Snow . . . gone!

We decided yesterday morning to take the dogs for a walk. It was going to have to be close, as we didn't relish driving anywhere too far because of the snow and ice, and wherever we went was likely to be very muddy, so a walk along the Redway towards the Grand Union Canal seemed the best option and the nearest. The big problem was getting out with Poppy and Alfie with the least noise and excitement,   because, as I think I've mentioned elsewhere in these posts,the very mention of the word 'walk' can cause havoc. Even picking up the dogs' leads they both start barking and running around in circles. Alfie, in particular becomes like the Tasmanian Devil in those Warner Brothers cartoons.

We took the camera, as we had intended to attempt to record the scene under snow for posterity, although this can problematical whilst struggling to hold onto the dogs on their leads and take decent photographs. Anyway, we managed to get outside without too much trouble, and walked through to the Redway, where we were able to let the dogs off their leads.They have been cooped up in the house far  too long,due to the weather, and were really excited to have the chance to have their freedom and have a good run. Alfie was yapping madly while Poppy just pottered along as she usually does. Mind you, as it was very icy, it took us all our time and effort to keep upright and not slip over. We were going to go to the canal, but, when we got to the slope where the Redway went under Marlborough Street we discovered that the surface was far to icy and dangerous-looking, so decided to change our direction and head through Eaglestone and towards the local shop, as we had a few things we needed to buy. The paths were more than ever as covered in ice and snow, except for a few places where it was clear.

My attempt to get some 'artistic' photographs of the snow.

We managed to buy what we wanted in the shop, with Carol looking after both dogs outside while I went to buy the things. We then walked back home, again managing to avoid any icy patches on the paths across the park.

This morning, as I looked out of the window, any signs of snow or ice had completely disappeared. It was difficult to imagine that the garden was several inches under the white stuff twenty-four hours earlier. The temperature has risen considerably and the sun came out, perhaps the first time we've had any hint of it for several weeks. Let's hope that's the last of the snow.

Defrosted The Car

Well, since the car has been sitting on the drive since Friday, it seemed a good idea to get it started. The doors were frozen, so a dose of hot water poured over them soon got them working and the car opened up. It started without any problems. There is currently a big chunk of ice in the way to reverse over, but the road out of the estate is fairly snow free, apart from a few bits and pieces. Not a lot of traffic around as I came out onto Chaffron Way. No idiots who want to tailgate me, fortunately. I suppose after 9 a.m. most people have gone to work, so there's none of this attempting to force you off the road by coming up really close behind you as you are driving. There is quite a lot of fog about so it seemed sensible to drive carefully. A definite need to slow down and to avoid at all costs any slippery patches of ice which seem to be mostly around roundabouts.  I discovered that a book we'd had out out of the library was due back some time ago and had incurred a fine of £1.25. I drove to Westcroft where there is a branch library, although, on walking to the door found they didn't open until 10.00 even though the librarian saw me but craftily avoided eye contact. It meant I had 20 minutes to fill so I went into Morrison's for a few items. 

Why do they have an emergency number on the library door? Is it for people who run out of reading material and need a book at all costs, the latest thriller from John Grisham, or a Barbara Cartland romance, in the middle of the night? Or who can't bear the outcome of a Jane Austen novel and need counselling? Well, it does make you wonder why they have that on the door.

Got back to the library with about 2 minutes to spare. I suppose it's asking a bit much that they can see people waiting outside and couldn't open up a bit earlier? No. Of course not. It might be against regulations, or, dare I say it, health and safety. Well, I got inside as they opened up and managed to pay the fine. I don't know, there's something awful having to pay a fine for a book that is overdue. I don't think I've ever had one before, but I suppose there is a first time for everything.

Even deeper crisper and more . . . even

Walked Carol to the Academy this morning. Well, it didn't seem worth the effort to defrost the car and drive over.  Probably safer in the long run to walk at the moment rather than drive as there's the possibility of shunting into other cars if the road surface is too slippery. The snow is very crisp and even under our feet. I don't think 'even' is a very good description, actually, as most of it has been well trodden my many passing feet and the wheels of cars. The inner circle road is relatively clear but the pathways are inches deep in snow. It's a bit like walking on crunchy salt or even sugar icing. Infact, the whole scene crossing the footbridge looks like the classic Christmas cake decorations. Cars moving along Saxon Street with their lights on and a fog over all Milton Keynes.

