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Good report from the Doc yesterday. I won't go into a lot of detail, except to say all test results were good. Blood pressure is responding to meds. Thankfully no side effects thus far. weakened limbs should regain strength in time. Home physiotherapy, play the organ lots. Next follow up apptmt. February. In the meantime I can , whine, complain, snarl, as much as I want. it won't make a difference worth a hill of beans, just raise me blood pressure and I've had enough of that of late.

Winter Solstice today. Wish darkazana was still on the forum to give us greeting and the ancient words of wisdom.

Yesterday, I went into my local Boots to pick up my thyroxine. I had to fight my way to the pharmacy counter through hordes of people whose arms were piled high with gifts. It made me think about the days in the 60s when my best friend from school and I went to Boots on Radford Road to buy our Christmas presents on the Saturday morning before Christmas. They had brightly coloured bubble bath in little glass decanters, bath cubes,etc and I once bought a blue plastic hair curler container with a pink rose on the lid, for my mum. She used it for years! What we couldn't get from Boots

Today is the Winter Solstice. It won't get any darker! Yippee! Bulbs shooting in the garden. Spring is coming!

I must admit sometimes I tend to sit back and let those who have been on the site a while battle it out when some subjects are raised. Think the politicians in the Commons could learn something about debating contentious (if that is the right word) subjects (ie the B word) from this site! Sometimes the word games seem safer. Just done my rounds of the damp traps scattered around my house, pleased to say there is nothing in them so the PIV unit (noticed there was an advert on telly for them) in the loft is working. Noticed the damp smell upstairs disappeared the first day it was put in.

Local boy Lawrence Henry from Mapperley wins Masterchef the Professionals. He works as a sous chef at Sat Bains. That should bring a queue to the door even at his prices! I see he attended Nottingham High School. Cookery wasn’t on the syllabus when our son attended - not academic enough. Congratulations and good luck to him!

Doubt the aliens would be very excited. Once they see what's living on planet earth, they'll be off like a shot...if they have any sense!

Strokes seem a bit tricky, Margie. You really don't want to call emergency because your foot went to sleep, but it sounds like delay could be fatal. As you noted a week or so ago it would seem there are two kinds of stroke. One caused by a blockage (the majority) the other by a bleed (my kind) methods of treatment quite different, but the quicker treated the better.

Very pleased to read you are going in the right direction LL. I for one know It can be difficult to recognise you are having a stroke if you aren't showing the expected symptoms. The adverts that come on the television and on billboards showing the signs of stroke actually make me very angry. They show certain symptoms to look for, but not every one gets them, so it can leave you doubting and wasting valuable time. My stroke consultant told me that every ones stroke is different to another. As you say the quicker the treatment the better. Don't hang about, if something doesn't feel right, ge

I think there's something more sinister in this drone malarkey ..... we ain't getting the full story?

Surprise suprise, we have snow.

Lost for words ?

I'd love to go there, Col. I will not though, because religion on this site is much like politics. It can be heated and hurt feelings result. The only thing I will say is that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is explained in the New Testament book of Galatians. Thats as far as I''m going if you want more you'll have to pm me. ,

I wonder if different action would be taken if the drone was buzzing the Houses of Parliament, or Buckingham Palace, or GCHQ ? There seem to be quite a few ways of potentially dealing with the problem; so I suspect there are things which we haven't been told. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-46648160

Too late for my lad. BA got him from Antigua to Miami last night (only know that because he posted a photo on Facebook of Miami as they came into land) Now I assume he’ll be on MIA to LHR overnight tonight, thus avoiding Gatwick fiasco. If all goes to plan he’ll only be 24 hours late arriving back and I expect he’s been hitting the malls today doing his Christmas shopping.

Right. I've had a busy day watching a bloke plastering a corner, and the ceiling of my small dining room. I'd give £200 any day to a chap who worked so hard and did such a good job. Some stuff upthread that I too am confused by... Stealing is wrong. End of. But it's not just about stealing under the Law. and the Law is made for the most part by the well off. Stealing isn't always obvious.. which is why the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. That's worth a bit of thought... Why don't we go on? 1. Why? Who said your God, or a

Carni and Beekay, I appreciate that some topics tend to veer off at a tangent at times, and things appear confusing, but refer back to posts from yesterday morning, and hopefully things will fall into place. Certainly the hypocrisy regarding theft .

I agree, Ben, that stealing seems to be endemic - I suppose if people think that they can get something without having to pay for it (or pay less than they need to) it IS a big temptation to do so. But just because it's a temptation, doesn't mean you have to give in to it! I expect that someone will respond about governments and big businesses etc misappropriating funds for their own benefit... which is no doubt true, but that still doesn't make stealing right (does it?). Even if 'everyone' does it, I still think that stealing stuff isn't right, from wherever or whomever it'

So, this year I have two photos in the "Caithness County Calendar 2019". I submitted four photos and these two were selected for inclusion: 1: Morven through a window at Wag: 2. Watten Harvest:

And along with that young man’s success I’ve just read on Trip Advisor that Sat Bains is the # 1 restaurant in the UK and is # 4 in Europe. Not bad for a little place under Clifton Bridge.

