The things that I've been doing instead of blogging

It's been ages since I wrote a proper blog post, so here's a quick look at what has been keeping me busy:

Gardening

I love this time of year, when the garden starts to take off. We had our garden landscaped last year and it was still looking bare at the start of the year. We've added a few new plants, and I'm really enjoying seeing the things that we planted last year come back to life. One area of the garden that we had neglected was at the front where we had removed a large, overgrown hedge. We intended to replant it last year, and then decided that actually we preferred the more open plan look. But the long border that we had left for the hedge was filled with knee high weeds, and it looked terrible.

So I spent a long day giving it a thorough weed, and I cut the grass on the council owned patch at the front. Then I took a trip to the garden centre and stocked up on trays of bedding plants which I've planted all the way along, as well as uncovering some gorgeous poppies which had self-seeded. It looks so much better now, and I'm sure that our neighbours will appreciate having something prettier to look at as it all fills out!

Enjoying being outside

I always try to make the most of good weather, and it was so lovely that this year we were treated to hot sunshine over the Bank Holiday weekend. I stocked up on ice creams for the freezer, then every morning I got the garden ready with our garden furniture. I moved chairs around during the day, starting off in the sun and then moving to the shade mid-morning and afternoon. We had a barbecue every day, and spent the evening around the fire pit with marshmallows.

Following the Everest climbing season

I've written several times about my niche interest in Everest, and this was the first year that I followed along in real time. I found Everest Live on YouTube which produced daily video dispatches throughout the climbing season from around the beginning of May. I sat down every evening to watch the latest dispatch and make notes in my Everest journal. I also enjoyed reading the less frequent but detailed articles from the Alan Arnette Blog like this Everest 2026 Season Summary. 

It was really exciting, the season started later than usual with a few problems but it was a record year for summits, with 274 on a single day! I even found a live Everest webcam, and on one clear evening at the height of the season I was watching rivers of torches make their way up the mountain in the early hours in Nepal. Now the climbing is over for another year, but I have a playlist of long Everest documentaries to work through which always give me something new to research.

Photo credit Rajan Dahal via Unsplash

Hosting tradesmen

For the last couple of months we have been having our ancient bathrooms replaced, and the work is nearly finished. They look amazing! But it's been quite disruptive, and I don't cope well when there are people in the house. Having to park the car down the road, worrying about the neighbours being annoyed, wondering whether I'm offering enough drinks and being constantly available in the house in case I'm needed to check something. I find it difficult to focus on anything too complicated.

Reading

However I have been doing very well lately at working through my to be read list, even the hidden one on my Kindle! I've been going through some of the 'filler' books, which are the ones that I download for free on to my Kindle. They are usually quick reads and not that memorable, although I've found a few that stood out - I recently really enjoyed Follow Her by Anna Stothard. 

I have a long Everest book which I'm finding a bit of a slog - Into the Silence by Wade Davis. It's always named as being one of the best on the subject, but I'm finding it hard going. I bought it as a cheap second hand copy so I think I'm going to do some annotating and sticky labelling to make it more like a reference book that I can dip in and out of.

How to Find Urgent Care Wait Times Before Leaving the House?

This is a collaborative post

Nobody wants to drive across town, drag a sick child through the parking lot, and then sit in a waiting room for two hours. The good news? It's not some secret. Most people just don't know where to look. Wait times at urgent care centers are more accessible now than they've ever been.

This article covers exactly how to find urgent care wait times before you leave home, which tools actually work, and what to do if the numbers aren't posted anywhere.

Where to Check Urgent Care Wait Times Online

Urgent Care hours and locations are a natural starting point when you're planning a visit, since many clinic pages now list current or estimated wait times alongside their address and hours. Here's the thing: you need to know which sources give you real-time data versus rough estimates from a week ago.

The Clinic's Own Website

Most regional and national urgent care groups publish live wait times on their own websites. Look for a "Current Wait" or "Hold My Spot" button near the location finder. If you see a number that updates as you refresh the page, that's a live feed tied to the clinic's check-in system. A flat "typically 15 minutes" message, though? That's static; useful, but not accurate right now.

Symptom Checker Tools That Surface Nearby Clinics

Platforms like Ubie Health let you check your symptoms first, then connect you to nearby care options with availability information. This two-step approach actually saves time. You confirm the right level of care before you commit to a location, so you're not showing up to urgent care for something the ER should handle, or paying urgent care prices for a problem your doctor could handle tomorrow.

Search Engines and Map Apps

A Google search for "urgent care near me" pulls up a local pack that sometimes shows estimated wait times pulled directly from clinic systems. Apple Maps does the same. These figures aren't always current, treat them as a ballpark, but they're fast to check and require no app download.

How to Reserve Your Spot Before You Arrive

Checking wait times is half the battle. The smarter move? Reserve your spot in line while you're still at home.

Online Check-In Systems

Many urgent care groups now run online check-in through their own websites or through third-party scheduling platforms. You pick a time window, enter your information, and the clinic holds a spot in the queue. Your actual wait drops to almost nothing. Look for this feature on the clinic's homepage, usually labeled "Save My Spot" or "Online Check-In."

Phone-Based Queue Options

And don't overlook the phone. Calling the clinic directly takes about 90 seconds and gets you a real wait estimate from staff who can see the current room status. Some clinics will take your name over the phone and add you to the queue before you even get in the car. Low-tech, yes, but it works better than staring at a static webpage.

Timing Your Visit Around Peak Hours

Urgent care centers see the most traffic on Monday mornings, weekend afternoons, and the two hours after most offices close on weekdays (roughly 5 PM to 7 PM). The 2023 industry report from the Urgent Care Association found that midday Tuesday through Thursday consistently shows the shortest wait times nationally. If your situation isn't time-sensitive? A midweek morning visit reduces your wait without any app or reservation.

What to Do When Wait Times Aren't Listed

Not every clinic posts wait data online. Frustrating, yes. But you've still got options.

Call and Ask a Specific Question

Don't ask "how busy are you?" Ask "how many patients are currently ahead of a walk-in?" That specific question gets a more honest, useful answer from whoever picks up the phone. Front desk staff know the room count. They just don't always volunteer it unprompted.

Use a Symptom Checker to Weigh Your Options

If you can't get a read on wait times, use that gap to run a quick symptom check. Ubie Health's free symptom checker takes about three minutes and tells you whether your symptoms point toward urgent care, the ER, or a telehealth visit. That context changes the decision entirely. You might not need urgent care at all.

Consider Telehealth for Lower-Acuity Issues

Telehealth visits have no waiting room. For non-emergency issues like rashes, minor infections, sinus symptoms, or prescription refills, a same-day telehealth appointment is often faster than any in-person option. Most major insurers cover telehealth at the same rate as an in-office visit, so cost usually isn't the barrier people expect.

Conclusion

The fastest way to find urgent care wait times before leaving the house is to check the clinic's website for a live queue; use a symptom checker platform to match your care level to the right location; and call the front desk if nothing is posted online. You'll save yourself from wasted trips and long waits. Reserve your spot online where possible, aim for midweek mornings, and don't rule out telehealth for minor issues; it's often the fastest option of all.