In fairy tales it is possible for people to die of a broken heart. I didn’t think this was possible in real life until I came across takotsubo cardiomyopathy, known as broken heart syndrome, which causes the heart muscle to change shape and suddenly weaken. It is usually triggered by severe emotional or physical stress, such as losing a loved one. People do actually die of it. Fortunately it seems that the world’s first randomised controlled trial for broken heart syndrome has found that 12 weeks of tailored cognitive behavioural therapy, or a heart recovery exercise programme involving swimming, cycling and aerobics, helped patients’ hearts recover.
There you go! Exercise can mend a broken heart! Some people just go for food!
On the subject of food, we went out foraging again today. My daughter asked if she could drop the small people off at our house while she did some sorting out. Granddaughter Number Two came too. We proposed a blackberry picking expedition. Everyone joined in with enthusiasm, even Granddaughter Number Two despite the fact that she never ever eats fruit. It’s not so much the taste as the texture she dislikes. And this goes right back to her early childhood.
We got home just as the rain set in. And then we made blackberry buns! All good!
We have often complained at the price of wine, even a fairly modest bottle of wine, in English restaurants. According to this article, the latest thing is to sell customers highly priced bottle of water. It seems you can go for a £5 bottle of Crag, which comes from the Peak District, or Vidago, a mineral-rich water from a Portuguese spa town, which will cost you £19. Some people obviously have more money than sense.
The controversy over asylum seekers’ hotels continues. Here’s an article about it.
At the risk of repeating myself, here is a letter from a Dr Ian Flintoff of Oxford:
Nigel Farage and the small number of Reform MPs justifies, at most, a couple of column inches on the inside pages of the Guardian. Unfortunately, and with the finest of intentions, you and the rest of the media continue to make Farage into a towering national political figure. This is what happened with Donald Trump in America and, to an extent, with Boris Johnson. Do beware! Lavish and extensive promotion enables people to think that Nigel Farage is a true and worthy leader.
Dr Ian Flintoff
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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