Pulmonary Fibrosis

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Observations on Life - Page 3

Lovely Christmas.......

Much hard work again for Sheila but a lovely Christmas again. Vicky, Ant and Elizaberth came over on Christmas Eve and I had cooked a beef strogonoff. Great Christmas Day with them, particularly our smashing Elizabeth, despite Ant crunching me at snooker again - it makes me puff and pant like hell but, actually, I feel better for that. Lots of things to do, games, brick building sets, etc., etc. The elf outfit worked the oracle for the Father Christmas list.

Then on Boxing Day Jem and Jon joined us around 1 pm for the rest of the day. Great to see them, a year on from their wedding last year on 28th December! How time flies. More games, plenty of good food and drink. We have to be very lucky!

Thomas Cook (their agents FlyThomasCook.Com)

We have cancelled the trip to Lanzarote at end January. Neither of us feel confident about it at this time. Nothing serious but we do not want stress away from home so we will do something else in UK.

Thus, cancelled flights today in full knowledge that we lose 100% of ticket value (£401) even if they fill the seats. Did it on-line and awaited confirmation of cancellation in case I can claim on Travel Insurance. All I got back was a re-confirmation of the booking!? Phoned to query and they said it was cancelled but could not send email confirming this. If I wanted a written confirmation it would cost a further £25.

How sick is all that. Once again the poor customer suffers gross iniquity. No doubt they will fill the seats before the 29th January. Plus ca change, c'est la meme chose!

What it's all about......

Elizabeth's School Fayre, Sunday 5th December '08. Santa's Grotto. "Nannad" had to go with her - nearly died bending down in tent for 5 minutes!

Santa to Elizabeth and 3 others - "Have you written to me yet"?

All, with enormous hesitation and bravery and quietness - "...er....er, yes"

Santa to Elizabeth - "What have you asked for"?

Elizabeth - ".......er.......er.....a dressing up dress"

Santa - "Lovely, anything else"?

Elizabeth - "..er...yes...one of your elves"!

Santa, utterly thrown - "Well...er...I'm not sure about that"! and he moved on to the others.

I was stooping with a hugely attractive elf at the time and we both wanted to laugh out loud but held back. I think she asked for the elf as I had said to Ant outside that the elf helping Santa looked somewhat stunning. "I'd like one of those" I had said.

Bless her for thinking of old Nannad!! Totally true story.

True yes and the 'throwing' of Santa funny but Vicky has told me

that E did actually ask for an elf on her written note to SC

MFI - "strewth"

I was going to do a real rant here if my letter to their CEO produced no response. Having ordered a new home office set - over 10 bits - on 24th October, all but the key corner desk top arrived last Friday, 21st November with the comment that the desk top would not be available until mid January!! I was livid as I had paid up front and cannot really put any of it up if I have no top of the desk!

Given the news of last night, I now find myself feeling extremely lucky to have received all the rest of it last Friday. I doubt I will actually receive the desk top now and am researching alternative suppliers.

Coupled with news on Woolworths, I grow more and more worried by the unfolding financial events for all, not least the poor staff of these household name companies.

A Cornish apology...............

Just a quick apology to all our friends in Cornwall, many more made in the 9 years there than in any time before. We are so sorry not to have been down much since April, 2007. It is not so much the distance as the fact that hills terrify me and I do find it a bit difficult to get around easily. (This, so far, ignores Barry kindly offering me use of his invalid carriage!). Secondly, we appreciate the several offers of places to stay but, when one is a bit restricted, it can be a bit uncomfortable for all when out of ones known surroundings.

However, we will make the effort in 2009 to see our beloved Portloe and as many old friends as possible.

Jonathan who......?

Who the hell watches Jonathan Ross anyway!? Let alone his hairy, very unfunny, mate. Ross remains, and always has been, infantile and unacceptably crude. Is that what it really takes to succeed today?..............

There but for the......etc (26th Oct '08)

I am not going to drone on. Just want to say that I have seen a young soldier with both legs and one arm blown off by a mine in Afghanistan. There is no way to give a truly balanced view, as I sit here sipping a good red plonk at 67, but, by Christ, weren't we the lucky ones! Crap times, late forties/early fifties, but then great fun - work hard, play hard - we never had to earn money fighting for our Country. I have so, so, much respect for these guys, and girls, and we do seem to take them for granted versus seeing the brave fighters in our Cities of a Friday or Saturday night.

BUPA................

Sheila had about £1,200 of medical treatment this year - first ever and altogether successful. We paid in the annual fee of about £2,500 for fear of giving it up with my problems although, to date, I have stuck with the NHS. This is out of a limited, still taxed, pension to be clear. The renewal notice comes in with a 31% increase, another £800 pa, due to our no claims being reduced to 37.5% from 50%. OK, we know it is a set situation but this is really unacceptable given the £000's we have paid in over the years and never used. As you may gather, I am in debate with BUPA!!

I lost, incidentally, and, once snared, they have you by the short &.........

Optimism, or something like it...................

We went out today, 24th Oct. 2008, and, despite all the grief on the financial front, and despite our ages, and despite our rapidly decreasing savings, we bought a new bed and a new home office set for my study. The bed has a "memory foam" layer so I hope I remember where I wake up or even where I went to bed - ah memories. Of course, it is daft and, probably, unnecessary but one must be positive! Or do I mean loony? Sod it.

To all my fellow IPF sufferers, if any actually read this, do it, whatever it is!!

Sorry...I have the "Meldrew" itch again today (23/10/08)!

two things:-

Children of five are to be taught the "facts of life" at school. Another of this awful Government's dictums and control which seems, sadly, supported by the cream of our teachers. What utter horrocks is that! What a dismal indictment of society today. It is a job for parents to slowly make our children aware, backed up later at school, certainly not at the wonderful age of five.......

