My worse bike ride so far

Today has been interesting. In the morning after waking up, I started to watch Divergent.  For some reason, my daughter, who I offered to get her watch it, decided that she would rather be alone!  But later her and her brother came in and we had a great morning in bed together, all four of us and it was a very memorable time.

Later, she went on a bike ride with me.  She was not too keen on this at first, but later appeared to enjoy the thrill of riding a bike again.  My son on the other hand decided that he did not want to do this.  Now, my aim of getting them on their bikes is so that they get some exercise and become fitter.  She states that this has helped her with PE at school, and he, like his sister has improved when it comes to throwing, catching and hitting balls from when we practised during the summer holidays.  He went out, then decided to cycle slowly, and then got even worse, not being able to cycle along a path.  There were tears and tantrums with him throwing down his bike at one point.  And in the end, I lost me temper.  But one of the good things about his punishment is that our toilet is cleaner!

Later on, it was lunch with friends and a few episodes of Modern Family.  But despite what is probably my worst lunch ever, it was a really good day.

Beer glorious beer

It was the real ale festival in Colchester today. Held at the Arts Centre by Camra there was beer and lots of it.  My wife took me into town, but we arrived at the wrong time as it was very full. The kids left with my wife but then loads did as well and there was more room later. Next year I will need to arrive sooner...

Would you be tortured if it could save lives?

Torture has been in the news recently, but Trump has stated that it will not go ahead in the US.  There have been loads of arguments for it.  I have to say, that a terrorist who has murdered children deserves torture, but I have several concerns. One is the effect torture has on those interrogating suspects. The next is that one mans terrorist is a freedom fighter to another.  An example of this were the French Resistance in World War Two who were considered terrorists by the Germans and Vichy France.  And if torture against terrorists is okay, then the Nazi's were okay to torture them along with the members of resistance groups across occupied Europe.  Another example of this are the volunteers who are fighting in Syria against Unislamic State.  They are considered, by both Russia and Syria, to be terrorists. 

But the last is the risk of torturing innocents.  So my first question to those who back torture is this. Would you agree to be tortured for a week along with nine other terrorists to save the lives of others? Would you agree to have your child, or another loved one tortured knowing they were innocent, along with nine terrorists, so that the lives of others would be saved? Because when it comes to suspects, they are just that. Suspects.  And we know that we have tortured the innocent before.

The next refers to the volunteers who I mentioned before, fighting against Unislamic State.  Is it right for Russia and Syria to torture them if they are captured?

A flat day

The pictures are from last week.  I like them.  Back then, cycling to work in the freezing cold I had to stop to take a picture when in Castle Park.  On that day, the kids were behaving themselves mostly, though my daughter had been in a bad mood at the beginning of the walk to school.  But we had left with time to spare and the kids appreciated arriving early as that meant that they could talk to friends in the playground before school.  Before I got to work, I cycled to a nearby bicycle repair shop as my bike was very overdue a service.  And on collecting it, I really appreciated the difference the service made.  My brake pads were worn before, a light was not working and also in addition to this, my gears were sticking.  Having the bike serviced changed all that and also it rode better, which meant that I was able to cycle up hills that I had started to give up on!

On the weekend, my daughters fish tank was cleared. but we changed a lot of water, and due to concerns about the water temperature afterwards, we went to the pet shop to get a thermometer for Nevyn, the Siamese fighting fish.  He had not been named, so I named him after a favourite character from a series of books I read from years ago.  The kids are aware that they are not allowed to read them until the are aged over 18.  In fact, I would rather they read Game of Thrones before the Daggerspell series!  But going into the pet shop we ended up leaving with a hamster in addition to the thermometer.  His name is Ron, and he was named this in the shop.  He was up for adoption and we all loved him on seeing him.  He was the maddest hamster we have ever seen and this includes the Syrian hamsters that my wife had 20 years ago when we were going out with each other.  Ron though is a Roborovski hamster and is very fast.  I have seen him run on his wheel so fast, that when he stops he spins round 360 degrees (once this was 720 degrees as he spun round twice).  He has a tendency to nip when we put our hands in, but unlike the Syrian hamsters my wife had in the past, this one does not draw blood and only seems to bite to see what we are.

