Hi Everyone
I don't think that I am giving away any State Secrets when I tell you that many things are either in trouble or broken in the UK today. Many organisations are either underfunded or the staff report low morale among its members. The NHS, the police, schools, local authorities all give a similar story and the list goes on. This week a story brought a new dimension to our problems. A Ukrainian mother and child fled from their home in Kyiv for the safety of England when Russia invaded their country. Recently however it was found that her daughter required extensive dental treatment but she was unable to access NHS dental services, like millions of others, and was not able to afford private dental care. Her only solution was to travel back to Kyiv, a war zone, with her daughter to get the treatment she urgently needed. Just half a mile from our home they have started constructing a fifty metre slip road to provide easier access to a pub/motel and a Mcdonald's restaurant, The work is planned to take an incredible five months. On the first day, they set up 4 way temporary traffic lights (health and safety) causing long tailbacks of traffic with cars unable to leave an adjacent supermarket car park for nearly half an hour. After two days the traffic lights disappeared as some 'expert' decided that they were not necessary. I have been past the site four times in the last week, twice in the morning and again at about 4 in the afternoon and although some work has been done, I have never seen anyone working. No wonder it is a five month contract rather than about five weeks, but that is the Uk today. Perhaps they were all at the McDonald's drive through.
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You have to understand that the Partners bought the shop which became known as The Fruit Shop back in 1932. It was two terraced houses knocked into one and they had to find £600 in deposit and mortgage to buy it. The area was expanding rapidly with large council house estates, what we now know as social housing. You can just imagine the glint in the Senior Partner's eyes when she saw all those new houses being built. Many of the people living there had been rehoused from the slum areas in the city. Whilst many of the men worked in the Pottery factories, coal mines, and steelworks, a high percentage of women worked in what was called 'The Pots'. It was rich pickings for many of the small shopkeepers The Junior Partner bought his first car in 1936. When they bought the shop it needed counters and shelving and as everything at that time was purpose made, enter another character - Herbert the joiner. Herbert lived with his wife in a terraced house in the street behind the shop and he had a small workshop and a handcart at the top of the street. No doubt he was pleased to fit the shop out but as the years went by his relationship with the Senior Partner shall we say ebbed and flowed which was not unusual for anyone who worked for her. His wife was a small shy lady and was no match for the Senior Partner. As well as being a jobbing joiner with a handcart, he also made coffins and I would spend hours in his workshop watching him convert a plank of oak into a lovely coffin. I just loved the smell of the wood combined with the coke burning in the stove pot. From that time onwards I have always favoured wood over any other material and perhaps why I enjoyed my first job working at a joinery manufacturing and timber company. Herbert and his handcart would be seen most weeks clattering through the streets with a coffin strapped to his handcart with no doubt everyone hoping the coffin was not destined for them.
Apparently if you like me are approaching middle age, you are strongly advised not to sing in the shower as the singing can lead to dancing and the dancing can lead to slipping. I am telling you this Rubbish as I do not want the paramedic sent to rescue you to add the experience to his funny stories that will be talked about in the pub for the next ten years. Across all the occupations our NHS the Paramedics are up there with the best as they work in many difficult and challenging situations.
Just a Thought :
The only thing worse than seeing something done wrong is seeing it done slowly.
A man tried to sell me a coffin this week. I told him that it is the last thing I need.
Why do ambulance drivers always have a partner? They're pair-a-medics.
Brian