Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Phoning the authorities

I'm putting in the time here while trying to persuade the authorities to take back my late aunt's wheelchair and wheeled walker thing. I keep being fobbed off by people who say that I've been put through to the wrong place, and would I like the direct number for the right place?

And then that number's engaged, and eventually I get through and they say that they're not the right place; would I like the direct number for the right place?

Anyway, on Monday Mr Life took the day off and we went to South Queensferry, a small town very near here. There it is, above. I was trying out my new camera.



This is the Forth Rail Bridge. On the other side of the estuary is the county - or as it likes to call itself, the Kingdom - of Fife. (Ring, ring. Number engaged.)




Looking the other way, this is the Forth Road Bridge. (Ring, ring.. no answer...)




We had a cup of coffee. (Wrong place again. Try another number.)




This was our view while drinking the coffee. (Ah! Hurray! Someone who admits to owning the wheelchair and will come and collect it!)





We strolled along the pier. This is the sort of thing that retired people do, I believe.




Ah! Hurray! Someone who admits to owning the wheeled walker and will come and collect it!




Now I can go and do a bit of dusting. Or I might just have a tiny look at some blogs...

11 comments:

  1. I know that frustration - I took mother-in-lwas rejects to one place where I was told huffily that they couldn't have them as they wouldn't be safe for another person without sterilisation! They fact that they were still untouched and packed in plastic didn't seem to count. Anyway, a very nice man came and picked them up - eventually. Dusting will definitely wait whie you read blogs.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My friend and I looked at each other in horror the other day because we had just realised that we were having coffee and scones in a garden centre on a weekday. Suddenly we knew we really had turned into pensioners. (But they were very good scones and at least we weren't part of the coach party that arrived just after us!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I can relate to everything in this blog.
    What interesting bridges you have in your vicinity.
    What is that baby doing? Surely with a teacher grandmother he has punctuality in his every gene?

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're so funny. Whatever would we do without our blogs to entertain us during the wait times. And I'm so JEALOUS -- you're a) Retired, and b) in Scotland!!!! ;-D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Our village Red Cross loans, which had successfully loaned equipment out to people for donkeys years, has recently been shut down because the hut where the equipment was stored did not pass its `Elf and Safety review -sigh..... Good to hear that your Aunt`s things will be retrieved eventually!

    Beautiful bridges, especially the Rail Bridge. I do love bridges and wonder at the engineering involved.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Give anyone a bit of power and they feel the need to use it. At least you talked to humans, I usually get a machine or worse a call center half a world away whose English is unintelligible.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Huh. I must confess, I have never seen South Queensferry looking quite so picturesque. Must be that new camera.

    ReplyDelete
  8. We tried to donate some of my mother's things - adjustable bed, walker, etc - at the home where she lived and they would not take it (same reasons as for Jee). but we got the word out and eventually the same administration that refused them helped make arrangements for one of the other residents to have them! Sheesh!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh, Isabelle, what lovely pictures, immediately transported back a long time to staying with my grandparents in Dunfermline and taking the ferry over to Edinburgh, was never the same on the bridge, lol! Though going by train was quite good.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sometimes you think that they'd rather you just dumped the gear in a layby somewhere rather than bothering the owner about it!!

    But at least you had nice views.

    Well done for persevering!

    Lesley xx

    ReplyDelete
  11. OOh I think I want to visit there....and as for dusting? highly over rated.....blog reading is much better for you...

    ReplyDelete