Saturday 29 July 2023

Sunny interludes. How not to make tea or coffee. Things to avoid. Mixed feelings about Farage.

The weathermen have warned us of low pressure moving in (again!) bringing increased chances of rain. However, so far today we have had mostly bright weather, with some blue sky and sunshine. Maybe the rain will wait until this evening.


Round about midday  went down to the kitchen to have a cup of tea. We waited the required five minutes for the tea to brew (Phil’s rules) and then he poured … wait for it! … hot water into the waiting mugs. He had forgotten to put teabags in the pot! We had to start again. On the plus side, the pot had been nicely warmed, in good old traditional fashion. 


This happens sometimes with the mokka coffee maker. We wait for it to glug nicely, indicating that water had been efficiently pushed from the lower section to the upper, and then discover we have a nice supply of very hot water. Doing this occasionally is probably a good way of thoroughly cleaning the coffee maker. Its just that we don’t usually do it on purpose. 


It’s just rather a pity I haven’t found an “accidental” way of cleaning pit the fridge. However, I do quite deliberately run the washing machine on a fast cycle with neither washing nor detergent on occasion, as a way of flushing out the system. 


I have always had an aversion to rollercoasters. Indeed, more than an aversion, an absolute dislike, tinged with fear. On a couple of occasions in my youth I was persuaded to have a go, or indeed tricked into going on the ride in the case of a ride at Eurodisney, Paris. Both of those occasions only served to confirm my natural reluctance to take part in such activities. Bungie jumping is definitely not for me. A bicycle ride down a moderate slope is quite sufficient if I want a thrill. 


So reading this report this morning gave me a certain feeling of pompous self-congratulation:


 “A 30-metre high rollercoaster broke down leaving passengers left hanging in the air for up to 40 minutes.

Videos on social media showed people on the Rage ride at Adventure Island in Southend, Essex, stuck at a near 90-degree angle facing the sky on Friday afternoon.”


Another good reason not to ride on rollercoasters. 


I would add riding roller coasters to this list of everyday things doctors say they avoid


Here are a few of my favourite extracts: 


“I wouldn’t have Botox until I was in my late-40s. There are a lot of people having it in their 20s, but there are risks. I wouldn’t let anyone I know have buttock implants. It is too dangerous and having a big bottom might not be fashionable for ever.” (Plastic surgeon)


“I try not to worry where possible. I go for walks with my husband and talk to friends to help me relax. When I talk to pregnant women, I tell them, “Let’s worry about the next few weeks, not think ahead too much” because half of the things we worry about won’t happen.” (Gynaecologist)


I don’t take paracetamol for a headache unless it is really bad. I see a lot of people with headaches in my clinic and they can usually be avoided by a healthier lifestyle. Quite often patients get headaches from popping too many paracetamols, or other over-the-counter medications. It is a vicious cycle: we call it an analgesic overuse headache. (Neurologist)


Recently I have found myself in two minds over the Nigel Farage bank account closure business. A large part of me wants to say that it couldn’t happen to a more appropriate victim. But then an even larger part of me says that it shouldn’t happen to anyone. And then I read this article about people or organisations whose bank accounts were closed or frozen because of their political views, with considerably less fuss made about them than was made about Farage! 


Hey ho!


Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone! 

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