The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)

It has been a great Sunday.  It could have been better if Arsenal had won but a draw was better than a loss.  And it has been an interesting weekend for wildlife.  We have foxes living in our garden, or rather a mother fox and her cubs (also called pups or kits).  We have noted foxes in our garden ever since we have moved in, but there has been a fox seen more often of late.  And now its cubs have been seen.  I have to say, they are cute, but we would rather not have them here.  Especially as the kids do tend to leave things in the garden (we have lost footballs to them, and have had a softball bat chewed quite badly) and have gained trainers brought to the garden by them.  (It was a shock the first time it happened).  We know that there are at least two ways for them to get in, one being dug at our back fence, and at the back where a neighbours fence does not quite meet the back fence.  They love the playing fields at the back, but prefer our garden more.  

I did get to take my son out on his bike again today, while my wife, who's knee is improving went to the shops with my daughter.  It was a long ride, and once again, he has improved his stamina and as noted today, his speed.  As before, he was awesome, but the only downside of this was that on the way home, when cycling down a hill, he lost control and crashed.  We would not have been going so fast, but I encouraged him to do so.  To be fair to him, he cycled home (reluctantly at first) really well afterwards.  My daughter was not interested on going out on her bike as they both started to use their science kits when at home which allowed me to go out by myself and try to get fitter and they have now started to make some crystals.  I had the opportunity to increase my speed at cycling as well as trying to make it up a steep hill that is defeating me for now.

After this, it was time to do some much needed gardening.  To be fair, my wife did most while we helped.  I was given some simple work that I could not ruin (I hope) which involved taking dead things out of the ground, taking down some dead plants and making sure that everything fitted in the recycling bags that the council use and collect every other week.  In addition to this, my wife made me put up the birdhouses that the children had painted earlier in the year, a lot earlier in the year.  After this it was a trip to Tony and Isobel to watch the Arsenal game.  I had hoped that The Manchester team that rhymes with City would have won against Real Madrid, on penalties, but that did not happen.  After a very nervy start and going down a goal (and after equalising, another) I thought we did quite well.  While I think that it is a disappointment that we did not take the opportunity to finish top of the league, it is much more of an issue for them.  While we have put together an expensive team, others have spent more and our opponents today have the most expensive squad, featuring several of our old players.

Anyway, time for bed.  Goodnight!

    

#MayThe4thBeWithYou

My kids are awesome and I do not say this enough to them.  Today we were in the garden fighting with lightsabers and while I had to let them win last year, this time they beat me fair and square. Saying that, it is when they work together as they are not good enough to take me on one-on-one.  But I am both a lot older and taller than they are. 

On Monday my son demonstrated his improvement with his bike.  We had to see if we could get some vouchers from one of the shops in town so we cycled there (well part of the way) and then cycled as much as we could home. I was able to cycle up slopes that I could not tackle before, but I have had more practice than he has had.  But he did really well with what he was able to do.  I did push him and he was able to do more than he has done before which was really impressive. He refused to give up where he had to do so before.

I was not able to take my daughter out on her bike as I had to put a bookcase together that my wife had bought months ago.  And today when mowing the lawn I realised that I appeared to have more energy once I finished which I think was due to exercise that I am now trying to do on weekends.

Good night all!

I've created a shoe made out of Lego, so when you step on Lego it doesn't hurt. You just get taller.

We are back at home, the kids are in bed and we are watching Modern Family.  While the children, I and Alex went out to Legoland, my wife spent the day resting and then with Isobel and Tony.  

Legoland was great, and for me, a very full day.  While the children are getting too old for the rides, they did appreciate the Star Wars weekend that is held there and did enjoy the few rides that bring them some of the adrenaline that they crave.  Needless to say, I did not scream on any of the rides.  But they enjoyed meeting up with many people from Star Wars.  I have to say that there were not as many as there had been last year, but it was still an enjoyable Sunday (and if anyone from Legoland is reading this, get more for next year).  I got the two not as little ones to close their eyes in the back of the Saab on the way home and it did work to make them get some sleep, which was just as well as it was late when we got back home.  I now have many photos of them with characters from Star Wars, memories to treasure, and they have memories of me (fake, honestly) screaming on the rides!