Deep and Crisp and Even

The snow started falling slowly around 9 yesterday morning and didn't stop until early evening, so we are now well and truly snowed in. We had to take Sam to work and went to Tesco's at Oldbrook to get a few essentials. Fortunately I had heeded the warning in the forecasts for the week ahead and had already stocked up with groceries from Lidl's, such items as milk, bread and a chicken which we had roasted yesterday evening. Carol got the message around 7 this morning that the Academy would be closed, so she has a day off. It seemed totally unlikely that any of the local schools would open, due mainly to health and safety issues. The gridroads around Milton Keynes have been fairly clear of snow, although Grafton Street was like a cart track as there was a lot of snow which had not been melted by passing traffic. We had to go to the Shell petrol station along there to put some fuel in the car, and it was really quite treacherous, somewhat slippery where the road out of the petrol station joined the gridroad. The roads have been gritted but it takes moving traffic on it to work the grit into the ice and snow so that it is kept clear. Standing Way was generally snow-free, basically because it is a busy road with enough traffic moving on it to work the grit into any snow that falls on it and so thaw it. As I write this (9.50 a.m.) the snow has stopped falling, but I imagine the temperature is well below freezing outside. This is when it becomes dangerous, when the road surface becomes icy and then really slippery. The inner road around Eaglestone is very snowed up, essentially due to the fact that these roads don't get gritted by the Council. Our front drive is around 6 inches under snow and the car has a thick layer of snow on top of it.

HeartHealth Messageboards

For those of you who have come to my blog looking for information on heart health, cholestrol, about heart attack and anything else vaguely linked to cardiac problems, I thought you might be interested in a self-help message board called Healthunlocked. It doesn't deal specifically with heart health, although this is one of the many areas of health covered. If you Google heartuk.healthunlocked.com you can sign up or merely read other people's comments. For your information my on-line name is CultureVulture25. I always think that if you share a problem or a concern, particularly about your health, it makes it a good deal easier when you can share it with people who have had similar concerns over their health.

Closed Milton Keynes Academy

They are going to close Milton Keynes Academy early due to the heavy snow. It isn't really safe with the possibility of people falling over in the snow, and also people having to drive home in such terrible conditions. I thought as much. Looking out of the window the snow has eased off but there is still some falling and on the ground it's quite thick.

Falling Snow

As I write this we are experiencing heavy snow-fall. The B.B.C. Breakfast weather forecast has said that we can expect very heavy snowfall for the next few days. They have even given a Red alert for extreme weather conditions in Wales, which is something I haven't know before with snow. The car has got a blanket of snow on it and it has got thicker as the morning has progressed. I just hope that the gritters are out on the roads as I can well remember the terrible conditions on Milton Keynes's grid roads only a few winters ago when the local authority didn't get the gritters out on time and it caused chaos.

Telephone Scam

I've probably mentioned the 'silent' telephone calls I receive. How many other people have got them? You are expecting an important call, so every time the telephone rings you rush to pick the thing up. I'm talking about landline phones more than mobiles, although I sometimes get these on my mobile, although, to be honest, it doesn't get used very much. It spends most of it's life on the bedside table, as it's set to alarm and to go off to make sure we don't oversleep in the morning. Anyway, to silent calls. You go to pick the thing up, just to get . . . nothing. No voice asks anything, doesn't attempt to sell you anything. Just  . . . silence. I have had one, though, where you get given a number or a rather snooty female voice (obviously recorded) which says something totally inane such as 'sorry, no answer' or something else equally pointless. What is going on here? Why waste people's time and effort on ringing like this? At last have a human at the other end of the line. If it's a cold-calling telemarketing callcentre or whatever you want to call it, all very well (we all get these from time to time and I'd very good at avading their tactics. I'm good at getting them 'off script.')

With the scam (well, it must be.) you get a call and this gentleman with an oriental accent (sorry, not trying to be racist here) asks how is your computer? They generally get my surname pronounced wrong 'Mr Murdotch' which alerts me to something fishy. They may say something like 'you're having some problems with your computer' or 'this is the Windows customer service department' or something else. I say 'there's absolutely nothing wrong with my computer' and sometimes 'how on earth do you know?' also 'but I don't have a Windows computer. Which alerts me to something fishy about all this.