And today on cycling to my other job I found that I had a flat.  I had to stop in the town centre to pump some air in, and had to repeat this twice before I got my bike to the shop it had been in last week.  I am sad in that I can not even change a tyre, but to be fair, today I did not have the time as I needed to work.  But it is great to have the bike back.  Cycling was becoming a chore before, and now is fun again.  Part of me is tempted to think what it would be like with another bike, but I think I should be faithful to this one.  I had not treated it that well, and it has been true and faithful to me.  And I love riding on it, though that enjoyment had started to go before I had it serviced.  When cycling on Sunday to do paperwork, I had fun and on cycling back, I made it home in record time, and that included slowing for a Pokéstop!

Today, the kids have been very patient with me.  Last week, my son had to attend a hospital appointment.  This week we went to our GP surgery where I got something for one of the children.  The other was very curious to find out what it was, but on getting back, they put up with me and my various demands about them doing one thing or another.  And, with my son being unwell last week, both appear much better today, and long may that continue.

How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise MY hand!

Hello all. 

Cycling was not as good as it was earlier in the week when I went to work in the morning, nor was I up to targets that I had met last year but I am going to blame the wind for that.

But after a few hours at work, it was back home where we went down to a trip to London.  We ate in East Ham as we were starving, before doing some shopping there and then later popped into see my mother.  My mother-in-law did try making contact with us in the day as well, but decided to FaceTime us when we were in the car with no WiFi connection to use.    Anyway, my mother loved seeing the kids.  It was great as not only did my wife and I have a much appreciated chance to recharge our batteries, we also looked through a collage of old photos of the children.  And yes, it reminded us of how quickly they grow, and how lucky we are to have them.  

With chess, another tournament has been completed, and sadly, this was one there I had not done as well as I wanted.  But every game is a learning experience.  And I may get to watch the Arsenal game.  I did not mean to find out the score before watching Match of the Day, but thanks to FaceBook, my joy at watching it without knowing has been spoiled. 





And this might bring a smile to your faces if you don't like the videos from The Voice.

A bloke goes into a pub with a glum face and the barman says "Wassup?"

The bloke says "I'm in the doghouse"

"Why's that?" says the barman

"I didn't open the door for the wife"

"Hardly the crime of the century" says the barman

"I know, says the bloke, I just panicked and swam for the surface" 

Exercise

Yesterday was my first bike ride of the year. Mainly due to illness, this being one bout of man-flu followed by another, I was not able to cycle earlier.  And this meant that I got the kids to walk into school, and they were nice to each other for most of the way in. I am used to a bit of squabbling and there was a small amount, but overall, they were great. But it was a hard day to be on a bike due to the wind.  I had to cycle to a meeting later and the wind had picked up and it was a lot harder then. The cycle home was also a challenge but while I had been dreading getting back on my bike, it was not that bad.

After school it was a trip for the kids and I to the dentist. My son had asked for a snack before and although I said no at first, I changed my mind. But he saw the trap and did not eat the Wagon Wheels before seeing his dentist!  

Anyway, he has signed up to join the school chess club and his sister wants to play netball. They both make me proud.

Watergate

There are allegations being spread on the internet about Donald Trump.  At this time, they are allegations and Trump is right to refer to it as Fake News. However what is ironic is the way he spread fake news in the past.  Some argue that this means that he should not be President and to them I say, tough.  

Concerns about Trump and his links to Russia were rightly raised before the election in November and he won the Electoral College that decides who wins the election.  Which means that even if these allegations are true, and there is no evidence that they are, then the people of America had been warned.  And they chose someone who had stated that he sexually assaulted women and also said he could shoot someone and still have loads of support.

Just before I leave, I would like to remind people that he is a germaphobe and while urine is sterile when it comes out of the bladder, bacteria soon use it to grow.  In addition to this, the intelligence services would not have wanted this to be leaked and I am certain that they will take action if the source is found.

