceptions). Caba Roig is the nearest I  have to town, it used to be great, but now it's all Chinese supermarkets selling low quality goods, Russian bars, and English "sports" bars each with it's own couple of fat English guys sitting about all day, and hardly ay other customers

On the other hand, the day before I  have to fly back to England I  went to the beach (5 minutes away), it was nicely busy, not crowded, but vibrant and exciting, I  had a beer from a bar on the beach, for the same price as I  pay in my local pub, but this was much better, ice cold, lovely view and fresh air, I  went in the sea, it was crystal clear, calm, and warm, like a bath, it would make me take up religion or something, it was so beautiful. So I'm confused, I  have contradictory feelings

The blobs in the water are fishes, they are so close you can stroke them, the water must be clean and healthy for the fish to be so abundant, They look strong and healthy, this seems like paradise to me and I  never knew anything better.

Court case in Spain

I spent yesterday morning at the notary and the solicitors in Torrevieja, the court won't tell me what I am accused of unless I go to them face to face, this is in case its a bad charge and I decide not to come to Spain to face the charges, anyway now my solicitor will go to court on my behalf, so I have two days here until I return to the UK
I found a nice seat on a quiet beach, so you know where I am if you need me.

Market Harborough Art Fresco

I  don't usually get involved in politics, but I  had to say how disappointed I  was in the Market Harborough arts fresco, I  have been to them before and always found them entertaining and original, this year was just a waste of time and money, and to be honest, embarrassing. Usually the town is full of life and brings business to local traders, which is fair enough because they sponsor the even, but this year there was very little in the town, the "main" event was at a local park and no longer walk able for many, and so did not help traders, and then one bit of the event went off to Kettering, are we supposed to follow them there ? I  don't get it at all :-( All I  could see in town were silly sellotape models, at the time I  didn't even know that they were anyrthing to do with the "festival".

I  will not bother going next year and I  would be surprised if the traders rush to put money into the event

Spain V Columbia

I'm going to Spain in one weeks time, I'm only going for a few days. I  would rather be going to Columbia, so why am I  going to Spain, I  have to go to Spain to attend court, why ? I  don't know but I  got a summons, Spain will cost about £50.00, Columbia about £2,500.00 and Spain is a short flight about two hours so I  can go for a short trip but Columbia is a long trip, also I  can drive in Spain, I  want to try driving again after a three year of non driving due to my illness cervical dystonia. I  wanted my solicitor in Spain to sort the summons and court out, but apparently they cannot do it for me, this is what they wrote

"According the normal procedure you should go to Court and let them know that after being back to Spain (as you live currently in the UK), you have just to find out their letter requesting you to collect some documents in last June. Then, they would inform you about the reference of your court case and the exact Court, from all the Court offices there, where the documents can be delivered to you. In a regular basis, they will not inform you about the aim of the court documents unless that you collect them, since once the aim of the court notice is known by you, the delivery of the documents could be done by you, in order to delay as much as possible the Court case.

Therefore, although our colleague Fernando is trying to get the information, it can not be done following the normal procedure. Actually, different people should make some favours to Fernando. As it can be easily understood, after making his own enquiries, somebody of the chain could inform him that to obtain more information you should collect the documents by yourself or by close family living with you).

Please note that according to the Spanish Law, if the Court intended to contact you to inform about a Court case and you did not receive the court notice, in a regular basis, the other party involved in the court case will ask to the judge for making a public advertisement of the court notice. That way means that the court case will be followed without advising you any more, which also implies than you will not be allowed to respond or to object the arguments of the claimant and the final court decision.

In the light of the above and considering that you will be over here next weekend, it is advisable that you personally go to Orihuela Court and collect the documents by yourself and bring them to us in the same day. Otherwise, we would have to allow Fernando to proceed as advised, which can take some time and even can be a waste of time."

Return to Spain

I have not been able to get any information from the Spanish courts about the summons, it appears that they won't even discuss it with my solicitors so I'm going to Spain next week for four days

I need to get this matter closed and legal

If you don't get another blog update after next weekend you will know I'm rotting in a Spanish prison.

