The Way of the Wombat

OK - this is a quick résumé of my week at work starting last Friday.

Friday; computer in community hospital won't let me access my patient notes. Techie is nice middle aged lady who understands why this is a problem, recognises the cause of the problem, gets someone else to remotely fix it. Hurrah!

Monday; encounter identical problem at main hospital - however I was prepared, had written down name of person who corrected problem remotely on Friday, and managed to contact them so they were able to do the same fix. Cause is, apparently, a system update.

Tuesday; into my own office to find I can't log onto the system at all. Neither office-mate is in so I eventually try one of their computers to find it isn't just my lap-top... ring our own admin support to discover entire government system has crashed. Can't even ring patients as I can't access notes or schedule for the day - do some sorting of paper stuff, and some shredding. Finally enough of system restored for me to do some proper  work about 10.30 - good thing our bit is regarded as a priority - other bits, like the courts, were down much longer, D-d tells me later.

Wednesday; into office to discover the programme that handles my patient notes is down - something to do with Tuesday's 'fix' I gather. However, I knew where I was going and who I was going to see, so just went. Called in at Mum's at lunchtime as I was nearby - she is convinced, after conversation with GP surgery (also on government computer system...) that the receptionist blames everything on computer problems and actually doesn't do anything. Reassure mother there really WAS a computer problem. She is unimpressed; a bit of paper was all you needed in her day...

Today; into office, everything works! Until about 9.30 when we get a message via the intra-net to explain that the main Isle-of-Man internet link to the rest of the world has been damaged and we are, basically, cut off from the outside world... Takes until 13.40 to mend, and then there is an enormous backlog - but at least it didn't really interfere with work!

Goodness knows what it will be like tomorrow....

I seem to have been too busy to post much - and I have some rather nice pictures for my occasional 'country churches of the island' series ready to go. Maybe tomorrow.

I've been busy with on-line meetings to finalise stuff for the meet-up in Coventry this weekend, and then doing my bit towards making attendee badges, and a few interesting items for goody-bags. The wonderful bogwitch has done the goody bags for years, but last year she felt she done enough and handed it on. I totally appreciate, now if not then, just how much work she did!

Sadly there are so few coming this time that it may be the last such event - there is little energy to organise if no-one really wants it, and anyway there need to be enough people to make hiring the meeting rooms and so on viable.

I think it will be the major talking point at the usual Sunday morning AGM.

Still - if it is the last one, I want to do my bit to try to keep the organisation, and the goody bags, up to the high standard of previous years - so best get on with it!

I also am still trying to get to grips with my new toys - I posted pics here in Photoscavenger and an explanation as to why a shiny new smart phone, and a shiny new tablet, were posted in response to the challenge 'Oh dear!'. They have got to get me through the trip to Coventry and a further few days in London - but I think I'm getting there...