Early Risers.

[BoD]

The temperature must have risen a bit here.  No sun though.  We woke up to a very heavy frost, the sort heavy enough to think, at first, that it might have snowed.  Within the last half hour or so it has completely gone where as yesterday, out of the sun, it didn’t give all day.

 

Today may be interesting.  Yesterday Valerie slipped on the bottom two stairs and has in some way damaged her foot.  There is no swelling or bruising but it was too painful to put much weight on.  This morning there is still no visible signs but the pain is much worse.  We are considering what action to take. A&E? It doesn’t seem bad enough for that.  G.P. tomorrow? You are having a laugh.  111?  We’ve no experience of it, one way or another,  so that might be the way forward.  On the other hand it sounds as if It might be best if I just drove 40 minutes up the A19 and went to DaveF’s local hospital.

 

Have a good Sunday.

Edited January 22, 2023 by BoD

[Gwiwer]

11 hours ago, Ozexpatriate said:

The 21st is Lunar New Year's Eve - the traditional time for fireworks.

A few were heard in the distance last night. Let’s see what tonight brings. We don’t have any significant Chinese community in the area but it’s become another cross-cultural event in recent times. 
 

Happy Year of the Bunny. 

[The Lurker]

14 minutes ago, BoD said:

The temperature must have risen a bit here.  No sun though.  We woke up to a very heavy frost, the sort heavy enough to think, at first, that it might have snowed.  Within the last half hour or so it has completely gone where as yesterday, out of the sun, it didn’t give all day.

 

Today may be interesting.  Yesterday Valerie slipped on the bottom two stairs and has in some way damaged her foot.  There is no swelling or bruising but it was too painful to put much weight on.  This morning there is still no visible signs but the pain is much worse.  We are considering what action to take. A&E? It doesn’t seem bad enough for that.  G.P. tomorrow? You are having a laugh.  111?  We’ve no experience of it, one way or another,  so that might be the way forward.  On the other hand it sounds as if It might be best if I just drove 40 minutes up the A19 and went to DaveF’s local hospital.

 

Have a good Sunday.

Try 111 - it’s what they are there for.

 

they were excellent when Younger Lurker was having what turned out to be an anaphylactic reaction to some peanuts one Boxing Day evening some years ago. The assessment process was smooth and the paramedic was on his way very swiftly- followed by the ambulance.

 

mind you, we are in SE London 

[New Haven Neil]

Morning from a mizzly windy rock, 7c feels like 3c, looks like less.

 

Nice meal out last night with friends, I had my kalappam, Tony!  Thoroughly pleasant meal and very busy, expected the 'squeeze' to have made it a bit quieter as it isn't a cheap place, but trade was good.

 

Hearing Ian's description of the poor care his obviously very unwell mother received makes me so angry, having worked so hard to provide caring and appropriate service myself as an outpatients service manager - there is simply no excuse.

 

I have varying experiences of hospitals as a patient, and having worked in three myself in various roles have seen the good and the bad at first hand.  Over here, I was well treated in an orthopaedic ward for five days, then was moved to another ward for two days prior to discharge where I was dealt with like an inconvenience, the contrast was almost a joke. 

 

I wasn't even told I had been discharged (bearing in mind this was after the gruesome foot surgery and I wasn't self-ambulant) but told to look after myself when asking for help and why was I still there, basically.  The Consultant went ballistic.  Totally Saturn 5.  Luckily Mrs NHN wasn't there at that point as there would have been bloodshed.  I was half the hat on strong opiates so couldn't really express my true feelings at the time but did later.  To say I'm not looking forward to going back this summer is something of an understatement.  Luck of the draw seemingly.

 

In contrast, the hip surgery at Wrightington Hospital (Wigan Trust - was this the same one, Ian?)  was a model of a well run hospital, much like Dave reports, but in very old-fashioned wards (they have new ones now).  

[New Haven Neil]

24 minutes ago, BoD said:

The temperature must have risen a bit here.  No sun though.  We woke up to a very heavy frost, the sort heavy enough to think, at first, that it might have snowed.  Within the last half hour or so it has completely gone where as yesterday, out of the sun, it didn’t give all day.

