There is an agreeable saying referring to, ‘love making the world go round’, that is so true in many ways, providing one is not talking about the love of bombs or bullets, and bullies come to that.
Family love, on the other hand, is the driving force of all events and the upbringing of children and the affection and the terror they can impart in their growing days, is part of life’s kaleidoscope.
We are blessed with two beautiful ladies who are progressive in their day to day lives, they are totally different in their ways, especially when they were children.
Our first, was, and is proud and adventurous, when she was about three years old, she loved playing on her three-wheeled tricycle in the rear yard.
We lived, and worked in, our Victorian terrace shop with a large eight room flat above. As we did not go out to work, we could look after our two girls during the day.
Occasionally we would find evidence of wood worms, the pest would leave little piles of sawdust where they had been operating. To counteract them we bought ‘Rentokil’. It came in a tin with a screw on spout which one squirted in the hole the worm had made, hey presto they were dead.
Our first darling daughter was curious about this novel shaped tin, but it was out of her reach on a window ledge where I had been attacking the invaders. She did not see this as a problem, using her trike she climbed up on the saddle, stretching out until she managed to reach the tin and then likening it to a baby’s bottle she drank from it. How she didn’t fall off the trike in her efforts I will never know.
We rushed her to hospital where she was immediately seen by a doctor. They did not understand the type or the makeup of the substance she had drunk, so in panic mode I rushed back home to get the container. When they read the list of its content, they were not too concerned, however she was kept in overnight and thankfully with no aftereffects following her adventure.
We are talking about a time when ‘Wine time’ did not exist; it was only something that up market restaurants served. Making wine at home was popular, and of course also beer.
I used to make rice wine, a gallon at a time, and I still remember the recipe – 8 pints warm water – 6 lbs of long grain rice – 4 lbs sugar – 2 oranges cut and peeled – 2 lbs of raisins plus yeast. Stir and keep warm for about two to three weeks with a result of a pleasant strong crystal clear dry white wine.
On one occasion the wine in the plastic container had come to the end of the process and was drinkable, when I noticed the cover had been moved and there was a cup close by. Our youngest was about two at the time and toddling around, being just as adventurous as her sister, and getting up to all sorts of mischief.
It turned out she had been helping herself to the wine and we found her with a grimy unwashed face, tucked up in bed and was sound asleep at three in the afternoon.
We telephoned our GP and told him what she had been up to, he said providing she had not been sick she would sleep it off, which she did.
Of course, if that was to happen today Social Services, Health and Safety, would get involved and we would all finish up being on a register for child neglect.
Believe me I do not take this subject other than with serious thought, both our girls were brought up with love and care, but then again mishaps do happen!
There is much more to this story, we were able to phone a doctor and speak to him. Likewise with the hospital, it was an emergency, and it was dealt with as such, no waiting, just a quick discussion advising what had happened, and instant care.
Now that has all sadly changed with people, some in agony, waiting to be treated and others delayed for an important operation, so they can get on with their lives.
Ignoring, for a moment, the immigration problem of people flooding into the country, putting a strain on these services, in some ways the medical profession and the pharmaceutical companies have brought this situation on themselves.
For years they have been warning that the simplest of scratches could develop into some monkey disease from an out of space virus, or a bump on the head might create all sorts of problems from blindness to gout. I talk a little nonsense but hopefully the reader has the point.
To clarify, all the news reports about how illnesses can develop, coupled with the advertisements for the cure of different ailments, creates a fear whereby people are frightened of the simplest of ailments creating a call on medical care …. ‘Ouch ‘I have stubbed my toe quick phone the doctor’ … attitude.
In my opinion it is more than that – much more. The collapse of morale among the nursing staff, dictated to by an over blown administration, to follow unnatural woke wording and diversity, changing normal, accepted and caring attitude to a strange way of thinking, and the abnormal way of addressing patients. It has led to the collapse of the NHS and to what would never have been considered before, ‘strike action.’
Just recently there was a report where the NHS was looking for a diversity officer on £100,000 a year. What do they want one for, doctors and nurses know all about the body and how it functions? This top-heavy conglomerate needs slimming down, jobs that have nothing to do with nursing should go and the NHS should get back to dealing with the needs of the people.
Take care. www.facebook.com/percy chattey
