In the 1970’s BBC sitcom The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin, his workplace quack Doc Morrissey would frequently confess to his patients he hadn’t a clue what was wrong with them, before prescribing aspirin and an assurance of its curing qualities. It seems to me this incompetent general practitioner’s quackery has a far more…
Tag: cancer
Thanks For What You’re Doing
“Thanks for what you’re doing.” Five shorts words (six if you count you’re as you are) that a supermarket customer felt compelled to convey to me yesterday. A short sentence of appreciation bestowed while donating to the cancer care charity I was stood collecting for. It wasn’t the most eloquent sentence I’d ever been…
An Anything But Brief Encounter
It was a dark unforgiving Lancastrian afternoon. In a scene not too dissimilar to Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson’s farewell in the 1945 movie Brief Encounter, an enamoured couple stood on the platform at Manchester Piccadilly railway station. In a matter of minutes the train would leave to distant parts. Tears welled in their ever…
Return To Sender!
This morning I was sad to read of the death of the Ray Tomlinson, the man credited with inventing email, at the age of 74. It isn’t known if the New York engineer left an ‘out of office’ message, but it is thought he will be cremated in a deleted mail bin at a quiet…
A Crowd of Golden Daffodils
I’ve just spent two hours dressed in a yellow tabard, wearing a huge daffodil on my head and with a box around my neck containing daffodil lapel pins. To clarify, when I say I had a huge daff on my head I mean a hat in that design, not that I have a yellow flower…
Filling Your Boots!
The changeability of the great British weather was perfectly highlighted today, when at 11am in Leeds heavy snow started falling; only for three hours later there to be sunshine and predominantly clear paths and roads. As I write, throughout our metropolis there will be thousands of fed up kids currently on their trek home from…
Paid In Buttons
Karen has endured another week of hospital visits. She had her consultation with her oncologist on Monday, undertakes her four weekly treatment today and undergoes a physio session tomorrow. Sat in the waiting room, my fatigue levels are heightened following another inadequate nights sleep. I’d woken early from a dream and couldn’t get back to…
Why Are You Wearing Flippers Mally?
On a couple of occasions recently I’ve had very pleasant lunches out, courtesy of two different Christmas gifts. On Friday, my wife Karen and I had a two course lunch with drinks at a Country House hotel in the Vale of York, courtesy of my sister Helen. While yesterday Karen, my parents and I had…
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
In 1982 the British punk rock band The Clash released a single that included the lyrics:- Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble And if I stay it will be double So you gotta let me know Should I cool it or should I blow? Should I…