Funny old week.

What with all the tax returns, then billing then VAT returns – mine as well as clients – it was really only yesterday (7th February) evening (18.15) that my head accepted it was February for me as well as everyone else.

Had a discussion with my PA Louisa – law of unintended consequences, I live through it year after year so it didn’t cross my mind to ask her to ease up on the meetings, I just do – for the future we will have a moratorium on appointments for the first couple of days of May, Aug and Nov and a whole week for Feb.

Just to give me an opportunity to get my head back (lost property department at London Waterloo I expect) and catch up on the expletive-deleted emails that build up when there’s important “stuff” to do… Only around 350 so nothing major but that is after ridding myself of the ignore and delete and read and delete ones so that is a measure of ones I actually:

• want to save for future references (synchronised backside covering if nothing else),
• have to do something with – you know, clients expecting you to do things and so on, as well as
• blue sky WANT to do something about – nothing’s going to happen if I don’t but an opportunity to gain a contact, learn some useful, etc. fill in your own wish here is wasted and those don’t necessarily come back later.

And then it’s Thursday, blog time and I’ve got the day off tomorrow because that way I don’t fall asleep in front of the computer – I fall asleep on the sofa instead, so the week has nearly gone and a morning’s concerted work has merely reduced said backlog by 50, net of new ones received. 128 gross a pretty quiet day.

Enjoyed my billing for January I must admit.

Something has to make it all feel worthwhile. Doesn’t it?

Didn’t enjoy my blood test last Friday though.

I haven’t fainted for a long time but that doesn’t stop me feeling squeamish and it was a fasting test which I do dislike even more – have you heard of “hangry”? It’s when being hungry makes you grumpy/angry and it certainly does. It all started with the last prescription repeat being refused because I hadn’t had this test. Odd because I eventually found the paperwork and it’s been outstanding since November and I’ve had a couple of repeats since then, so it suddenly goes from not a problem to all your meds being refused until it’s pointed out that I’d run out completely before I could take the test at which point – begrudgingly – I get a fortnight’s worth to tide me over.

Blood pressure was high that day. Can’t imagine for one second why… But we get it done, even though the nurse cannot find why a fasting test had been specified (just to wind me up?) and it transpires I’d managed to miss November 2016’s as well and no one had noticed.

Hmmm.

The surgery system and other medical appointments are not designed for the business owner and other self-employed persons are they?

This – subsequently – has been thrown into stark contrast following the death of a diabetic “self-employed” DPD delivery driver who had previously been docked £150 for a doctor’s appointment as he didn’t go in to work. Makes me angry. How about you?

The gig economy may suit some people but I rather suspect the number of people in that sector who are there for their “employer’s” (the wrong word from a strictly legal perspective but I’m sure you know exactly what I mean) benefit is rather greater.

But in the main, the average employee will take whatever surgery appointment is given them as will the school age and the retired in most cases. But where you’re juggling your own diary and the surgery, that’s a very different matter.

Talking of which, osteopath time.

Never knew that. She’s off windsurfing in Morocco in a couple of weeks. Would never have guessed…