JohnD Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 (edited) Nick!? Stroke? You, loved one? Sorry to hear either way. If I may defend the NHS, to which Our Majesty has just awarded the George Cross, the Victoria Cross equivalent for civilian heroism, in recognition of its pandemic efforts? "The NHS has done so much with so little that it can now do anything with nothing" was always a cynical remark and the situation today proves that. After years of cumulative bed reduction in hospitals -since 1990 the number of hospital beds has more than HALVED (NHS hospital bed numbers | The King's Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)) - while the number of 'social care' beds has stagnated, the inevitable effect being 'bed blocking', the unkind term for people who are fit to leave hospital, but too old or ill to look after themselves and for whom there is no provision outside. We now have fewer hospital beds per 1000 citizens than any other European country, EG UK - 2.5, Germany 7.9, Spain 3. This is because while 'modern medicine' can cut down the time that it takes to make someone dischargeable, the rationale for the bed reduction, there was no corresponding investment in accommodation for the people who now 'bed block'. BEFORE the pandemic, every month, there were 148,000 "delayed days" - days in which a bed was blocked as above. This situation has been well known for twenty years, with only warm words and clapping from the politicians. This means that while people still come to A&E and some need admission, there are no beds in the hospital for them to go to. They stay in A&E, while the queue outside forms, and of course the paramedics cannot leave their patients on the doorstep, so the ambulances are part of the queue. ALL the Ambulance Trusts in England are now on the highest level of alert, which is normally used only in a civil emergency, a disaster that will occupy the majority of staff and vehicles for some time. But even a Major Accident will be dealt with in hours and the Service stood down to normal - this shows no sign of abating, and cannot, until something is done to free up hospital beds. We may know the saying "Lions led by Donkeys" of the military management of WW1. We now have recognised Heroes, the staff of the NHS, George Cross, led by politicians who have no vison and no humanity. The most valuable social instrument of all time, a National Health Service, the first and the greatest in the world, laid low by governments more interested in obsessive self and national aggrandisement. I'm sorry but if anything could get me to the barricades it's this. I'm sorry too for your personal situation, Nick. I'm sure you will direct your justified anger where it is deserved! John Edited July 14, 2022 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeTRacted Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 Sounds a bit of a horror story Nick, and seemingly all too common if newspaper reports are to be believed. In contrast, my recent experience is that the NHS still works well once you are past the starting gate. I think I was maybe just 'lucky' to hit a fairly quiet time and to have a condition which was relatively easy to diagnose: About six weeks ago, just after breakfast on a Saturday morning, I felt a sudden, bad lower-stomach pain which just got worse, followed by throwing up. No GP to consult on a Saturday and it was obviously something serious and wasn't going away( I thought maybe appendix ). Rather than waste people's time going through the NHS111 / paramedic / ambulance process, and since I was 'walking wounded', I got a friend to drive me straight to A&E. I got there about 2pm and had to wait around for a couple of hours to be seen, but then it all took off. A CT scan later in the evening showed acute peritonitis from a ruptured intestine and they operated in the wee small hours of the morning, to re-plumb my innards. I spent the next week being pumped full of antibiotics and steroids and it was ten days before they discharged me. The care I received throughout could not be faulted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 It is working fairly well now. But it’s taken far too long to grind into action leading to further problems that could have been headed off with minimal effort. What would happen to someone without advocates with some idea of the system I shudder to think. My ire is mainly directed not at the NHS itself which does a vital job in increasingly impossible circumstances, but at successive governments, mostly Tory, which have gutted some parts of the system (they trumpet about building new hospitals when they are actually still closing smaller rural hospitals) and created external conditions (brexit, rampant inflation, sharply declining social care availability) that make matters still worse. Sorry to hear of your problems Rob and very glad you are on the mend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 14, 2022 Share Posted July 14, 2022 Blimey. Hope everyone OK. NHS is struggling more than