Wordless Wednesday……..

A walk along the River Neve in Pictures…..

This morning at the prospect of a lovely warm summer’s day ahead I decided to take my camera for a stroll along the banks River Nene and see what I could find and then have a go at including some of the photos in my blog.

   These horses are a very common sight in the fields by the river, the horses belong to Gypsies and or travellers and I do feel for the horses…There are left in a field with very little natural shade and no food apart from the weeds now crowing in the field….The horses rely on local people who walk here popping into Tesco and buying some carrots apples etc for the horses. These horses are here all year round and in the winter the fields are prone to flooding but the horses are still there. The RSPCA are aware as I have complained on a number of occasions but nothing seems to be done and i am sure i am not the only one to complain……

  I came across this Herron sat on the weir as I was sat at a Lock that looked to have seen better days but was still in working order I think I must have startled the Herron as he was soon airborne after this photo……

 I am sorry that the camera did not do this justice as it was a stunning sight to see the Herron in full flight…..The river bank was alive with activity mostly dragon flies who were busy flying around and the water was crystal clear and it was lovely to watch the fish swim around mostly Roach and Perch and I would say a few Roach to about a pound and plenty or Perch to about half a pound….Lovely sight with the water lilies coming into flower…..

Then I came to the old railway Viaduct and waited what seemed an age to see a train cross so i got see the viaduct in action…I was so disappointed all I got was a maroon coloured (guessing that must be the corporate colour scheme of the company that has the freight franchise) locomotive….(I believe it’s  a German company and the engines are soon to be painted bright Red)……What

I was really hoping for was a steam locomotive in all its glory crossing over the viaduct….(well I can dream cant I)

While stood waiting for the train I ended up having a sneezing fit in the long grass and as a result I startled a family of ducks quiet accidently…….

And Finally I found this chap in among all the swans on the promenade…..not sure where he comes from but he seems very happy being with the swans and not with his own……Didn’t seem bothered by me trying to take his photo while he was having a wash…….

Thank you for reading and i hope that you have enjoyed the photographs….This is my first attempt at using photos in a blog or using photos with word for that matter any tips hints or criticism would be gratefully received and useful for next time….I now regard this blog as something of an achievement for me being such a luddite and having to overcome so many problems…..but i made it in the end……Thank you again……

Found this Herron this morning………

 

Took this picture this morning, and when i loaded onto the computer i noticed then when i enlarged the photo what stunning colours the Herron has…..Tried to enlarge and save but dont think that worked…..

Blank Blog

Sorry that my earlier blog was blank i am having a few luddite problems today and am struggling to upload text and photos…..so after nearlly getting the completed article ready before the computer crashed i have decided to leave it for today and try again later in the week……

A Stroll along the River Neve with my Camera………….

 

River Nene Stroll in Pictures

This goes to prove you never know what is round the corner…..

This is the story of my last 7 days and how it has gone and ended up in the best place just before that I thought it was going to be a complete disaster…….