I did watch the B.B.C  television show 'Watchdog' where they were alerting people to this scam. These calls are to get your email address and then send a virus that infects  by hacking into your computer and this means they can get into your files and even find your bank details, so if you read this and you get these types of calls, don't give out any details. You have been warned.

Frankly, I can't believe people fall for these sorts of scam. Who in their right mind would give personal details over the telephone? I've had endless emails which read something like 'you've been left £10 million in a bank account in Brazil or Nigeria. It was left by your great uncle Cuthbert who worked for Shell Oil and died in a terrible plane crash in the Amazon jungle and all you have to do is send us your bank details by return and we'll transfer the cash over into your account.' And why would my uncle Cuthbert leave me all the cash as I've got other brothers who'd also like to have some of this cash? Oh, and at the end of the email it's bound to say 'and don't tell anyone about this as it's a secret and nobody must know.' Be warned. It's just a way of getting into your account and syphoning off your hard-earned money and will probably be used by terrorist organisations or drug cartels or smugglers of arms for some illicit organisation.
 

Impatient Drivers

Been to take Sam to work. Coming out of the industrial estate at Winterhill can be a bit stressful. You can cross the duel carriageway and back home that way, but it's generally safer to go up to the roundabout near ToysRus and go round and back onto the carriageway there. Which I did today. The traffic comes along Grafton Street at full-speed. It's like a racetrack. I really think there should be a speed limit of around 50 m.p.h. on the grid roads around Milton Keynes. We live off Saxon Street, which is next to  Milton Keynes hospital and Milton Keynes Academy. There is a 40 m.p.h. speed limit, no doubt imposed because of the hospital and the Academy.  I think it may be there because there have been a couple of deaths because people have to cross the road which is dangerous when they should use either a bridge or under-pass. A great many drivers seem unaware of this speed limit, even though there are clear signs as you come off the roundabout (known locally as Four Bridges, as there are footbridges over the grid roads at the roundabout.) But if you attempt to keep to the speed limit you are likely to get cars coming up behind you and trying to get you to go faster (as I've mentioned in earlier posts.) This morning I got to the roundabout after coming out of Winterhill and was waiting for the traffic to clear before going onto the roundabout. As I got there, no cars were behind me, but suddenly a car did appear as I could see it in my rear-view mirror. Just a few seconds of patient waiting and this woman began hooting impatiently. So, did she think I was going to pull into the road and cause a collision with another vehicle? Why are people so impatient? Is it perhaps because they don't like the idea of stopping at roundabouts? If so, I just hope they have good insurance. Along Saxon Street they have used a traffic calming device which tells you your speed as you approach, and if you are travelling at the correct speed (40 m.p.h.) you get a smiley face. If you are going to fast you get a miserable face. I think these are more effective than having speed cameras which can give you a fine, as sometimes they are there just as a way of raising cash for the local authority. Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning speeding. It's just that speed cameras can have a rather negative effect- when you see them you slow down, but once you've got past you speed up again, rather negating their effectiveness.

Colder Than Ever

No snow fell over-night, but it's bitterly cold this morning. And, to add to the misery, there's quite a thick fog hanging over everything, and completing the gloomy outlook. According to the B.B.C. weather forecast on television this morning, some parts of Britain are experiencing temperatures very much below zero. AND they are telling us that, by the weekend, we can expect more snow and lower temperatures. Yesterday the sun did make an appearance, but I doubt we'll see it today.

The car has been playing up. It sort of lurches now and again. Not easy to explain any other way, but really adding to the appeal of driving in the current wintry conditions. Perhaps it's something to do with the cold weather. Or the fact that we put so little petrol in when we fill up. Or it could be something to do with the petrol inlet thingy in the engine, not letting enough petrol into the whatever it's called. Or, like us, it just doesn't like the cold. Who can blame it?

Heavy Snowfall and Word Processing Novel

The snow has been falling here steadily most of the morning. It's been rather like large feathers falling (as if feathers would fall- they would more likely drift on the breeze- but you get my meaning. Whether they would eventually fall is another matter.) 