somewhat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 Today I.... had to make use of said NHS Discovered a very large tick (the body was almost 3mm across) in my arm while having a shower after velodrome this morning. I suspect it must have been hiding in my jumper from my trip up North as it was still largely free of my vital fluids. I have removed hundreds of these little b#####ds over the years without trouble however this one left its very large jaws securely in my arm. So rather than risk it I headed off to our local Minor Injuries unit which is only a 5 minute walk away. In there for the best part of four hours. They were very busy and there was was a good bit of waiting but it utimately took 40 minutes, three nurses, a local anasthetic, scalpel and a variety of forceps to finally extract the head which was buried deep in my arm. I am glad I am not particularly squeamish and very glad indeed for that local anasthetic. The large hole in my arm is closed with a couple of butterfly sutures. I am home, the anathetic has worn off and I have a very sore arm. I was told to expect bruising tomorrow and they apologised in advance. I have never experienced a tick so deeply attached and neither had the nurses who deal with these things regularly. The nurses were however very good and a lot of banter ensued during the procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 Ouch! Wishing you speedy healing and no unpleasant “gift”. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 The Vitesse has been on daily driver duties this week. This was at work Monday morning and is the total mileage since birth in its current form in 1989 It’s 300 more now. Yesterday I street-parked in Yeovil and went to put the top up. Something went “sproinggg” and the hood did a bat-wing impression. Had to leave it down for the first mission. Luckily I’d brought my lockup keys as that is near the hospital and very much cheaper than the hospital car park (thieving bandits!) so in it went. When I finally got home I found this Missing bolt in hood-bin but I never did find the washers or lock nut. Easy fix…. Except it wasn’t over yet with a simultaneous escape on the other side. That bolt also found in the hood bin and fairly easy to reinstate. Apparently the gods are slightly upset with me….. In support of that theory, today when I returned to the lockup I found not one but two cars parked in front of my door. One of the drivers was to hand. The other…. Not. So I got to knock on quite a few doors before I found him. I was polite (an effort) and he was very apologetic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 Colin, Fascinating, if revolting, list of the various ticks that plague us (excepting Tories) here: https://www.esccapuk.org.uk/page/Ticks/36/ Could that help you ID your parasite? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 1 hour ago, JohnD said: Colin, Fascinating, if revolting, list of the various ticks that plague us (excepting Tories) here: https://www.esccapuk.org.uk/page/Ticks/36/ Could that help you ID your parasite? John Thank you John. I believe the revolting little bu@@er was a member of the species ixodes ricinus, castor bean tick. And yes Nick I am hopeful there are no further gifts. I will be keeping a close watch. Decent action with the Vitesse too even if it did involve spontaneous disintegrating hood mechanism syndrome. I have had similar but only one side at a time fortunately. It is vexing when you get blocked it. "Oh I didn't realise that was your driveway", "Oh I wasn't planning on staying very long". "Oh did you see what happened to my car?", "Oh yes, a big lorry came and took it away to the pound", "Oh". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 (edited) Yesterday evening, we had the 'thank you' drinks for volunteers like me at the Lancaster Priory "Festival of the Earth". This was centered on the Luke Jerram artwork 'Gaia', which has been in the nave of the Priory for the last four weeks: As you can't see, it rotates every four minutes, and is suspended from above, s you can walk all around it, and underneath. The Priory built a whole series of events around Gaia, concerts and displays, including a colouring competition for kids, that I expect other venues will do as well. There are several versions of this work that are touring the world: https://www.lukejerram.com/ Do try to go and see it - most impressive! But into each life some rain must fall, and while I was out I had left a chicken casserole in the oven on a low light. The casserole dish had no lid, so I took one from a frying pan to cover it. And when I got home this is what the lid looked like: They don't make frying pan lids like they used to! Or at least not to be baked in the oven! So I need to make a new knob. I could turn one on my wonky lathe, but what material to use? If I keep it out of the oven in future, it's not going to get that hot, so will aluminium burn my fingers? If I cut slots in the metal, increasing the surface area, would it 'run' cooler? Wood would better insulate the