Limousin, France – Day 14


The morning started with heavy rain and thunderstorm surrounding the gite. With breakfast and the storm all done by 09:15, and with the sky brightening, we took to the car and set off. Todays target was Bort des Orgues but as usual we made detours or stopped off en route.

After filling up the fuel tank at Bugeat we pulled over to take in the beautiful vista that is le Lac de Viam. This is an artificial lake which now provides beaches from which many water based leisure activities are launched. And, as well as a feast for the eyes, the lake is an integral part of the French hydro-electricity network.

le Lac de Viam
le Lac de Viam, Correze, France

After enjoying the view we continued on our way, but not for long. Another small detour took us to Le Mont-Bessou just north of the town of Meymac.
Here we climbed the viewing tower

Viewing Tower, Le Mont-Bessou, Correze, France
Viewing Tower, Le Mont-Bessou, Correze, France

which I have since discovered

is built of Douglas fir, braced with steel cables, and is triangular in plan. 188 steps and six intervening landings, take the visitor to the main viewing platform, which is 26 metres (85 ft) above the ground.

Which probably explains why I came close to being seasick so far away from the sea. The tower resonates with every step as you ascend and never quite seems to settle, never quite stationary. Presumably that is why they have this mounted on the top deck in the middle of the floor.

Swing-O-Meter, Viewing Tower, Le Mont-Bessou, Correze, France
Swing-O-Meter, Viewing Tower, Le Mont-Bessou, Correze, France

I’m pleased to say that I did not see the pendulum swing out of the center circle.

All that aside, the views were, despite the clouds, spectacular.

View from viewing tower, Mont-Bessou, Correz, France
View from viewing tower, Mont-Bessou, Correz, France – Looking towards Meymac
View from viewing tower, Mont-Bessou, Correz, France
View from viewing tower, Mont-Bessou, Correz, France

All the fresh air, scenery and climbing the tower had made us hungry. So on we travelled to Bort des Orgues where we sat on the terrace of the Central Hotel overlooking the river and ate a superb lunch.

NB: I just discovered this post, in draft state. I don’t feel it is complete but have submitted it as is because my memories of that day are truly hazy.

Thank You Boris


Finally Boris speaks out against the stupidity being perpetrated by the BBC.

“I think it’s time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history”

Hear hear !!!

£4.2m development approved – Ignores Needs Of Locals


https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/politics/controversial-ps42m-housing-development-portsmouth-gets-go-ahead-2951117

Yet another development goes ahead, driving rough shod over the needs of, and ignoring the existing issues that plague, the local residents.

Proposals for 16 affordable homes, comprising 7 houses and 9 flats, to be built on the corner of Doyle Avenue and Nothern Parade in Hilsea.

16 homes, but with parking provision for only 12 cars. According to the councils own standards the site should provide 29 parking spaces, yet they approved this much reduced proposal.

Why ? Why have guidelines if you don’t stick to them ?

“The surrounding roads are past saturation point as confirmed by the highways engineer. Evenings and weekends are dire as people are parking illegally” So says Janet Rennell-Smith, a local resident from nearby Westwood Road.

Lib Dem Councillor Lee Hunt, not missing an opportunity for a dig at the current Conservative Government, said “The city council is under huge pressure from the Conservative government to build 12,000 new units of accomodation in or city and that’s what we’re trying to acheive”

Typical blame game from the Lib Dems, sounds like our honorable councillor is saying “It’s not our fault, we were just following orders”

Tory Councillor, Terry Norton, was at least prepared to stand up to all that “pressure” and requested that the proposal be rejected.

This is typical of the local councils, in this area, who crumble and give in to the all powerful developers rather that standing firm and considering the needs of their constituents, the folks that voted them into office in the first place.

Our councillors should be forcing developers to provide adequate parking for any new development and to ensure that any such development does not exacerbate any existing issues.

Portsmouth is an island city so is cannot expand past its coastal border. Any development that provides an increase residential units will always add to the traffic and the need for parking. Portsmouth is already blighted by a lack of available parking. Many folks cannot park outside their own homes, typically ending up several streets away. Portsmoth council has also created further parking issues after closing roads in Southsea, supposedly to protect people exercising during the pandemic lockdown.

