19th Century
Frederick Pybus: the surgeon behind Lucozade
If you were ever handed a bottle of Lucozade when ill as a child, you can trace the origins of this back to a Stockton-born surgeon, a baby who died on his ward in 1908, [more…]
Medicine
Health
Introducing My Giant Spot
May I introduce you to my giant spot? It sits in the middle of my forehead and, upon closer inspection, seems to consist of a little stream, some flowers and a tree. Might it be [more…]
Health
Medical Musings
This is a warts an’ all musing upon the particular medical state I find myself in as I approach my 86th Birthday. As a soi-disant shortarse (I have lost c. 3 inches in height over [more…]
Health
The Anxiety Money Machine
The perception of normal human distress has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past three decades. What were previously thought of as everyday anxieties – such as worries about work, finance, relationships, health and the [more…]
Diary
A View From (Outside) The Greenhouse; T’Fickle Finger Of T’Fate…..Innit?
Firstly, allow me to apologise for so quickly getting off the horse after spending such a long time out of the saddle (as it were) before getting back on it. The best laid plans of [more…]
Health
New Knee or not New Knee? That is the question
I have an old Collins Sporting Diary from 1971. Quite why I have kept it, I don’t know. In amongst the entries about how bossy my sister was, that I’d asked Chi-Chi to go to [more…]
Diary
A View From A Hospital Bed; Folk (Nowt So Queer As Edition)
It’s the waiting that gets to you. I’d arrived, as requested, at 7am and was escorted to a curtained cubicle. The people looking after me, although my needs were minimal at this time, were all [more…]
Cooking
A Truncated View (Truly) From The Greenhouse; A Better Life (Part 2)
By the time my loyal reader gets around to reading this shorter than usual missive, I should be the proud owner of a brand new left hip. I take nothing for granted, but I’ve lost [more…]
America
California’s Medi-Cal implosion Explained
California’s Democrat socialist democracy, thanks to our one-party supermajority, is a sterling example for our country. At least its chief architect, Gavin Newsom, hopes so for his 2028 ambitions. His chief entitlement used to attract [more…]