hand, but the dishwasher would soon disintegrate softwood and I have no hard wood stock. I have some Tufnol - anyone used that for kitchenware handles? John Edited July 16, 2022 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 The globe looks most impressive. How big is it? As for you unfortunate lid experience I suspect that aluminium would get too hot. However I suspect you are not alone in the world of handle disappointments. How about something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Replacement-Cookware-Bakelite-Circular/dp/B08NJWTZ6T/ref=asc_df_B08NJWTZ6T/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=463046529769&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2329485870458112781&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046952&hvtargid=pla-1151412205631&psc=1 Lets you have another three misfortunes should you so wish I hope the casserole restored you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 Casserole a great success - the secret is in dusting the pieces of meat in wholemeal flour before browning. And thank you for the link! I thought that such knobs would be unobtanium, unless you wanted thousands of them! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 10 minutes ago, JohnD said: Casserole a great success - the secret is in dusting the pieces of meat in wholemeal flour before browning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 Forgot to answer. There are several versions. The one that was floated (!!!) On the canal at Salford Quays was 10metres across. This one is seven meters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 (edited) This PM we are entertained by a local Caelie (?) Group Edited July 16, 2022 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 Blimey that's huge. How absolutely wonderful. Awesome even in its original meaning. It's ceilidh John. And yes Scottish gaelic spellings are difficult sometimes although the pronunciation rules are relatively straightforward compared to English. However sometimes feel they are wilfully profligate in the number of characters needed. But nowhere near as much as Irish in that respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 Chyba że chcesz pisać w języku takim jak Polski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 10 minutes ago, JohnD said: Chyba że chcesz pisać w języku takim jak Polski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 The hamlet of Kilchoan on the beautiful and quite stunning Ardnamurchan peninsula Whilst annoying for those learning English as a second language I am so glad that we ditched accents, gender pronouns and masculine/feminine verb formations etc. It just means you have to 'just know' a lot of pronunciations. Efficient or lazy but it does allow appropriation from pretty much anywhere. However this place name is taking the piss... Pronounced Haze-bruh.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 That's nothing, just over the hill form me is Quernmore, pron. Kwore-mer! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 3 hours ago, JohnD said: Quernmore, pron. Kwore-mer! Eh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 17, 2022 Share Posted July 17, 2022 (edited) It's thanks to you, Colin, that my Frying pan lid lives to cook another day! New fitted (white ice cream carton for background), old on right for comparison. The new set - as you say, my lid has another three lives! - arrived today, Sunday - so I must have benefitted from the temporary Prime membership, that Amazon forced on me and that I cancelled forthwith. An all-round winner! John Edited July 17, 2022 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted July 17, 2022 Share Posted July 17, 2022 top job. Can't have you going hungry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Morning bike ride before the wind got going. 18 ish moderately hilly miles. Pleasant enough except for…. …..nasty case of SRAM fingers caused by the front mech randomly overshooting the chain when going for the big cog…. Bloody thing…. Doesn’t matter how much I tinker with, it will randomly do this. Not repeatable on the stand… “Because SRAM” according to the house cyclist…… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted July 23, 2022 Share Posted July 23, 2022 Ouch! Or rather unless you got them pinched, Yuck! I've related by travails with the same problem, apparently due to a chain wheel only loosely bolted down, but subsequent experience has shown that the problem hasn't been eliminated. Now, doctor, would the symptoms be a clue? Changing up from lowest to middle is fine, from middle to highest (biggest) is variable, but holding the lever until it does engage helps. The other way is a disaster, the chain always falls between the chain wheels. To me, that 'box' that holds the chain and guides it over the chain wheels, looks too big, it's twice as wide as the chain. Is there a version which could guide it more accurately? John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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