Sunday 28 June 2009

The liberty bodice brigade

‘Liberty’ and ‘freedom’ are two very powerful and emotive words that rational left thinking people should hold very dear, yet we allow the right, and more often the extreme right to hijack them. In true Orwellian newspeak stylee they bandy them around to add weight to their arguments, and we allow them to wear them like they own them. I’m sure you know the type of people I mean. They are those that Monty Python (or was it I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again?) said droned on and on until they fell over backwards. They are inbreeds and their lackeys, and they oppose all change. They protested about the legalisation of homosexuality. They want to bring back hanging. They don’t believe in equal opportunities. They are usually racist. They want out of the European Union. They don’t want to pay taxes unless it’s for ‘defence’ or the police. They think blood sports are good clean fun, that health and safety is a joke, and that the law is there just to keep little people in their place.

They portray advances towards civilisation and democracy as attacks on personal liberty and the erosion of freedom. Their idea of freedom is the freedom to oppress and exploit others. They appear in various guises from Tory party member, to Daily Mail reader via UKIP and the BNP. They are the land-owners, the pro-hunting lobby and the anti smoking ban whingers. They believe that fat cat captains of industry should be paid obscene amounts, whilst at the same time suggesting that the pittance of a minimum wage is ruining business. They are reactionary knob-heads, and they are holding this country back. A plague on all their houses!
Of course in reality there is only one true freedom, and that is anarchy. A concept most of the liberty bodice brigade just couldn’t comprehend.

Thursday 25 June 2009

Long-haired lout

For quite a few years now my haircut of choice has been a Nº4 up the back and sides and a Nº6 on top. Upon moving to Norwich I decided that I would grow it long in a last-ditch attempt to have a ponytail before it all starts to fall out.

I had previously said goodbye to shoulder length hair back in 1977 at the same time as I parted company with my flairs. My hair is just about shoulder length again although I don’t think anything could persuade me to wear flares. God that was not a good look, and don’t get me started on ‘Loon Pants’ which were indeed a crime on humanity. It is still not quite long enough to fashion into a ponytail but it won’t be long so in anticipation I’ve purchase myself a pack of black elasticised hair band thingies from that nice Mr Tesco. I shall inevitably look like a complete twerp when the time comes, but it’s got to be done: 'a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do', so to speak!

I had forgotten how much of a pain in the proverbial long hair was. It takes forever to dry. Brushing or combing it is quite painful as it seems continually to be tangled up in knots. I am a martyr to my boyish good looks!

Once I’ve achieved my goal its days will be numbered as I can’t wait to return to the low maintenance option of the close cut Barnet. As my hair inevitably thins out I intend to have it cut even shorter. No Bobby Charlton comb-over for me.

Something for the weekend sir?

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Shit happens, again!

It was a cruel irony that a couple of days before the start of national Carers Week my lady, who works in that sector within local government, fell and broke her ankle, again, and I effectively became her carer. Our life was thrown out of kilter a couple of weeks ago and it is taking me a while to adjust to coping with everything I have to do. The break was quite bad this time, in fact it was two fractures, and so they had to operate and put plate and pins in. As a result she has to keep her leg up most of the time for the next six weeks.

In some ways we were a bit prepared for the consequences of the temporary disability as it’s less than a year since she broke her ankle (same one) before, but unfortunately she has less mobility this time.

I really feel for those that are full-time/permanent carers. It’s not an easy job. Without them the health and social service sectors would grind to a halt. Carers are so vital yet so often go unsung. Our predicament should be short lived. We’ve just had to put our lives on hold for a short period. But for those that have to live this way all of the time I am sure often struggle.

My lady has been treated at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, where the treatment and the staff have all been first class. It’s a modern hospital that was one of the first, I believe, to have been built as a public-private ‘partnership’. Apart from that I only noticed one major flaw it has been designed, probably, by able bodied people for able bodied people. Yes they have no doubt conformed to disability legislation but that is really as far as it goes. You don’t really notice these things until it affects your life in some way. It is just so hard to take someone with their leg in plaster to Out Patients firstly there is a distinct lack of managed space to drop someone off by car, and near enough to the entrance. The next hurdle is to wander off and find a wheelchair. Another trial. I’m sure that those that are permanently disabled would be thinking that I should stop whinging and to stop being such a big girl’s blouse. Which may well be a fair point but my next gripe I feel is much warranted. You would imagine that a fracture clinic is going to have more than its fair share of bods on crutches or in wheelchairs. That given why on earth are their waiting rooms so user unfriendly?
There is nowhere to park a wheelchair, movement around chairs is difficult, nay precarious, and for a new facility that is treating people with broken bones it’s diabolical!

All these shenanigans along with some heavy duty diy, some days away and other assorted grief prior to The Lady’s accident has meant that I’ve been neglecting my blogs. I hope I’ve now got things under control and can get back to blogging a bit more. Watch this (and this: www.realaleblog.co.uk) space.