Books by Ian Rogers
Books by Ian Rogers
Life has been a bit of a struggle for the last week. We are, of course, still in Covid lockdown. I had real battle to check a letter posted by my bank. I get an email to say it’s there but I have to log in to read it.
It’s an account that receives an automatic payment every month and auto-matically pays out to various charities. I haven’t looked at it for quite a while and, when I tried to log in, it rejected the details I entered. I tried several times and then tried to reset the log-ins. Every time it said either I wasn’t entering the right thing or that it had ‘technical difficulties’ and ‘please try again later’. After probably 20 attempts over several days I was tearing my hair out! I phoned the bank and refused their suggestion I went to their internet help thing. I insisted on seeing a real person. At least then I could throw the handfuls of hair at them. I did get in and speak to someone and, when the problem was a hard one, got passed to someone more experienced. I was also socially distanced to the far end of a long counter so others could come and go. I wasn’t exactly pleased but I did feel justified when, using the tablet the manager handed me and under her supervision, exactly the same events unfolded. Neither of us could get the system to accept me. She could have over-ruled the system but only if I had certain proofs of my identity. Naturally I didn’t have them on me (I should have foreseen this) so I had to go home and return later. Another manager, another set of attempts - still no success.
Finally the two managers who were helping tried on the branches main computer. SUCCESS!!! Apparently the system is picky about what other computers it talks to. Anyway, I went home and tried to change my log-in details because the bank staff knew what they’d used. I went through a new app downloaded onto my phone as it is more up-to-date than my ancient laptop. Same old rejection. AAAAAH! Next morning I tried once more with the laptop before venting steam at the bank and - guess what? - it WORKED!
In contrast to all that stress, I was blessed with a golden moment this morning. I looked out of the kitchen window at the sunlit back garden. A grey squirrel was digging up buried nuts on the lawn and, as I watched, it ran into the middle of a patch of primroses blooming beneath our plum tree. It sat up, tail raised and hooked in classic squirrel posture, and remained statuesque for a minute or two. Naturally it was running up the tree by the time I got my camera, but what a beautiful, peaceful scene!
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