And then........

At last, the Government admits the crime figures are wrong and that attacks by knife are 25% plus up. For God's sake, when are the decent people going to be listened to by our so called representatives. Throw the b----y book at them and have enough prisons, sad that, to cope with it, policemen too. If you stab someone, you get 10 years minimum. If they die, you are in for life. So I am old and those wonderful "do gooders" will castigate me for being hopelessly reactionary but Sheila and I would avoid, absolutely, going into any town late in the evening/night. Well, if people want to accept all this "it is their background" guff, then I am glad I am 67 and I hate saying that!

Moan over.......

What about some input?...................21st Oct 08

Come on you lot! I know this is a bit bloggish but it is not like those dreadful letters we used to receive from odd (sic) friends at Christmas. If you don't like it say so. If you can suggest anything, do so. I will publish safe input. Up to you.....

Sixty blooming seven - October 2nd 2008!!

Out in Horsham tomorrow with Sheila and Vicks for lunch, hence this note today. A year and half on from "the collapse" and still "panting" along. Hooray! Three stone heavier, breathless as hell, but I am still ranting on. Sheila and the family remain my stalwart supporters and do so much for me.

Motto - "Blast On"

Utopia, well my idea of.........................................

The Ryder Cup, Olympics, Rugby World Cup, Test Cricket, alternating over say 6 weeks and rolling on each time. I do hope they have that in heaven ...........

It was always coming................................

Well here we are. Finally the spivs of the City and Wall Street are having to face up to the real things in life and not the games they liked to play with our, and companies, monies. Don't get me wrong. I am a capitalist at heart but, at the nub, a true industrialist and, whilst I accept the need for bankers and backers, I have never gone along with the gamblers we have created in our financial hubs. Alas, I was far too outspoken about the City in the early nineties, as a CEO trying to keep 1900 people employed, and it partly led to my somewhat early retirement - but hoo bloody rey for that - although my "pay off" was purely contractual and peanuts compared to even the basic salaries, let alone the extraordinary bonuses, of City spivs today!

"Darling. That young banker next door wants to know if we'd like

to buy a copy of 'Big Issue?"

(with thanks to mac and the Daily Mail 16/9/08)

We seem, over 30 years or so, to have lost all our industry to rely on our financial base. Actually, the whole West has gone that way and that, in itself, is extraordinarily dangerous. Fine, in some financial respects, but the real bones of it is the slide into so called clever, clever, gambling scenarios, futures, hedging etc, allegedly run by financial geniuses or, at least, overseen by so called highly qualified graduates. Bah, humbug, they are nothing but high street betting shop punters who think they are good at quick mental arithmetic.

Lehman Bank employees stage a protest

by blockading the entrance to the Bank's

Headquarters

And what do I see today. The Lehman crew, both sides of the Atlantic, got huge bonuses last Christmas for "great work and results". Nine months later, they are dead in the water, so where was the highly qualified management, auditing and overseeing!? I know the World is a much different place today but this never happened with old management. Heavens, I had to justify buying a morning paper on expenses when I was away on business and my bosses wanted to know the ins and outs of the proverbial duck on costings, trading deals etc.

I could rant on but I am too old now. I do hope future generations realise that it ain't all about money and bonuses and yachts and ferraris but I doubt they will.............

6 days in the Isle of Wight 3/9 September '08 - result Trenchfoot

Went with Vicky, Ant and Elizabeth and stayed in a nice, small, hotel on the cliffs in the old part of Shanklin. Very nice and friendly but the weather was utterly atrocious! We had but two hours of sunshine in 6 days and lots of torrential rain. However, being what we are, we had great fun and many good meals out and did manage to crab with bacon on a dryish afternoon to E's immense enjoyment - caught loads and loads. What a dreadful summer for all.

The Olympics

Sheila and I were lucky enough to attend the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona with our greatest friends, Laura and Ian. It was something I had always wanted to do and my Dad would have been so pleased, if very envious, too. Thank heaven I was heading up Repsol in the UK at that time. We saw Linford Christie win the 100 metres and were there for all but the last day of the athletics. I loved the Chinese opening but, have to say, I believe the Barcelona Games were something very special too.

I love it!! All of it; be it canoeing to rowing to swimming to cycling to archery or whatever. During the next two weeks, however, I shall water my tomatoes and open several wine bottles to keep my exercise up.

A Poser - answers please

Definitions say that Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales and that the UK includes Northern Island. The British Isles includes Eire.

If the above is true, why do we not compete in the Olympics as The UK as Northern Ireland competitors are in the GB team?

An English Summer Evening - 9th August 2008

The Battle Proms at Borde Hill, Sussex

Vicky and Ant took Elizabeth, Lisa, their friend, and us to this smashing event. Ideal for a summer's pinic and to listen to great music and see Spitfires and some Napoleonic military re-enactments.

Superbly done in the most atrocious weather but the Spitfires could not perform, sadly. Quite how we, and thousands of others, got through the wind and torrential rain is to be wondered at. Certainly, Elizabeth will have the evening imprinted on her memory and she thoroughly enjoyed everything, particularly the cavalry horses. I managed to trip over a guy rope in the dark but hid it well. Help was slow to come due to a great deal of giggling behind me! What a family.

After last night, global warming has taken on, finally, a totally different meaning for me. What the hell is going on with this summer? We have had a about ten good days and the rest is wind, lots of cloud and bouts of horrendous rain.

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PULMONARY FIBROSIS

the one they do not quite understand - it seems