Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[RED-DOG]

I like to keep my eye open for parking spots as I'm getting close to my destination but I sometimes use an app too.
I deliberately avoided a camper look with my vehicle and with dark tint windows no one knows we're in there so we can park virtually anywhere, even where it says no overnight camping.

I don't understand it really. Lots of the coastal long stay car parks do a 24 hour ticket but say no campers between 10pm and 8am, so the car parks are empty at night and the streets and lay bys near by are full of campers.

We did a month in Portugal and campers are positively encouraged there. The local people are very welcoming and will give you water etc. I asked a shopkeeper about this and he said that the campers contribute to the economy. If they park local, they spend local.

Our local authorities seem to have a policy against freedom or enjoying yourself.  

The problem with coastal spots as I see it, is that one or two vans overnight is ok, but that isn’t what happens. There’s a car park on the coast at Redcar which gets all but filled up with vans that are there all day and night for anything up to a week.

Fair point.

Perhaps they could have half a dozen designated bays.

[Pokerpops]

I like to keep my eye open for parking spots as I'm getting close to my destination but I sometimes use an app too.
I deliberately avoided a camper look with my vehicle and with dark tint windows no one knows we're in there so we can park virtually anywhere, even where it says no overnight camping.

I don't understand it really. Lots of the coastal long stay car parks do a 24 hour ticket but say no campers between 10pm and 8am, so the car parks are empty at night and the streets and lay bys near by are full of campers.

We did a month in Portugal and campers are positively encouraged there. The local people are very welcoming and will give you water etc. I asked a shopkeeper about this and he said that the campers contribute to the economy. If they park local, they spend local.

Our local authorities seem to have a policy against freedom or enjoying yourself.  

The problem with coastal spots as I see it, is that one or two vans overnight is ok, but that isn’t what happens. There’s a car park on the coast at Redcar which gets all but filled up with vans that are there all day and night for anything up to a week.

Fair point.

Perhaps they could have half a dozen designated bays.

At the more picturesque end there’s maybe room for two bays. Unless you make it only for overnight.
There is a growing move towards designated bays but they come with a fee and motorhome pages on fb are always full of self-entitled refuseniks who think that the world owes them a free space for their van.

[tonytats]

There is talk of Denise n myself “ doing “ the NC 500 around the top of Scotland in my Vito
Put 2 of the 3 rear seats in for the dog ,then fold them down at night to get two single air bed type mattresses in
With a tent too for cooking n privacy
I’ll let you know if we manage it
Weather forecast for early September needs to be favourable

[RED-DOG]

There is talk of Denise n myself “ doing “ the NC 500 around the top of Scotland in my Vito
Put 2 of the 3 rear seats in for the dog ,then fold them down at night to get two single air bed type mattresses in
With a tent too for cooking n privacy
I’ll let you know if we manage it
Weather forecast for early September needs to be favourable

Its a great plan Tony.

Mrs Red and I toured Germany for a month in a Vauxhall Combi van with a double mattress in the back and we loved it. There was only room for the bed in the back so we used to sit in the front seats to eat. Obviously there was no room for cooking so we had cereal or McDonald's for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and then we usually found a cheap place to have a bit of dinner in the evening.

One of the best things we had was one of those thing that plug into your fag lighter to boil a mug of water for tea.





These days you can get cigarette lighter kettles.





I'll see if I can find any pics of our trip. I know everyone is dying to see them   

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[RED-DOG]

Several years years ago, perhaps 6 or 7, I developed a foot complaint called plantar fasciitis. Of course I had no idea what it was initially, all I knew was I had a pain in my foot. It hurt when I walked and it wasn't getting better so I rang the doctor.

Where we live, ringing the doctor isn't a straightforward business....

[RED-DOG]

...So 6 or 7 years ago, when you rang our Doctor's surgery, the rules were, you couldn't ring before 8am and you couldn't make an appointment for any day in the future, it had to be for today.

