Best man coming to stay

Every year our best man (Pete) comes down from The Wirral to stay with us for a few days. He enjoys the bookshops in Cambridge. We enjoy seeing him and chatting. My  wife and I will have been married 43 years on July 24th having got married in 1971.

Pete is a perfect guest: he mucks in and helps. Like all good friends, we just pick up where we left off and it seems like a few days since he was last with us.

He last came in November when I was still in hospital. I was so ill then I cannot remember him visiting me. 

A long solo walk (no stick) , and even a brief run!

Today I ventured out on my longest solo walk: to the local Budgens shop and the chemists. In days gone by, these would have been very easy, but nowadays the walk is a challenge involving crossing roads 6 times.  At one point, crossing the road by the bank I had to RUN across the road as a car came quickly around the corner!  I am pleased to report I made it there and back safely with the shopping from Budgens and medicines from the chemists.

On the way I bumped into our old neighbour (Hilary) and the lady who used to run the post office. It was SO nice to do normal things. Inside I still fell giddy and sick, but everyone says how well I look. If I can sort out my stomach I think I shall feel so much better.

Ex colleague and pupil

Today we caught up at our home with Pat and Cedric Fernandes, from Australia, and Chris Westgarth who lives locally. Pat used  to teach with Lis in the early 1970s.  Chris was an ex-pupil.

Pat with Chris Westgarth today

Cedric and Pat Fernandes with Lis today

Salcombe planning decisions

In the past few days I have been posting on one of the Salcombe groups on Facebook (SPQR), urging the locals to be proactive in local planning decisions, making sure all applications are 100% legal and in the best interests of the town. It is no use people moaning after everything has been approved.

Salcombe,Devon

There are no accusations of past wrongs. Rather I am urging locals to look to the future and make sure everything looks good for the town. In the past several planning decisions were, arguably, not in Salcombe's longer term best interests.

At a recent council open meeting just 3 members of the public bothered to turn up. With apathy like this, they deserve what they get!

Garden looking good

Because of my brain bleed, I have been able to do very little in the garden this year so far.  I am now starting to cut the grass again (our son has been doing this most Wednesdays) , but most flower planting and maintenance has been done by my wife.

I think the garden is looking good. The laurel hedge in the front garden is thickening out now and roses have been colourful.

The garden at our bungalow is a little larger than at our old house. The lawns are about 50% bigger.

If anything, the flower beds here are easier to look after with few weeds blowing in from the fields.

We certainly like our new home and garden and have settled in well.

I am looking forward to the time when I can do a lot more in the garden without getting exhausted.

National debt

Like many in the UK, I get very confused about national debt levels. The Conservatives say debt is falling yet we are now borrowing more than ever. Who is right?  That we as a nation are living beyond our means is an indisputable fact. Personal debt levels in the UK are still very high but less I believe than they once were. It looks like spend under Labour would have been as high or even higher than the Conservatives with their cuts and austerity.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/UKExpenditure.svg/596px-UKExpenditure.svg.png

I'd like someone to explain the UK National Debt  to me, preferably without the politics! Are things getting better or worse? 

Sorry about the text colours in this Wikipeadia graph text. Debt interest alone costs us £30billion a year! Staggering.

See also http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/11/the-tories-have-piled-on-more-debt-than-labour/

Anglesey Abbey

This afternoon, we had a stroll around the grounds of our nearby National Trust property, Anglesey Abbey.

We sat on a bench under a Manna Ash and just enjoyed the warm summer day. It was a timeless moment.

Visit from Fuzzy

Richard Fusniak called on us today, on the way to feed his son's pigs. We owe Richard a debt of gratitude as it was his good sense that got my wife to take me to Addenbrookes Hospital with my brain bleed in a timely way last September. Any delay and I might be dead now. Here is Richard chatting to me lunchtime today.

Richard Fusniak today

Morning walk

Most mornings at breakfast time and most evenings I take a short (400m) walk "around the block" to help with my walking and balance.

This is me "over the garden wall" this morning in lovely sunshine. Windmill in the background. A couple of boiled eggs awaited me.

I have a couple of Weetabix and banana before the walk. At the moment, I am trying to gain weight. I lost a lot of weight when in hospital for my brain bleed and am trying to put some (not all) back on.

Sepura shares still good

Again today, shares in my old company are still doing well nudging the 150p mark. At present they are still 149.75p. See http://investors.sepura.com/prices-delayed .