 

Today may be interesting.  Yesterday Valerie slipped on the bottom two stairs and has in some way damaged her foot.  There is no swelling or bruising but it was too painful to put much weight on.  This morning there is still no visible signs but the pain is much worse.  We are considering what action to take. A&E? It doesn’t seem bad enough for that.  G.P. tomorrow? You are having a laugh.  111?  We’ve no experience of it, one way or another,  so that might be the way forward.  On the other hand it sounds as if It might be best if I just drove 40 minutes up the A19 and went to DaveF’s local hospital.

 

Have a good Sunday.

 

 

Knowing only too well what can happen to a foot after a seemingly simple fall, get it checked out, Warren.  Especially if there is any bruising showing on the sole.

[jamie92208]

We've still got snow around from Thursday evening.  In the dales this would have been said to be 'ligging abart'  On the fells opposite our house it would often ligg about undervthe walls.  The farmers used to say that it would ligg about till more came to fetch it away.  They were usually corect as theclast snowcof winter usually went very quickly.  Our weather forecasters were the cows on the same fells.  Sometimes you would see them low down on what seemed like a nice day.  Sure enough a storm would arrive later.

 

Jamie

[Barry O]

Ey up!

 

 

Lobster for Chinese New Year... yummy!!

 

Baz

[iL Dottore]

みなさん、おはようございます
Minasan, ohayōgozaimasu (Good Morning Everyone),

19 hours ago, polybear said:

We seem to be missing the wisdom of @iL Dottore over the past few days?  Hope all is ok.

I have actually been very busy over the past week, trying to beat some basic Japanese into my ageing and decrepit brain, working on a couple of new projects and feeling rather sorry for myself because of London (see below).

17 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Indeed. He may be taking his time to recover from visiting the UK.  

Quite!

I managed to put on 4 kg when I was in London – so now I am back to the very straight and the very narrow: allowing myself no more than 1500 kcal a day – if that.  No beer, no wine, only 40 g of carbohydrate per day; it’s going to be a tough five months.

Still, I may have overindulged, but at least I didn’t end up in Trafalgar Square with a traffic cone on my head, singing very rude rugby songs after the last Brains Trust meeting – unlike someone I could name…🤣

14 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

It is my understanding that HM Customs are currently questioning him at an undisclosed location, Paddington Green or Belmarsh? about three containers that were due to be shipped to Switzerland.

 

Rumour has it that they contained various food products, Eccles cakes, whiskey was another and had all been labelled for his personal consumption. 

 

I think there having some difficulty accepting that and believe that they are more likely destined for the black market in France where there's quite a market for Eccles cakes so I'm told.

Oh dear, how the yellow press manages to distort the facts!

 

It wasn’t @iL Dottore “Helping the authorities with their enquiries“, but the equally dashing and handsome dead-ringer distant cousin – the black sheep of the family – Captain Cynical.  Furthermore, it was not his Majesty’s Customs and Excise CC was helping, but rather HMRC - who received a very detailed list of those Brits hiding in excess of £100 million in Swiss banks (turning over lists of those ultra wealthy individuals who hide their money from the tax man, is an amusing little bagatelle CC indulges in whenever he wants to feel the “do-good” feeling).

 

As to smuggling Eccles cakes into France: back when CC did occasionally dabble in such things, he used hollow Eurostar coach bogies in which to smuggle Eccles cakes, pork pies and the like.

 

Never got caught, mainly because Lucy and Schotty just put the word out to the sniffer dogs that should any such things be sniffed out, not only was it totally kosher, but if they looked the other way a comfortable well-funded retirement awaited them in a luxury Dog’s Home in Switzerland….

14 hours ago, polybear said:

Just so long as there's no scurrilous underhand LDC smuggling going on - or pizza

or oven chips

or curly fries

or mince pies

or turkish delight

or salted peanuts

or.......

Bear: @iL Dottore does have a small sideline in importing fine foods for “discerning European Gentlemen of quality”; but he is not involved in any shape way or form with bulk chemicals – as your post implies.

 

A light lunch consumed (bacon and eggs) and a snooze awaits before Mrs Idi returns with the Wolfpack from the holiday hovel and I have to knuckle down and review Hiragana characters  for tomorrow’s Japanese lesson.