Yesterday we had spent time with Isobel and Tony as well.  In the morning, I had been out to work, and as a personal achievement, I was able to ride to work better than I had done ever so far.  There is a steep hill on the way there, and I was able to ride up part of it.  Following this, there is a shallow gradient up which I was not able to cycle up before, but was able to do so.  I did not leave as early in the morning as I wanted so I did not complete as much paperwork as I needed to go through, but still, it was an improvement.  I need to get fitter, I know that it will not guarantee health, but I know that it will improve my odds of being a father to my children, and a husband to my wife for longer.

Later when at home, we went out for a meal at Bambu Vietnamese restaurant.  My wife had been here earlier in the week with Isobel had kindly taken her out.  Her knee is improving compared to last week, but still it needs lots of rest, however, she has returned to work (a decision I do not agree with).  While the initial service could have been better, it was good food and it is somewhere that I am sure we will be returning to.  My only issue with it is parking which is limited.  Although there are some parking bays opposite it, when we arrived there yesterday, one BMW had decided to park in two spaces. 

After this and returning the television that Father Christmas had bought for us, it was a trip to watch the Arsenal game with Tony, my daughter reading a book, my son playing MineCraft with Ben (who sadly I did not get to take to Legoland) and my wife resting there.  When it came to the Arsenal game, it was good that we won, and with other results, we may even be able to finish above the scum.  But our ability to finish in third is dependent on our own results, not that of others.  We are aided by the decision of The Manchester Team That Rhymes With City to replace their manager at the end of the season.  This means that his priority will be to win a trophy rather than finish in the top three, or possibly four.  And the only trophy that he can now win is the European Cup.  So I am hoping that they are still in it when it comes to them playing us on the 8th of May, ideally after an exhausting game against Real Madrid on the 4th that has gone to extra time and preferably penalties.  The game was noted for the demonstration for a change of manager, and while I understand that desire, I think that it is wrong to do so in the ground when there is so much to play for.  In the ground support the team and the players (even Giroud) but outside the ground, let the board know about the feelings and frustrations of the supporters who bring the atmosphere to the ground that is needed to help the team win.  While Arsène Wenger has brought two FA cups to Arsenal in the last three seasons, we were top this season and threw it all away.  I, like so many others was amazed that Giroud was starting and that Alex Iwobi was taken off, but Arsène was right as it was Giroud who provided the header for Welbeck to score in a game that meant so much to Norwich considering the results earlier in the day.

Dinner with Tony and Isobel was much appreciated and now to bed.

Goodnight all and enjoy the music from Max Milner!

    

NHS = No to Hunt's Stupidity

This post is about the speech Jeremy Hunt gave to parliament about the Junior Doctors strike that he could have averted by negotiations and provides some clarifications on the arguments that he uses.

"Mr Speaker, we have many choices in life but one thing over which we have no control is the day of the week we get ill. That is why the first line on the first page of this government’s manifesto said that if elected we would deliver a 7 day NHS so we can promise NHS patients the same high quality care every day of the week. We know from countless studies there is a weekend effect showing higher mortality rates for people admitted to hospital at weekends; the British public know it too; and today we reaffirm that no trade union has a right to veto a manifesto promise voted for by the British people."

"We are proud of the NHS as one of our greatest institutions. But we must turn that pride into actions – and a 7 day service will help us turn the NHS into one of the safest, highest quality healthcare systems in the world."

"This week, Mr Speaker, the BMA has called on junior doctors to withdraw emergency care for the first time ever. I will update the House on the extensive measures being taken up and down the country to try to keep patients safe but before I do that I wish to appeal directly to all junior doctors not to withdraw emergency cover which creates particular risks for accident and emergency, maternity units and intensive care units." 

"I understand the frustration many junior doctors feel that because of pressures on the NHS frontline they are not always able to give patients the highest quality of care that they would like to. I understand that some doctors may disagree with the government over our 7 day NHS plans and particularly the introduction of a new contract. I also understand that doctors work incredibly hard, including at weekends, and that strong feelings exist on the single remaining disagreement of substance, Saturday premium pay."

"But the new contract offers junior doctors who work frequently at weekends more Saturday premium pay than nurses, paramedics, than the assistants who work in their own operating theatres, more than police officers or fire fighters and nearly every other worker in the public and private sectors." 