Not really most top chefs are men.

I was a regular at Basford library, on Vernon Road, in the 1950s. I remember the wooden parquet flooring, and the old men - probably younger than I am now - reading through the national and local papers. Out of the library and back home via the lake in Vernon Park, with a couple of Brambly Hedge books, full of anthropomorphic mice, rabbits and squirrels who lived in hollow trees. I suppose the library no longer exists, or has been turned into a 'cultural centre'?

What I don’t understand is why the police helicopter couldn’t track the drone operator by just following the drone, it had to touch down at some point.

So pleased your blood pressure is staying down, Loppy...... and, as you say, you would recognise any further problems much more quickly now - though hopefully there won't be any more!

Thanks, Nonna. Only slightly more risk of another episode when you've had one, but the doc thinks control the BP and its not so likely. Also I'm more aware of it now so would react quicker than I did. Funny how these things always seem to happen on a weekend too.

Settle down with a nice bone and spend some time with the boys!

Glad to hear news Loppy you must feel relieved

Have to agree I was a good smoker 30/40 a day habit, only the best Embassy & Regal, could be more I did work at the fag factory, help yourselves, last fag valentines day 2011, I now feel embarrassed & foolish that I smoked, I have mates that still smoke that I try & avoid, Mrs Red sometimes gets a lift home with a smoker only 10 min trip, I can smell her soon as she walks in the door, she f'in stinks. If she took up smoking I would have to end 35 years, I van share at work, I refuse to work with a smoker or vaper, now vapes I find those even worse, I don't want to breath or smell y

The secret is, to make up your mind to stop. It's no good thinking about it, just do it. I was a 60a day man but decided to stop, that was it. Never looked back. Still describe myself as a smoker who doesn't touch tobacco. Happy Christmas Cherub. Beekay

Weather quite nice here. Been in Cannes most of the morning - warm enough not to need a coat. It's a bit cooler back home in the mountains but still quite reasonable, only slightly cloudy.

Still battling on with giving up smoking. Just had to fill my vape thingy, takes ages to do as the bottles are very rigid and have to be squeezed to get the liquid out. I have trouble with gripping with my thumb, it can get quite uncomfortable. Thinking about it perhaps it is a cunning plan by ciggie manufacturers to make you just have a ciggie as it is easier than filling the flipping thing!

Nothing gets past our Brew!

And Easter eggs in the shops !! Happy Christmas Jill Sparrow.. Barrie.xx

Try again ! During my time on motor buses on that route BK we did four & a half trips per shift. A round trip was two hours plus.

The first one that tries that malarky with me will rapidly find themselves horizontal!! Ladies only are allowed to behave like that with me.

Thinking that if we can not shoot a drone out of the sky.......lets hope nobody send us a nuclear bomb or any other kind of bomb.

Earlier this year (2018) David Birch began producing a Volume 4 of the NSR history, this was to be a digital volume, not a printed book like the others. After a few pages and quite a few photographs were sent out there's been silence. Anyone in touch with David? I know he had major damage to the roof of his house from the the "Beast From The East" and maybe he's still sorting that out. If you look back to Feb of this year on this page you'll see a post from David about the new volume. Cheers all, MB

It seems to me that quite a few of us in our childhood had some kind of bad experience at the 'School Dentist'. The behaviour wouldn't be tolerated these days. Pretty sure someone would sue them for cruelty. If you were unlucky enough to have one of these dentists, and I did, mine, I was told was most often annebriated, it can leave you with life long hang ups about going to see them. I am only just getting over my fear at the age of 70 and a bit ( well a bit more than a bit really, two thirds but whose counting?). Too late for me, damage done long ago along with most of my teggies!!!

Theft is theft full stop ! Now I'm not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never resorted to theft, or the purchasing of stolen goods. I've worked in stores and warehouses where there was ample opportunity, but never was tempted. There was mobiles, tools, alcohol in various establishments, but I never took advantage. It's obviously rife as has been stated many times on here, but sadly it seems to be the norm for some, and those that readily condone it. There's recently been flippant and adulatory remarks regarding violence, theft, burglary, fencing and the sale of the

Bit of snogging, hugging & squeezing, not with the blokes mind.

I despair I really do....

Condoning such behaviour then? Many years ago a good friend of ours who had a slaughterhouse and a couple of butchers shops was locked up for a couple of years for ‘receiving stolen pigs’. We’re sure he knew the animals were stolen but he suffered the consequences, quite rightly so.

Stealing is still stealing, even if you end up with a 'bargain' in the process (which encourages yet more stealing and actually makes you an accessory). Yes, I know that very poor people in the 'olden days' possibly used to steal food, but that was to feed their starving families. I don't think that stealing stuff in the U.K. these days is to feed starving children - it's to fund dubious lifestyles. But, as has often been said on this forum, each person is entitled to their own opinions.... this is just mine.

And the same good wishes to you Beekay, glad you’re on-board!

I used to love a 'bat' round town on the lead up to Christmas . The Fountain was always a favourite for me. I remember one year a girl dressed up as a St Trinians schoolgirl , most enjoyable evening !!! (I never did know her name )