Legacy

A legacy isn't just something you leave behind you when you die. It's something you are creating the whole time you are alive. How you live your life, what you do, what you don't do, what you give freely to others, what you keep for yourself, the truths & lies you tell.... The actions & beliefs of each of us matter.

We tend to think of legacy in terms of money & property. How much we have amassed, what we own. The status we have. But we can't take any of that with us on our final journey. So we have this notion of inherited wealth. We pass it on to our friends & family. The hope of a legacy can tie people to us in hope of benefit. (Much better if they actually like us for who we are.)  But wealth can also be a "poisoned chalice" because money & property changes people.

At 77 I think about how long I might have left. I think about what I have done with my life & what I could have done. As I've aged I have become more introspective. I think we all know, deep down, our own strengths & failings. Hopefully we learn to be better people as we go through life.

We don't get to go to our own funeral & hear the Eulogy. I'd really like to know what the people who have known me think of me. But then Eulogies can be works of fiction. People don't like to "speak ill of the dead". Many people find being really honest with friends & family about their strengths & weaknesses difficult. We try not to hurt peoples feelings. 

If we all thought more about our individual impact on those around us & the world we live in, perhaps the world wouldn't be in the mess that it is now.

"We all die. The goal is not to live for ever. The goal is to create something that will" - Palhaniuk

Covid Positive

I felt quite unwell yesterday. But I've been having a lot of vision problems so I thought it was that. When I stupidly went for my normal swim I discovered that it wasn't. So I did a lateral flow test. Positive! I've evaded it since 2020, but it's finally caught up with me.

I notified everyone I've been in contact with. My builders went home till next week. Because I'm clinically vulnerable I also notified the NHS. Fortunately I did a big food shop on Sunday & wore a mask. I'm used to being solitary, so it isn't a problem. The symptoms are relatively mild at the moment.

Now we are in the 3rd year we all know so much more about Covid & how to deal with it. There are systems in place. There is an app that works. Most people are vaccinated. It's all so much more positive than in 2020 when fear was predominant.

It is like a game of dominoes though. One piece falls & all the others follow. The knock on effect of Covid still needs to be taken seiously. We have all relaxed, because the extremes of shielding etc weren't viable long term. We have a more positive attitude to adapting to Covid.

But the pressures it is putting on the NHS are still there. Staffing & funding issues remain. Patients feel that their access to medics has been severely & permanenetly curtailed. Phone triage doesn't work for everything. The changes in the way the system operates are possibly necessary, but for patients they are not positive. We value a face to face consult with our doctors.

The morale of Medics has been knocked hard. 

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/what-the-bma-is-doing/covid-19-the-impact-of-the-pandemic-on-the-medical-profession

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/covid-19/what-the-bma-is-doing/covid-19-how-well-protected-was-the-medical-profession

It is really important that the government, the NHS & Medics associations honestly evaluate what has happened during Covid. There will be other pandemics & emergencies. We need a NHS that is ready to deal with them.

At the moment the outlook is not positive. Privatisation really won't help patients.

 

Patient Rights

I am a "heart sink" patient. A "thick file" patient. I seem to have had health problems since I was a child. Some conditions are chronic & will never be cured. (Hence "heart sink"). Some have required surgery. (Hence "thick file"). The NHS has always been there & has done it's best. Sometimes very effectively. Sometimes not so well. Neither the organisation nor the medics are perfect. I accept that & am grateful for the unique service we have in the UK.

But now I think there is a real problem. It's easy to blame Covid, but it pre dates that. It was an accident waiting to happen. (Sorry, couldn't resist!). The organisational & political flaws have been there for a long time.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50290033

We used to say that the system worked well if the problem was acute. A&E for example. No longer true.

https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/resource/a-e-waiting-times#background

Patients are waiting for treatment for many hours in many hospitals. Patients are waiting to be admitted to hospitals that have no room. Patients are waiting to see a GP or even just to have a phone triage. 