It all started when the guy next door knocked at the door last Sunday afternoon and introduced himself as he has only been there a few weeks…He seemed pleasant enough and he is Hungarian but speaks very good English…Then he turned the conversation to religion. It turns out he is a born again Christian. I don’t object to religion but I do object to people trying to force their religion on me or anyone else for that matter. I do not have a religion and do not wish to have a religion. (thats a story for another blog) I tried to explain this to him but he was talking too much and not listening and after about half an hour or so he went and left me in peace….
Then on Monday morning at work I had the office bore going on about how he could have won the game for England on Saturday and he went on and on and on and to be honest it was too much for me and I could not cope with it….I thought you went to work to earn money and work for your employer not to chat or natter to your work mates.
Then the dreaded sore throat that heralds the arrival of Man Flu started to show and this just got worse as the day went on, and by Tuesday lunchtime I was feeling very rough and this carried into Tuesday night and in the night I lost a lot of blood through my mouth which was a surprise however I was in a lot of pain with my teeth but my GP knew about this and was dealing with the problem.
I made it to work on Wednesday morning after feeling slightly better when I woke on Wednesday morning however this did not last long and I went downhill past and in the end I was sent to see the company doctor and the rest of this story is subject of my last blog so I won’t repeat it all again…..
Then on Thursday I had to cover the late shift and did not get home due to the dreaded engineering works until 2 am on Friday morning and got to bed for 2.30/2.45 and was up again at half past four but didn’t feel too bad and managed a good day at work and was pleased with that….Then the journey home and the station was packed but East Midlands Trains could only manage to find a 4 coach train and over 40 percent of that was for first class passengers…So I was squashed on to the train unable to move and struggling to breath until we arrived at Wellingborough…..But I made it home and was pleased to be home….Few quick chores including taking the rubbish and recycling to the bins when I heard the thud of someone getting hit and the lady next door came rushing out crying as I was returning from the bins…..Turns out that her husband the born again Christian had hit her and it was a nasty strike from what I could see…. I took her into mine and called the Police for help and advice…..They took over an hour to get someone there who knew what to do and who to speak too and by this time it was five thirty on Friday afternoon and most people had gone home who could help….I persuaded the lady to go to hospital and that the police would help and look after her.
I went to hospital with her and made sure she was ok and by this time the Police had got their act together and things were under control so I left it there and made my way home…. I don’t know what the outcome was as it’s been very quiet all weekend next door but I can only hope that the lady will do the right thing and make a complaint but I have this horrible feeling that she wont and he will persuade her to go back to him as if nothing had happened…….I should add that they have a small baby daughter but I hope he has to attend court and asked to leave the country for his crime but the mother and daughter are allowed to stay and this country helps her start a new life…Fingers crossed I did speak to a support group who offered to talk to her and help her I just hope she accepts this help…After all the so called Christian is just a plain old bully that no one likes….
Still suffering a lot of pain from the mouth and tongue infection and the bruising from the dentist which i am lead to believe could last for months…but on the plus side I have lost some weight over the last couple of months and I am hoping this will continue…Saturday came and it was rugby time as Australia played England in Sydney and I was there watching via the internet and it was a great game with the lead changing hands several times before Jonny kicked a penalty to see England win 21 20 and what a great game and a fantastic performance and the best bit was the England players were proud to wear the shirt unlike the footballers the night before….So proud of the rugby players and i can hold my head up high at work tomorrow and say my England won at the weekend….

I was hoping to see my Daughter today for Father’s Day but her mother put a spanner in the works and said she could not go as she was needed at home…..She would not give or lend her the money for the bus fare either…..We have a system whereby I transfer money from my bank account to my daughters bank account to cover the bus fare….I transferred the money on Thursday and it takes seconds to reach my daughters bank account however for some reason the money is still not in the account…..
Just when I was resided to the fact that my Father’s Day would be spent on my own there was a knock at the door and there was my daughter as she had managed to borrow some money from a neighbour to get the bus so we spent the day watching Invictus (fathers day gift) a fantastic film about rugby and stuffing our faces at Pizza Hut……So in the end it was a great day….

Guess what I am trying to say is you never know what is round the corner or what the next day is going to bring and when you are up you can go down and when you are down and feeling so low don’t give up as you never know who may knock at the door…

Thank you for reading my blog……

NHS vs Private…..I was wrong…….

NHS vs Private……healthcare…….

Well I never thought I would write this blog…..I have for ever since I can remember been a massive fan of the NHS and never believed in private medical care. I am lucky to have an employer who provides me and the girls with private medical care but I was sure I would never want to use it….The NHS were fantastic when 2 years ago a had a large heart attack and a Pulmonary Embolism…

About six weeks ago I had a nasty infection on my tongue and it was very painful, I was given antibiotics and sent me on my way by the GP. My local GP doesn’t not provide a very good service but then it’s a big practice and I get the impression that there are an awful lot of timewasters. So to get to see a doctor it’s a couple of phone calls and a question and answer session with a doctor. Then you get an appointment and then it’s off to the surgery to join queue after queue before getting to see a doctor an hour after the appointment time…..

The first visit helped for a few days then I went downhill again and I saw a different doctor who admitted he didn’t know what had happened or what was wrong and took some swabs and then gave me some new medication and I was sent on my way….With an appointment made for two weeks time to get the test results and see what was needed to get me back to full health….The two weeks passed and I felt slightly better but in true style the swabs had been lost and the doctor still didn’t know what was wrong what had caused the problem of what to do. So he said he would refer me to the hospital and see what they said…. I am still waiting for the hospital to contact me and offer an appointment….Well things have changed this week I have felt very rough and suspected I had man flu but this morning by mid morning I was feeling so ill I was struggling at work and just wanted to crash out….My boss sent me to the company doctor which is a private service offered under the medical insurance. I was there 30 seconds and I was seeing the doctor and he took one look and said. You need to see a dentist as a tooth has moved and is catching the tongue and given you the biggest ulcer i have ever seen. So back to work I went and rang my dentist and asked for an emergency appointment and they offered one in three weeks time….Then changed that to two and a half weeks. I was stunned and didn’t thing I could wait that long.

