Health Care

I had a doctor's appointment this week to get a refile for my blood pressure meds.  I learned a lot about the health care system here!!

There is a doctor's office around the corner from our apartment.  I tried to get an appointment there.  When I went in to make an appointment, the woman told me that I needed to show proof of residence.  (The reason is because offices service certain areas or neighborhoods.)  That is easy... I went back with my Council Tax bill (property tax).  Well, apparently I needed more than that!  That only shows that I live in the area.  I also need to show my passport with my permanent visa.  I only have my 6 month visa...  my passport is at the Boarder Agency getting my permanent visa.  The woman told me that I could make an appointment but I would have to pay for the full visit.  I told the woman that I had BUPA insurance and she informed me that they did not accept insurance!

I told Marco what happened and he told me that I needed to call BUPA to set an appointment.  So I called BUPA.  They asked for my post code and they told me that I had 2 offices to choose from.  I picked the one near Marco's work...  I got an appointment for the next day!  When I got to the office I had to do the routine new patient paperwork...  The doctor, not a nurse but the doctor, came out and called me into his office.  He asked what I needed and then he asked if I was familiar with the health care system here.  He explained it very nicely.

We pay a monthly fee for BUPA insurance.  We have the silver level (vs. the gold level).  When we go to a GP we pay 64.89GBP for a 15 minute consultation.  If we were at the gold level, we could be reimbursed for this fee...  The GP works Monday thru Friday, 9-5:00 only!  If we need a specialist, the GP can make a referral and then we can see a specialist within a week or 2.  Then there is the NHS...  NHS stands for National Healthcare System.  A visit to a GP at a NHS office is free.  Prescriptions written by a NHS GP are cheaper and are a set rate.  NHS GP's work after 5:00 and on weekends.  NHS GP's have the same degree as non-NHS GP's.  The only drawback is if a NHS GP refers you to a specialist, it could take 3-6 weeks to get in.  I'm thinking we need to dump BUPA!

After the explanation the doctor asked what I needed.  I told him that I needed my blood pressure med refiled.  He asked what I took and wrote me a prescription.  I asked if he needed my medical records (that I paid $25.00 to get) and he told me to hold onto them....  He then asked if there was anything else I needed.  We were about to end our 15 minute consultation and then he asked if I wanted him to take my blood pressure.  You would think he would have done that before he wrote the prescription and you would think he would have looked at my records!  He didn't ask for any proof that I was actually taking blood pressure medicine... there is no telling what I could have told him I was taking!!

In the end it was all good...  I am going today to get my prescription filled.  I hope it is unadventurous!

I hope you have enjoyed!

PS - this blog post has absolutely no political agenda behind it!  It is strictly part of our life and adventures in London!

British 102

Okay... this one is a little tougher....

• Wellies - a have 2 pair of these and they do come in handy - rain boots
• Water Butt - this is something the water company suggested people have to water their gardens - a rain barrel (I have a feeling I'll hear some wise cracks on this one!)
• Hose Pipe - you can use this with your water butt - a water hose
• Gully - gutter - I saw a sign letting residence know that the council is gully cleaning on 22 March
• Fly Tipping - this one cracks me up... - dumping trash illegally

Some things I hear on a regular basis...

• Mend - fix or repair
• Hoover - this can be a noun or a verb - vacuum or to vacuum
• Post - this can also be a noun or a verb - mail or to mail
• Nibbles - finger food or appetisers
• Vest - a sleeveless top like a camisole or tank top
• Tick - check mark
• Nappy - diaper
• Nickers - underwear
• collect - to pick-up
• dodgy - someone that is suspicious or fishy
• flog - (slang) for sell - there is a show on TV called Flog It - it is kind of like Antique Road Show
• Call 'round - come by or visit
• Ring - to call on the phone
• Broiler - hot water heater

The following took some some research...

