Tuesday 21st January - modern tech is wonderful/annoying

 Yesterday I wanted to query sonething with the GP surgery... just a quick question regarding a blood test request form that I wasn't expecting... I am more than happy to sit in a phone queue reading my book, or making a cup of tea, and after some time (usually not too long) have a short conversation with the receptionist...

All change!  They have moved over to a completely online system for appointments, queries, prescription requests (although I had been doing these online for years). 

My father’s surgery uses a similar online system so I wasn't totally in the dark, but utterly was all a bit unexpected. Even so, it took me about fifteen minutes to wend my way through the different pages and menus until I reached the point where could type in name/address/date of birth/telephone number/security information... and then the one line query...

Very reminiscent of shopping in IKEA - I remember the important thing is to remember where the short cut to the cafe is... 

Aaargh....that's what I find myself saying after a while in IKEA, and, yesterday, after ten minutes on the surgery website!

but I did get a clear answer to my query within a few hours.

I think I'll revisit the surgery website and do a few practice runs,  hopefully without actually sending the request, to get used to it. I wouldn't like to try using it if I was actually unwell..!

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But technology can be wonderful too;

The number of London hospital clinic appointments I have attended over zoom have saved me hours and hours of long journeys and associated expense.

Today my brother and I sorted out most of the arrangements for my father’s funeral on a zoom call with the local funeral directors, saving my brother a three hour drive each way. Easy! We'll do the same when we meet the celebrant in a few days. 

We've done most of the communication with family and friends via email; when my mother died 9 years ago I spent every night on the phone for a week, as well as sending out scores of letters. That was exhausting at the time.

Back to zoom; since everyone started using it in 2020, I've seen far more of far-flung family and friends in the past 5 years than before, especially geing able to reconnect with my cousins

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We've come a long way since 'the old days'. Notice I didn't say 'good old days', because, in spite of the frustrations with technology, I would say that the benefits of zoom, email, WhatsApp, text, online shopping, and, dare I say it, even this new online access to the surgery (once I've got to grips with it) are all a great benefit to us.

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Psalm 23, from the Message; it's the other half of verse 5 today (the first two lines were yesterday's portion)

It's all sustaining stuff...