My boss rang the practice and asked again on my behalf explaining this was an emergency and a letter or referral from a GP could be provided and then if it wasn’t deemed an emergency he would pay… This didn’t work he then spoke to the company legal rep and NHS direct and after about half an hour I was registered with a different dentist in Kettering about 7 miles from home but they wanted to see me this afternoon… I saw the dentist who was puzzled by the tooth that had moved but said I will file the point down to relieve the catching and pain and I will treat the pain and infection and I want to see you in a week to see how things are……Once the infection and pain is under control the dentist has promised to sort the tooth out even though she admitted she didn’t know what to do about it at the moment and may have to see advise from elsewhere…..We had fun and games as they could not get the aesthetic into the area as the infection was so mad and in the end she had to file the tooth without any pain relief and ignore me being a wimp and get the tooth sorted.

Now if it had not been for private medical care I would be sat here this evening feeling worse than I do now and not knowing when the pain was going to end….At least now I know in a few days I will start to feel better….So I have to admit private medical care does have its benefits and I am grateful to my employer for providing this service for me and the girls…. I would also like to thank the new practice for seeing me at such short notice today and the dentist for helping me…….

Thank you for reading my blog……

World Cup 2010 Do you feel the same as me…Bored already!!!!…

Right it’s time for me to have a good old moan about the up and coming world cup which I believe starts today and goes on for over four weeks….Loads of money will be made for a select few in a country where most of the people live to a very poor standard and well below what we would call acceptable, we must not forget the very high level of aids and the very high number of orphaned children who have lost their parents to aids….But I am guessing that this will get brushed aside and we will see football glamour and all the extras that go with this image….like the wag’s or whatever they are called…
Another point is in the country of ours the extras and latches onto football that have appeared, it seems that everywhere I go at the moment there is someone of something that is supporting the world cup from a commercial point of view, most of the shops seem to have latched onto this. I now understand that McDonalds are the official restaurant of the world cup. McDonalds and restaurant are not two words that i would put in the same sentence. I have found out the England football team has an official supermarket and this is Tesco. I just can’t image the Likes of Wayne Rooney popping down to their local supermarket let alone Tesco…..But on visiting Tesco for the weekly shop I am bombarded with extras relating to football…T shirts balls stickers and the like and it just seems too much and most of the goods is of a poor quality but expensive…The shop is full of flags for the world cup and to me it all seems too much for me. I even noticed that B & Q the DIY retailer has got into the act and is selling world cup extras including a gnome painted in the England colours…I just wonder how much money has exchanged hands for these sponsorship deals and how much of this money will find its way back to the people who deserve it…
Am I the only one who has lost interest with football and isn’t that interested in the world cup any more….Many years ago in the summer of 1974 when the world cup was in German and England were not there due to loosing I think to Poland. My mother offered to buy me a sports bag for school and the option in the shop was Scotland Nederland’s and one other that I can’t remember. My mother was hinting at Scotland but there was no way I was going to have a bag with the Scotland name on it so I opted for the Nederland’s and I have supported them ever since, not sure why but I have never been a fan of the England team… I don’t see this as being unpatriotic just my choice for who I support…I will not watch the world cup this summer as I believe it’s all about the money and not the game anymore and too much money will be made for the wrong people…
I was shocked to read in the Metro on Thursday morning that the penny has dropped and everyone is worried about the extra crime that is going to take place. South Africa is a lovely country and the people are very warm and friendly but there is a crime problem and this is likely to be in the form of mugging and street robberies and the odd car jacking…There is very high unemployment in South Africa so this leads to crime and also the Police are not that well paid. So the wealthy people employ security guards who are armed and react much fast than the police to an incident. So I believe there will be a lot of crime sad as it is I can’t think of a way to prevent this happening…
My last thoughts are to the BBC, I would love to know what their budget is as to me it seems that every employee with the BBC is in South Africa for the world cup… For starters why does Nicky Cambell have to host the breakfast show out in South Africa, don’t understand that and I guess loads of others are out there too….In a year when the BBC is cutting some of its Radio stations to save money and has lost the rights to broadcast the Rugby world cup in 2011 on the radio I just wonder how much has been spent and I always understood that the BBC was there to cover events for the minority and not spend fortunes bidding against rivals for the rights of the world cup (Football)….I am just not happy with this what are they providing for non football fans…I guess nothing and the obviously don’t care about the rugby fans……

