herfiehandbag

My local clinic is the local hospital. The original injury and subsequent surgery meant that my car license was suspended on medical grounds ( I don't know why they chose to leave me with a motorbike license but they did) so car/pick up is not an option. Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill - you're just trying to pick a fight.

Yes probably.

I live in the countryside. No taxis, no grab, very occasional songthaws (none on holidays). Plastic bag or no plastic bag is immaterial given the sequence of events I described. It doesn't change my point about the stupidity of their actions.

There was a clip (from twitter or whatever it is called now) of the ubiquitous, fat, drunk, old falang flailing away waving his water pistol and making a complete fool of himself in the middle of the road. About the only thing that can be said about him is that he didn't take a dump in the fountains at a nearby shrine. Do these people realise how entirely gross, stupid and disgraceful they are? If only there was some way that we could get the message to these appalling creatures how ridiculous and pitiful they are!

I've been attending my local hospital for quite some time to have dressings changed on a slow healing surgical wound on my foot. I have got to know and chat with, most of the nurses and EMTs who work in the ER/treatment centre. They hate it, clearing up injuries from stupid behaviour. Takes forever to ride the 9km to the hospital - have to keep stopping, showing my bandaged leg, and asking "no water please". Yesterday a group of adults listened to my request, waved me past, and then one gave me a bucket full in the face. He must have been over forty! I was going slowly so managed to stay on the motorbike. I explained, forcefully that"Solly" didn't cut it. I rapidly ran out of Thai, but it is amazing how much Anglo Saxon they understood! I don't hate Songkran. Water fights in "designated areas" are fine. Children with water pistols are fine. Buckets hurled at motorcyclists on main roads, from adults, are stupid. Doing so when they know you are on your way to hospital for treatment, with an obvious bandaged leg, is just <deleted> stupid.

Well, I suppose the threat to cut throats has to be taken in context, it is after all a teaching of their holy book! Isn't the Met pathetic! What a state we have got into!

The Metropolitan Police are utterly pathetic. They simply do not apply the law impartially. To suggest that displaying a Swastika at a protest against Israel is not necessarily anti Semitic is quite bizarre.

Also perhaps off topic, but in a similar vein, please bear with me. A tour guide was taking some tourists on a trip of the Australian outback. He was extolling the phenomenal tracking skills of the Aboriginal people when they came across one lying with the side of his face pressed to the road surface: "See fellah, tell us what you know?" "About two kilometres up the road there is an old Toyota pick up, with six fellahs in the back drinking wine. It has a stuffed Kangaroo strapped to the roof of the cab, and one of the stereo speakers is distorted!" "Amazing, and how can you tell us all that?" "About four minutes ago I fell off the back of it!" I doubt whether taking Taurine will really make you live longer...

The qualifications for an MP is to have won the majority of votes in their constituency. The qualifications for a government is to be able to muster a majority in parliament. Otherwise limiting an MP by qualifications could lead for example, if we are to be logical, to MPs not being able to vote on defence spending because they had not served in the forces, or on criminal law matters because they were not lawyers. If government plans and parliamentary deliberations were to be overseen by appointed panels then the prospects for any reform, by parties of either the right or left would be stymied by an inevitable sclerotic bureaucracy. Parliament is, and should remain sovereign. That is kind of fundamental. There is nothing wrong with expert guidance, nothing at all. However oversight has connotations of making ultimate decisions. That is my concern. Truss makes a valid point, certainly one that should be considered. Many might suggest that just perhaps the OBR has ambitions to move beyond a mere advisory role. There are undoubtedly some politicians who may favour that, because it will allow blame to be deflected in the event of economic failure. Incidentally I think Truss's plan was barking; but as you have yourself, along with others pointed out, the parliamentary/party systems stepped in and put a stop to it.

Nice little "dig" in the final line eh! You just can't give it up can you? Back to my point, it was for parliament to reject her plan and turf her out.

Lots of long words and learned opinions there. I, and I suspect many like me who " log in" regularly to see what "Donald has done now" regard him as "barking!