This new development will only aggravate an already fractious situaion.

My Prostate and Me – Part 11


“See you all in six months !!!”

So said I, five years ago. A lot has happened in those five years although not a lot in the land of the prostate. Or perhaps I should say, not a lot, to my knowledge.

In 2015 we retired, and since then, we rebuilt our conservatory, holidayed in France – 2months and Italy – 8  days. We have spent 3 stints in Australia. Those 3 Ozzie visits totalled 12 months in all with the last trip stretching into 7 months, in part due to the pandemic.

And so to my prostate …

After our return from the latest Ozzie adventure, I was scheduled for a Urology Consult (telephone) 28th July. As is the norm, these are preceded by the taking of blood samples. As my GP had requested a blood sample to check my blood sugar levels, it seemed appropriate to combine them. So on Wednesday 22nd July, at eight in the morning, I presented myself at my local surgery and provided the necessary samples. I then sat back to await the consult scheduled for the following Tuesday. The next day, Thursday 23rd, I received a call from the GP surgery, could I come in and give another sample.

Apparently they wanted to rule out any potential issues with the analysis of the previous sample. As you can imagine my brain went into hyperdrive, what had the blood sample shown. I duly presented myself at the surgery and gave up some more of my blood. Although the person on the call didn’t know why I needed to give another sample, the nurse taking my blood was a little more forthcoming.

It appears the first sample showed my PSA level was up.  This second sample was to determine if there had been a balls up in the lab or if something more sinister was happening.

Friday I received  call from the surgery asking if I woud be prepared to have a telephone consult, with my GP Dr Mannings,  on Tuesday evening. I pointed out that I also had a telephone consult with the Urologist on Tuesday morning. That’s great quipped the receptionist, you’ll be able to tell the doctor what the results are and what your urologists plans are.

With all this interest in my blood and doctors left, right and centre wanting to speak to me my curiosity was definitely peaked.

So Tuesday 28th duly arrives and I have my telephone consult with the Urologist, Mr Hodgson. Yes, he confirmed, my PSA has risen.

Apparently last June my PSA was 3.6 but these latest blood tests show my PSA at 7.9 and 8.9. A sure indicator that something is going on down in the nether regions although still lower than the 13.3 which was where I was at before having the Brachytherapy

Because of this my consultant wants me to have a series of scans. CT, MRI and full body bone scan. The call is ended with the promise that I will be contacted with appointment details.

Sure enough, later in the day I receive a call from the Scanning Dept., would I be available on the morning of Saturday 1st August, for a CT scan ? Yes of course, and so I am duly booked in for 09:00.

Later the same day I have my consult with my GP. He already knew about the consultants plans but is like a child being handed a bag of sweets, so excited, when I tell him that already have the first of my scans booked.

The NHS is actually working very swiftly and efficiently. Obviously I have Covid-19 to thank for this, the hospitals are operating in a very stripped back mode. All to my advantage.

Over the next few days I receive calls and set up the remaining appointments. Monday 3rd August @ 19:00 for the MRI and Tuesday 11th August for Full Body Bone Scan. The bone scan is in two parts. I have to turn to at 11:15 for a radioactive injection. Go away for a while, then return at 14:30 for the actual scan. Apparently, after the injection, due to its radioactive nature, I have to steer clear of any pregnant women and young children Same advice I was given after I had my Brachytherapy.

I duly attended the three scans. One thing I noted is that I am able to lay completely still during these scanning sessions. They each have taken anything between twenty minutes and forty five minute. At home I find it just about impossible to keep my legs still, whether I am sitting watching TV or laid in bed. Maybe I need to get a huge doughnut installed at home.

For each of the scans I also had an injection. The one administered during the CT, I was warned, would trigger a warm sensation in my nether regions. Something akin to wetting oneself. Not something you want to consider when typically any sensation in the bladder region typically turns into a pee panic. As it happens, the sensation I felt was around the neck and up around my ear. Something like I used to feel when my Mum had caught me out in a lie. For the MRI I was given an injection of Buscopan. When I mentioned that my wife takes Buscopan for her IBS te doctor said it’s the same stuff but won’t hang around as long but that it might affect my eye sight i.e. blur my vision. He assured me it would have cleared my system before I got back to my car for the drive home. As for the bone scan and the radioactive injection I was informed that, other than having to stay away from pregnant ladies and young children, there were no side effects, that I wouldn’t be aware of it in my bod.

