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Sunday 23 November 2014

Hamilton wins F1 championship

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Lewis_Hamilton_October_2014.jpg/220px-Lewis_Hamilton_October_2014.jpg
I do not follow F1 racing, but I see Lewis Hamilton has won the championship for a second time. I have no ideas what his future plans are. This remains a dangerous sport. I admire his bravery.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/30168481 .

UK immigration

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30167160 .

The Home Secretary has said on TV that UK immigration target are unlikely to be met.

The Conservatives published some very ambitious targets, that frankly, were a joke unless the immigration pattern was drastically changed. This remains a very contentious issue central to the next General Election. Making such STUPID claims about immigration targets serves no good at all.

We are a small, overcrowded, island and HAVE to be able to manage our immigration numbers. Currently we are a magnet for people and we need to understand just why this is so. I hope we can find a way of controlling immigration and stay in the EU, but if we don't we may have no choice but to leave.  If we go, others will follow us.

Incidentally, free movement within the EU means about 800000 UK people now live in Spain. It is not just people coming into the UK,although our small size makes net immigration an acute issue. Some skills we definitely need and this is likely to continue to be the case. We just need better controls, whether by looking at points, welfare or whatever.

I am no UKIP supporter, but I do understand the issues.

Grandchildren have gone home

Our "Kent" grandchildren and their parents have now returned home. They come to stay again before Christmas.

Although the house is now quiet, I am still very tired, as a result of my stroke. People tell me this will get better. I do hope so as I still get profoundly exhausted with any physical effort, quite unlike how I used to be.   I want to be able to do all I did with my grandchildren before,  but I get so exhausted.

Saturday 22 November 2014

Profound tiredness (stroke)

These last 2 days I have felt more tired than at any time I can remember. I think this related to my stroke, but I have been PROFOUNDLY exhausted.  I have no understanding just why I have felt so very tired.  I hope it will pass soon. I thought my tiredness was lifting, but like so much about my stroke, it keeps surprising me.

Friday 21 November 2014

FTSE 100 and Sepura shares

With about 15 minutes until UK markets close, it looks as if the FTSE 100 index and Sepura (SEPU) shares will end the day in positive territory.  This year, both the FTSE 100 index and Sepura have lost some ground, but in recent weeks these losses are being clawed back.

 UPDATE 1900z:   Both the FTSE 100 and Sepura (SEPU) shares ended the day in positive territory.

UKIP recent successes

In the last few months, UKIP has gained its first 2 MPs taking votes from the Conservative, Labour and the Lib Dems. As I said before, in the General Election next spring it could all be very different At the moment  UKIP is picking up protest votes and this is unlikely to be the case in a General Election when people are electing the party to govern us for the next 5 years. Both the major parties will have been rattled by the results of the by-election results from Rochester and Strood. The Lib Dems did very badly indeed with the Greens polling higher than them.

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30140747 .

I still do not know who to vote for in the next General Election, but it will not be UKIP.   To me, this party is maybe OK as a protest, but it would be a disaster if they helped form the next government. They seem to stand for just one thing: get the UK out of the EC.  Personally, I believe our relationship with our European friends will change somewhat, but I hope we remain close partners with our friends in mainland Europe.

Stroke update

I had my cerebellum brain bleed (stroke) in Sept 2013 and in all honesty I was expecting to be fully fit again by now. I think my wife and I had no idea how serious this was and just how long recovery was going to take. Nearly 15 months on it is a mixed picture.

All my limbs, my eyes and ears and my cognitive functions seem to work OK. But I still have poor liquid swallow, poor speech, giddiness when walking and I tire on the least physical exertion such as washing dishes or gardening. My stamina is better than it was, but it is still far from right.  I am still clumsy.

I am told a full recovery is probable, but this will take time. This last year as been very hard. I sincerely hope 2015 will be a better year for us.  In summary, I have felt old suddenly. Until last year I felt as if I would last forever. Now I feel far more vulnerable.

God willing, I'll see quite a few more seasons yet. My greatest wish is to see my grandchildren grow. At the moment they are all very little.