Last of all, some Fake News that Trump spread in the past...

Dear Jeremy Hunt, why do you fiddle while you watch the NHS burn?

The NHS is in crisis, or not.

When I worked in hospitals, back before 2000, I remember patients having to wait in corridors after treatment, or when waiting for treatment.  It was not nice, and it was not dignified.  And it was not as safe as it should have been from a clinical perspective.  But things got better, or rather less worse. Winter is a terrible time for the NHS and it is normal for the NHS to expect a surge, but this year people working in the NHS seeing patients were expecting hell.  And it has happened.  Or, according to the government, not.

The red cross has issued a statement saying that the NHS is in crisis and that both the NHS and social care need more funds.  The government has stated that there is no crisis, as have NHS England.  And today, Jeremy Hunt has made a statement in Parliament that many in the NHS will find to be interesting.

When it comes to the statement, Jeremy Hunt mentions that the number of elderly that are present has increased.  This is in part due to the NHS and the care it offers.  And this has placed an increased need for decent social care provision.  But what is interesting is that others in the Conservative party have blamed the issues that the NHS is facing on other issues.  Such as immigration, and also, around this time, the pressure that drinking causes the NHS has been in the news.  But, after mentioning the ageing population, Hunt has stated that as a result, demand is unprecedented.  He mentions that the Tuesday after Christmas was the busiest day in the history of the NHS and that some hospitals have reported that NHS attendances are up to 30% higher than last year.  Sadly, many people are directed to A&E due to NHS111 sending them there.  The difference between that and NHS direct is that NHS111 has fewer clinically trained staff, and therefore tends to send people to A&E more often.  But, things cannot just be blamed on that, as thresholds for treatment have changed, which means that a patient who would have asked for advice five years ago is more likely to be sent to hospital for certain conditions now.  But another issue is the service that GP’s can offer, and general practice is failing.  Despite the promises to improve general practice, and promises of more money (which has not been spent to improve general practice) people have left primary care.  Where I work, since I started, the surgery has lost two partners and four salaried doctors.  One has retired early, and others are working as locums (agency workers) where they earn more money for less hours and less responsibility.  Basically, fewer people want to work as a GP.

He thanks those who are working in the NHS and in social care, forgetting that the numbers needed are not enough for what the nation needs.  We face shortages in paramedics, nurses and doctors and many doctors have left our nation to work abroad formore money but more importantly, a better work life balance.  Hunt (later) cites increased numbers of doctors and nurses working in the NHS, but the call of those who are really working in the NHS is to ask where they are.

And he also states that the NHS has made more preparations before this winter than ever before.  But it was felt by many that the NHS has not been so ill prepared for a long time for the winter with many stating that it would not cope.  Warnings that the government ignored, and still refuses to admit occurred.  His statement that the NHS system as a whole is doing better than last year is one what those working in the NHS do not think to be true.  And the Nuffield Trust can prove it to be otherwise as well.

When he cites that GP’s can be released to support urgent care work, he is to take GP’s away from a system that is already under pressure to support one that is under pressure, in part because there are not enough GP’s working in primary care in the first place! 

But he does say one thing that I do agree with.  That being the four hour wait.  I do think that it is important for conditions that are deemed to be urgent, but for those which are not urgent, I do not see the need for those patients to have been seen within four hours.  But that is not the reason for patients waiting on trolleys to be admitted to hospital, for those patients have attended A&E appropriately and are waiting to be admitted as it is now harder to send patients home. 

When asked questions in Parliament Hunt cites waiting lists being higher under Labour, which is true.  But forgets that Labour also sorted them out and since the election in 2010, they have increased.  A&E target times have been met more under the Conservatives, but only because they have moved the goal posts!  Also he cites social care being an issue in Labour councils when the Conservatives have limited the cash they have.  In addition he cites money going to the NHS, correctly stating that the NHS has increased funding, but forgets that the increases it has are less than before.