Hospital Appointment

Spooky really; I  just complained about the lack of news from the hospital concerning my stomach pains / exploration follow up, and today I  finally got another appointment, it's for 25th October, so only five months wait since my GP's referral :-(

And coincidently Spain has announced
"A Royal Decree has come into effect which aims to reduce waiting lists for operations.

It stipulates a maximum wait of 180 natural days for cardiac, valvular and coronary surgery, cataract operations, hip and knee replacements. "

Court Summons Update - Corte española Citación de actualización

I  still don't know what's going on with the Spanish legal courts system; I  didn't go to court when I  was summoned because I  didn't get the summons, this sis because I  live in England and they sent the papers to Spain, they know I  live in England, I am treated and taxed as a non resident, (in Spain non residents pay higher bank charges etc.). My solicitor doesn't know what the summons is about, and the courts are on holiday at the moment so nobody can find anything out
I  don't know if I  will be arrested for failing to shop up at court, nobody seems to know, but it means I  have to pay the mortgage and maintenance on a property that I  cannot go to in case I  am arrested
As I  said before, I  don't understand how I  can prepare my legal defence in Spain if I  don't know what I'm being accused of. I'm pretty sure it's an error on the Spanish legal systems fault, I  feel this because
1/ I'm a law abiding  person
2/ I  haven't been in Spain so it's difficult for me to comment an offence there
3/ There paperwork lags behind real life, so I  guess it's about my Bankinter incident, or non payment of bills whilst I  was in hospital, all of which were fixed over a year ago
4/ If it was something serious or factual, they surely would have pursued my prosecution in England

I  have invested hundreds of thousands of Euro in Spain in the past. Two houses, Two cars, Two motorbikes, and had dozens of friends come out tot see me there for a holiday, spending money in the bars and restaurants, helping the economy

In any case, this is not encouraging people to buy property of vehicles in Spain, and hence very little investment in Spain in the future.

Having said all this, I  like Spain, I  wish the issues could be fixed, I  would like to have my holidays there, and live there one day

Yo todavía no sé lo que está pasando con el sistema español de tribunales legales, no me vaya a la corte cuando fue convocado porque no he tenido la convocatoria, este sis porque yo vivo en Inglaterra y me mandaron los papeles a España , ellos saben que yo vivo en Inglaterra, me tratan y pagar impuestos como un no residente, (en España los no residentes pagan mayores comisiones bancarias, etc.) Mi abogado no sabe lo que la citación se acerca, y los tribunales están de vacaciones en el momento en que nadie puede encontrar nada

No sé si voy a ser arrestado por no ir de compras en la corte, nadie parece saber, pero eso significa que tengo que pagar la hipoteca y el mantenimiento de una propiedad que no puede acudir en caso de que me arresten

Como he dicho antes, no entiendo cómo puedo preparar mi defensa legal en España, si no sé lo que estoy siendo acusado. Estoy bastante seguro de que es un error en la falla de los sistemas jurídicos español, me siento porque

1 / Yo soy una persona respetuosa de la ley

2 / No he estado en España, así que es difícil para mí comentar un delito no

3 / No papeleo va a la zaga de la vida real, así que supongo que se trata de mi incidente Bankinter, o falta de pago de las facturas mientras yo estaba en el hospital, todos los cuales fueron fijadas hace un año

4 / Si se trata de algo serio o de hecho, seguramente habría seguido mi juicio en Inglaterra


Me han invertido cientos de miles de euros en España en el pasado. Dos casas, dos coches, las motos de dos, y había docenas de amigos salen tot verme allí de vacaciones, el gasto de dinero en los bares y restaurantes, ayudando a la economía


En cualquier caso, no se trata de animar a la gente para comprar la propiedad de vehículos en España, y por lo tanto hay muy poca inversión en España en el futuro.


