Disabled and Elderly Problems, Films, Gardens and Fish and Chips

I am still quite angry about the inability to transport people to the theatre and the problems with getting them home. The couple who were delayed suggested maybe they should give up trying to go on such outings. My colleague and I discussed the matter and decided that we would have to take responsibility for getting them to these outings, even if it meant we had to hire special transport as there was no other reason why they could not enjoy an occasional theatre trip. We have had occasional problems with Dial-a-Ride, but by far the worst problems arise with Computacab, and nearly every time people attempt to use them.

I spoke to my sister in law who was still having problems with getting carers to visit her mother. I suggested the possibility of finding someone who lived locally to call in maybe three times a day and be paid privately. At present they pay £7.50 an hour to the agency. Obviously the agency would pocket some of that sum so perhaps the very poor pay reflected the type of person working for them. A private payment of say, £10 per hour, or £30 per day might attract a much more appropriate helper, such as a housewife who wanted to earn some money, and maybe job share with a friend.

Saw Neon Bible at the NFT yesterday. The story was a bit lame, believably written by a sixteen year old John Kennedy Toole (who wrote my favourite book, A Confederacy of Dunces), though some think his mother wrote the Neon Bible, but again, beautifully interpreted and filmed by Terence Davies.

I was invited to dinner tomorrow by my chairman and his wife. I was given the choice of Indian, Chinese or fish and chips, and chose fish and chips. I am looking forward to this.

Hurray, the garden furniture has come today! Have cleaned up the garden a bit to make room for it. Unfortunately I have a large climbing rose that has somehow come adrift and is dangling over the small patio space. Try as I may I cannot pin it back and am reluctant to severely prune as it is currently flowering, so I shall have to leave it for a bit. Now comes the hard part: assembling the furniture.