To start off with the reminder – the UK is not just England, but Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The Army here is based on the regimental system (and I am sure that Beverly, David, and a few others will gladly call me to task should I get anything wrong.
Beverley relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland in 2009 to take up a liaison post between the Army and the Veterans programs and has been here since doing research and supporting various agencies as well as being a faculty member at University of Glasgow. She is also possessed of a PhD based on her research in Veterans’ Health. Unlike the US where we do have a dedicated federal health care system which serves eligible veterans – in the UK – it is the NHS. All the data in ONE system. The same system which can provide anonymous matches for the veterans as a comparison.
Why am I telling you this? Partly because these projects (complete with publication credits) have really kept her fully “employed” from 2009-the present including through the pandemic. And today was the annual (I think) meeting of the government side of the support service sector foe veterans. It was fascinating to hear about programs for transition from the military, problem solving for those who are still in, etc. Easy example, soldier gets orders to move, daughter is the the middle of her GCSGs (?). Moving to a new location will mean a different criteria, different schedule, different exam studies.
So I hung out in the back, listened to presentations on topics (government responsibility to serving members and their families; transitions programs, etc) with lunch, two coffee breaks and a building tour just for us at the end.
Money update – three banks, no waiting. As it turns out, banks only want to do old money exchange for you if you have an account there. Obviously, my account was closed about 2014. We tried the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Halifax Bank both of which are affiliates of one of Beverly’s banks, but not an actual account holder. The final bank – Bank of Scotland – was willing, at the business window, to change money. I am now the proud owner of a lot of Pounds Sterling. And a one week bus pass…
I was pretty wiped out by the time we got back; fortunately we managed to take the bus, and walk from the stop to Beverly’s just before the rain started deluging the place again.
I started the Fortune Teller by Barbara Ans and managed a whole 57 stitches before I trundled off to bed….