Habiendo dicho todo esto, me gusta España, quiero los temas podría ser fijo, me gustaría tener mis vacaciones allí, y vivir allí un día

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NHS Waiting times

Whilst I  appreciate that times are hard, and that I  recently had an operation funded by the NHS, I  had waited three years for the operation and had incredibly little follow up support, I  have to return to hospital in Plymouth in six weeks time, but in between times, I  get no information about how my recovery and symptoms are likely to be, so I  phoned my GP about the pain when I  pee; they say it's normal, so why don't they tell you that when you leave hospital ? it would save a lot of the Dr's time and the patients worry.
Anyway I  have always said that hospitals are geared round the Dr.'s and nurses, I  seriously think that very little thought has been given to patients / sick people.
After I  was discharged prematurely from hospital and made into a day patient, I  had to return to hospital the next day, I  had the operation because of my neck I  cannot stand or sit for very long, so here I  am in the middle of August in  the hottest part of the UK, the waiting room is very hot with little or no ventilation and a note on the window saying DON'T open the window, (pigeon problem); so why can't they have air conditioning like in the nurses quarters ? OR mesh on the window to stop the pigeons ? I  don't understand. Obviously an NHS employee has not spent any time in the "waiting room", to make it extra torture there is a water machine in the corner of the stifling hot room, but it's broken. I  sat there for two and a half hours while nurses read OK magazine and showed total lack of interest in my discomfort, The chairs were dirty with no support, the wait was very uncomfortable. It would be illegal for the NHS to expect their staff to work in those conditions, but it's OK to let sick and paying people sit in the waiting room and rot.
Even looking at the flowers in the room indicate total lack of care and interest and encourage people to prey for death.

As I  said, I  have had one operation after waiting for three years, but I'm still waiting to see my local specialist for my stomach pains, I  was referred on 27th May, I  got an appointment a month ago, but the hospital cancelled,  (something cropped up), to be fair it was an ideal golfing day, but they say because it was cancelled (albeit by them) I'm at the back of the Queue .

They already told me that my neck wont ever be good, because it took three years before the operation there is some permanent damage; will they eventually tell me my stomach problem is now serious and cannot be fixed because it took so long for them to see me.

I  think they want some patients to die or become incurable whilst waiting for treatment, this saves money and I  read about it in the papers recently

Gaddafi - Tripoli

 I 'll probably disappear or have an accident myself for writing this, but  I  don't understand.

I  don't want this blog to be about politics or religion but  I  have asked around my extended circle of friends and contacts and nobody else seems to understand either.

Why is the media so excited about the Libyan people overthrowing their leader, Gaddafi? whether the rest of the the world thinks he is crazy or not, is not the point, he has been president for 42 years, hardly the work of a crazy man. I'm not particularly for Gaddafi, in fact I never met the guy, but it seems that the world is against him because we don't agree with him, I  don't see as it's anybody else's business.

Of course millions of Libyian people want him removed from power, but also millions don't, it's also true to say that plenty of people, especially students don't want Cameron in power, so how would we feel if NATO supported the student riots ? Sorry guys,  I  don't see the difference.

Really the same goes for Egypt, etc. are we now in favour of anarchy ? or is it just a dual standards thing

 I  don't understand

Stitches Out

I saw the nurse yesterday and had my stitches out, she seemed amazed too and went to fetch another just to look, anyway they came out OK, so  I  feel better now, still not sure if the pain is still from my Dystonia or from the normal tissue damage caused during surgery
On the way out of the clinic  I  bumped into my Dr. (G.P.), it was not planned, but  I  told him after 3 years  I finally had the operation, he said he knew, said my stitches were enormous and left, he did not seem very interested.  I  guess the become nonchalant after dealing with sick people all of the time, but  I  thought that's why they got paid the big money

Stitches

well, it's a week since my operation, not much to say so far, but that is as expected;  I  am not sure of how much movement improvement  I  have achieved as a result of the operation because my body is aching and bruised from the operation, but that's OK, it will change

Today is exciting,  I  will be more comfortable because my stitches are being removed

Operation

Well I had the operation last Thursday, not Wednesday as planned, and I'm in a half way house hospice near the the hospital, the operation was tough for me, and the surgical team, 10 hours in surgery :-(

I have been told I can go home on Thursday, I now have lots of Physiotherapy before I will feel much benefit from the operation

Surprise call

I got a surprise call this morning, the hospital have moved my operation forward, to this Wednesday :-), amazing, so hopefully my next update will be post opp and the pain will have gone and I can resume my life

unexpected favor

Have you every had someone do an unexpected favour for you? If you have, I bet it made your day.

