[Richard]

<p>It looks fine to me, I bounced this way as relief from clearing the house of now unusable clothes, filling in draft probate forms, dealing with council tax rebate questions and so on. I did not find the same spelling issue, but I have to admit that my typing is appalling. Peripheral neuropathy in my fingers, allied with bursts of hand numbness, invent a new language every minute. (The spell check was slow to start, but once it was going, it had afield day.)</p>

[Richard]

I am sorry that others have had a rotten year for 2022.

My wife, who has been battling illness for some years, was dealing with her third round of cancer treatment for the third cancer. Unfortunately, October brought the news that the cancer had won, treatment had failed, and she had no more than six months left. In early November she collapsed never to walk again, the brain tumours were in control, and in early December, she died at home with her family surrounding her, as she wished. We had the funeral three days before Christmas, but not before the doctor went on holiday, delaying the death certificate, a water main added to the problems by blocking off access to the surgery, post office and pharmacy, you get the picture. There was a good turn out for the funeral, and many came for the subsequent wake, though, perhaps not enough, I am still eating leftovers today.

Will 2023 be better? I wonder. Today I could barely walk, muscle pains are crippling me and I see no way to break free. The dog is not impressed, she may be about 14 years  old, but she wants a real walk or two per day. so I have a head full of plans and objectives and a body full of nothing useful: it is not a great package.

I also wish all who see this message,  a good 2023, after mine and the message above, it cannot be worse, can it?

Richard

[Richard]

It appears he said ‘My eldest daughter – if I’m with her, it’s the wrap’, note not ‘Breakfast wrap’ he then listed sides.  McDonald’s listed a number of wraps when I search, most of which I would not touch with a barge pole, they  are said to be spiced up things which I do not eat.

[Richard]

Correction, I was on amlodipine at one time. However, it was stopped for a reason I no longer remember. Perhaps it was my sodium level, as ED suggested, it can cause such problems and I did. My second tablet BP tablet is Losartan Potassium, this combination is working for me at the moment.

Without careful checking of the packets, a familiar name, incorrectly, stuck in my mind. My experience of BP tablets is like many other drugs, some are suitable and work without objectionable side effects, and some really are not suitable. Unfortunately, I have a history of abreactions, sedatives may produce strong reverse effects and some treatments, e.g. tramadol are totally ineffective, so useless. Cocodamol was slightly effective, but it is metabolised to morphine and can show in blood tests for a long time. I had other issues as well, so I strictly limit its use. Given my experiences, addiction to either was never a risk on my timeline.

[Richard]

Ed is right about some blood pressure tablets working better than others. I have been through most of the list and had problems with many of them. Not as bad as those of my wife, who ended up with anaphylaxis, caused by Ramipril. I stopped Ramipril after the coughing issue ED referred to. Now I still cough, (I had a lung function test yesterday), results awaited. Currently, I am on Amlodipine and Lercandipine, which are working okay for the blood pressure, though it is still highly volatile. Most days it is good, but sometimes bad, though not as bad as RSB. I did have the low sodium but a few minor changes, including less fluid have helped with that, though if anything the cramp at night and when walking is getting progressively worse. The pains in my joints have been joined by pains in the tendons and in many muscles, hey ho, noni no.

I think ED’s comments about his local GP practices being bought up does represent an issue. Being GP owned they can be bought and sold and far too many GPs are leaving, either shutting down their practices or selling up and running away. This is down to a range of issues, the pension/tax problem, being one, but also the grand paper chase issue being another.

I now refer to my wife’s terminal stage 4 cancer treatment as a welcome into the world of DIY medicine where you do not get the scheduled blood tests because a letter told you to do so and you are there, you have to chase down someone who can set them up on the day. I call it the parochial health service, because we have a 3 to 5 hour round trip to get the damned test, plus a conversation with the oncologist that could be done by telephone. If I sound ratty, I am, my wife has had some good treatment, she had 7 brain tumours operated on via the so-called Gamma knife option two months back, a scan two weeks ago still has no indication of success or failure. She is disturbed and needs to know. I must now sign off, I can barely see the keyboard or string letters together, but perhaps you can understand why I am rarely here.

E&OE for the above reasons!