All that remained was for me to await the results. I assumed that I would receive a phone call from my consultant, Mr Hodgson.

I did receive a phone call, but not from Mr Hodgson. It was from a yong lady, I assume from the Urology Department reception.

She informed me that she was calling to book me in for a Pre-op Assessment !!!

My heart dropped, my stomach did a flip. “Pre-op ?” I said, “pre-op for what ?”  “Well, you came into Urology yesterday” says the young lady. “Nope” says I, “I didn’t, I haven’t had any contact with Urology since the 28th July”. “Oh !” she says “And you haven’t seen the letter ?” Again “Nope” says I, “In fact I would have expected a phone call from Mr Hodgson, not a bloody letter”. She is really apologetic and puts me on hold briefly. When she comes back on line she asks me if I want to wait for the letter, or she could read it out to me. I take the latter option. So, she reads the letter to me. My heart and stomach resume a more calm state.

None of the three scans suggest any spread of  the disease.

Needless to say, this news was not what I was expecting. Nevertheless, it was encouraging. The letter, from Mr Hodgson, set out the next steps to be taken to determine if in fact my cancer has recurred.

Those steps are

  • A PET CT
  • Template Biopsy (to be carried ot under GA and the reason for the Pre-Op)

The PET CT has been scheduled for Tuesday 25th August @ 15:00 and I have had the Pre-Op. This was in two parts. Part 1 was on Tuesday 18th, a telephone assessment which was then followed up with a hospital visit on Thursday 20th, where they carried out an ECG, swabs for MRSA and took a urine sample.

So there we are, all up to speed. I’ll post my next episode after the PET CT and when I know the date for the biopsy.

Stop This Nonsense Now


https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rule-britannia-faces-axe-in-bbcs-black-lives-matter-proms-0fvhwmwlm

This BLM shit is just getting out of hand.

You can’t eradicate racism by alienating large portions of a nation.

You can’t erase history by ripping the traditional heart out of a nation.

And that is just what The Last Night of the Proms is. A British tradition that millions tune into every year.

And to excise a tradition such as the musical content of the Proms is an affront to to me as a Britain, as an Englishman and as a rational human being. And for why ?

Because the music reflects our colonial past.

So what ?

Britannia Rules The Waves, we haven’t done that in many many years. Successive governmental defence cuts have seen to that. But, as a tune, it’s a bloody great song to sing along to and arouses a sense of patriotism. Something that is sadly lacking in this country. The “National Anthem”, God Save The Queen, is a dirge and harks back to another time. The anti-monarchists must cringe everytime it is played. Should we ditch it for something more modern, hell no. However, Land of Hope And Glory, another proms favourite, is probably more appropriate these days and would make a brilliant replacement. And what of Jerusalem ? Should we dump this in deference to our non Christian communities. Of course not. Need I go on ? Probably not.

However, the eagerness, shown by businesses and the media, to clamber onto the BLM bandwagon is sickening.

It is right to work against racism but it has to be done in a much more subtle way.

The constant thrusting of BLM down our throats is devisive, the erosion and attempted erasure of our historical roots, is certainly having a negative effect on me, and I suspect, on many others.

For example, the enforced taking of the knee at F1 – whatever happened to freedom of choice, the BLM breaks on TV – my wife and I just mute them as we do to the normal ad breaks.

We need to push back. The likes of the BLM movement are slowly turning this once great country into a bland, neutral, grey shadow of its former glory.

Too Near The Mark


This would be funny if it wasn’t so near the mark.

We allow the illegal immigrants into the UK and put them up in hotels.

Yet we leave our own countrymen on the streets !!!

Phewww !!!


If, like me, you are not a fan of Elvis Presley.

And if, like me, you don’t understand the fanaticism that surrounds Elvis.

