Chronic Phyllocontin toxicity…

I was first prescribed Phyllocontin Continus, at 450mg every 12 hours, in 1980. For the next couple of years the hospital monitored my serum Theophylline levels to make sure the dose was both safe and effective (with Phyllocontin, the difference in serum levels between effective and toxic is tiny, hence the testing).

I was very happy with it, side effects (then), were non-existent, and my breathing improved dramatically. Best of all, I stopped Continue reading

Poor-quality books at high prices…

My copy of John Sandford’s latest offering, “Bad Blood”, arrived yesterday. Amazon, by the way, still don’t offer this book from stock, nor have they bothered to explain why.

Still, back to my book. List price is £18.05, according to Amazon, very little of which has been spent on its production.

It’s a hardback, published by Putnam, to the standards of a fairly downmarket paperback – which would be acceptable were it priced accordingly. It’s not. Even the Continue reading

On writing, and on being blocked…

There is a WordPress forum thread entitled “Do you write because you have to or because you want to?” It also mentioned writers’ block, as it applies to bloggers.

Most responses were interesting, one or two pretentious – this was mine. Since, ultimately, I write for you – whoever you might be – I thought I’d share it with you.

I write because I want to, and also because I can. Would I write if I had no readers? Yes, but I’d certainly write something entirely different!

And I write Continue reading

The Labour party time machine…

… taking us straight back to 1987.

Well, for all those of us hoping that this weekend would result in a buoyant and effective Labour party emerging from the drabness of the Brown years to form a dynamic (and possibly, if enough LimpDems defected, effective), opposition, we’ve been royally shafted.

We simply cannot – and I say this as a lifelong Labour supporter and trade union activist – have a party leader Continue reading

Mobility scooters and staying warm…

Not done this for a long time, because nothing new has appeared, but this is from my search-engine slush pile – “warm covers for disabled scooters”.

Only one sensible answer – don’t even think about it!

A variety of voluminous, often fleece-lined “garments” are available to cover both rider and machine, and all Continue reading