[Richard]

Glad you are more settled and have had a medical check. It is unfortunate that revealed some problems, but better now when you can get treatment than after something bad. ED is only catching up with the news, GPs remained private from the start of the Parochial-* Health Service back on the 5th July 1948, I would like to say I remember it happening, but it did not make so much difference to my 18-month-old self! I believe that many pharmacies can do BP checks, mine is just starting ear syringing and hearing checks, “Pardon!”, I said hearing checks, sorry old joke. Pharmacies are also privately owned. Sadly, GPs are disappearing faster than the dodo, happily ours is still in business, though not as sharp as it could be any more, too many part-timers and, I suspect, a few vacancies. The practice nurses can do BP checks and advise on diabetes, but you have to engage with them. Your BP is far too high. The current recommendations are  135/85 for an upper limit target, mine is usually below those, but it takes a combination of two different tablets to get there. After years of badgering haematologists, I had the less commonly checked blood factors tested, (I had specific reasons). The one I was suspecting was OK, it affects both children, but a related clotting risk was found, so the GP started treatment three weeks ago. The high BP and this factor were probably what ended up killing my mother. Sorry about your iron issue, mine was low for years, but I was only told by accident, so I took steps to boost mine. Is there a reason for your elevated level, there is a specific blood condition that might be behind your issue.

*It is a series of locally linked parochial fiefdoms, jealous of their own activities, national it is NOT!

[Richard]

You are a pessimistic lot, remember the time when justice was based on evidence? So let us look at some. The EU has been hopeless against the Madcap Tzar Excrement-tin. They cannot do anything because Hungary is led by the madcap’s puppet poodle. Germany is addicted to buying the Madcap’s gas, as is France. Both are happy to shovel large amounts of money into Madcap’s treasury, while trying to make any action taken by the EU as useless and ineffective as possible. A good chunk of France’s so-called elite, cannot see what is wrong with Madcap, since they make so much money out of trading with him. Much the same goes for Germany where former leaders try to block action, an effort that is hardly required, since it has been next to useless already.

As for the case, you were so pleased about. While judges continue to try to make, bend, or in many cases break, what was understood by laws, why is there any need for evidence? If you really think that Russia wanted the break-up of the toothless EU, how much good has our leaving done to their malign cause? Viewed from the evidence to date, none at all. Only if you discount hard evidence does the EU look like anything more than a powderpuff. The EU in the shape of Germany, France and Hungary continue to pay Russia’s bills and while Poland has taken large numbers of displaced persons, the UK has been one of the largest providers of military aid. Something that Germany delays, and continues to prevaricate about.

[Richard]

My GP practice has been the property of the practice owners since I arrived here in 1992, 30 years ago. Though the partners have changed over the years, and the original building has been doubled in size with a recent addition being completed in the early days of Covid, their biggest issue has been obtaining staff, especially doctors. Since Blair’s contracts, most GPs work only limited part-time hours, and many retire early to avoid tax on pension conflicts. They now have several pharmacists who do not dispense, but do routing prescription issuing and repeat dispensing re-authorising. Dispensing is still the role of the privately owned chemist/pharmacists, of which there are two in the village sized ‘town’, almost opposite each other in the one ‘main’ street, in real terms little more than a cart track wide, one way street. Generally neither my wife nor I have too many issues, the electronic requests for prescriptions are treated exceptionally quickly, though manual requests or ‘specials’ can take longer.

I sympathise with those having arthritis problems, my wife has lupus and arthritis, and I have increasing trouble with arthritis, it makes typing troublesome, especially since I have restarted to have numbness in my left arm and hand. Rheumatologists are rumoured to exist, my wife has only waiting 18 months to get her 6 weeks time follow-on appointment. My referral to them was met by no room at the inn, or was it at the hospital?

[Richard]

I did a Windows 10 to Window 11 update to an old Toshiba a few months back. It updated normally this morning. The only issue is that after any update it always needs to be restarted twice because it loses the Ethernet access port. It was bought about 2013 so is well outside the welcomed range of models. It has matured over the past few months. Now is a bit more like Windows 10, but I am not ready to make the change to my main machine yet.