• VAT - Value Added Tax - sales tax
• Supply Teacher - substitute teacher
• Surgery - to give professional advise / consultation - I went to the refugee centre to make a donation and I was surprised when the woman told me she that I was her surgery!
• Hob - this one a found when ready a recipe - a burner
• Poussin - Cornish Game Hen

Okay... now you need to learn these so when you come visit.... and note I used the British spelling.

OH!  A couple other helpful things to know.... the letter Z is said pronounced zed.  When you give a date (such as date of birth) you give the day/month/year...  I've confused some people by giving month and then the day!  And 1/2-8 is 8:30 not 1/2 of 8 (7:30).

I hope you fancy this one...

London Bridge

Contrary to what most people think... This is London Bridge!  It was originally built of wood by the Romans to cross the River Thames from the north side to the south side.  It has been built and rebuilt many times. The nursery rhyme, 'London Bridge is Falling Down' was believed to have come about after the Norwegian Prince Olaf, "pulled down" the bridge in 1014.

At one time the London Bridge had houses and shops on it (much like Porto Vecchio in Florence or Rialto Bridge in Venice). Because of the importance of the bridge and congestion, this later was put to a halt.

 

This is Tower Bridge.  It is called Tower Bridge because of the towers but also because it leads to the Tower of London.  The Tower of London is a historical castle and was once the royal residence.  Since 1100 the castle was used as a prison but not for just for your common murders and thieves.  It was for prisoners of high-status.  Elizabeth I stayed there before she was crowned Queen.  Henry VIII's wife, Anne Boleyn, also stayed there but before she was beheaded.  The Tower of London is now the home of the Crown Jewels.

The bridge use to be a green colour.  For the Queen's Silver Jubilee, the bridge was painted red, white, & blue.  This year, the Queen is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee.  I new coat of paint has just been applied to the bridge.  It was a 4 year process.

There are tours of the Tower Bridge but we have not done that yet.  You can see the gear room that lifts the bridge for tall boats and you can walk across the walkway between the 2 towers.

Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are a short walk (1.3 miles) from our new place.

Hope you have enjoyed!

The Story of Keep Calm and Carry On

My brother, Scott, found this and shared with me... it is an interesting story!

Hope you enjoy!

Welcome to Our New Home

It did happen overnight but we are moved in. With such a small place you wouldn't have thought it would have taken so long but everything had to find the right place... some things moved around more than once before finding the right place to stay.  Some things also had to be put in the donation box...

The Family room with a view of the River Thames.... I don't think those frames have been in the exact same pattern twice (GA, OH, UK) but I am glad we brought them

River view with a nice balcony.  Marco sat out there the other day and enjoyed his pipe!

Entertainment center...  the river view can be a little distracting :-)

The other side of the Family room

Dining room and kitchen. 

Kitchen and family room (again).  Marco is not crazy about the Disco ball chandelier (there are 2) but they really aren't that bad... I've seen worse.

Entrance to the Family room.... yes, my little red grocery cart is in the family room... there was no else to put it!  There are 3 small closets in the hall way but there are SMALL and have other uses.  One is the extension of the kitchen - a.k.a. 'the china cabinet' and the router-room.  Another is where the hot water heater (boiler) is and it is a.k.a. 'the utility closet' - the tool box, umbrellas, bike equipment, etc. house there.  The last closet is the cleaning supply closet.  Don't judge - it works!

The Master Bedroom.  The curtains don't exactly match but they could be worse... (Marco has pink curtains in the Office/Guestroom)

Other view of Master.  I still to need to organize the cabinets over the bed but in due time...

I did not show the Office/Guestroom because it only has bookshelves and hanging laundry at the moment.  Marco wants to get a small desk so he can work from home on Fridays... and during the Olympics.  I also did not show the bathroom.... I did not think it needed to be shown but the shower is awesome!  It feels so good.... Oh, and FYI to visitors - the hot is on the right and the cold is on the left.  I'm not sure why but the hot knob does get very HOT as well.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour... I am going to go for a walk...