[The White Rabbit]

2 hours ago, Winslow Boy said:

... Its the little gestures like that that make all the difference really. I know I've ranted on here before how cack handed things can be in hospitals so I won't repeat myself but there are times when I do get really down when I remember just how bad mum was treated at times.

 

#MeToo. Mother, father, uncle, Beth. Me. Three different Trusts - though none in Northumberland. 

 

Good for Robert's nurse, you really appreciate things like that - but also get [cross] that personal kindness has to compensate for official [failings]. 

[The White Rabbit]

Morning all. Another shiver my timbers day with the local area looking like a giant's been shaking some icing sugar around with a very heavy hand. Awake at 02.30. Snoozyland wasn't returned to until after 06.00. I may well take a leaf out of Rick's Furrship's book. Perhaps I can welcome the year of the Rabbit by snoring? 

 

Thanks to @Ozexpatriate, yes, just division. My mental arithmetic isn't bad but doing long division in my head for things like 1257 x 793 gets a bit tedious after the first three or four... I will be careful not to search for, say, 'multiplication equipment'... 

 

Otherwise, all quiet on the Yorkshire Front. 

 

A parting thought on the subject of sniffer dogs:

 

[PhilJ W]

Morning all from Estuary-Land. According to the weather thingy at the bottom of my screen it was foggy half an hour ago, so foggy that it was shining brightly through the windows.

3 hours ago, polybear said:

Bear only has one Hunter Kit .....though I do have "numerous" unbuilt Lynx in 1:32 Scale.  Oops.

I have an unbuilt 1:32 Lynx kit, I can't remember how much I paid for it but not a lot as it had been started, the cockpit interior had been built. I also have a 1:32 scale Tiger Moth kit, also unmade that I found in a pawnbrokers shop for £2. Both are Matchbox kits. Another kit in the same scale that I have is a Beech Staggerwing, apparently a quite rare kit but I obtained it at a very cheap price from E-bay. When it arrived I found that one of the cabin windows was missing, hence the low price.

1 hour ago, Gwiwer said:

Good morning all. 
 

Welcome to a deeply frosty morning Upon the Hill of Strawberries. It was also foggy earlier but the sun is up now and has dealt with that problem. 
 

Croissants and coffee have been enjoyed. His Furship considers it may be too cold to leave the duvet!  
 

No need to ask who's in charge.

[PupCam]

Morning All!

 

3 hours ago, polybear said:

.....though I do have "numerous" unbuilt Lynx in 1:32 Scale.  Oops.

 

Hmm, interesting 🤔

 

28 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

....  but if they looked the other way a comfortable well-funded retirement awaited them in a luxury Dog’s Home in Switzerland….

 

Never heard of Dignatas being described like that before.   Maybe a referral to the Advertising Standards Authority is required?

 

In Other News

 

Blimey, it must be cold!   Even the neighbour didn't get his Velo out this morning for a quick bimble into Hitchin as originally planned.     He didn't enquire as to whether I wanted to go with them.   He knows me too well;  I don't do cold, dark, foggy, wet or combinations thereof on a motorcycle these days!

 

The Junior and Junior Junior Puppers came round for dinner last night.  After dinner Junior Junior said "Grandad can we go in the garden and look for stars and aeroplanes?"   Why of course young man!  It would have been rude not to and very enjoyable it was too.       You've got to plant seeds before they can grow .....

 

After they'd gone and the resultant devastation had been cleared away I watched a documentary on (one of the Channel 5 channels) the activities of 617 Squadron after the Dams raid and running up to D Day.  Narrated by  John Nichol the Tonka navigator shot down and captured by the Iraqis during the 1st Gulf War, I thought it was very interesting.  BTW, I found his book "Tornado In the eye of the storm" very interesting.     Anyway, I didn't know or, if I did, I had forgotten that Hitler was building a 3rd terror weapon; the V3 Super-gun.   Fortunately that was stopped by the very brave 617 chaps with once again help from Barnes Wallis.

 

A little more work on the Beeza crank may occur later and no doubt some more playing around with various photo editing packages and watching instructional videos on astrophotography will be indulged in.

