Sunday, 11 December 2011

Oh Danny Boy

Very sad to find out yesterday that Dan Male of Joey Pouch fame passed away earlier this week after a long battle with PH. Like me he'd been waiting on a transplant but sadly for him it never came as he was told earlier this year that he was too poorly for transplant. I cannot imagine how he must have felt being told that. Dan was diagnosed with PH ten years ago at the age of twenty. What an awful thing for a young man to have to deal with when he should have been out clubbing, having girlfriends, starting a career, but Dan took it on the chin and dedicated himself to helping others struggling with diagnoses. He also had to wear a pump and was a God send to those of us finding it a bit difficult to cope with. He answered all questions honestly, there was no sugar coating, if it was going to hurt he'd tell you it would hurt. I only contacted him once, when starting on the pump, mostly for reassurance. I got it and seeing in his video's how he got around and about encouraged me that I was doing the right thing. God bless Dan, I hope you are breathing easier now wherever you are. If you want to learn more about Dan and his life with PH click on the Joey Pouch link on the right hand side of this page, you may have to scroll down a bit to find it.

Surprise, surprise my sterile gloves did not arrive by post on Saturday as I was promised they would. Luckily I found a few pairs hiding at the back of the cupboard where they must have fallen out of the box. I've got just enough to last me until Monday otherwise I'd be trawling the hospitals trying to beg, borrow or buy some. How bad is that? What if I were house bound, I'd be forced to risk infection by preparing my drugs and lines with bare hands for two days. These people really need a kick up the backside and by God on Monday, when their phone lines re-open, they are going to get one. They'll wish they'd never got out of bed. Don't they realise that seriously ill people rely on them getting it right? Disgraceful!

My latest attempt at baking went seriously awry yesterday. I made rock cakes which turned out resembling, well, rocks. I've had a run of successes so I suppose I was due a disaster but this was quite epic. I really don't know what I do. Give me something savoury to make and I'm a wiz, give me something that is suppose to be light and fluffy and sweet and I go to pieces. Never give up, I've got fairy cakes earmarked for next week.

Strictly was a joy this week and it is very hard to chose a winner at the moment. Chelsee and Jason both scored a perfect forty while Harry was a close second with thirty nine. Try as I might I still cannot warm to Chelsee and am rather hoping the impossible that she doesn't go through to the final. She will of course, along with Harry and, hopefully, Jason. Alex unfortunately does not have a chance and Holly although improved is still far to 'relaxed'. I hated her Charleston.

In X Factor there are howls of horror as the latest 'dead cert' has been voted out of the competition. As I said before I don't watch but you can hardly miss the result as it is plastered all over the Internet and in most of the Sunday papers. Apparently after the favourite was booted out last week the pink haired one had been tipped to win and shock waves are reverberating around media land at her departure. The final is tonight and the choice is now between a young Liverpudlian lad and a girl group who changed their name mid competition. Whoever wins really doesn't matter as they will disappear from sight only to emerge this time next year with an album to plug when everyone has forgotten who they are. If they are really unlucky they will be catapulted into obscurity and stay there. Sometimes it is better not to win and those that have come second or third have a knack of being much more successful than the winner. Sometimes coming first is not all it is cracked up to be.

Now I do not tend to discuss politics or religion in this blog but I couldn't really let the week pass without saying something on the biggest story to come out of the EU in years. So a British Prime Minister finally found a backbone and said no to handing over more control to Brussels. About bloody time! I do not even pretend to fully understand the ins and outs of what has gone on, my brain tends to switch off the moment the words 'EU' and 'summit' are mentioned in the same sentence, so I'm in no position to comment on the possible consequences. What I will say is that we have given so much to the EU and have, as far as I can see, had very little back.  The papers say the French and Germans are stunned by the British stance, I'm not surprised, they have got used to walking all over us and cannot cope with sudden rebellion. Does this mean the break away of Britian from the EU? Who knows but would it be a bad things if it did? One things for sure Britain will not be taken so much for granted in the future and that is a good thing.

Off for an eye test tomorrow, unlike my dental appointment I am not expecting to walk away with no change to my prescription. At the very least I'm going to need reading glasses as I cannot read small print with my contacts in and cannot see well enough to drive with my glasses on. My guess is that my contacts will stay the same and I'll need new glasses, probably bi focals. I hope they have the smelling salts handy when they present me with the bill.

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