They are doing well currently, which must be good news for all my old friends who still work there. These days I feel very out of touch with what is going on there. I get no news, just what I read on the net. I see they have launched DMR products and now have base station and systems capabilities again. TETRA terminals was a predictable market, whereas the infrastructure side was a much more convoluted business model. DMR radios will be very tricky as price competition will be cut-throat.

UPDATE 1315z:  Sepura shares currently 150.25p.  Very good.

UPDATE 1900z:  Sepura shares ended the day at 150.00p. Very decent.

Civil War

The situation in Iraq looks like civil war, as is the case in Syria.

Civil War must be dreadful: you often have no clear idea who your enemy is. Unlike wars with a "real"  external enemy (bad enough) civil wars must be even worse with nowhere to be safe from "the enemy" within.  I feel so sorry for the people of any nation being torn apart by civil war.

One just has to imagine it taking place in the UK to realise how awful it must be.

London trip

Today we went on a day return to London on the train to be with out son Tim, his wife Jo and our grandchildren Lucien and Amandine. Tim met us and took us back to Kings Cross. Booking in advance and with Senior Rail Cards if works out cheaper than driving. Parking at the station is cheap on Sunday.  At present I cannot drive because of my brain bleed last year.  It was good to spend time in their home again after so long.

With the grandchildren in London today

Totally by accident, we sat next to Nick Swales on the train back from London. I'd not seen Nick since work days over 6 years ago. Many years ago we worked together in several Cambridge companies. Nick is one of the brightest minds I've had the privilege to know. Nick works in London with another old colleague Martin Cooley.

Red Legged Partridges

Some time ago, I mentioned that we have a pair of red legged partridges that seem to live near here. Yesterday, they decided to climb on next door's roof for a change of scenery!

Red legged partridges on the roof next door!

Sorry about the quality of the photo which was taken into the light.  They are nowhere to be seen today. Probably sheltering from the rain! The worst of the bad weather seems to have moved away for now.

See http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en for maps of lightning activity. Very useful to see what storms are around and about.

UPDATE 1500z: All quiet now. I think the storms and rain have passed to the east.

UPDATE 2045z:  Just spotted one behind the windmill.

Burwell Carnival

Today was the annual Burwell Carnival with decorated floats parading through the village. Thankfully the rain held off this morning but we have thundery rain this afternoon.  See http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en for storm data.

Burwell Carnival 2014 - floats going along High Street

Our bungalow and blog visits

This is a picture of our bungalow taken this morning before the storms arrived after lunch. Although we have made changes, we have kept the same character.  The laurel hedge is still growing although we don't intend it to get much higher - just enough to define the boundary along with the small front wall.

Incidentally, yesterday a new record was set with 201 visits to this blog. I have no idea why it was so much higher than usual!

UPDATE 2050z: 80 visits to the blog so far today with a couple of hours to go.

Visitors - a puzzle

I have no idea why on some days visits to this blog are far greater than on other days. With 3 hours still to go today this blog has already had 152 visits!

It cannot be the content as on any given day the mix of content is similar. Maybe on some days the blog is featured somewhere? If you know the reason then please let me know as it puzzles me.

UPDATE 2015z:  163 visitors now.

UPDATE 2212z:  180 visitors now.

Leaving the EU?

The way things are going, there is a strong chance that the UK might leave the EU sometime after 2017. There is even a phrase for British exit from Europe - Brexit.  I think we'll be hearing a lot more of this word in the coming years.  Is there a word Scexit for if the Scots decide to leave the UK in September?  I hope Scotland stays as part of Great Britain.

Back to the European Union, I cannot understand why Mr Jean Claude Juncker is getting so much support in Europe when quite a few countries are skeptical of his federalist views. I am sure he is an honourable man and will do his best in the role, but why elect a staunch federalist to the most senior post? I thought the EU was looking towards a more liberal future? 26:2 in his favour is strong support.

If we do leave I shall have mixed views: a lot of our trade is with the EU and inward investment into the UK is largely because we are in the EU, yet we have a fairly open trading regime.  On the other hand being out of the EU gives us full control of immigration, fishing borders and much more. It would not be a total loss if we left. I suspect other nations might follow us out the door.

I really hope Mr Cameron is able to get a better deal with trade relationships at the heart of a new EU. Somehow I have my doubts this will happen.

On this one, I am with the Conservatives - an EU skeptic, basically in favour of the EU but with strong reservations over the way things are moving. I want to stay in the EU, but not at any cost.

Wimbledon 2014

Like most UK residents, I very much hope Andy Murray make it through to the Men's Finals again and that he wins. He is not he most popular sportsman in the UK, but he is giving it his all.

