Unhappy Thread

[The Q]

And definitely not at the radar museum on my side.

You have a radar museum on your side??

(When trying to open a door - Bluebottle "Eccles, turn the knob on your side". Eccles "I haven't got a knob on my side ")

I should add I'm a volunteer at the radar  museum, and the room I show people round in is the wrong side of the building to get mobile phone signals. There's a 64 ft square WW2 concrete above ground bunker, full of radar consoles in the way.


I'm normally residing the other side of the wall on the left. ( The equipment is the early 1970s refit.)

[Dorsetmike]

I worked on and also taught airborne radar from the early 1950s for 23 years in the RAF. Initially the H2SMk4 as fitted to the Lincoln Bombers, a development of the Mk3 version fitted in the Lancaster, ending up with the Mk9 version fitted in the V bombers, along with other radars, including tail warning, and navigation aids

[The Q]

Apart from working on large bits of equipment at RAF Neatishead and similar sites, I then worked on and taught this and it's associated test equipment.


Of which I'm soon to start making a 1/4 scale model for the museum.

[Newportnobby]

Just had a rather flustered courier driver knock on the door very loudly (why – when there's a whack off Ring doorbell staring him in the face?) and before 5 seconds had elapsed he'd gone down the side of my little bungalow with the obvious intention of leaving it there, putting a card through my letter box and then doing a runner.
He must have heard me open the door as he came back with the parcel, looked at me and asked "Doreen Brown?"
OK, he may have been asking if such a person lived at my bungalow but I just couldn't resist so said "do I look like Doreen Brown?" to which he replied "No. This is Ashfields, isn't it?". "No" says I. "This is Nookfield" "Bugger" quoth he "where's Ashfields then?" I replied "Jiggered if I know"
He staggered back to his van with what was obviously a fairly heavy parcel and accelerated away so fast that his van spat gravel across the road.
If I'd not been in, I'd have had to phone the courier company (unmarked white van) and they'd have had to come and fetch poor Doreen's parcel or she'd never have got it and, presumably, reported it MIA or KIA. He's on film anyway.

[Roy L S]

Not to excuse them but often the drivers are under such enormous pressure to deliver huge and unrealistic volumes of parcels that they get desperate and try to cut corners. A degree of responsibility therefore rests with the courier firms themselves.

[Papyrus]

Well, they say things come in threes...

After more than 75 years of not bothering the NHS overmuch I suddenly seem to have developed 'Health Issues'. Not as serious, I freely admit, as some on the Forum suffer from, but annoying nonetheless. First I was getting stomach pains which were diagnosed as gallstones, so a low-fat diet and no alcohol (I know, I know, I've harped on about this before). During the diagnosis I had my blood tested and I was informed I was also pre-diabetic. Oh well, another diet restriction... One benefit, though – I've lost over 1 stone (6kg) in weight over the last 6 months.

Now the third thing has landed and in some ways it is the potentially the most life-changing. Like my health generally, my eyesight has always been good. I never needed distance glasses and only needed reading glasses relatively recently. I'm sure my outdoor working life helped. However, I always had slight double vision but over the last couple of years it has reached the stage where I can only just pass the numberplate-at-20-metres test. My usual optician prescribed me glasses which didn't actually help at all. When they said, basically, take it or leave it, I left it, got my money back, and went elsewhere. The new opticians also came up with a pair of glasses which were no improvement over the unaided eye, but at least they (hello, Specsavers) were prepared to get to the bottom of it. They initially thought the double vision was due to astigmatism and tried to correct that without success. They now want to test me for 'prism', which I confess is a new one on me, but unfortunately I have been told not to drive in the meantime. Equally unfortunately, Blanche hasn't driven since lockdown. She got out of the habit and rather lost her bottle, so she is going to have to get back behind the wheel fairly quickly. The opticians couldn't reassure me as to how easy it would be to correct my vision. We all know there will come a day when we have to stop driving but I didn't expect it might come so soon. I will report back when I get some (hopefully) better news.

Cheers,

Chris

[Bealman]

You have my sympathies immediately. Like you, I've never bothered with doctors all me life, but everything seems to be falling apart these days.

Old age most definitely sucks.

Your eyesight-driving problem is most definitely a major one, though. All I can do is hope you get it solved! 

[Newportnobby]

So sorry to hear this, Chris.
Maybe we should live our lives in reverse I.e. start off old and get younger each year. We'd bow out in spectacular fashion 

[Graham]

As SWMBO often cites, Old age isn't for the youngsters, it takes a lifetime to learn how to handle it.
Similarly just about to hit 70 and things are not working right.

[Bealman]

Yep, that's when it all starts going wrong, though some old rock stars seem to be handling it

[Dorsetmike]

You think you got problems? Just wait until you turn 90, I can tell you - it aint fun!!!!!!!!!

[Bealman]

I admit defeat, but also admiration!  

[Newportnobby]

Yep, that's when it all starts going wrong, though some old rock stars seem to be handling it

Just like Ozzy Osbourne at the Villa Park bash, I seem to spend an awful amount of time on the throne

[Graham]

but funnily enough only overnight.     

[Trainfish]

You lot have absolutely no idea how lucky I feel to be only 60. Mind you, I may have to reassess after visiting the bum doctor on Thursday.