I have been transferring what's left of my written material for my 'novel' onto Word. It takes a lot of time and effort. It is generally a rather boring task and I can spend no more than 15-20 minutes at a time doing it. I'm editing as I go along, making changes and rewriting bits here and there. I have written everything in longhand, using a pencil. I much prefer to write with a lead pencil as I can use a rubber to erase things. It makes it far more fluid. I just don't like to use a pen of any sort. I use an A4 punched pad of paper and then transfer the pages into a ring binder when they're filled up. That way I can interleaf notes and other sections of writing that are connected together. It also means that I can take the pages out of the binder when I word process a particular section and put the page near the computer as I write onto Word.

We don't have a working printer at present. We hope to get a Kodak printer eventually, as the ink cartridges are a good deal cheaper than other brands. Once we have the new printer I will print the pages that I've word processed out, double spaced, and read the 'hard copy' of the entire novel. I can  proofread this  copy and then alter the word processed version of the entire project.

As a result of all this work I've completely lost track of the time. The morning as go by so quickly and when I last looked at my watch it was 1.45.

Cold and More Snow Overnight

We woke this morning to a light sprinkling of snow across the garden and the road outside the house. Poppy went out and was dancing around in the snow. She really seems to love it. Well, she's fortunate in having a thick coat which keeps her warm. On the other hand Alfie, who only has a thin but silky coat, isn't so keen on the cold and snow. He nips out and soon comes back into the warm of the house. He dives back under the duvet and will probably spend  the rest of the day there in the warm. 

It took some while to scrape the snow off the windscreen of the car before we could drive over to the Academy. The driver's side door was somewhat frozen, but not enough to cause too many problems. It was fairly slippery at the front of the house, so you had to be careful that you didn't slip over.

Grey and Gloomy New Year

Well, Christmas and the New Year is over. The Christmas tree is packed away for another year. Carol has gone back to work at the Academy. The weather is milder, but today is grey and gloomy, with a fog hanging over all first thing this morning.

We went to Waddesdon Manor on New Year's Day. We go regularly to the annual Christmas event, when the house is opened up for a week or so (it's closed up for the Winter. All the statues in the grounds are covered in sheets to protect them from frost. The fountain is drained. See  last year's post for photographs of this.) The house is decorated quite beautifully for the festive season, and there are Christmas trees in many of the rooms, which must take a considerable amount of time to decorate. Fortunately the weather took a turn for the better and the sun actually came out, although rather weakly, but it did manage to cheer things up considerably.

We got to Waddesdon Manor in good time. This was an event where they'd got a timed ticket system, and you had to book on-line. Our 'slot'was 12.30-12.45, so, as we'd got there early we decided to have a bite to eat so got hot chocolate and sausage rolls and sat round on the fountain-side of the Manor. The sun was out and it was rather pleasant sitting there in the warm. Well, warm when you consider that it was the 1st January, the amount of rain there had been, and the weather in general.

There were an art installations at Waddesdon. They had been on show  all through December. They were by the 'light artist' Bruce Monro. These two 'installations', one in the ampitheatre and the other on the lawns as you approached the North Front of the Manor. This one, in particular, was quite spectacular, made up of hundreds, probably more like thousands, of CDs, spread out on the ground in a huge circle.

 Angel of Light by Bruce Monro on the North Front at Waddesdon Manor

The other work has more CDs, but this has a large blue globe in the centre. As the day progresses, the light changes, so the reflective surfaces of the CDs changes, some reflecting different colours as you move around. Fortunately the sun was out as we looked at the work on the North Front, although I don't think we got the full effect as we weren't at Waddesdon long enough.

 Bruce Munro's 'Blue Moon On A Platter at Waddesdon Manor. Copyright Getty Images.

We went in to the Manor to see the decorated rooms. We've been to Waddesdon on a number of occasions, and each time we find something that we haven't noticed before. This time it was the games room which we haven't been in before. This time we were able to take photographs, which, up until now, has never been allowed, although without the use of flash.

Having seen all we wanted to in the Manor, we went outside and began to walk back to the car. On the way we walked past the Ampitheatre, where the second of the Bruce Monro installations was on show. There were quite a few other people looking at it and some were taking photographs. It again used CDs and had a large blue globe in the centre. I managed to take a couple of photographs. Carol walked up a bank at the side of the installation, but it was muddy, following the rain we'd recently had. As she began to come down the slope, she slipped on the muddy surface and fell to the ground heavily. I think the fall was something of a shock, and she sat on the ground for a minute or two. Several people came up to help and to see that she was alright. We then went back to the car and drove home. Unfortunately the incident spoilt an otherwise enjoyable day.

