Good News stories

[oddoneout]

Went to pay for some groceries at my local corner shop today, and the lady asked me, "Have you lost your travel card? I have one here that might be yours". It was, and I was overjoyed - it was a good two weeks since I'd visited that shop, and they'd gone to the trouble of keeping that card safe for me - along with a number of others, clipped together. "That's the best Christmas present I've had", I told her.

Having reported it missing and applied for a replacement, I shall check if still valid by tapping on at the local station tomorrow. They do instruct to destroy old ones on receipt of a replacement. I did not include a postage stamp when applying with enclosed identification documents, and have still had no acknowledgement online or by post from the dept concerned.

One of the advantages of being a regular? It'll be satisfying for them when lost property is reunited with its owner as well.
The combination of Christmas shutdown plus postal strikes will not have helped with the replacement, so it would be good if the original still worked.

[Pulcinella]

Not too sure which is the most appropriate thread for this, but it's certainly Good News.
Our estate is one that has a district heating supply (hot water for domestic use and heating), and we have all just found out that we have received £200 additional payment credited to our electricity accounts because of 'other fuel' use. I guess this is because our heating system uses gas and biomass. Certainly not complaining.

[oddoneout]

Not too sure which is the most appropriate thread for this, but it's certainly Good News.
Our estate is one that has a district heating supply (hot water for domestic use and heating), and we have all just found out that we have received £200 additional payment credited to our electricity accounts because of 'other fuel' use. I guess this is because our heating system uses gas and biomass. Certainly not complaining.

The powers that be have finally caught up with the idea that not every household is "normal"! When the scheme was first announced concerns were raised that those "outside" the system - such as park homes(older demographic so a particular concern), houseboats, communal heating arrangements and such like, would miss out on payments as their billing set-up wouldn't fit the scheme for handing out the money. I just hope that, having started to address this, someone will take the trouble to record the existence of such households for future reference, so that the wheel doesn't have to be repeatedly re-invented(at best) or ignored(at worst).

[Old Grumpy]

I sent (by Standard International Mail) a book to a relative in Canada on 20 October last year and thought no more of it. It arrived back here unopened a couple of weeks ago with a sticker stating "obsolete/improper/invalid customs declaration. I complained to the Post Office as I had completed the customs declaration given to me by the counter clerk. I have eventually been sent a "payment letter" for the whole postal charge, which can be redeemed in a post office. The even better news will be when the money is in my pocket!

[Pulcinella]

I sent (by Standard International Mail) a book to a relative in Canada on 20 October last year and thought no more of it. It arrived back here unopened a couple of weeks ago with a sticker stating "obsolete/improper/invalid customs declaration. I complained to the Post Office as I had completed the customs declaration given to me by the counter clerk. I have eventually been sent a "payment letter" for the whole postal charge, which can be redeemed in a post office. The even better news will be when the money is in my pocket!

The worse news is that it will now cost a lot more to send it a second time!

[Old Grumpy]

The worse news is that it will now cost a lot more to send it a second time!

Could be, but it isn't in this case. I have the cash in my pocket and...


...said relative is visiting the UK later this year and so can pick the book up then.

[Pulcinella]

Could be, but it isn't in this case. I have the cash in my pocket and...


...said relative is visiting the UK later this year and so can pick the book up then.

A result, if not the anticipated one.

[Serial_Apologist]

My good news is that, having increasingly suffering with acute shoulder pain for the past month, finally resorting to painkillers for the past week, but with minimal benefit, I am now to see a doctor at my regular practice at 2.30pm this coming Saturday. People have widely been complaining of difficulties in getting to see GPs for many months, reporting restrictions and malfunctions in booking arrangements. I just walked into the practice on my way back from the local shops a few minutes ago, and not even in any expectation of being seen to, more likely fobbed off, given the circumstances and that.

[vinteuil]

I am now to see a doctor at my regular practice at 2.30pm this coming Saturday. People have widely been complaining of difficulties in getting to see GPs for many months, reporting restrictions and malfunctions in booking arrangements. I just walked into the practice on my way back from the local shops a few minutes ago, and not even in any expectation of being seen to, more likely fobbed off, given the circumstances and that.

... but surely this is symptomatic of the inefficacy of the current doctors' strike - which should now be leading to visible disruption?

So I would have thought you, serial, should have put this under the 'grumble' thread...

[Pulcinella]

... but surely this is symptomatic of the inefficacy of the current doctors' strike - which should now be leading to visible disruption?

So I would have thought you, serial, should have put this under the 'grumble' thread...

Junior doctors are striking, not GPs, vints.

[french frank]

I just walked into the practice on my way back from the local shops a few minutes ago, and not even in any expectation of being seen to

Result! (as they say). I had an appointment booked last week for an annual review - first face-to-face for two or three years. I was sitting in the waiting room waiting to be called when my mobile rang - the doctor saying she was working from home and thought it was supposed to be a phone consultation until she saw I'd booked in and was waiting to see her. Funniest thing of all was that the appointment was the first of the day - 07.30 - and I'd feared I wouldn't be up and out in time. Set my alarm for 6 o'clock and was up with the lark, showered, breakfasted in plenty of time to walk to the surgery. Bit of an anti-climax but it gave me a good laugh which made me feel much better

[Serial_Apologist]

... but surely this is symptomatic of the inefficacy of the current doctors' strike - which should now be leading to visible disruption?

So I would have thought you, serial, should have put this under the 'grumble' thread...

Things are pretty laid back around here, Vints. Maybe the news hasn't yet registered!

[Pulcinella]

Things are pretty laid back around here, Vints. Maybe the news hasn't yet registered!

See #490.

[Serial_Apologist]

See #490.

OK, but it was being said this morning that GP surgeries might be adversely affected in cases where junior doctors are on staff.

[vinteuil]

Things are pretty laid back around here...

... come now, serial - is that the attitude to have when there is a socialist revolution to be fomented?

(But thanks to Pulcinella for whose correction I am grateful)

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