Wednesday evening was cold frosty and clear but in spite of that we decided to go to the local gardening club meeting in Ston Easton on the topic of snowdrops. There is a snowdrop festival every February and the events last about a week. This is a picture of the chair lady introducing the speaker who all though saying that she knew very little about the technicalities of growing snowdrops she knew a lot about the history both of snowdrops and of the area where the festival will take place which is Shepton Mallet. It is in the middle of February if you want to look at up.

I always have one or two good conversations and this was with a man who had decided to take a day trip to London to visit the magic Center which is north of Euston Road. He said the fee was 11 pounds but the show was two and a half hours. Apart from looking at the internet the biggest source of information I get is from casual conversations with people – for which I am grateful. I looked it up straight away and signed up to be informed for when I go to London. I make it a rule to do things instantly so I don’t forget.

I was most impressed by this lady and her child. She was Polish or Lithuanian and she was speaking to her child who cannot have been more than a year old in both English and her native language. She gave great attention to the child and treated it as an adult. She did not have a mobile phone. It is a long time since I have seen a mother give such quality attention to her child so when I left the bus, I congratulated her on doing a good job to which she replied ‘thank you’. I bet no one has ever encouraged her in this way.

BT is not the entity we knew it to be 20 years ago when people actually made phone calls in phone boxes. Now if you can find one it will cost you a minimum of 60p to make a call so no wonder the phone boxes have been put to other uses. This box in Bath city center has been adapted to support trays of plants on various levels and is now more or less an outdoor conservatory. I hope someone maintains it

Someone has taken the trouble to design an advertisement which acts the part and does what it says on the tin. I am not a vegan myself but I know that the food would be good so long as I sneak in some meat from time to time. The advantage of a larger city as Bath is means that specialist eating is establishments can survive.

This is an Indian street food establishments which is always popular especially among the youngsters and this is taken about midday when there are always queues for lunch. There is nothing so powerful as an idea that has reached its time and this seems to have hit the money and hit the vibes spot on.

On to the hospital for my eye appt.

Lunch in the canteen

I enormously enjoy going to the canteen which during the covid epidemic was closed to everybody but staff. Obviously the virus can tell the difference between staff and patients. They make great efforts for cleanliness and value for money and I display my lunch in this image. On the hour and the half hour there are always long cues because most of the people who turn up are staff and they work fixed hours. I got there just before 1:00 p.m. To find a queue about of about 20 people but the service is efficient and there wasn’t any waiting to speak of.

Today was particularly crowded so I had to share a table with a young couple and they did not mind at all. A good atmosphere prevails and everyone looks after everyone else which is very nice and a sort of healing in itself

My regular eye injection

My regular eye appointment was for 14.45 but I have recently taken to the habit of arriving early figuring that not everybody will turn up and this is not Germany or Japan so they will see you when they can. I turned up 45 minutes before the appointed time and was seen immediately by the optician, waited about 20 minutes more and then I was seen by the injecting doctor and the assistant.  By the time of the appointment,  I was out.

Staff relations are good and they take all opportunities to tell everyone so.

I always make my sessions to have an injection for my macular condition as fun as possible. This was my 52nd visit for an injection. I know the staff well now though there are always changes. The injecting doctor always ask me the same questions so I answer the questions before they are asked. They want to know how I am getting home and I always say ‘a bus’. Am I on any recent medication? Am I allergic to anything?

I always have to say ‘cheap perfume’ because the chemicals in such perfume causes my throat to seize up and I can scarcely breathe. I made a comment about the previous lady who was a wonderful traditional Christian and while waiting outside I got the latest gossip about the ministers, they are comings and goings, they were multiferous and entertaining.

Off I go and wander the corridors looking at the latest art works (for sale)

Torn Between Light and Dark by Paulo Baigant

…

There is obviously a budget for art and these are the enclosed gardens between the various wards I suspect to give a feeling of contact with nature. These flowers are new and fresh – so well done somebody.

—– video library——

One of these great time wasters.  Inside Qatar Airways – How do they make 200,000 Airplane Meals a day? with San Chui