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/nhs-backlog-data-analysis

The NHS itself is a "critical patient." There aren't enough medics at any level. Those that we have are demoralised & under pressure. Unsurprisingly they are leaving. To go where? Retirement. A less stressful job. Or to the private sector where the pay & hours are better.

What is the political solution to this malaise?

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/comprehensive-spending-review-health-and-care-spending

As far as I can see the government remains committed to privatisation as a solution to the NHS ills.

https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/big-election-questions-nhs-privatised

We follow the USA, which is odd given that they probably have one of the worst public health services in the "developed" world. If you can't pay you are unlikely to get treatment. One fifth of Americans cannot afford healthcare.

Currently I can't see properly in one eye. I need laser treatment to clear the lens implanted years ago when I had cataracts. They implanted a "reading" lens in the left eye & a "distance" lens in the right. It's the right eye that is like looking through fog. I can actually see further with the left eye. I'm going to have to wait until it's worse to get treatment. This isn't life threatening or painful. I accept that. I'm not a priority, I accept that too. 

People are in severe pain, disabled & even dying because they haven't had timely treatment in the UK. How have we reached the point that is acceptable? We have a government that pays lip service to a "free at point of need" health sevice, while consistantly underfunding & under resourcing.

https://nhsfunding.info/nhs-crisis-making/

The patient is sick. Call a doctor!

"Have Gun - Will Travel"

An American western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963 starring Richard Boone. There were 225 episodes & I remember watching it as a child.

How can Americans accept as normal, not only the regular killing of their children, but school lockdown drills? https://edition.cnn.com/.../school-shooting-lockdown-drills/ I don't think any other countries in the world do this. The UK has had 1 school shooting in 100 years. Is the "freedom to bear arms" really worth this?

"It’s questionable that the Founding Fathers envisioned the Second Amendment constitutional right to bear arms would serve as a shield in the face of mass shootings of children..... Factors like mental illness, alienation and inner rage are among the reasons often cited or discovered after an event. America is not unique in having mental illness among its population. These are human traits in other countries too. Only in America do they manifest themselves regularly in mass shootings that leave families grieving, communities broken, and too many elected officials incapable of coming together. (Precis from Washington Post - the voice of reason. Not all Americans are obsessed with having guns).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-41488081

American history has a lot to do with gun policy. Particularly, I imagine, the "Wild West" & settlement, then the "Civil War".

https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/ 

Every country in the world has it's own culture & history. But that shouldn't be set in stone. Human beings have intelligence & can choose. Change is normal & unavoidable. People need to know when & how change is necessary.

I sincerely hope that Americans have the courage to reassess & change their gun laws & stop the carnage of mass shooting & murder on the streets. It will take political courage & will. It will be difficult. But America's children deserve the adults to act now.

 

 

Moving Forward - 2

My excellent Surveyor came today. There is no subsidence anywhere round my front door. Phew! The minor cracks above the doorway are not serious & can be left. If I wanted to I could get them re-mortared with lime mortar, but it's a specialist job. Massive relief. The doorway should have been templated & 3 horizontal measurements should have been taken. It should be possible to make a frame which fits the space as well as the original, which was a cheap wooden one, without an increasing gap at the side. So thank goodness it isn't my problem to solve. But it is very frustrating.

Now all I have to do is wait patiently for the suppliers & the fabricators to agree what they are going to do about this & make a door & frame that fits. 

I don't imagine that's going to happen quickly given my experience over this last year, but at least I'm secure & draught proof. It is ironic that both my front door & side door have been wrong & have to be replaced. They are from 2 different companies. It doesn't say much for the UK double glazing industry.

In the meantime my hallway will have to stay unfinished until the new door & frame arrives. Goodness knows how long that will be.

Moving forward

Today is momentous. Finally, 8 months after ordering, my front door has arrived & is being installed.

The delays in the supply chain for the building trade are notorious & I have blogged about them several times. It was bad enough when I wasn't living here, but not having a proper front door when I was has been a trial. 