Can you think of a way you could help someone in your life in an unexpected way? If so, take a moment and put that on your to do list or better yet just go do it. I doubt you'll regret it.

GP Appointment / Hospital delays

 I  wanted to make an appointment to see my GP, to update him on my latest hospitals indefinite cancellation of my long awaited appointment, but he's on holiday, fair enough. So  I  thought  I  would make an appointment for when he returns, BUT the receptionist tells me that he has four appointments already booked for his return and he left instructions saying that was the most he would see after his return as he does not want to be busy when he starts back after his holiday.


That's wonderful,  I  wish we could all do that, have three weeks holiday and then come back and take it easy, most people come back to work and have  abacklog causing extra work, and a need for another holiday.

 I  guess the hospitals have a similar philosophy and hence the long waiting lists and high rate of cancelled appointments

Hospital appointment delay

Leicester hospital phoned and cancelled my appointment to see a specialist, they cancelled the day before the appointment even though I had waited two month since the referral from my GP, I asked about a new appointment and they said they would be in touch, having not heard anything for a week or so I called them about a new appointment, they weren't too concerned, they just said that it would be a few months away because my previous appointment had been cancelled; even though it was them that cancelled it.

This is unbelievable, especially as they are saying the goal is to see every body from GP to treatment with sixteen weeks.

Hospital cut backs

I got an email late yesterday from my surgeons secretary, she was just telling me that she is concerned because there are nine of her at the moment and they have been told that there will need to be only four from next month, she does not know if she will be one of the five to be put out on the streets. It just seems crazy that we are cutting operations and increasing waiting time to the extent that one in six die (or go privately) whilst waiting and yet we are the "world police" getting involved in civil wars all over the world. I don't understand it, and nobody has been able to explain to me why we do this

Plastic bags - update

Hi all, Just a quick update, spooky really but today in the daily mail there is a big article about how there are MORE plastic bags in use now, not less. I have the full article on PDF if anybody wants it just let me know please

Wastage / Argos

On a different note today, I'm not a tree hugger or a recycling, save the planet fanatic, BUT I do try not to waste the planets resources. I think in the future there will be problems for the young, I'm not young and I don't have kids so it won't effect me, but in many ways I'm glad I'm not young, I think that life will be hard for the adults of the future, but in some ways it's their own fault, I see wastage everywhere

Yesterday I was in town, as I walked by the Argos store they were grabbing passers by and trying to "force" the new Argos catalogue on them, it's a really thick catalogue and comes in a plastic bag too, I see no need for this at all. Apparently despite all of the green hype, we are now using more plastic bags than ever before.

Argos showroom July 2011

I should / would also like to point out that I have nothing against Argos in particular, its just that this caught my eye and I find it amazing

Amy Winehouse

I don't normally comment or get involved with the "celebrity" world, I say celebrity world, because in general it's a different world to the world the rest of us are in, but I do think Amy's death is a tragedy, not only because she was so young, and so talented, but mostly because from what I can see it's just a terrific waste of life, she seemed to have everything going for her, then died at 27. I just think MAYBE this will serve as a warning to other young people that try to mimic her; my local pub is full of young girls that try to be her, they look like her, dress like her, and they hang around the pub most of the day; in honesty I don't know if they take drugs, but I do know that they don't work and they do waste their lives, I just hope maybe Amy's death will make them rethink their lives, in which case, something good will have come from a tragedy

New operation date

Well, late yesterday I got a call from the hospital, they have given me a new appointment, it's September 20th, I guess that's quite quick, - 62 days, but it seems like a long time to me. I know others suffer more, but that doesn't stop me feeling the pain and much lower quality of life than normal. I cannot do much at the moment, I just have to wait.