His mother was on the radio today on "Desert Island Discs". I had not realised how big she was in tennis in earlier times. Even now, she is pretty busy encouraging newcomers into the game.

As (nearly) always, rain may disrupt play today. At least they now have that famous roof!

UPDATE 1920z:  Andy is through today's match and playing in the 4th round next week.

The thetrainline.com site and trains

In recent months we've made use of day returns on the train as I have not been fit enough to drive yet. Using our senior railcards we have booked tickets at www.thetrainline.com and collected tickets at the station.

So far, I cannot fault the service: tickets are cheaper buying in advance and trains have been clean and on time. People complain a lot, but with a bit of planning, trains are good - just sit back and relax.

I am sure it would be more hassle on a commuter train in the week, but at weekends it works well. For one person, with a railcard I bet you'll find trains cheaper than a car for a moderate journey.

Visitor numbers

My amateur radio blog seems to be attracting an average of about 1000 visits a day, but surprisingly, this very modest little blog here has growing numbers of visitors and now attracts around 100 visits daily. Both are "as it is" blogs: I write about what I am doing or what interests me.

With a total daily audience of around 1100 people a day, I sometimes lose friends. One regular visitor to the other blog was offended that I moaned too much. I didn't think I did. When asked to say what had upset him, he never replied, so may have eaten humble pie or, as I  told him, he can simply go elsewhere and choose not to read everything.

I try to be fair and balanced in what I write, but I am only human.

UK Population

One of the pleasures of New Zealand was the low population density. Even the places between the lovely places were lovely because there were so few people. We drove up the west coast on the main road and saw just 4 cars in one hour! This was a real joy.

Contrast that with the UK which now boasts a population of 64 million, up 400000 in just one year. We are a small island and need no more people, please!

We need to put a lid on immigration, letting in only those we really need for skills we are short of, and put a lid on large families. In this age of available contraception and education there is no excuse for large families.

At the rate we are going we will be unable to feed and house everyone. Surely there are other places for those coming to the UK to live? Wide open spaces in continental Europe?

This is not being racist: I did NOT vote for UKIP or the BNP. What I am expressing is just pure common sense. Our small island is growing far too fast and this HAS to stop.

Basically I support the trade aims of the EU, I enjoy visiting European countries but think we have to be able to limit net inward migration into the UK. If the EU does not agree then we may need to walk away from the EU and its fine trade aims. I am against a federal Europe: this was not what we agreed when we joined.

Sepura shares still good

Sepura shares are still high at 149.75 currently. This is close to the highest they have ever been.

I am not aware of any great new products coming through - I retired 6 years ago and these days am very out of touch - but the share value still suggests they are "doing the right thing".

Perhaps it is because they have now diversified away from just TETRA digital radios?

Another beautiful day and "Active For Life"

Today may be the last sunny/dry day for some days according to the weather forecast. Our "London" son was unable to come yesterday because our granddaughter has tonsillitis. She is getting better. So, as mentioned yesterday, I cut the grass.

This morning it was off to the gym again in Newmarket for another 30 minute Active For Life session to improve balance and stamina. The latter is improving, but balance is still not right.

Stroke "progress"

Over the last 2 days I have cut both the front and back lawns. In the past (when healthy) these would have taken about an hour. They take much longer now, but at least I managed them. The front lawn was done without a break, whereas last time I had to keep stopping as my stamina was so bad.

The other area where progress is being made is on foods: ALL my foods are now via mouth and the things I eat go down well. Not so liquids like tea and coffee, which are often problematic, even with thickeners.

Walking is also better: I still feel wobbly when moving on my feet, but walking itself is not a problem.

At last there may be some progress on my stomach upset and bad breath issues too: the doctor is doing some tests to see if I have a bacterial infection, once clear of a certain medication I take each morning (until this week). If the result is positive, I can be treated for the infection and hopefully cured of it.

Sepura - doing well?

The company I retired from 6 years ago seems to be doing well recently with their share value at 149.75p currently. Not too long ago shares were less than 40p each. They must be doing something right. In the last few years they entered the DMR market in addition to TETRA and have acquired a base station and software applications house. I would have thought DMR would be a very difficult market with lots of competition and cut throat prices.

See http://investors.sepura.com/ .

Another view of the windmill at sunset

This is a view of "our" windmill over the garden wall taken at 9pm this evening. The sails are lit by the evening sunlight.

The light falling on the 200 year old mill is always changing.

The small wall and laurel hedge mark our boundary. Over the wall is the grass around the restored windmill.

Mildenhall activity?