 

Nice to see Flavio has come out from under-cover after his most recent UK visit.  I wonder how the other missing or at least low-profile ERs are fairing?  🤞

 

TTFNQ

[iL Dottore]

17 minutes ago, PupCam said:

Never heard of Dignatas being described like that before.   Maybe a referral to the Advertising Standards Authority is required?

That’s plain nasty, Puppers. Retired working dogs deserve a happy retirement.

Actually, there are a number of Swiss based animal rescue charities that provide retirement homes for elderly pets/working dogs (I support one).

 

I find it obscene that people dump pets at shelters when they start getting old (there was even a case where some ****** [stronger words are available] dumped an older dog at a shelter and at the same time wanted to take home a new puppy! [the shelter told them where to stuff it]).

[DaveF]

I am feeling exhausted today so I will take the consultant's advice and have some quiet days - I think I could get used to that!  Perhaps it is time to get out a jigsaw (the puzzle sort).

 

It started frosty but dull here, now it is just dull and about 2C.  Lunch is in the oven, once eaten I shall retire to bed to catch up on some sleep.  I sleep very lightly so didn't get much sleep in hospital - even small sounds wake me - usually when it happens at home it is the harbour foghorn or planes passing by from Newcastle Airport.

 

The useful bit in my hospital stay is that at long last I have added a lock screen to my phone and added some more apps.  I can now browse the web on it more easily and can collect e mails from both addresses.  Obviously I had time on my hands.

 

Despite the recent cold weather the snowdrop leaves are emerging from the soil, along with early irises and the daffodils.  The pansies are coming back into flower and two primroses have buds just opening'

 

David.

[Tony_S]

5 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

Retired working dogs deserve a happy retirement.

 

I was quite old when I realised that “Fido has gone to live on a farm” was just something adults said to children to explain the missing dog. 

[BoD]

2 hours ago, The Lurker said:

Try 111 - it’s what they are there for.

 

 

2 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

 

Knowing only too well what can happen to a foot after a seemingly simple fall, get it checked out, Warren.  Especially if there is any bruising showing on the sole.

 

No bruising on the sole but a later inspection revealed some swelling and now a not bad but definitely noticeable bruising  to the top of the foot.  111 was contacted and she was told to take paracetamol, elevate the foot and put a tubular bandage on if we have one.  We will give that a try but if the swelling, bruising or pain worsens I think a call back to 111 or visit to A&E  might be in order.

[Tony_S]

1 minute ago, BoD said:

to A&E  might be in order.

Is there a Minor Injuries Unit near you?

[BoD]

4 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Is there a Minor Injuries Unit near you?

 

The closest thing we have to that is a 'Community Hospital' which doesn't serve the community at  weekends.  Other than that the nearest to use is a full blown A&E dept.  

It might be worth considering going now before the Sunderland- Middlesbrough local football derby finishes.

[45156]

Afternoon All

 

Sorry to say I have been AWOL (again) and have had to do a fair amount of skipping - so all I can do is to wish all ERs a hearty greeting, a get well message to the ailing, and a hope that I can get on here a bit more often, but it does seem that this laptop is being used for other matters rather more than it used to.  Cold again, but fist and mog predicted went overnight

 

Today was meant to be fixing a few cracks in the ceiing where the loft trap was fitted, and the gaps in the plasterboard opened.  Some chance - the fridge was really a bit smelly, so it had to be pulled out, and it really was not pleasant in there - the drain hole at the back was blocked, and there was a big lump of ice where the water hadn't drained, and kept refreezing - the blockage wasn't ice, and it was well down the drain tube and it took a long curtain spring to dislodge it - then it had to be pulled out, and thoroughly anti-bac'd - then 30747 decided that the steam mop needed to be deployed on the vinyl floors in the kitchen, bathroom, and downstairs toilet - then said that she wanted to repaint the ceiling tomorrow while I'm at Oxfam, so what about filling the cracks now,  All done, and a large Bunnahabain will follow very soon.

 

Seems that there is an annual car trial which starts on the car park of our nearest pub, and the contestants gather on the eco park where Lily walks every morning, which was very interesting to 30747 this morning,

 

And here's a blast from 1972 revived by the excellent Foxes and Fossils.