You will probably consider the cancellation of this event, a good thing.

The idea of 100 blokes with curled lips, shiny jump suits, sideburns and exaggerated hair styles sends the cold crinklies up my spine.

With the cancellation of this event I think we all dodged the bullet.

“Unduly Lenient”


So says the Attorney General with reference to the sentences handed down to the killers of PC Andrew Harper.

Who could not agree with Suella Braverman when she says that attacks against emergency workers should be “punished with the greatest severity for such heinous crimes”

Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole were all cleared (wrongly in my opinion) of murder charges but were convicted of manslaughter.

Long was sentenced to 16 years whilst Bowers and Cole were each sentenced to 13 years.

The Attorney General has referred the sentences to the Court of Appeal.

Lets hope that the Court of Appeal will deliver the justice deserved by PC Harper.

Justice – Of a sort


Well as near to justice as we can expect in this country.

Hashem Abedi along with his brother Salman, are the cowardly murderers of 22 people at the Manchester Arena in 2017.

Yesterday Hashem Abedi was sentenced at the Old Bailey, for his part in the atrocity, to be detained for a minimum of 55 years.

Abedi, a coward from the start, left his brother, Salman Abedi, to carry out the attack. He fled to Libya before the attack. And when it came down to it he refused to leave his cell at the Old Bailey, wouldn’t even face the families of his victims, for sentencing.

Some will be calling for the return of the death penalty. I would join that call. However, it would not help those that are left behind. 55 years is justice of a sort as it is likely that Abedi will remain incarcerated for the rest of his life.

But, there can never really be justice as the friends and families of the dead and injured, will have to live with the results of the Abedi brothers actions, for the rest of their lives.

Enough Is Enough


When is the UK government going to wake up ?

It’s not Boris Johnsons fault that these folks are homeless. It’s not Priti Patels fault that they are trekking across europe.

But it is their fault that Britains stance is not strong enough to deter them from trying to cross the channel in an ever growing armada of boats that are not fit for purpose.

They know that we will look after them when they arrive on our beaches. This is wrong.

What they should know is that we will give them a bottle of water and a packet of sandwiches and that they will be put on a boat and transported back to France, or whichever country their ill conceived voyage started from.

These people should be put on a boat and returned to the coast of their departure. This could be done within 24 hours. Just return them to the beach from which they started their crossing.

When are european countries going shoulder some responsibility and take action to stem the tide ?

I like to consider myself quite laid back, liberal minded and definitely not racist, but I find myself becoming more and more angry when ever I watch the news.

The bleeding hearts on the media will tell you that these people are destitute, oppressed and fleeing from danger.

They are not.

They are crossing the channel from France, and other countries. These people may have come from war torn countries but they don’t stop travelling once they have arrived in a safe country. They carry on migrating through safe countries with one destination in mind, Great Britain.

They are not destitute, if the media is to be believed. They are paying way over the odds to criminals so they can cross the channel in small overloaded boats. I have seen £5000 as a figure, the fee they pay to criminal gangs. This is many times more expensive than crossing legally on a ferry or via the channel tunnel.

So why don’t they cross in the same way as you or I would do ?

They haven’t got a passports or a visa. You or I, trying to cross legally, would be turned back at the border ….. IN FRANCE. And don’t forget, most of them are not EU citizens either so they, even if they have retained their passports, do not have the same rights as EU citizens for cross border travel.

Lets also not forget the security issues associated with taking these people under our collective wings. These aren’t families making this crossing. Some are, and some are unaccompaied children who have been put in these boats and cast off with no thoughts to their continued safety. Who would send their children off into the unknown? Predominantly though, they are young men. Young men who have left their homes and families behind. I don’t doubt that some are  truly fleeing from awful conditions. But not all. Many have their eye on the handouts that the UK is renowned for. I also believe that some of these young men have darker intent.

Isn’t anyone worried by the large numbers of fit young men that are crossing into our country ? How many of them are ISIS sleepers ? Men that could be slipping ino the UK with ill intent for our future.

It’s time our government gave some teeth to our security forces and let them turn the tide of this illicit trade and send a strong message across the world.

“You are not welcome”.