Could statins be adding to the epidemic of ‘heart failure’?'

 Doctor  John Briffa writes:

'Statins are drugs that reduce cholesterol by inhibiting an enzyme in the liver known as ‘HMG-CoA reductase’ which ‘drives’ cholesterol production (most of the cholesterol in the bloodstream is made in the liver and does not come directly from the diet). But HMG-CoA reductase also facilitates the production of a substance known as ‘coenzyme Q10’ which itself participates in the production of what is known as ‘adenosine triphosphate’ (ATP) – the most basic unit of energy ‘fuel’ in the body. The major biochemical process which involves CoQ10 that drives ATP and energy production in the body is known as ‘oxidative phosphorylation’.'

'Now that we have the potted biochemistry lesson over, we can see that statins have the potential, by lowering CoQ10 levels, to put a break on oxidative phosphorylation and ATP production in the muscles. The end result may be fatigue? Muscle pain is another potential consequence.

In a study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC), Danish researchers measured CoQ10 levels in individuals taking simvastatin (a commonly-prescribed statin), and compared them with those not taking statins [1]. The levels in those taking the statin were significantly lower.'

'Now, studies such as this one are what is termed ‘epidemiological’ in nature, which means it looks at associations between things, but cannot prove that one thing is causing another. However, of relevance here is other evidence which finds that giving statins to people does indeed have the capacity to lower levels of CoQ10 in the body [2]. '

'What was also interesting about the JACC study is that it found that those treated with statins had lower levels of oxidative phosphorylation than those not taking them. They also had reduced ‘insulin sensitivity’. This is relevant for a number of reasons, including the fact that insulin facilitates the uptake of nutrients such as glucose into the cells. Lowered insulin sensitivity can therefore ‘starve’ the cells of essential nutrients. Reduced insulin sensitivity is also the underlying fault in type 2 diabetes. It is perhaps worth bearing in mind that statin use has been proven to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes.'

'Another thing worth bearing in mind here, I think, is the fact that the heart is a muscle, and depleting it of CoQ10 may be hazardous for cardiac health. Specifically, it may weaken the heart and lead to what is known as ‘heart failure’ (also known as ‘congestive cardiac failure’). I think the ‘benefits’ of statins are vastly overstated, generally speaking. However, if someone is to take statins, I think it’s a reasonable safeguard to take CoQ10 on a daily basis. 100 mg a day is a decent dose, I think, though higher doses are likely to better when symptoms of statin toxicity are present.

In researching this article, I came across an interesting review of the evidence for statin-inducted CoQ10 depletion in both humans and animals [3]. Here’s what the authors of this review have to say in their concluding remarks:

Statin-induced CoQ10 deficiency is completely preventable with supplemental CoQ10 with no adverse impact on the cholesterol lowering or anti-inflammatory properties of the statin drugs. We are currently in the midst of a congestive heart failure epidemic in the United States, the cause or causes of which are unclear. As physicians, it is our duty to be absolutely certain that we are not inadvertently doing harm to our patients by creating a wide-spread deficiency of a nutrient critically important for normal heart function.'

The above quoted from drbriffa.com

Doctors are to be paid for non-referrals

03 January 2013

 Doctors are to be paid for non-referrals

'From this April, GPs are to be given an incentive of around £7,500 not to refer patients with pneumonia, heart problems or urinary infections to hospital accident and emergency departments.'

'The idea has come from the NHS Commissioning Board which is said to believe that people with these conditions – which tend to be the elderly – are better treated at home.'

'However, Laurence Buckman, chairman of the British Medical Association's GPs' committee, called the idea is "an inappropriate, unethical waste of taxpayers' money".'

'He added: "I don't want  a single patient walking into my surgery and saying [sic] my grandma's dead because you refused to admit her. So we're not going to admit people with pneumonia? I think most doctors will be horrified by this.'

' "Patients might suspect that I was doing things to them in order that I would get money. I don't want to be paid because someone was admitted or not admitted, I want to be paid because I did my job. I wouldn't dream of participating in such a scheme." '

From the website www.publicservice.co.uk