WHAT A LONG, STRANGE TRIP IT'S BEEN

I really do apologise for the slightly erratic bloggostuff over the last few weeks. Because I still have this blasted infection which two weeks of flucoxacillin have singularly failed to beat, the doctor has changed my medication and I am on a much more powerful antibiotic. My doctor warned me that it might well have adverse side affects, but I have to admit that I was not expecting this. I haven't felt quite like this since the aftermath of my first rock festival at Snapper, near Barnstaple in 1982 when I saw Mother Gong and Hawkwind whilst under the influence of a motley cocktail of cider and cheap drugs.

The bizarre thing was that what I enjoyed mightily aged 22, is a horrid experience aged 50, and apart from wondering grumpily why I ever paid good money to feel like this, I am fairly seriously non functione, which is a great pity as I have so much work to do, and it is becoming a real backlog.

Corinna and Graham went to see Noela yesterday (I was in bed for most of the day), and she seems to have recovered reasonably well from her adventures, although she is having problems with her zimmer frame. Here I would like to say something important that I missed out of my diatribe yesterday.

As many of you know, I was highly unimpressed with the way that my father was treated during his last illness, and have not been exactly enthusiastic with my portrayals of the workings of the National Health Service over the years. My opinion of the Social Services has been (if anything) even lower. However, I cannot fault the way that Noela was dealt with by Social Services, the ambulance service, and various doctors and nurses. They did everything one would have hoped, they were kind, and good spirited, and compassionate. Thank you guys - my faith in human nature has just been given a valuable boost.

There is one final issue with which I have to deal before I go back to bed for a bit. There seems to be an issue with blogger.com. They have always provided a smashing service but in the last few days all sorts of formatting anomalies have started appearing on this blog, and - much more seriously - pictures have begun disappearing from Corinna's. I am sure that these problems are completely fixable, but I would ask two things of the bloggo readership:

1. If there is anyone who has any experience in these matters who can offer help or advice please get in touch
2. We will get this fixed eventually. We apologise that the blogs look a bit weird at times, and that piccies are missing. It is not down to our neglect or mismanagement, so don't turn your backs on us in disgust.

Things will get back to normal sooner rather than later.

Slainte

Jon