In a democracy that is the job of the parliament, not of an appointed unelected bureaucracy.

Ah yes, I had forgotten that. Flew there and was turned away wasn't he?

Oh but I don't think you do - it was a reference to a well known British comedian, Harry Enfield,who built a series of sketches around a character obsessed with having more money than the others - hence the punchline "Oiy ( Brummie accent) have considerably more money than you!" Whenever a discussion on personal finances, budgets or living expenses arises here someone (several) will chime in with how do you live on a measly B*000? It contributes nothing to the discussion, purely serves as notice that the poster has more money! Hence the allusion to Harry Enfield.

Oh dear, you simply don't get it do you?

No, if you really must know, they are the antibiotics that the hospital gave me for an infected wound on my foot. An absolutely correct prescription of an course of antibiotics. Whilst checking me over after a motorcycle accident on Wednesday night they noticed signs of infection in the wound on my foot, an old wound, partially healed, and entirely unconnected with the accident. They prescribed the antibiotics to fight the infection, and instructed me not to drink during the period I was taking them for. I do what I am told when it comes to matters medical, not knowing better!

Spaghetti strap tops, that is the thing! Aagh, nurse, the screens please!

Just following the instructions of the medics.

I am not particularly biased, nor am I addicted. I drink, moderately, on occasions. I also go for considerable periods, several weeks, without drinking. Currently I am on a course of antibiotics, which preclude drinking. Absolutely no problem. I can live with that. We see many posts, whenever yaa baa, or any other drugs are discussed claiming that none of these addictions are as serious as drinking alcohol. If you query the zeal with which alcohol is condemned then you are branded an addict. It is for the most part a deflection.

Rubbish, frankly. Yes, alcohol is by far the most widely used "stimulant" worldwide. Yes there are many social and economic problems caused by it's abuse, but, and it is a massive but, it is neither as universally addictive nor as psychologically destructive as meth, or other artificial drugs. It doesn't destroy individuals, families and societies in the way that Meth does, and is doing amongst young urban Thais. As for what to do about it, well, nothing can be done until it's import, distribution and control is forced from the grip of corrupt officialdom which manages it!

There always seem to be plenty of Thais browsing in bookshops - mostly judging by dress the more middle class. But then, compared to the UK, how many British people regularly read books? Probably a very small number. I read a lot, always have done so. I buy second hand books off the internet and have them shipped to Thailand. But I must confess I am the only falang I know who does so!

Government Hospital Chiang Rai. They didn't offer any options, carted me in to the emergency room. Terrifyingly young looking English speaking nurse questioned me about what happened, most interested in my head. Talked to the doctor, issued some instructions to her team, next thing I knew they had removed my clothes and wrapped me in a hospital gown (I was a bit confused otherwise I would have enjoyed that bit!). Whizzed me in for the scan (her very good English slipped a bit when she announced " we did a scan of your head and found nothing - you must have a very thick head!". Then upstairs, drip inserted and onto a bed next to the nurses office, with a window through which I was observed. Nobody mentioned cost until the last ten minutes as I was being discharged. My daughter went to get the bill, cashier asked her if it was OK or did I need a plan, it was OK so daughter toddled off to an ATM and withdrew the cash from my UK bank.

Spent last night in hospital. Motorcycle hit a fallen tree in the middle of an apocalyptic thunder storm. I was thrown clear and knocked out for a couple of minutes. Crash helmet disintegrated, but saved my bonce. Scraped up by the local "rescue crew" who appeared in 20 minutes. MRI scan of head, X-rays of just about everything, night under observation. B6000. Not money I had planned to spend but not outrageous. Probably going to cost more of that to put the bike back on the road.

They attacked to kick of a war which they hoped would put the boot into any "normalisation" of Israeli Arab relations, bring in the Arab world on their side. Lots went wrong, particularly the reaction of their young men, driven by years of politically and religiously enforced celibacy when they found themselves in control of women. The Arab world refused to play and the rest of the world was reacquainted with the fundamental savagery of Islamic enforced cellibacy.

Ah, the first of the "Harry Enfield: Oiy am considerably richer than you posts"!