Old High Riser Blog

Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Lost for words

I don't know what this post is about. I am just writing.

Yesterday I met the newest of the family. He is...a baby a few weeks old. I bought some absurdly expensive clothing for him at the posh Seed shop in Albert Park. Ray and I used to argue there every time we bought some clothing for a new born. Me, we are not spending that much, and then I spent that much. I asked for it to be wrapped and the shirt and shorts was wrapped very nicely in tissue paper, in a white box with a red ribbon around. No extra charge. They are size 1, perfect for him next summer. 

Mondays I have to hang around home to wait for my food delivery around noon. My neighbour HH was off to Morning Melodies, so I accepted her delivery too. One of her brother in laws died last night, but he had been unwell for some time and aged 88. It was no shock to anyone. I did go across the road for coffee at about 10.30. 

I ate some pumpkin soup from the freezer, with pretend croutons. Phyllis had left me half a kind of spicy sausage roll to eat, and that was nice. He is such a good cook. Kosov's laptop would not work and no matter what we did, nothing worked. It eventually completely died. 

I communicated with a couple of people online and I then went out to catch a 604 bus to Elsternwick Station. My plan was to catch a train back to South Yarra and a tram home from there. But I left the bus at Coles supermarket before the station to buy something, and then a 67 tram was approaching so I caught that home. 

Mail arrived in my letter box. One was a bill for last month's food delivery. Why can't they send the bill electronically? I called City of Port Phillip and a request has been lodged for me to receive the bill by email. Last week I had no postal mail at all, and then two letters today. I much prefer bills to come via email, and they nearly all do. 

The other letter was from a debt collector, clothed in the name of Mercantile Services, wanting payment for Ray's trip to the hospital by ambulance the night he died. A bill did arrive last year and our private health insurance covers the cost of the trip. I forwarded the bill to the health insurance company, assuming I would hear no more. Another letter arrived, and I thought the health insurance was slow to pay. Another letter arrived, so I called my health insurance company. 

It had been taken over by another company and changed its name, which happened a month after Ray died. Then I changed my cover from a couple to a single. I called my health insurance company and it is working on it, it said. Clearly the ambulance bill got lost somewhere. Ray died with some money towards his funeral, but effectively intestate. So there is no money in his estate to pay the bill. I think I should reply to the latest demand, but then I think, fuck it. It is not my bill. Go for you life to get money from a dead person. 

I've done everything right, but I am not doing anymore with this. 

A meal of barramundi and chips from my old person subsidised delivery service company. Phyllis kindly heated it for me and added some greens to it. 


You can't see anything really, but early yesterday there was a crash below. As those involved exchanged details, a shower of rain passed by, adding to their misery.


The purple tap is a public supply of recycled water, and is cleaned enough to drink, in spite of the message.


My pot of flowers on the balcony. 


The cupboards are full of all sorts of exotic ingredients and some were stacked on my tiny corner of cupboard, psyllium husks, Vegemite, peanut butter, jam and honey. I removed what was on top. I want free access to my stuff. 


Phyllis, this will be the only magnets on my fridge. Mine.


Yes Andrewww. But just this Singapore one. No Phyllis, no more. That is the last. Yet there is now another. 

37 comments:

  1. Well, you managed to make a post about the news of the day pretty darned interesting! I think you're right not to respond to that collection agent, as long as they can't do anything crazy like file a lien against your income or property.

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    1. Steve, no. It is not my bill and what were our joint assets, say house and car, can't be touched. I did respond to them since and they replied this morning, with a copy of the bill to resend to my health insurance company. Any further action by them has been suspended.

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  2. Is that a Bizzie Lizzie on your balcony? Looks very pretty anyway.
    I don't allow any fridge magnets in my kitchen, although I do have a calendar hanging on the side of the fridge freezer so that I don't forget important appointments, like eyes, teeth and pills etc.
    I think I would also ignore that bill if it is not in my name.

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    1. JayCee, I've heard of Bizzie Lizzie, and it may be that. I know it as impatiens and HH called it balsam.
      I will endeavour to see that the account is paid, only because Ambulance Victoria is a government organisation. Actually, I've just thought, Ray was on an age pension, and I'm sure they don't have to pay anyway.

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  3. I see a lot of fridge magnets in your future:)

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  4. The meal looks great especially it was after a delivery. The pansies look fantastic on the balcony. Then you got Achan magnet on the fridge. Are you a fan?

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    1. Roentare, Phyllis heater the barramundi and chips in the air fryer, much better than the microwave. I don't know about Achan, but I will Google it.

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  5. It sounds safe to let the insurance people fight it out for the bill. Unless you're the next of kin, they don't need to involve you, as far as I can see.

