Thursday 4 July 2013

Behind Every Legend.......

What a match! What a brilliant match! I just could not believe it and was on the edge of my seat for most of the time. So convinced was I that Murray was going out I nearly gave up after the second set but am so pleased I stuck with it. I hope Friday's semi final is a little more relaxed but somehow I doubt it.

Apart from nearly wrecking my heart rhythm watching the tennis, yesterday turned out to be a very lazy, relaxed day. Laurence went home after lunch, having stay for two nights, which was lovely and as I was still quite tired from Tuesday I just stayed on the settee and relaxed.

My chest continues to improve. My cough came back a little last night but I'm bringing up clear water so that is an improvement. My chest is no longer sore and I can breath quite deeply. I'm still very breathless on walking but it is improving too and my toilet trips are slowing down. I'm taking that as a sign that the water is finally reducing. I haven't weighed myself yet but my flatter belly and thinner legs are a testament to the weight that has come off. Of course it wasn't really weight anyway, just a build up of water in my system but it is still disheartening. The stiffness I was having has all but gone from my shoulder but the wrist and fingers on my left hand are still suffering a bit.


Today we are going up to MK again, just for a walk around really as I don't want to spend all day indoors. The weather isn't exactly sitting out in the sun material but according to the papers that is on the way from tomorrow. I'm so fed up with trying to track down that book I'm after to continue a series I'm going into Waterstones to see whether they have it. After all if I've got a weekend of sitting in the garden coming up I need something to read. I finished my latest book last night and really want to get on with this series as the first book was so good. If all else fails I'll just have to read something else and trawl Amazon, whom I absolutely hate buying from.

The Apprentice Watch

There is no Apprentice watch today as I promised my brother I would not give the game away until he's caught up.  I will be doing the double next week instead, John and Sue you've been warned.

In the news three stories have caught my attention.

Firstly there is the fabulously brave and forward thinking move by the Welsh Assembly to choose an 'opt out' system for organ donation. This will presume every one living in Wales for twelve months or more has agreed to give their organs after death unless they specifically make their objects clear by filling in a form. Although good news overall it is not due to be implemented until 2015 so which ever way you look at it too late for me.

Of course there are the vocal objectors who think it is morally wrong or that people will be allowed to die for their organs. As to the second objection I think it is all nonsense. Doctors have a moral and ethical duty to save life wherever possible and I think it is awful to accuse doctors of extinguishing one life deliberately to save someone else.

For the moral objectors I have two questions. Would your objections stay as strong if you or one of your family needed a transplant? I suspect not. And secondly if God hadn't meant this to happen, why did he give us the intelligence to improve medicine in this way? I'm not against anyones religious beliefs but sometimes I think there are double standards going on.


The change in law doesn't mean every organ from every body will be harvested. It also doesn't mean there is going to be a flood of seriously injured or ill patients having their deaths hastened along either. The increase in donors using this scheme is likely to be only 25% at best. A tiny rise when you consider how many need a transplant. According to the paper around 10,000 people are waiting for various transplants in the UK, the likely increase in transplant operations is fifteen, not fifteen per cent, just fifteen more operations. As I said, a drop in the ocean.

Nelson Mandela is still hovering on the brink of life and is, hopefully, oblivious to all that is going on around him. An unseemly row has broken out as to where the great man is going to be buried, and all before he's actually died. His grandson Mandla has been busy digging up relatives and moving them to his village in order to get Mandela's body interred there to increase tourism. The rest of the family want Mandela buried in the village of his birth, which is apparently Mandela's own wish. As a result three of Mandela's children have now been dug up and reburied twice. Talk about respecting the dead.

The bodies of the famous have always been seen as a source of profit. Just think of the medieval trade in the bones of saints. They would change hands at staggering prices. More recently hair and body parts form famous military leaders such as Napoleon are fought over, figuratively speaking, in auctions and sales. And just look at the row going on over the final resting place of Richard III, and all because wherever he ends up is where the tourists will flock.


However none of these people had to put up with people fighting over their bodies before they've even died. Nelson Mandela would turn in his grave if he knew what was going on, well when he eventually gets there. It is sad to think that someone who fought so hard for justice, respect and peace is now the cause of such acrimony. It just goes to show behind every living legend there is a family waiting to cash in and willing to go to extremes to do so. How very sad.

The final story is, by contrast, a trivial one but one that gets my back up every time I think about it.

A woman was told by a checkout cashier that she would not be served until she got off her mobile phone. Quite right too, nothing irritates me more than having someone serve me with a phone clamped to there ear so why should it be any different the other way around?

This woman instead of realising how crass and rude she was being decided to complain to Sainsburys about how rude the cashier was. I am utterly amazed at her attitude. She presumable thinks she is more important than a lowly cashier and therefore can do as she pleases. An attitude that is all to common these days.

It is not known what has happened to the cashier, I'm hoping nothing but Sainsburys saw fit to compensate this woman with a ten pound shopping voucher. Why? She was the one in the wrong and she should have been told that by the person dealing with her complaint.

Well time to get myself together and head off to the shops.Wish me luck on my book search.

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