We are located about 10 miles from the US airbase at RAF Mildenhall. For some reason there seems to be a lot of activty in the air overhead tonight.  Usually we hear very little. Is something big planned I wonder? Iraq airstrikes maybe? Personally I hope we do NOT get involved. Wars solve very little.

Passing the bases is always "creepy". It still feels wrong to have all these threatening planes so close. I don't know if the bases at Mildenhall and Lakenheath  have any nuclear weapons. Personally I'd prefer it if both the bases at Mildenhall and at Lakenheath were closed. I dislike such threatening places.

http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/2014/06/140617-F-DD985-157.jpg

Gym session

At present, I  am attending the gym in Newmarket twice a week "on referral" for their Active for Life sessions. These are twice a week for 30 minutes each (usually longer in reality). Sponsored by physios or doctors they are to help disabled people back to fitness after illness. Fees are at a much reduced rate. My regime is designed to hlep cardio and balance.

Stomach issue - being taken seriously

At last, as our normal doctor was away, I saw a different doctor today and he has agreed we do a test to see if my stomach has the harmful bacterium H.Pylori. It will take 3-4 weeks to do the test and get results,but at least we are looking for the why. If it is present there are antibiotics to clear it. The normal doctor has been good, but this new one seemed keen to help get to the bottom of this issue.

My stomach is just one of my post stroke issues but the one that is distressing me most.

Thunder and lightning around

After several days of hot weather (20-21 deg C) , there is thunder and lightning around today. We are dodging the storms. A useful map showing where there is storm activity in Europe (including the UK) is at:

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

It is possible to see where the storms are bad and how they are moving. The map at present (1540z) shows bad storms in the Alps and storms here in East Anglia. We seem to be in a gap now between very bad weather.

http://www.lightningmaps.org/realtime?lang=en

The thunder returned just after we'd watered the garden (Sod's law) followed by a burst of heavy rain for 5 minutes. I think the rain will be around most of the evening on and off. At the moment there is no lightning, so the storm must be a little way off? Having said that, we just had a very loud thunder clap! It is about 3km away again (1640z). The lightning map shows widespread storm activity in East Anglia right now.

In the meantime, our son in Kent is on the beach after school. There they have good weather.

UPDATE 1720z: At the moment, the storms have ended but the lightning map shows a further storm is due to come through. At present it is over the Peterborough area and moving SE.

Stomach problems (stroke)

This week I have one main objective: to get to the bottom of what is causing my stomach discomfort. I have had this discomfort for several months now, along with bad breath.  My GP has tried all manner of medicines without any success. I am becoming convinced I have some bacterial stomach infection and the GP needs to understand the source and treat that, not the resulting discomfort. Reading about strokes, long term stomach disorders don't normally appear as issues. I think the GP has to get to the bottom of this. If he can fix this with antibiotics I'm sure I'll feel so much better.

Classic Cars

Classic Cars Poster

Our local Burwell Museum held a "Classic Car" day today with around 20 classic cars turning up and on display. There were cars from the 1960s right back to 1907. They were all carefully restored by their owners and looked splendid in the warm sunshine and dry weather.

One was an old white Morris 1000 called "Hilda" restored by an old work friend, The 1930s Austin 7's looked good. Well. they all did. Some of these vehicles are on permanent view in the museum.

We went along with our season ticket, giving us free entry after the initial payment some months ago. Normal adult entry is £4. Children are £1.50 (to 15) and under 5s get in free. There is so much to see in the museum it is well worth the entry fee. You could spend hours looking around. If a local, a season ticket is well worth it, so you can come back and browse whenever you like when the museum and mill are open.

Watering the front garden

We are in a spell of dry weather, so last night I watered the front garden. Lis did the back garden.

Watering plants in the front garden

Surprisingly, I find watering quite therapeutic. I always feel giddy when on my feet, but watering I can manage, despite the stroke. Washing the car earlier was harder and far more tiring.

Church Fete

St Mary's Fete June 2014

Today was our annual St Mary's church fete. My wife has done the home made cake stall for about 35 years! In recent years the weather has been mixed with showers and heavy rain. There was a time when people used to ask for this weekend for weddings (3rd Saturday in June) as, for about 25 years, it never rained. The joke was the vicar had a special relationship with God. Today it was glorious sunshine and very warm at around 21 deg C - in fact a perfect day for a summer fete.

Cake stall centre LHS with Lis in torquoise blouse

I have no idea how much was made on the day for good causes and the church, but it was a very happy afternoon, and those who went had a good time.

I managed to walk down and soaked up the atmosphere for about 45 minutes although I was very wobbly on my feet. It was good to catch up with old friends I'd not seen in a long while.