Unbelievable!

'It would try the patience of Angels.'  (Eddi Reader)Wednesday........midweek, the second day back at school, after Christmas, for those in the UK but for those of us at 7 Celtis St, chuckling about the school life we left behind.....it is just another 'shower' day.Our day is leisurely but no plans can be made until after the shower and who knows when that will be, though it is usually before lunch.But not today.............no.My dealings with Blue Care, thus far, have given me a 'sick' sense and I now know when something is not right.I was feeling dread at 11.30 am but by 1.00 pm alarm bells were positively clanging.Will made the phone call.....the direct line number that Lizzie gave us was not answered...."No reply," he said.I grabbed the phone off him, dialled the main number and handed it back to him.Eventually it was answered."Oh, hello Marina, I'm just wondering if someone is coming to do Dulcie Rodger's shower today? No one has called as yet."(Pause)"Oh, right, Thanks Marina," and he put the phone down. "She's on Joy's list and Joy will ring about 30 minutes before she comes."It sounded plausible.....but my 'sick' sense was not placated and bells were still ringing.Sometime later Will went out to Bunnings, he has duck potatoes to plant and millions of water lily seeds and I waited for Joy.At 2.45 pm I grabbed the Blue Care folder and came downstairs ready to rant down the phone but decided to wait until I had calmed down a bit. In the meantime Will came back, saw the folder and said"Are you going to ring them again?""I think you better," I said.It was 3.00 pm.Trish answered."Oh, Hi Trish," said Will, "No one has been for Mum's shower today. We rang earlier and were told Joy was coming but no one has been yet........(pause)..........yes, that would be Nick you spoke to........(pause).........right, right........er, just a minute, I'll consult with Nick, her carer." He covered the phone."Do we want Trish to come on her way home to give her a shower?"Did we?.......I baulked for a moment....(How could she have been missed off the list again?! Trish offering to come herself was an admission of guilt.)"She needs her shower!" I said.Enter Trish.I took a deep breath on the back steps before stepping into the house to meet her.She was younger than expected, rounder than expected, smaller than expected but as hard faced as expected.She gave no apology or any explanation of what had happened today."I've made sure she is properly on the rota now.""Well, thanks Trish," I said smiling like a crocodile trying to hide my desire to rip her head off!I said that we just wanted showers every Monday , Wednesday and Friday. I said that when holidays fall on a Monday that it is quite difficult...."....because she doesn't get a shower after Friday until Wednesday," she interrupted."Exactly," I said. "We are just concerned about hygiene especially in this hot weather.""I'll speak to someone about public holidays, " she said.I didn't believe her.The shower was done.There was another opportunity for an apology as she left......none came except..."Bye, hope to see you again sometime.""Well, actually no!....you small, round, disorganised, hard-faced bitch! We hope you never darken our doorstep again!"......is what I was shouting in my head.My 'sick' sense bells have stopped clanging and my blood pressure has lowered but I am not sure how much longer I can keep on trying to be reasonable about all this.