I am delighted with the door & the men fitting it seem very good. I will be so pleased to feel completely secure & finally the internal work in my house will be almost finished when the hallway is done. I actually started planning where to hang my pictures with my daughter yesterday. So it will really begin to feel like a home rather than a building site. Most of my pictures have important memories. 

All the exterior work is on hold though, possibly for a long time. A neighbours wall at the bottom of the garden is leaning into my garden & needs to be demolished & replaced. It will be a big job & cause a lot of disruption because I have offered that all the work can be done from my side because access is much easier than from hers. So I can't have my drive, security gates, patio & garden done till the work is finished. All the men, machinery & materials will have to come in & out through my entrance. That can't happen until the Surveyor has done his report though. It's a pity, because I do want to get on with my garden, which looks dreadful at the moment.

Even as I'm writing this I have just been told that there is a problem with the door frame! The arch has been wrongly constructed. My doorway has a flat arch & the frame has a true arch. So it won't fit properly. They will install it temporarily & fill the gaps & get another frame made. Also the inside of the door should be cream & they have done it in Chartwell Green, which is the outside colour & looks very odd from the hall. So that means another door

Unfortunately I'm not even surprised. It's par for the course. Nothing has gone well.

UPDATE 4 pm

Just when you think nothing worse can happen! The window & door company founder came to see the problems with the door & frame & noticed something that I certainly didn't. But worse, my surveyor & none of my builders noticed either. The side wall of the house isn't level & there are signs of cracking on the front wall above the doorway. My skill set doesn't stretch this far, so I have emailed my surveyor. (This does prove that a - You do need a good survey & b - Even that doesn't necessarily stop you from getting a nasty shock).

I will wait with baited breath.

If there is a serious problem it does make you wonder what the point of employing professionals is. Because it certainly doesn't seem to protect house buyers from having to go through this sort of truly worrying scenario. The side wall of my neighbours detached house is covered in cracks, so maybe I don't need to be too worried. But that isn't helping me at the moment.

The goodness of Human Nature

Very little over the past year has encouraged me to reflect well on this subject. On the contrary, I have been let down time & again & it has become routine to almost expect it.The building trade in general doesn't seem to think that effective, timely, communication or consideration for others & their property is important. I think quite a bit is to do with men dealing with women, especially older, single, women. Then there is the minefield of boundary disputes with neighbours which is very revealing.

However yesterday gave me hope for humanity. I went to help out in a local church that is running TEFL English lessons & Maths lessons for refugees. It was so uplifting to work with someone who gives her own time, spends her own money on materials & produces brilliant visual aids. Some people are just so selfless & empathetic it really does restore your faith in goodness & generosity. 

The refugees varied in age from 5 to 40ish & they were wonderful too. I have no idea what trauma they have gone through. They are all Ukranians, so it can't be good. But they all want to integrate & learn to speak English. They want to make a life here, even if it is only temporary. I imagine most want to return home when this devastating war is over. Many are already doing so. Some of the children are obviously traumatised. Some of the women still have husbands & family in Ukraine. Many are very intelligent & have skills.

They are so eager to learn. I particularly admire the adults. I can't envisage what it must be like to be uprooted from everything you know & have to learn a new language after such trauma. I'm sure I wouldn't find it easy.

More than 14 million Ukranians have fled. The UK has accepted more than 53,000. Poland has accepted over 3million. We have only accepted 20,000 Syrian refugees. Turkey accepted 3,685,839 Syrians. We do not have a good record of generosity to refugees & migrants.

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/information/refugee-asylum-facts/the-truth-about-asylum/

New legislation to "deal" with refugees is going through Parliament sending them to offshore "processing centres"

https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/fight-the-governments-anti-refugee-bill/

There is a concern that we are adopting double standards to refugees from different countries.

https://reliefweb.int/report/ukraine/ukraine-crisis-double-standards-has-europe-s-response-refugees-changed

I leave you to do your own research & decide. In the meantime very ordinary people are doing very extraordinary things despite Political posturing. They make a real difference to people who need our help.