"Regrettably, over the course of this pay dispute 150,000 sick and vulnerable people have seen their care disrupted, and the public will rightly question whether this is appropriate or proportionate action by professionals whose patients depend on them. Taking strike action is a choice and if they won’t listen to the Health Secretary I would urge them to listen to some of the country’s most experienced doctors – Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Professor Dame Sally Davies and former Labour health minister Lord Darzi – who have all urged doctors to consider the damage both to patients and the reputation of the medical profession that it will cause."

"Let me also today address some of the other concerns that have been raised by junior doctors." 

"Firstly the concern that a 7 day NHS might spread resources too thinly. This government’s financial commitment to the NHS has already seen a like for like increase of 10,700 more hospital nurses and 10,100 more doctors. Following last year’s spending review which, despite the pressure on national finances, committed the government to a £10 billion real terms increase in the annual NHS budget by 2020, I can today tell the House that by the end of this parliament the supply of doctors trained to work in the NHS will have increased by a further 11,420. So whilst it is true that pressures on the NHS will continue to increase on the back of an ageing population, we are not saying that the current workforce will have to bear all the strain of delivering a 7 day service even though of course they must play their part."

"Secondly, there is concern that the government may want to see all NHS services operating 7 days. Let me be clear: our plans are not about elective care but about improving the consistency of urgent and emergency care at evenings and weekends. To do this, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has prioritised 4 key clinical standards that need to be met. These include making sure patients are seen by a senior decision maker no more than 14 hours after arrival at hospital; 7 day availability of diagnostic tests with a 1 hour turnaround for the most critically ill patients; 24 hour access to consultant directed interventions, such as interventional radiology or endoscopy; and twice daily reviews of patients in high dependency areas such as intensive care units. Around one quarter of the country will be covered by trusts meeting these standards from next April, rising to the whole country by 2020."

"Thirdly, there is the concern that proper 7 day services need support services for doctors in the weekends and evenings as much as doctors themselves. Less than half of hospitals are currently meeting the standard on weekend diagnostic services, meaning patients needing urgent or emergency tests on a Saturday or Sunday, such as urgent ultrasounds for gallstones or diagnostics for acute heart failure, face extra hours in hospital at weekends or even days of anxiety waiting for weekday tests. Our new standards will change this, with senior clinician-directed diagnostic tests available 7 days a week for all hospitals by 2020."

"Finally, there is a legitimate concern that a 7 day NHS needs to apply to services offered outside hospitals if we are properly to reduce the pressure on struggling A & E departments. So as announced last week, the government’s 7 day NHS will also see transformed services through our GPs."

"We are committing an extra £2.4 billion a year for GP services by 2020/21, meaning that spending will rise from £9.6 billion last year to over £12 billion by 2021 – a 14% real terms increase. Thanks to this significant investment, patients will see a genuine transformation in how general practice services operate in England. By 2020 everyone should have easier and more convenient access to GP services, including at evenings and weekends. We will not be asking all GP practices to open at weekends to deliver this commitment, instead using networks of practices to make sure people can get an evening or weekend appointment nearby even if not at their regular practice. We have committed to recruiting an additional 5,000 doctors to work in General Practice to help meet this commitment and will support GPs in this transformation by harnessing technology to reduce bureaucratic burdens."

"Returning to the strikes, the impact of the next 2 days will be unprecedented with over 110,000 outpatient appointments and over 12,500 operations cancelled. However, the NHS has made exhaustive preparations in order to try to make sure patients remain safe and I want to thank those many people in NHS England, NHS Improvement and every trust in the country who have been working incredibly hard over this weekend to that effect. I myself have chaired a series of contingency planning meetings, bringing together the operational response across the entirety of the NHS and social care. From this, NHS England has worked with every trust to ensure that they have plans in place to provide safe care, with particular focus on their emergency departments, maternity units, cardiac arrest teams and mental health crisis teams. As part of their duties for civil contingency preparedness, trusts also have major incident plans in place which are ready to be enacted if required."

"NHS England has also asked GP practices and other primary care providers in some areas to extend their opening hours so patients can continue to get the important, but non-emergency, care such as follow-ups and assessments, they need."

"Finally, we have set up a dedicated strike page on the NHS website to provide as much information as possible to the public during this strike action on what local alternatives to hospital care there are, where these alternatives are, and when they are open. This website is now live."

"The NHS 111 system will also work as normal during the strike, and has been provided with additional staff to cope with expected increased demand. We would encourage people concerned that they may need urgent care to visit this website, and call 111 in advance of showing up at their local A&E department."

