Impersonal service

I wrote a note to my GP last night expressing concern about the leaky wound scar in my perineum. Like the terrifying nose bleeds I had a couple of months ago, it's a side effect from blood thinning meds I'm on. It was nearly midnight when I got to bed. I was awake for three hours of the nine I stayed in bed, mostly the hours before dawn, a poor night's sleep. I was tired after breakfast and though I felt sleepy I couldn't doze off again for more than a few minutes. I don't know why, as I feel more relaxed since I started acupuncture treatment.

I didn't feel like doing much and dozed in the armchair after breakfast until I recovered enough energy to have a shower and wash my hair. Then, a walk around to the surgery with the letter. Later I had a response from the surgery receptionist instructing me to ring up and book an appointment tomorrow morning at eight. I protested that waking up early enough to wait twenty minutes in a booking queue with no certainty of an appointment is stressful if you're unwell, but my protest fell on deaf ears. 

Despite presenting a printout of the Water Bill for payment at the Post Office, Clare was unable to pay it as the printout I gave her lacked a bar code to scan. Although it contained the account reference number and name a paying-in slip with bar code was required, so that the visible information on the bill could be scanned and used, rather than entering by hand. This was after queuing for twenty minutes to be served. What sort of service is this?

While Clare was on her way back from her failed mission, I prepared veg to cook for lunch with delicious swordfish steaks. After eating I printed the page from the water bill pdf containing a payment slip for the amount of the bill with the unnoticed relevant bar code. So much for user friendly means of in-person bill payments. This presumes everything that can be done electronically or on-line should be. My eyesight post-stroke is not as good as it needs to be for following on-line procedures. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for people who lose their sight in later life, as Clare is slowly, due to glaucoma.

I walked in Llandaff Fields during the sunset hour. It was overcast and started to drizzle as it cooled down once the sun behind the cloud slipped below the horizon. After supper I watched a couple of episodes of 'Shetland' and then wrote an Advent Reflection for next Wednesday's Morning Prayer. Then it was time for bed.