Operation Cancelled

Just a quick note today as I'm  a little stressed and so off to the pub

I've just heard by phone that my life changing operation scheduled all next week, with the big event in Plymouth on Wednesday has been CANCELLED, this was booked on 28/04/11 so I've been worrying and planning this for nearly 3 months and then it's cancelled with no alternative date offered

It's amazing that they can just do this

I had booked trains, and hotels for recovery after the operation

Cancelled appointment

12/07 I was supposed to be seeing Dr.in Leicester this afternoon re Crones disease, BUT at 3:30pm yesterday I got a call cancelling cos something cropped up, they said they would write with a new appointment "soon". To be fare the weather forecast looks good so it's no surprise, it just means I've waited six weeks for nothing

Bankinter, Spain & court summons - Bankinter, España y citación judicial

I still have not received the letter that Bankinter promised me, I never thought it would arrive as the dispute in 99% BS, they know that, but I also thought there was  a possibility it would arrive, especially as they approached me with a view to resolving the dispute. I also have an MP3 recording of the phone call in which they made the promises, but they have not delivered their promise.


With my cervical dystonia, numerous hospital visits, in and out patient and crones disease I have found it very difficult, expensive and impractical to travel, I have no car in England or Spain, and I cannot drive anyway.


Last week I did go to Spain because I have an operation coming up in a few weeks, I know I wont be able to travel after the operation and it's been over fifteen months since I was in Spain and although it's a massive struggle I have kept paying the mortgage while things are negotiated with he bank.


The villa was still there, even though after being empty for so long it seemed neglected, after a good clean from a friend of mine, it was liveable and all seemed much better again; however there was a letter in the postbox, very sparse on details, something about coming to court, no reason why, or what it's about.


How am I suppose to get to court? I cannot travel anywhere easily, how can I prepare? I don't know what it's about, and I don't speak Spanish, so the whole thing seems amazing


I called my Spanish lawyer, she does not know what it's about either, and said the court would not discuss it on the phone with her or anybody, so guess what, I have to pay my solicitor to drive for an hour each way to the court and ask them what the summons is about.


I don't understand how anybody can defend themselves if they don't know what they are defending against. Also it is very environmentally unfriendly, a waste of time, fuel, and money, none of which I have. What ever the summons is for, no doubt it will involve further visits as nobody would be able to answer the questions as the time because no preparation would be possible because nobody know what the summons is for.


Spain has always liked red tape, paper and formality but this kind of attitude is not encouraging anybody to invest money or time in Spain.

Todavía no he recibido la carta que Bankinter me prometió, nunca pensé que llegaría como el conflicto en el 99% BS, ellos saben eso, pero yo también pensaba que había una posibilidad de que llegaría, especialmente en lo que se acercó a mí con el fin depara resolver la disputa. Yo también tengo una grabación de MP3 de la llamada telefónica en la que hizo las promesas, pero no han entregado su promesa.


Con mi distonía cervical, las numerosas visitas del hospital, dentro y fuera paciente y la enfermedad de las ancianas que han encontrado que es muy difícil, costoso y poco práctico para viajar, no tengo coche en Inglaterra o en España, y no puedo conducir de todos modos.


La semana pasada fui a España porque tengo una operación que viene en un par de semanas, yo sé que no será capaz de viajar después de la operación y ha sido más de quince meses desde que estaba en España y, aunque se trata de una lucha masiva seguí han pagar la hipoteca, mientras que las cosas se negocian con él bancaria.


La villa estaba allí, a pesar de que después de estar vacío durante tanto tiempo que parecía olvidado, después de una buena limpieza de un amigo mío, que era habitable y todo parecía mucho mejor una vez más, sin embargo había una carta en el buzón, muy escasa en detalles, algo que viene a la corte, no hay razón por qué, o de qué se trata.


¿Cómo me supongo que para llegar a la corte? No puedo viajar a cualquier parte fácilmente, ¿cómo puedo prepararme? No sé de qué se trata, y yo no hablo español, así que todo parece increíble
Llamé a mi abogado español, que no sabe de qué se trata tampoco, y dijo que el tribunal no hablar de ello por teléfono con ella ni a nadie, así que supongo que lo que tengo que pagar mi abogado para conducir durante una hora en cada sentido a la corte y pedir que lo que la citación se acerca.
No entiendo cómo alguien puede defenderse si no saben lo que están defendiendo.También es muy perjudiciales para el medioambiente, una pérdida de tiempo, combustible y dinero, ninguno de los que yo tengo. Lo que alguna vez la convocatoria es para, sin duda, implicará nuevas visitas, ya que nadie sería capaz de responder a las preguntas como el tiempo de preparación debido a que no sería posible porque nadie sabe lo que la citación es para el.
España siempre le ha gustado la burocracia de papel, y la formalidad, pero este tipo de actitud no hay nadie alentar a invertir tiempo o dinero en España.