[Richard]

Dave, while I agree that Putin’s money should be seized and the assets of Putin’s puppets should be expropriated, I have also been shocked to see how far his tentacles have threaded their way into society. The following have been named in the House of Commons as ‘Putin’s’ henchmen, John Kelly from Harbottle & Lewis, Nigel Tait from Carter Ruck, Hugh Tomlinson QC from Matrix and Geraldine Prouder from CMS. Action was started against the author, who claimed that Abramovich bought Chelsea on the orders of Putin. Using the law as a weapon has, sadly, become an option of choice for the odious ends of society. While I quoted the names of those name in the House of Commons, there are many others who remain unnamed. The so-called ‘Good Law Project’ was designed to ensure as much investment, purchasing of goods and service went overseas, especially to EU organs, rather than to home-grown entities. This is why we all have had to make do with Chinese made test kits to track the CCP virus.

Any law, intended to catch and ensnare the oligarch’s money, will have to run the gauntlet of those ‘legal practitioners’ and avoid ensnaring other unintended targets, e.g. those escaping from odious regimes like, the CCP in Hong Kong. Blair’s money laundering legislation, was a howling success in preventing such as an aged bedridden Aunt from opening an interest carrying account, but was easily circumvented, by those with less honourable designs.

We must spare a thought for the Putin apologist, Eddie Dempsey of the RMT, who brought London Underground to a halt. Apparently, he was keen to show support for his ‘friend’ Putin. Not withstanding the evidence, he frames Putin as the victim of Nato, via the ‘Stop The War’, loony club.

Sadly, it is a defect of our society, that we have been left open to widespread fraud.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Richard]

There was an attempt to compare the odious bigot and part-time gay icon Tzar Putin, with the equally odious, though for different reasons, Trump. This forgot that Tzar Putin has spent many years honing his strategic activities, all but banning all dissent, and now declaring it to be treason not to agree that he, and only he, is right. Tzar Putin developed strategic interests such as titanium production, driving down world prices to put non-Russian facilities out of production, or building world reliance on gases and products valuable to chip production. Trump not only made the USA grate on the world, but he also created a totally divided country with his pathetic moaning about anyone who was not with his weirdness. Perhaps it was only because Trump lacked the laws allowing him to shoot, poison or as a last resort imprison those who offended him that he was not successful.

In one sense they are similar, neither can stand any hint of critical comment, both hold indefinite grudges against everyone who slights them in any way. However, rather than do so behind a mask of his country Russia first and ever only first, Trump directed his venom in non-structured ways that prevented any hope of his country’s cohesion. Rather than ensuring the USA steel production, (or any other strategic material) was home supported, he happily bought from China for his vanity products.

So, now we see that an imperialist thug Tzar Putin wants to rule the world and threatens nuclear destruction to anyone who does not agree, thus funnelling his inner Trump.

We should not fail to consider the huge debt the new Tzar owes to the weak and vacillating EU. Germany, in the shape of, Mrs Merkel, having decided that relatively clean atomic power was not acceptable, fed the German addiction to Russian gas by terminating the country’s nuclear industry, having decided that the use of Russian gas was superior. Now the Germans addicted to Russian gas dare not act against the Tzar’s interest. Several of her sisters in the EU of course bought this line. One should wonder how much the Tzar promoted this line of ‘ditch-your-own-interests’ environmental madness to the snowflake protesters. As a result, the EU was rendered close to being a Tzar Putin pet, who must not be troubled.

At least the French have now been stirred into action and detained a boat, having seen the streets of the Ukraine filling with corpses from both sides. Happily, many are Russian, sadly, too many are Ukraine nationals. That the stupid BBC managed to bring on an apologist who did not understand the difference between the English word ‘flowers’ and the English words for ‘rubble’ and ‘corpses’ when describing the Tzar’s assault on the Ukraine in glowing terms. This after the Tzar announced his desire to rid the Ukraine of Nazis, by acting like a one himself his delusion clearly knows no bounds.

Are the daft Extermination Rebellion, those who want everyone else’s homes to be expensively insulated to excess, while ignoring their own homes’ wastefulness, also buying their fixes from the rouble machine?

So, now the world faces a fate far worse than the snowflakes and woke keyboard warriors could ever hope to understand. There is an open season for aggressors and a “beautiful” fixation with identity politics, and we must not forget using the correct pronoun, or the Kleenex supply will all be used up. Oh dear, what will the brave keyboard lot all cry into then?

[Richard]

The root of most ism is xenophobia, a fear or suspicion of strangers or aliens. It grows from there. ED is right about several things. Iran is a mainly Shia area, further west it is mainly a Sunni area. Get it wrong at your peril. It can be said that it is Shia agony, on the Sunnis side of the street.