"Mr Speaker the NHS is busting a gut to keep the public safe. But we should not lose sight of the underlying reason for this dispute, namely this government’s determination to be the first country in the world to offer a proper patient-focused 7 day health service. To help deliver this, the NHS will this year receive the sixth biggest funding increase in its history. But it’s not just about money, as we know from the mistakes of previous governments. It’s also about taking the tough and difficult decisions necessary to make sure we really do turn our NHS into the safest, highest quality healthcare system in the world."

"This government will not duck that challenge and I commend this statement to the House."

Game of Thrones, the sixth series

A quick post in the commercial break.  Needless to say, I am very excited to watch Game of Thrones.  Before I used to have an idea of what was to happen as I had read the books, but this time, like so many I have no idea what is to happen next.  And it is going to be so frustrating.  I am of the view that the books and the series are to have different endings, and considering the way things have gone so far, I expect Cersei to win the throne in one, and Littlefinger to win in the other.  

On the topic of chess, the following tournaments have been lost by me
Roses vii
TGAP: Summer Championship 2015 - French Defense
30th Chess.com Quick Knockouts (1201-1400)
play welll

But I have been fortunate enough to win a few as well.  Anyway, back to Game of Thrones...

The knee is getting better

First of all, the knee is improving.  My wife can walk, which is a big improvement on this time last week.  She can not walk far, but she is able to drive.

And that meant that yesterday, on St Georges Day, that we were able to celebrate our heritage and teach our children about it.  However, they were not able to take part in the march in town today which both have taken part in the past as it would have been much too painful for my wife, that and my daughter has no uniform for Guides, which she has just joined after moving on from Brownies.

So instead in the morning I took the kids out for a bike ride (again).  My son took this picture of bluebells in the front garden before we went for our ride.  While he had improved loads in the last ride, due to wind, he was not able to do as much as before, it may be that this was the most that he has ridden before.  The only issue with working this out, was that when waiting for him in places I would be riding in circles, but it does not take away from the way that he has improved.  

Sadly, my daughter was not able to ride as much as her thigh was causing her pain and we stopped her ride quicker than I wanted to do so.  But these rides are more for them rather than me.  And on that issue, while I had wanted to be able to ride into work, I was not able to do so thanks to some issues with sleeping on Friday night.  However, I have managed to complete one challenge with cycling.  I have a lot more to do, and aim to get better.  But I have told my wife that my intention is never to wear Lycra and to be honest, I am not sure I will get to the level of fitness where that would be needed.

All this though makes up for the disappointment of the game against Sunderland.  I had expected a draw, though I was hoping for a win.  While Cech was impressive, Vito Mannone played as if he had a point to prove.  When in a race, a draw is not good enough and we may not finish in the top four for the first time in ages.  I watched it with friends while my wife watched another film while resting her poorly knee.  And they were kind enough to feed our children and us and entertain us, which was much appreciated now as it has been in the past.

Anyway, good night and enjoy the music as much as I am looking forwards to Game of Thrones!  

What did the lawyer name his daughter? Sue.

Since my last post, my wife is still not up on her feet.  But fortunately her mother has come up and is helping us, which means that the kids are being taken and picked up from school and fed. My wife is getting better, but without the help her mother is giving, I am not sure what we would have been able to do.

I have been watching the football from the weekend.  Of course, I am very annoyed that we did not win.  From a season where we looked like we were going to end up with Cameron Diaz (i.e. win the title) we are now scrapping for Susan Boyle.  And worse, the Scum may win the title and if they do, I can not see how Arsène can survive as the manager of the club.  It is one thing not being able to compete with the money that the other clubs have been throwing about, but when they fail, it leaves the league open and when you are top of the league, to throw it away and worse, have our rivals exploit our weakness, well that is too hard to bear.  While we have been unlucky with decisions going against us (as in other seasons), it is still not acceptable.

The visit of West Ham to the Walkers Stadium was interesting as I feel the referee, like many others, got things wrong.  While Vardy should have been sent off, both the penalties should not have been given.  It is wrong that defenders foul the opposition in the penalty box and get away with it, but if you are going to act, the referee has to be consistent, not just in one game, but all in others.

Anyway, time for bed now.  And I hope you enjoy the music and song.


My mother hates sports so after being forced to go to a football game with her grandchildren this was her conclusion. Football consists of 22 men on the field desperately in need of a rest, and 40,000 in the stands desperately in need of exercise.