I answered an SOS call on Friday morning from a neighbour. Their internet was being “a bit rubbish” (their words), so rather than headbang the wall for several days answering support emails before summoning an engineer from wherever internet service providers hide engineers, they sent me a message.
I picked up the nearest computer - a chromebook - and an ethernet cable before wandering over to their house - not really knowing what I might find. I pressed the doorbell. I waited. I pressed the doorbell again. And I waited some more. Then the penny dropped - the doorbell probably needed the wi-fi to be working.
After being accosted by their wonderful young golden labrador, I realised the chromebook had no ethernet port on it - so returned home for my work computer. There is method to this madness, if you’re wondering. When a computer is plugged directly into the “access point” - the hardware where the internet comes into the house - if it can get an internet connection there, then the problem isn’t with the access point. I could get the internet.
After a couple of minutes, and a bit of googling, I connected directly to their wi-fi router, and got it back up and running. After a celebratory cup of coffee, and a fuss of the dog, I went on my way.
An hour later my other half arrived home, and invited me out for lunch. A quick lunch at the big pub in town. I nodded, pulled my shoes on, and off we went - finding a nice table in the sunshine, and enjoyed a lovely lunch together.
Then… on the way back to the car, she somehow managed to trip over a kerb stone, turned her ankle, and combat-rolled in-between two parked cars. Ouch.
After sitting in the middle of the car park for a few minutes I helped her to her feet, and we continued on home. After getting home we took her shoe off, and a really quite impressive swelling appeared within minutes. Our youngest daughter asked “should we call an ambulance?” - and started calling it without receiving an answer.
After answering 101 questions about herself, my other half was informed that there was an unusually long wait for ambulances at the moment - that it might take three hours to arrive - but that we could get ourselves to hospital if needed.
Half an hour later we arrived in “Accident and Emergency” at our closest hospital - and prepared to wait.
Four hours.
It took four hours for a doctor to look at her.
Four hours of sitting in the hospital waiting room along with the great and the good of the locally accident prone society. I love people watching - apart from airports, hospitals are right up there in terms of providing the most interesting people to watch. For some time we sat opposite a girl in her mid-20s that I think had been involved in a fight. She was pretty stoic - with a bandage over her eyebrow.
A Ukrainian couple arrived an hour or so later - he took endless phone calls while she sat quietly.
A little while later an entire Indian family arrived - seemingly to bring their matriarch to see the doctor. While the old lady barked instructions and observations at her small army of grand-daughters in whichever Indian dialect she spoke, they whispered to each other in English. I couldn’t help smiling as an old Indian man a few rows further away rolled his eyes to the ceiling at their histrionics.
Now and again a pretty lady accompanying a bear of a man got up and walked to the drinks machine. She appeared to be wearing a form fitting summer dress, and didn’t have anything on under it. I’m not going to tell you how I figured that out. Let’s just say she was tremendously confidant, and maybe a bit chilly.
Anyway.
After four hours of watching this all unfold, and wondering what these people’s home lives might be like, we were finally called.
We got the foot x-rayed, and then received consultation over the course of the next half hour. No bones broken. A bad sprain. We could go home.
Half an hour later we were home, and I was ordering dinner to get delivered.
Today has been an exercise in washing clothes, washing dishes, putting things away, going grocery shopping, and (in a few minutes) making dinner. While out and about I bought a LEGO kit to cheer up hop-along Cassidy, which she’s doing right now.
I guess I’m also thankful that we have a national health service - where we were able to wander in, get seen, get x-rays, get painkillers, get a consultation, and walk out without any sort of payment changing hands.
I probably need to go make dinner.
After dinner we’re watching the Eurovision Song Contest. It’s become an escape from everything that’s dull and weary in recent times. I wonder if we might try and go one year - visit the host city throughout the time the contest is being held - I don’t even want to think about how expensive hotels might be though.