Perhaps I have become so accustomed to the medical services that I pay no attention to what I see around me, I certainly seem to have missed the oddity of the ‘returns’ bin but it has now struck me so I shall share. In the physio department at my local hospital there is a large bin ,marked ‘walking aid returns’ it is normally full of crutches and walking sticks and surrounded by walking frames which all makes perfect sense. What has confused me is that if you look a little more closely there are some 6 full false legs in there, I cannot fathom why you would no longer have a need for a false leg? Sure these things are adapted and changed but this is carried out with an expert so the exchange is performed ‘in house’ and I guess that we cannot discount death but again it is not a job for the relatives to strip a body of useful parts this is also done behind the scenes. Now I am an expert at stupid stubbornness in the face of injuries but I can’t see how I would find that I no longer needed a pair of legs, as far as I know you cannot grow a new leg either so under what circumstances do you get up and think ‘well I won’t be needing that anymore’? The next person that I see with only one leg I shall have to ask him if he gave the false one back and why!
During a lively debate in the pub yesterday two women that have moved into town were complaining that their visiting friends had come from work and were saying that they wanted to get showered and changed before the came to the pub after all you don’t want to wear work clothes out do you? What an interesting reminder of how different the world is here, those that have a job wear their work clothes to the pub as a matter of pride, a badge that says ‘I have been working’ in Walton that is far more powerful than those pheromone sprays beside that why would you change clothes and lose body heat, its the winter don’t they know?