In summary, the idea of getting rid of the four hour wait and the focus on mental health in his statement is a good thing.  But he has twisted the truth on the crisis that the NHS is facing in A&E's across England.

     

I'm currently deleting my recent history. I'm on my fourth pint.

We have had a nice day today.  It did involve a trip to the shops but all in all, it was nice for us all.  My son was a bit upset when playing Pokémon Go when he ran out of Pokéballs as his sister had more, but he had fun in the car while my wife drove us to Lakeside and had lots of cuddles while going around the various places in Lakeside that we had visited.

But on getting home, we were tired from driving so got ready to watch Let It Shine and afterwards, The Voice.  I have to say that I was not that big a fan of Let It Shine, but the kids liked it and it was about being together when watching it.  But we all loved The Voice.  It is a slightly different format to before, there is less feedback for those who are not chosen, or rather none as they leave the stage in tears.  And the adverts can be annoying.  But the last act was just awesome!

A post by my son (mostly)

A post from my son with minor edits from me.

Today I went with my dad👨 and my sister 👧  😢 

In the morning we walked in to town happily  and then played Pokémon Go going to special Pokémon things.(There is something called a poké gym  were you fight with your Pokémon)  Which I won beating 2 Pokémon but only one Pokémon went out so My team would not go in .after I fought my sister got in after beating Arcanine .

Then we went to THE COLCHESTER CASTLE ( I jumped on the stone ruins that is supposedly walls)  which was one of the Pokémon things (I fought and lost) then we went to castle park (that is not in capital letters because it is not a monument).
then we fed the ducks old stale yellowish bread which the male mallard ducks liked, but the seagulls stole most of the food. Then I went home had sandwiches, mummy came home then daddy asked me to write this.

I do hope to have more from him.  

Mersea Island

Today we have been the house of ill.  Yesterday we went to a friends house for New Years drinks.  I felt terrible, though got better while I was there (paracetamol is a wonderful thing).  However I crashed on getting home.  The downside was that my wife then started to become unwell as well.  So today we went out for lunch.  We have been to the West Mersea Oyster bar before (the picture above is part of the amazing view that can be seen if you eat outside) and have always loved eating there.  Today was no exception and

for the kids, they found a Pokéstop there.  Considering how busy it is there, the service, for the price you pay is great, and the food was fantastic.  Parking as always is fun there, but there is a car park just down the road from it now which we have used at times in the past.

After this meal, it was a drive to the beach, though we did make a slight diversion to allow the children to get more Pokéballs.  We left my wife in the car to read and enjoy the view while we went down to the beach to walk along it.  With little wind, I found the sound of water lapping against the shore to be very calming, and it was not too cold.  The children entertained themselves looking for shells and also by throwing stones into the sea and also playing chicken with the waves.  That last bit was why our walk was cut short, as my son, when distracted ended up with this shoes being soaked through!

So home again, and my wife and I took it in turns to help cooking, me peeling the potatoes and preparing the sprouts, while she did the clever bits.  After dinner, a bit of Modern Family and now, it is time for the kids to get ready for bed.  They are not too keen on this, but they will be back at school soon and need to get used to waking up early.  While my wife rests, I may get a chance to use the Fire Stick that I was given at Christmas to watch Vikings.  Though I will need to make sure that it does not wake her!



Anyway chess now.  I did spend time going over a bit of chess with the kids.  My daughter hates it, but they are both improving when it comes to thinking about it, and I hope this will help them with logic in the future.

I on the other hand have not done as well as I would have liked since my last update.

33rd Chess.com Quick Knockouts (1201-1400)
GALAXY TOUR 1000 - 1499 #1
THE BIG EASTER PARADE CHESS TOURNAMENT 2015
Super-Fast Mega Tournament
Top Of The Pops 23
Bird Watchers Winter Season Tournament
1st Arsenal Chess Championship
Oliver's Tournament-(2) 5-2
31st Chess.com Quick Knockouts (1201-1400)
GALAXY TOUR 1000 - 1499 #4