oldphil

It's been a busy year. Alarmed in July to find my weight and numbers had ballooned. Dr talked about increasing three of the medications. Asked for a reprieve. After Italy, realised I needed to stick around for the family. Fericious diet courtesy of Dr Mark Porter (which isn't as dire as expected) and last Saturday the nurse taking the bloods told me I had shed 1 stone 8 lbs. For the first time in years I am no longer clinically obese, merely overweight. Nine more lbs and I will be classed as normal (a real first, that, in many ways). So, Christmas will be enjoyed via the antics of the girls. T

My gut feeling is that the problem is location, halfway along the length of the road. Anything coming up from the channel ports is reaching the limit of safe driver awareness. Similarly coming down from the North. I often used to find myself suffering those "micro bursts" of sleep especially in the dark and cold - the car is warm, and the motorway noise becomes rhythmic. If I was near enough to home, switching the heating off, and opening the window a crack made it col and noisy enough for me to get home. Definitely wouldn't be recommended by the constabulary though, I feel.

Never had that. Boxing day was usually some left over pigs in blankets fried in goose fat and wedged between two thick slices of white bread. Sauce was an option, extra cholesterol wasn't. PS; my Nan always said the white bread was "Clarty" When asked to explain, she just used to say "Well, Clarty's Clarty" never did find out.

That is the problem. The Premiership is heavily populated with foreign players, all of whom report to their Countries with a working knowledge of how each and every English player will behave. That said, it always seems to me that, however consistent and talented a team is, you invariably need a bit of luck along the way. Sadly, the luck always seems to go to other teams. Unless the adage about making your own luck applies somewhere.

In Scandinavia, winter starts on cue and lasts all season. By law, winter tyres go on, and all the new drivers get down to the supermarket car parks to practice setting off in second, and practicing gentle slides to work out how much space to give the other drivers. In the UK, we never know when it's going to hit, and we are saddled with the bloody-minded, "cup of tea and a woodbine for breakfast, and let me get to work" brigade who regularly provide the Evening Post with copy about another few hours delay on the M1.

Andrew the dubious. Because nobody is sure about him

Sixes and sevens this morning. Seven days in Sorrento only enough to catch Pompeii and Capri. Notice that they do Vesuvius e-bike tours. Under serious consideration. Nonna, I now know why you enthuse about the lifestyle! Small hotel in a sidestreet in St.Agnello. First thing in the morning a guy in a tiny three wheeler delivering fresh stuff to the hotel and residents. They don't put up with the rubbish our supermarkets fob us off with (with a few exceptions) came back with a 1.2 kg bag of coffee beens, so time to try some and get back on the bike.

The chap running my speed awareness course had a telling fact. Done for 36mph on London road, he said that, at 36 instead of 30, instead of stopping, I would still be doing 18mph. Thought about that, and trundled along at 18 mph - enough I reckon do do some real damage to a pedestrian, especially a young or frail one.

Providing some of the rules of the road are transposed to the pavement/cycleway. If we all stayed left (including walkers, runners etc) it could work. At the moment it is a bit of a free-for-all.

Still, at least you didn't get into the car ready for a bath.....

So do I. Alpha. Dad driving us back from Christmas Eve "do" at relatives. Coming along Stockhill lane, Ilooked out the offside back window, and saw the kerb! Told dad he was on the wrong side, but by then he'd mounted the kerb and hit a lamppost, just as a double decker loomed by inches from our left side. Being an old morris oxford JT, all dad had to do was wipe the bumper with a wet cloth.

That was how they kept the mining villages relatively peaceful

As Woody Allen said, "The only way to live to be a hundred is to give up everything that makes it worth living that long" My Grandma's interpretation "moderation in all things" The trouble is, every day the "experts" add to my list of banned things as well as the things now found to be good for me.

Well said. Whether it is Christian charity, or an Atheist's pragmatism, the truth is that to help others helps ourselves. Vaccinate the world, and the world will stop coming back with more variants. Give help to people who have been unfortunate in their choice of birth, and they will climb up to join the rest of us in helping out, instead of needing help. A happy, moderately healthy and hopeful New Year to you all.

I have to say that the weirdest thing after starting these tablets, were strange images when I closed my eyes. Wouldn't not take them though. You have to put one in your upper gum for an hour to dissolve - not to be swallowed. I accidentally touched one with my tongue - revolting. Also, got a (slight) headache in my forehead. As they tell us, there are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio. I'll keep some of the tablets in reserve, along with my gout pills! Christmas eve is full of noise here - all three girls at home, working out how to wind grandma up when she comes down. I don'