Mum
Had a few days down south, primarily to take my Mum along for a checkup with the specialist consultant.
Arrived at the hospital, let them know we were in the waiting room. A short while later a young attractive lady from the Indian sub- continent mumbled something on long the lines of boneykathleen..twice I didn't understand the name ,my mum didn't hear it at all because she's almost deaf, and Pauline said I think she just called mum.
Anyway she disappeared around the back so I walked around to find her. Met her half way and she said sorry wrong name Kathleen Boney. So I went back picked mum up and took her around to the room.
No sign of the consultant, but this young lady turned out to be a Doctor. So behind the curtains she 's speaking to my mum.....silence... mumble mumble...... silence.... Me," my mother is a bit deaf you will have to speak louder and clearly."..mumble mumble.
By this time I'm starting to get a bit wound up, so I go up to the curtain and say, she's deaf
and I haven't a clue what you are saying either.
Anyway we manage to communicate about the operation wound and she say's, I'll have to bring in the consultant. (An African, I have mentioned before)
Well he turns up goes behind the curtain, usual pleasantry's to my mum, and then "well what wrong with you" to which I retorted from behind the curtain, there's nothing wrong she's come in for a 3 month checkup.
(Starting to get a bit more wound up!)
Anyway to cut a long story short,he looks her over and asks me to go with him to another room, where he tells me the cancer has returned/never gone, and there is nothing further he can do.
But, bring you mother back in 3 months time.
So I say, do you tell her that, to which he replies. I think it's better coming from the family...and I think,me too,because she would need to fully concentrating to understand what you are saying.
Anyway back to the room to get the appointment booking form from the Doctor. She gives me a bit of paper what she has signed and say's see you in 3 months time.
So I walk mum out, thrust the bit of paper in Pauline's hand and ask her to book the appointment at the desk.
She come towards me a minute or two later saying booked for November that's the earliest we can get to see the consultant, 3 months it should be 3 months I bark still fuming within!!.
I take the appointment letter off her and march back around to the doctor, looking at the letter to find it's addressed to somebody else!!
The bloody doctor had given me somebody elses papers!!! Apologies once twice 3 times, she comes with me back to the appointments desk, and get's the appointment sorted...still 6 months.
Got to get out of this place,before they need the security to come for me !!!
Anyway Mum's taken it all ok after we had a chat over a cup of tea, totally unaware of what was going on at the time.
God help any little old lady who doesn't have somebody to hold her hand ........
A letter is winging it's way to the Consultant, now I've calmed down.......a bit!
Blind Beggar
http://www.theblindbeggar.com/index.php/history
That was wednesday, so thursday is a day trip to east London with the ol'boys I worked with in Mitre Square from the mid-60's.
It's Ivan's birthday so he's chosen the venue The Blind Beggar (The Kray's pub), it turns out he just wanted to show us how the area had changed since our pub crawling days of the 60's/70's.
There was not a white face in sight in the Whitechapel Road, not that worries any of us despite what you may have assumed from my tale above.
.
We have all worked with people from all nations over the years,and have friends and collegues from Asia, but Christ 40 years has certainly changed this area of London.
Anyway, the Blind Beggar was alright, hardly a customer for the 2 hours we lasted, but at £3.80 a pint for Old Speckled Hen it's no wonder I suppose, well that and the local clientèle probably not drinking alchohol. Must be to fleece the Kray's tourists.We gave up that pub after 4 pints.
We then crossed Cambridge Heath Road 20 yards away in The White Hart, and drank at £2.80 a pint, for a better pint, or was it 3?
We stayed an hour or so, before deciding we needed food.
What else could we have but a curry. Ivan say's there's place behind London Hospital, no booze but it's a very good curry.
Tayyabs, Whitechapel, London
A Pakistani restaurant on a Whitechapel back street behind the East London Mosque. The hoards of people that stand and wait outside to get a table on a daily basis are testament to the fact that this is one of the best curry houses in London. The prices are cheap, the food excellent, from grilled meats to curries and there's an excellent sweet counter for after-dinner treats.
Robert English
· Tayyabs, 83-89, Fieldgate St, London E1;
Well it was very good,highly recommended by me and the bloke above, and full of our Pakistani friends enjoying the food at a very good price £15 a head two courses including lassi's, no booze, I'm glad to say.
We had a wander around seeing the sites, how it changes within a couple of hundred yards, said our goodbyes and go our separate ways.
I woke up at Romford station..just in time!