Flippancy over, the Gulf, what a mix of agonies, on one side it is the Arabian Gulf, on the other it was the Persian Gulf. However, Iran had many quite different races, sects and belief patterns. In general, the Iranians were traders and those that I met appeared ready to deal. Perhaps that causes them to appear more tolerant than others, who felt themselves to be above deal making as long as they collected a return. But the old sayings about my enemy and my enemy’s enemy is very true. I am not so sure about friends. Some Iranians were too sharp for their own good and fell foul of the need for a good deal.

The conflicted state of play between the various sects, racial types, tribes and whatever differentiation you can dream up and many that an outsider will never know is a constant issue. If you think racism is a European thing, think again. The lighter skinned Arabs and Iranians, (most of the latter are somewhat lighter skinned) drew sharp distinctions between different hues. Shortly after my arrival in an unnamed location, I heard that a wife had committed suicide, you do not need the details of how. I expressed my shock and sympathy, it was a shocking and upsetting story. I was cut short by someone whose skin tone was more burnt umber than many saying, “Oh, don’t worry, she was black”. Welcome to racism, Gulf style. The northern Gulf races severely looked down on those from Muscat and beyond with a range of colourful terms. Many families used to barter for pale skinned brides, often from Iran, to keep the family line lighter skinned.

I could discuss at greater, length, however, we had some bad news recently. My wife’s cancer treatment, has not secured the remission we sought, and hoped for, today she had a liver biopsy, so I must drop back out.

I earnestly believe that xenophobia covers the cause of racism, I also believe that Enoch possibly expressed his belief badly. Put bluntly, if too much change is forced too rapidly, there will be unpleasant, ‘ism’ reactions on all sides.

[Richard]

Oh dear, the cheese eating, backstabbing, fish pirating,  surrender moneys are upset that Australia has decided they do not want obsolete stuff in the face of hostile Chinese provocations. Sow the wind and wear your souwester?

 

[Richard]

HGV issue is not being helped by the industrial action at DVLA either, some drivers have trouble renewing their licences when needed.

[Richard]

Contact Tesco, they are offering a £1,000 bonus for lorry driving at the moment, not sure about the rest  of the package. Why did you go in the first place. Some of us had the business go sideways from them, that is when the family medical issues can start to come onboard and overwhelm you. That is one I do not recommend to anyone.

[Richard]

Just looked in for news of Bob.

I am very sorry to hear he has passed, we knew it was coming, but without knowing how soon. It should be some comfort to everyone that he kept his mind until the end, though it ended handing him no special benefit. At least he remained Bob and did not suffer the terrible decline of e.g. dementia.

RIP Bob, your passing leaves a hole in the lives of so many, but we must also remember that your life and living also enriched great numbers either by having known you or having known of you. You will be widely remembered.

[Richard]

Bob, I am saddened at your situation, but slightly uplifted by your retention of a gutsy spirit. I am heartened by the obvious feelings between your wife and you and hope that is of comfort to the both of you. She is clearly a great example of a human being, a person and a wife, no praise for her is too much.

My absence, is driven by my wife’s Covid-19 and extended Covid-19 add-on, mobility problems earning a blue badge, though other infections are a concern. No names, no pack drill, but severe near fatal mental health issues affect a close family member.

PM, I know a hip injection can be useless, though sometimes, in other sites they help.

[Richard]

Bob, I admire your spirit and trust that it will live on in your family and wider circle. You worked hard to inspire them, and all who have known you. It has been a pleasure and an inspiration to have known you. But, you are still with us and long may that continue to be the case. Clearly, I and others are saddened to hear your news. I offer you sympathy, but also praise for all you have done and still try to achieve. Take comfort, we will remember you.

[Richard]

Coming on top of our grim Christmas*, Bob’s news tops off the start of 2021 as a year not wishing to be out done by the previous year. I join others in hoping and wishing for better news for Bob, his previous good humour and stalwart ability was a beacon in dark days. I fervently hope he can return to better health. His message offered hope, let it be answered with a positive outcome this time.

*This is not the time or place to expand that comment

[Richard]

Just a brief offer of season’s greetings to all, at this stressful time and a special wish that Bob’s Christmas will be the very best that it can be.

Perhaps, if he can see or hear, it might be of comfort that people are thinking of him at what will be an especially challenging time.

 

[Author]

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