It usually went like this. Dial the number dead on 8am, listen to 2 or so minutes of recorded instructions from the senior Doctor about what to do if this was an emergency followed by a list of number options depending on whether you wanted results, pharmacy, appointments etc.

After listening to that you dial the appointments number and get one of two possible messages.

The surgery is now closed. Please call again after 8am.

Or

Thank you for calling Burbage Surgery.  You are currently in a queue. Your position is 28......

[RED-DOG]

....Eventually I got through to the receptionists, who, BTW are like absolute bulldogs but are great with me because I take them a card and a box of chocs every Christmas.

So I get an appointment to see the Doctor. It's a lottery who you get but I fell lucky and got my favourite one. A young man by the name of Thomason.

He had a shufi at my foot and dognosed Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tendon that runs from the heel, across the arch if the foot to the base of the toes.

He gave me some stretching  exercises to do and told me it usually clears up in a few weeks.

It didn't, but fair play to Dr T he did everything he could. Physio, ant inflammatories, cortisone injections... After several months he admitted defeat and referee me to Physiotherapy and Sport Injuries Clinic on the campus at Loughborough University.....

[RED-DOG]

....So I rock up for my appointment am instantly wowed. This place is definitely the dog's bollocks. They seem to have every piece of equipment known to man, and the staff are bright, smiley and efficient. I've landed on my feet. (No pun intended).

I'm seen by a consultant named Stephen Kluzek, (I can never remember if consultants are Dr or Mr) he did an ultrasound on my foot and then told me that my condition was chronic. It had tried to heal and failed, it wouldn't try again without some assistance.

To cut a long story short Dr Kluzek cured my plantar fasciitis by drawing some blood from my heel, spinning it in a centrifuge until it was dizzy and then injecting it back in. Amazing.

A year or so later I developed tennis elbow. After suffering for a few weeks I asked for a referral back to Dr Kluzek and he again sorted me out within days.

A couple of years went by, and I started to develop arthritis in my big toe. I rang my local surgery......

[KarmaDope]

If your consultant is a surgeon, they will go by Mr/Mrs/Miss.

If not, they generally go by Dr.

[RED-DOG]

If your consultant is a surgeon, they will go by Mr/Mrs/Miss.

If not, they generally go by Dr.

Ah! Thank you.

He's not a surgeon so he's a Mr.

[RED-DOG]

.....A doctor at Burbage surgery sent me for an x-ray which confirmed arthritis and so I called Mr Kluzek's secretary, a Miss Kim Leggett. I didn't think I needed a referral because Mr Kluzek had left me with an open appointment in case I needed some follow up treatment.

What a palaver ringing Miss Leggett turned out to be. You have to ring the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham and listen to the "If this is an emergency" messages, then you have to be transferred to an extension that doesn't work because the first didgit has changed, then, when you do get through you have to leave a recorded message because she's not at her desk and anyway she only works Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
You have to leave your telephone number, name, DOB, and your NHS number along with a short message.
Obviously you do not have your NHS number to hand so you have to hang up, find it and start over.

Some days later Miss Leggett called me back and she was an absolute sweetheart, as helpful as she could possibly be. Unfortunately though she told me that although she could see a record of my open appointment with Mr Kluzek, they only last 6 months and it had expired. I would have to ask my Doctor to re refer me.

She did however give me her direct line so that the next time I wouldn't have to go through the switchboard.

Then.. BOOM!

Covid hit.....

[KarmaDope]

If your consultant is a surgeon, they will go by Mr/Mrs/Miss.

If not, they generally go by Dr.

Ah! Thank you.

He's not a surgeon so he's a Dr.

FYP.

[RED-DOG]

If your consultant is a surgeon, they will go by Mr/Mrs/Miss.

If not, they generally go by Dr.

Ah! Thank you.

He's not a surgeon so he's a Dr.

FYP.

Sigh...

Ty. I hate it when I'm dense.