 

Regards to All

Stewart

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by 45156

[polybear]

Big Ouch:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64363167

[Tony_S]

8 minutes ago, polybear said:

Big Ouch:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64363167

Aditi’s uncle was knocked off his bike at a road junction near his home in California. It was said he only survived as he received immediate assistance from the fire/paramedics whose depot was at the same road junction. He had chest, spine, hip and limb injuries. The firefighters saw the incident happen, he was stationary at a junction and a car just hit him from behind. “Didn’t see him” apparently. He made a full recovery but has a lot of metal bits inside him now. 

[Winslow Boy]

4 hours ago, New Haven Neil said:

Morning from a mizzly windy rock, 7c feels like 3c, looks like less.

 

Nice meal out last night with friends, I had my kalappam, Tony!  Thoroughly pleasant meal and very busy, expected the 'squeeze' to have made it a bit quieter as it isn't a cheap place, but trade was good.

 

Hearing Ian's description of the poor care his obviously very unwell mother received makes me so angry, having worked so hard to provide caring and appropriate service myself as an outpatients service manager - there is simply no excuse.

 

I have varying experiences of hospitals as a patient, and having worked in three myself in various roles have seen the good and the bad at first hand.  Over here, I was well treated in an orthopaedic ward for five days, then was moved to another ward for two days prior to discharge where I was dealt with like an inconvenience, the contrast was almost a joke. 

 

I wasn't even told I had been discharged (bearing in mind this was after the gruesome foot surgery and I wasn't self-ambulant) but told to look after myself when asking for help and why was I still there, basically.  The Consultant went ballistic.  Totally Saturn 5.  Luckily Mrs NHN wasn't there at that point as there would have been bloodshed.  I was half the hat on strong opiates so couldn't really express my true feelings at the time but did later.  To say I'm not looking forward to going back this summer is something of an understatement.  Luck of the draw seemingly.

 

In contrast, the hip surgery at Wrightington Hospital (Wigan Trust - was this the same one, Ian?)  was a model of a well run hospital, much like Dave reports, but in very old-fashioned wards (they have new ones now).  

 

Sorry Neil I wish it had been as we could have pulled rank as we have several relatives who work for the same trust. Some quite senior - touch your forelock to eg consultants. No this was just down the road from us - Pennine .........? can't remember the rest. The really worrying thing is they are now being touted as one of best and held up as shining example.

 

What always struck me was how you'd get a superb example of really good treatment and then almost as if balance it you'd get the complete opposite.

 

As I said Mum had this problem with swallowing things so being offered nine pills rather than just three because 'that's all they had' and then being told your being awkward really set my teeth grating. 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Winslow Boy

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. Done sweet FA this afternoon, just sat down and watched Agatha Christies Miss Marple. Now I've just got to eat a late lunch, (breakfast was late just before twelve).  Now to watch Serengeti, be back later. 

[PeterBB]

Close eyes = fotrbidden! Re: Unmade up kits.  Recently discovered this one - probably had it 40 years or so.  If the mood takes might just do it but there again ... 

[polybear]

1 hour ago, polybear said:

Big Ouch:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64363167

 

I dread to think what the bottom line on the Medical Bill is gonna be......

 

Bear here.......

A morning & early afternoon doing the Landing flooring - all very secure & level now - involving the use of  multiple bluddy great screws.  In the end I did need to renew a short piece of skirting as one piece had numerous splits - fortunately I had a suitable piece in the loft.  Big Tick.

 

Yesterday's high point was finding the 3.5mm drill that's been missing out of a drill set for yonks.....finally discovered underneath the carpet underlay on the landing 🙄; I can only imagine that I lost it whilst routing some cables under the floor as a part of the Great Kitchen Refurb - so over a year ago.  Today's low point was losing the 3mm drill from the same set 🤬 - I very much suspect that it rolled across the floor and disappeared down a gap between floorboards.  F*ggin' Piggin' Turdycurses.  The good news is that as it's a "whole number" I may well have a spare in the, er, "collection".  TBC.......

Bear gone.