A few of the things I hear on the news amaze me, but over the last few days some of the reports have left me totally confused.

The focus of these reports has been on the current financial situation we are being told we are living in. A reporter was giving her take on the post-Christmas sales and though accepting that these sales happen every year, credit crunch or not, she did say something very strange. She reported that shoppers were taking a different attitude to the sales than usual, they were deciding what they were going shopping for and then finding out where it was going to be the best deal before actually buying it. Now I am sorry but what is strange about that, that is the way I always shop; what do other people do? The statement conjures up visions of people walking into shops at random, picking something up and then buying it.

One reported did come out with a good point though, all the crowds for the sales congregated at the expensive stores, such as those in London’s Bond Street, where items are still very expensive at half price whereas as the general high street stores, who were also having sales, were “business as usual”, so there is still money out there. Even the stores that were closing down were not attracting the sales crush.

And have you noticed the number of reports on the current financial situation, forecasting the number of stores that are going to close, the cost of housing, unemployment and so on, that are being published daily. Who are writing them and who are publishing them, here in Britain most institutions that would be involved in these reports have been closed for the last week and will be for the next week.

The number of stores going into administration increases daily, but I heard this morning of one that also went into administration this time last year and another has been in administration three times in the last five years. I suppose they find it easier to get the publicity that way then paying for advertising.

Due to the government wanting Doctor’s and hospitals to reach false targets that show that all patients wishing to be seen, for whatever reason, are seen in a short time. OK, that is great if you are in A&E and want to be seen before you bleed to death but what if you want to make an appointment to have a review of your current medication. Why can’t you ring up a week or ten days in advance and make the appointment, you can then book time off work, arrange transport if necessary and get anything else sorted out you need to, but no, you have to ring in the morning to see if they have a free slot for you. This means that everybody is phoning the surgery as soon as it opens so you can’t get through anyway. When you do manage to speak to the receptionist there might not be any slots left and you have to take another day off work and remake all your arrangements.

Five months ago I went to hospital and the consultant told me to make an appointment for six months time, and also gave me a form to have a blood test one month before I came back to see him. I went to the reception and they told me they would send me the appointment. Well they did, two weeks notice so I called to attempt to get it moved as I had to have time to have a blood test done and then get the results back. She could not do it but was going to see the consultant about the blood test.

A few years ago you could walk up to a reception desk with a note from the consultant stating that they wanted to see you in six months time and the appointment could be made there and then.

The Patients Charter is not for patients or nursing staff it is for governments who want to massage statistics which we all know are untrue and cause inconvenience to all.

The last week has been very cold, particularly early in the morning at the rail station where I start my daily commute. There is a waiting room to sit in whilst waiting for your train and it is quite warm, well it is if you do not sit right next to the door. Well, the same person does every morning, and you hear him have a little grumble to himself every time that somebody walks in.

Why does he sit there? If he can make it to the waiting room, a few yards further into the room to where you do not get affected by the door opening all the time would not hurt.

Christmas shopping has hit frenzy mode and town centres are full of people buying gifts and cards or unsuspecting recipients. Now I am not a very good “shopper” or so I have been told. I decide what I want before I go shopping and where I plan to get it from. If what I want is not where I expect to find it I sometimes have a reserve spot where to find it or, if not, it just does not get bought.

Another thing that can quickly halt any shopping trip I embark on is people standing in shop doorways or in the middle of the pavement having conversations. They are totally oblivious to the fact that others have to treat them as a traffic roundabout. With the outbreak of community policepersons or wardens walking the streets I think they should be allowed to give tickets and fines out to people who are just “in the way”, as they can do it for most other things these days.