Saturday 18 February 2012

From the Mail's GP, a deeply provocative confession

It's the Mail, I know, but I think he has a point.

Should I discover tomorrow that I have advanced, life-threatening cancer, I won’t go rushing to the doctors for a heavily invasive course of medical treatment. No, I will shut up my London surgery, head to my home in Norfolk, stock up on gin and tonic and have a jolly good time until I meet my end.

Like most doctors, I understand that much of the care we offer patients who have serious, life-threatening illnesses is ultimately futile.

Worse, it can involve many months of gruelling treatments that might possibly extend the length of one’s life, but do nothing for its quality ...

Charged or Not?

I had forgotten I'd not finished this, life gets in the way.

Time scale - crashed car about 4pm

Probably put in cell not long after, eventually when I'd run out of cigarettes and made enough noise I laid on the hard plastic mattress and drifted off to sleep.  Why do they have the heating up so high in there?  If they reduced it a bit they could pay for some old people to have heat in their homes!

It was dark when two guys woke me up, it was like a dream, they were plain clothes and kept asking me about Mike, I told them what I knew and they left.  I went back to sleep, was woken later by some other knob head kicking his door and shouting. It's obligatory behaviour it seems.

The next morning got breakfast, horrible sausage and something on a paper plate with plastic cutlery. Very hungover, felt grimy and dirty and wanted to go home.  I asked the guy who brought the breakfast, 'why am I being kept here', he said he didn't know.  Great!!

To cut to the chase:  I was escorted to a room, two police officers there, might have been duty solicitor, can't really remember, I sat down and they explained about taping the interview, at this stage I was just tired, not really thinking of anything except to get home.

They put on the tape!  Then brought exhibit bags out and showed me one by one, and told me they were investigating a series of armed robberies, that's why I'd been kept in overnight while they contacted different police forces for information!!

Me??!  Me, you think I'm an armed robber??  I laughed, but I could see they were totally serious.

To be continued

Wednesday 8 February 2012

Horoscope for 8th February 2012

You could frighten yourself now because you feel bold enough to do things that you might normally pass by. Your uncharacteristic courage has others taking notice of your new sense of optimism, which inspires them to have more confidence in you. Your positive attitude can open doors that were previously closed, so be receptive to the support that comes your way today.

Tuesday 7 February 2012

Vanishing of the Bees - Beekeeper Leaks EPA Document.mp4


Why our bees are dying. If you are not familar with this dangerous phenomenal action that is occurring in the USA.


Sunday 5 February 2012

The Boys in Blue

Fast forward a bit and Mark (name changed) started to drink in secret. I must have been so naive but looking back I can see where it started, but he was well into it by the time I really found out and confronted him about it.

Basically he said he's going to drink, if not at mine then somewhere else. So he drank, so did I, my kids were so disappointed.

He had strange moods, very up and down, manic, later diagnosed as manic depressive but at the time we didn't know this.  So this generally nice and sweet person would suddenly switch and be violent and aggressive, he frightened me when he was like that.

Anyway, one day he disappeared, he'd only gone to see his mates but I panicked, like I did in those days, and drove round to find him.  He was drinking with his mates.  I joined in oblivious to the fact I still had to drive home.

His mates, at the hostel, said I could stay there till I was a bit more sober, but I was ok, I only staggered a bit.

We drove off down the road, turned right and the next thing I knew there was a massive noise and a tree was bent over my bonnet, steam rising from somewhere.  I'd had a blackout.  Mark dashed out .. shouting and trying to drag me out of the car.  I insisted I could back it up and drive home still.

This was shown to be doubtful after the event when we saw the two front wheels staring at each other.

He dragged me out of the car and hit me, shouting what a fucking idiot I was.  Two people walked past and must have phoned the police because the next thing I knew Mark had legged it and I'm speaking to the boys in blue.

Being drunk I wasn't too bothered by this, I thought I'll talk my way out easy.  They had other ideas.  I found myself in an office with the police going through my bag. I thought what a fucking cheek, and said so with the bravado of a bottle of vodka in me.

Now my bag is more of a suitcase with everything but the kitchen sink in it and boy oh boy did I leap out of the chair when they found my half bottle stashed at the bottom .. before they could move, I'd snatched it, opened it, and gulped down what was left, which annoyed them even more.  That's when I found myself stuck in a vile dirty cell with fags but no lighter, how cruel is that?!

To be continued.

Armed Robbery

This is a tale of misunderstandings, some funny, some not, especially for the innocents dragged into something they had no control of.

First up, the amusing part.

At one of my many stints in rehab for alcoholism my eye caught a new guy, I thought mm he's not bad.  In the therapy groups I liked his voice, liked what he said and we got to know each other. I gave him a lift one day as I came upon him walking towards the unit, he said 'this is the first time I've been in a car without a blanket over my head'.  He gave the impression of being 'Jack the Lad' but underneath he was very unsure of himself and had massive self esteem issues.

I asked what he meant and he said he'd just been released after serving time for armed robbery.  He was living in a hostel at the time.

Anyway over the days we talked and in coffee times he did the telegraph crossword while I wandered off to get my daily pennies for the petrol used in getting to the unit.  One time I came back and he passed  me a note.  It said 'give me your money, I've got a gun under the paper' .. we both laughed and I tucked it into my handbag as a rather silly memento.

One time he showed me a diagram of a bank in London, the vaults, where he'd worked as an electrician for a short time, most of his jobs where short term as his drinking always came first.  I kept that too, as we were getting serious and I'm a one for keeping little bits and pieces.

At the time I was having a brief time off drink, but he was smoking hash and I'd give him lifts to do his deals, all very exciting for a boring working class mother.  I know now it's not exciting at all.

We were both broken people, but he was nice, and we ended up living together.  I honestly thought we'd never drink again, I was happy after the misery of my divorce and really thought this was for keeps.

To be continued.