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    1. Boud, yes it is quite simple in the manner that it is not my bill. But it is the responsibility of the health insurance to pay. It is a non profit health fund.

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  6. We have had Medibank since it was created by Whitlam , it covers ambulance. I totally agree with you about magnets on a fridge , particularly a new fridge unless you have kids,
    How well do chips reheat? . I used to deliver the original meals on wheels every Friday and I always wondered what reheated chips tasted like. I hate chips but there is a brand called McCain who make a packet of labelled Healthy chips , . My partner and our doggo love them. She puts them in the oven with a sprinkle of olive oil and salt and she says they are nice. Doggo waits patiently for her 3 chips.

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    1. The chips and fish are really good when heated in the air fryer, rather than the microwave. We used to buy frozen McCain chips to heat in the oven, and I liked them. Later we bought Aldi chips, and they were fine too. I'm sure your dog waits quite impatiently for chips, but you can't see what is in her head.

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  7. I love the cat magnet. The others, not so much. I am with you on magnets but I have found, like wire coat hangers, they multiply.
    Is there a health insurance ombudsman you could contact about the ongoing billing issue? You shouldn't have to deal with that.

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    1. I will do my best Merlot to make sure they don't multiply.
      Yes, there is an ombudsman but I am not at that point. The company doesn't even know Ray is dead.

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  8. I would simply return the form to the biller, with a note and contact information for the person who needs to be paying that bill.

    If you ever saw my refrigerator, you would be horrified. I've got magnets all over it. I keep winnowing them down, but like magic they show back up. So don't blame Phyllis. It may well be that these things multiply in the dark.

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    1. Debby, that may not be a bad idea at all.
      Multiply like in older days that the number of wire coat hangers would expand in your wardrobes.

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  9. I am definitely a magnet remover. I tend to think.of everything as a scam these days so.I would have binned the bill.

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    1. Fun60, had I binned the letters, I doubt anything would be different to what it now is.

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  10. I have to say, I do like that Singapore magnet. Maybe because I've always been attracted to things of a cartoony nature.

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    1. Kirk, yes as magnets go, it is quite a good one.

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  11. I love tiny new babies, they don't weigh much so you can hold them for longer. The Singapore magnet is lovely and I like the other one too, and your cat. How much food do you get delivered? Enough for a whole month? Seems like a good deal.

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    1. River, I don't normally hold babies. That was Ray's job and delight, but it was nice to hold him and watch his facial expressions as he was half asleep. I think tomorrow's post might be about my food.

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  12. It's good of you to buy good clothes for the baby.
    I don't like magnets on my fridge door and don't have any. Some are really lovely though.
    Such a pain in the neck is that bill, but not in your name and it should have been sorted out long ago as there had been plenty of time for the insurance to do so even though it changed hands.

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    1. Margaret, that is why I am not worried about the bill. It is incompetence. And I 've just realised as an age pensioner, Ray wouldn't pay for the ambulance anyway.

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  13. You can do without these irritating, ill-addressed bills.
    I like your cat magnet and your busy lizzies.

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    1. JB, that is been my life for getting on to 11 months now. So they are busy lizzies.

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  14. Well we don't have private medical bill care (or at least only a tiny portion of insurance care) so I can't comment on that. Don't like fridge magnets, they are sort of messy and distracting to the eye. I suppose they wrap the baby's present beautifully because it is a joyous thing to have a little one.

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    1. Thelma, we used to have quite a lot of fridge magnets, then one day we decided we were over them and removed them all. I do like having the cat one though.
      If we don't take out private health cover by a certain age, we will pay a premium price should we want to join when we are older. That and that it was workplace based non profit health care system is the reason I have it. The trouble is, in spite of the private health insurance, it only covers overnight hospital fees and surgeons while in hospital, and not the visits to specialists before and after, which is partly government subsidised. Clear as mud, I know.

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  15. Nice long ramble. I don't understand how baby clothes can be so expensive.

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    1. TP, the same reasons women's clothes are so expensive. The market will wear it, pun intended.

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  16. A nice round up Andrew and you are so right about that bill, how very dare they?
    Alison in Wales x

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  17. A nice newsy post! The flowers are gorgeous.

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    1. Deb, I am nearly always very pleased with plants from this upmarket plant vendor, and this was no different.

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  18. Good decision on that darn bill. Tell them where you spread his ashes, they can go try to collect from him there. It's not your problem the insurance changed hands and didn't do their job.

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    1. Strayer, your suggestion is no damn good. The ashes are sitting on the shelving unit here at home. It shouldn't be my problem, but I want the right place to pay. Ambulance Victoria is government owned, the private health fund a not for profit organisation.

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