Qype: Drivers sports bar in Orihuela costa

Orihuela costa - Nightlife


This is a great bar, very light and spacious with a big outside eating terrace. I have never tried the food but it looks OK, and has fair prices. The drinks are varied and at a good price

They have lots of big screens with football on most of the time, which most people seem to like (not me)

Saturday nights, and some others they have a real band on for free, that is usually a great night out with no entrance fee and reasonably priced drinks, with fast friendly service

Check out my review of Drivers sports bar - I am Flukie - on Qype

Bankinter promises broken - Bankinter promesas incumplidas

Well, Bankinter have not kept their end of the agreement, I agreed to keep money in if they told me what the fees are for and promised there would be no more random fees, nothing arrived from them, but I decided to pay some  ore money in, even though they often just take it, saying it's for future mortgage payments.

They are actively discouraging people to invest in Bankinter, and Spain in general as my story is not rare

Anyway I paid in €1100 to cover the mortgage, they charged me €5.00 just for paying in, so that's another €60 a year in fees on top of the letter that said they would now charge me €90 a year, on top of the €2500 for their legal fees which they have still not explained.

They keep threatening to reposes the property if I don't pay, I will pay but I don't agree or understand the fees. I don't care if the do take the property away, it's only been trouble for me dealing with Bankinter, but I don't think they will take it away, it's another lie or bluff.

I am very sick with cervical dystonia and crones disease but I will go to my branch in Spain next week to get this sorted out as this is causing me a lot of stress anyway and they don't answer letters, and they charge me to phone them, and then say they cannot help me and talk to my branch, who say talk to my solicitor, she then charges me too with no results.

I love Spain, I admit that, but it seems that the Spanish have seen foreigners as cash cows and just rip people off with made up fees and rules / laws we don't understand.

They openly charge non residents and foreigners more in bank charges, it's posted in there list of fees, but they still add random bullshit charges to the already advertised fees.

My foreign fx people tell me it's illegal to charge like this, but Bankinter do it anyway

Bankinter no se han mantenido allí final del acuerdo, estuve de acuerdo enmantener el dinero en si que me dijo lo que los honorarios son y prometió que no habríatasas más al azar, nada de llegar de ellos, pero decidí que pagar algo de dinero de mineral en, a pesar de que a menudo se acaba de tomar, diciendo que es para pagos de la hipoteca en el futuro.

Se trata de desalentar activamente la gente a invertir en Bankinter, y España engeneral, mi historia no es raro

De todos modos yo pagué en € 1100 para cubrir la hipoteca, que me cobró € 5.00 sólopara el pago de, por lo que es otro 60 € al año en honorarios en la parte superior de lacarta que dijo que ahora me cargo de € 90 al año, en la parte superior de los € 2500 para que los honorarios legales que todavía no han explicado.

Siguen amenazando con reposa la propiedad si no pago, voy a pagar, pero no estoy de acuerdo o no entiende las tasas. No me importa si la tienen en la propiedad de distancia, sólo problemas sido para mí tratar con Bankinter, pero no creo que lo van aquitar, es otra mentira o engaño.

Estoy muy enfermo de distonía cervical y la enfermedad de arpías, pero voy a ir a misucursal en España la próxima semana para obtener esta resuelto ya que esto me estácausando mucho estrés de todos modos y que no responden a las letras, y me cargo alteléfono , y luego dicen que no me puede ayudar y hablar con mi rama, que dicenhablar con mi abogado, que luego me cobra también sin resultados.

Me encanta España, lo admito, pero parece que los españoles han visto a los extranjeros como fuentes de efectivo y justo estafar a la gente con los honorarios dehecho y las reglas / leyes que no entienden.

Abiertamente no cobrar a los residentes y los extranjeros más en las comisiones bancarias, que es publicado en la lista hay de las tasas, pero todavía añadir cargos al azar una mierda de las tasas anunciado.

Mi pueblo fx extranjeros me dicen que es ilegal cobrar como este, pero Bankinterhacerlo de todos modo