Thank you for reading my blog and I have just heard that this world cup has cost $ 6,600,000,000 to build and put on….now that’s a waste in my book…..Please let me know what you feel excited or fed up….
So if you’re not a fan of Football or Big Brother there is nothing on television for the next 4 odd weeks just as well there are enough songs on my iPod to play nonstop for that period and not get a repeat……

Reading and Dyslexia

I love Books……………….

As some of you may know I have dyslexia, and this posses a few problems when it comes to reading and writing especially grammar and spelling. But despite dyslexia I have developed over the years a love for books and reading and I have to confess to being able to sit down in an evening or go to bed early and read rather than watch the television.
At this time I find myself in a strange situation or what I feel is strange as I have four books on the go and I am enjoying them all just as much… I have split the books into four groups, one for the commute to and from work, one for in bed time of day, one for the sofa (this is usually a hardback book) and a sitting in the garden with a cuppa book.
The on the train book has just changed as on Monday morning I finished reading a book called ‘’Child 44’’ written by Tom Rob Smith this was an excellent book and well worth a read, the story is set in Russia under communism at the end to Starlin’s reign and is a fascinating story about a series or murders that the authorities do not believe are happening because who would you commit a crime in the perfect world of communism. All in all a great read brilliant story with plenty of twists and well worth reading…. Next is the sofa book which is called ‘’Lake Boats’’ “The enduring vessels of the Great Lakes’’ by Greg McDonnell and is a non fiction book about the coasters that ply their trade across the great lakes of America and Canada and there are some great pictures which tell more than a thousand words as well as some stories from the sailors of these coaster another great read.. For the commute to work I am reading a book by Gerald Seymour and is called the ‘’Unknown Soldier’’, I have only just started this book but it’s already proving to be a great read and I know I won’t be disappointed as I have read so many Gerald Seymour books over the last 30 years and never been disappointed.. For the cuppa in the garden and enjoying the warm fresh air is called ‘’Kilo Sierra Five One’’ and is written by Steve Woodward who was a policeman in the city of Portsmouth in the late 70’s and 80’s it’s a city that I was familiar with at this time and it’s a great insight to what went on and I remember so many of the haunts that he mentions…. The last book I am reading is a Jack Higgins book called ‘’The wolf at the Door’’ and is another good read, I must have read all of Jack Higgins books over the years and he is my soap opera as I am just hooked on the characters and they are such easy books to read and such good stories.
I sometimes have to read the page several times to get to find out what is happening and keep up with the story as sometimes the dyslexia is worse than others and the words can be moving all round the page I have help in the guise of a green plastic type sheet that I either place over the page and calm the words down or I place under the page to stop the words moving. I am probably not explaining this very well as I can’t find the words but it does help me a lot when it comes to reading, I also it helps with my dyslexia if I try and read on a daily basis and I do find if I don’t read for a week or so I do have problems and it takes a few days to get back….

Happy Reading and thank you for reading my blog………

Last Night on the Underground

Last Night on the Underground……

As usual last night on leaving work I caught the tube from Moorgate for the short journey to King Cross St Pancras…There had been problems due to a signal problem on the district line so the platform was crowded but I only waited second for the train. Standing room only and that was ok as it’s a 7 minute journey and I was happy as we moved to the other stations the train filled up and became packed. There was a gentleman near me who was stading with the aid of a stick and no one would give up their seat…
We arrived at Kings Cross St Pancras and the platform was packed and then the surge happened with people seeing the train was full and pushing to get on before we could get off…This was terrible with people getting stuck and not being able to get off as the others pushed into the train. I was stuck and had to give up and wait until the train got to Euston and then get a train back and as a result I missed my train home….
My moan is with the people who did not have the manners to wait and let the people off the train first…The train will never leave when there are people waiting to get on the train so they had nothing to worry about, some of the people pushing to get on we female as well as male and one in particular was doing a lot of pushing and shoving and was on the VERY large size.
I would love to know what happened to manners in the country of ours we used to pride ourselves on our manners and in a way I still do, am I the only one who does this now or was I just unlucky…..Would love to hear your thoughts on this matter…..