Eyesight tests yesterday: no significant change to my prescription, but the decades-old pressure problem has reached the point at which I’m to be referred for the thickness of my corneas to be measured. If they are of above average thickness, that could account for the high readings, and all that’ll be needed will be to give me a sort of handicap to deduct from the pressure readings in future. I don’t think they carve them out and measure them with a micrometer, but I’ll soon find out! We had decided to stay with that particular optician (who is a bench colleague) because of the great thoroughness of his optometrist. Who – surprise, surprise - left the practice at close of business yesterday: I draw no inference as to cause and effect. It was a bit of a trek to have the examination: he has closed his branch near us, so I’d an hour and a half’s round trip. But it’s an ill wind: I’ve been meaning to get a new waterproof jacket for some time, and the outdoor outfitters near the optician’s place had one in their sale.
The birds clearly appreciate the ground feeder trays we bought with a garden voucher from Dorothy last Christmas. The pair of mallards seems to be visiting us daily at least, and we’re seeing lots more chaffinches, siskins and collar doves. I saw a chiff-chaff in one of the silver birches opposite us yesterday, and there was a fine great spotted woodpecker at the fat feeder later. The ducks are amazing – utter bellies on legs, hoovering up the contents of a tray in no time flat, then coming and tapping on the French window to ask for a refill.
Slightly nervous: I have a court sitting today, my first in over 6 weeks. Last time, I was distinctly rusty, and today I’m mentoring a new magistrate: I’m taking him over from a colleague who is waiting for surgery for a back problem, poor thing. I’ll be interested to hear the retiring room banter. The beakdom is up in arms at government’s proposal to reduce our travelling and subsistence rates in line with the rest of the judiciary (whose other terms and conditions are so close to ours, after all), despite the existence of a recently agreed formula that reflected fluctuations in the price of fuel. So now, with fuel at a record high price, the plan is to cut our mileage rate by a third, and to halve our subsistence rates and impose a longer minimum period of absence from home. To use public transport would, at best, take me three times as long as going by car, and would cost more. There’s also the small matter of rubbing shoulders with the customers at the station, which is not the greatest idea, eh? I suspect that the hidden agenda is to provoke magistrates into resigning. Added to the complete sham of ‘consultation’ on courthouse closures, it could lead to our losing quite a few.
Trekked up to London for a Trustees’ meeting yesterday evening. The ‘permit to travel’ machine at our unmanned local station swallowed my money and failed to deliver a permit. The conductor did not come round collecting fares, so I’d to queue up at London Bridge to pay my fare, and of course, the wee mannie wouldn’t give me back the money swallowed by the machine: ‘you’ll have to talk to Customer Service’. Well, I will, dammit. And by the time I’ve finished with them, it will have cost them about £50 in staff costs. The amount in question? 20p. Don’t mess with a grumpy old Scotsman.
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