Happy PINK Christmas

Just some of my Artwork given the pink treatment

 

PINK PHOTO – LINDISFARNE

 

PINK TULIPS BY JJ

 

ABSTRACT

DESERT

 

THREE TREES

SUNFLOWER (!)

SWANS

AND FINALLY

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

JJ

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Happy Christmas with Phoebe and friends, Pink Saturday

A very tired Santa trainee

And A Very Merry One

A nervous new recruit

It’s play time in Santa school

Rudolph wants feeding

Umm, not sure they suit me Mum

Another Christmas outfit

Another educational Toy

This looks far more fun

Henry likes his doggy.

 

And, as if by magic I’m now a fairy.  A pink fairy. Bless.

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL MY BLOGGER FRIENDS

SWINE FLU – MY EXPERIENCE !

25 NOVEMBER 

I sent this email to the National Pandemic Flu line - 

"Yesterday my grandson aged 9 was too poorly to go to school so my husband and I went over to look after him. He had been running a high temperature all night, was alternately hot & cold and had a bad headache.

We administered Calpol as necessary but he was obviously feeling very unwell and did not know what to do with himself. However, at that stage I was not too concerned but when he asked for the curtains to be drawn as he did not like the light alarm bells started ringing. Having had first hand experience of meningitis a few years ago I asked him if he had a stiff neck etc to which he replied no. But I was still worried.

After about an hour I thought I would check with our GP but it was his half day. I rang the covering surgery who had no Doctors available until after 3 p.m. I was asked if he had flu symptoms and I said I thought it might be flu or meningitis or just another virus but as I was not qualified to make a diagnosis I wanted him to see a Doctor. I was given another number to ring, repeated the story again & was told to ring the flu line**. Why, I asked, he needs to see a Doctor not have a diagnosis made over the phone. By this time my patience was running out and I said I would take him to A & E. YOU CAN’T DO THAT I was told, HE MIGHT HAVE SWINE FLU. Or, he might have meningitis says I repeating he needs to see a Doctor. O.K. I will get someone to ring you says the receptionist and down goes the phone.

Time to get my daughter home from work I thought; if he was really ill

a) He would want his Mum and

b) She had to make any decisions.

My daughter came home and the first thing she did was give him Ibuprofen on the advice of a Doctor at the hospital where she works. Apparently Calpol will not reduce a very high temperature but Ibuprofen will. A very useful bit of information this – Calpol every 4 hours with Ibuprofen in between again at 4 hourly intervals.

Back to the saga, Daughter rings covering surgery, they did not want him to be taken there. A&E would not see him. '***** doctors ' comprising a team of local GP’s eventually agreed to send a doctor. Hurray, at last. By this time 3 hours or more had passed.

Then the phone rang, ' ***** Doctors' here, can you bring him to us? Yes,  we will get him to you somehow although it meant my daughter, me, my grandson and baby grand daughter getting in the car, going to the hospital, dropping me & my grandson off, daughter had to go find a parking space and then make her way to the surgery.( I should explain that my husband  had gone to pick grandchild number 3 up from school!)

As luck would have it, my parking angel was listening, a space was found as close to the entrance as possible and we all trooped in. By this time, the Ibuprofen had kicked in, Grandson feeling a little better, temperature reduced and after examination we were told that he thought it was not meningitis but possibly ordinary flu.

So all ended happily after such a difficult time, simply because of the protocol now in place regarding swine flu. The stupidity of it all comes to light when I tell you that the '***** Doctors' surgery is …………… wait for it ……………….. part of the local A & E department sharing the same reception area.

What a farce.

**PS. My daughter went on the flu line to check it out, answered all the questions regarding his symptoms and was  given a number to go and get Tami flu for him! Yes, he would have been classed as having swine flu, added to the statistics and been given medication he did not need and might have made him very poorly. All without seeing a doctor.

This system is not working."

I have deliberately not given information to enable you to identify this case as I am protective of my family who work in the NHS.

I can assure you that the above is  a true account of what happened and you really need to reassess your protocol in this matter.

What would have happened if he had had meningitis - the delay of several hours could have made an enormous difference to his recovery or not as the case might be.

PLEASE GIVE THIS MATTER THE ATTENTION IT DESERVES.

I AWAIT YOUR COMMENTS BEFORE I TAKE IT ANY FURTHER.

J FISHER

27th NOVEMBER – Reply

I am in receipt of your email. I am sorry that you have had this experience.

The web site is for those who believe that they have swine flu and this is clearly stated at the front of the site. There are other sites where symptoms can be checked including http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemic-flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx which is the Deaprtment of Health's information website.

It is not policy of the National Pandemic Flu Service that these services operate in this way.

The National Pandemic Flu Service Operates the Helpline and the website and is not in charge of doctors services or the Hospital services. Doctors Services, including out of hours doctors are managed by the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Hospitals by the Hospital Trust concerned. These two organisations are informed about the Flu Service operation but unfortunately we cannot regulate the way they decide to operate. **This would have to be referred to the PCT and they would need to be aware of the doctors surgeries or organisations involved. Any Hospital Issues should be referred to the Hospital Complaints Manager.

If you would like to supply details of the doctors and hospital I can pass these issues on to the relative organisations involved and let you know the contact details of those involved.

However without this I am not able to help you any further. If I can be of assistance in this please let me know. I hope your grandson is now recovering.

29th NOVEMBER – my response

Thank you for your response but you have completely missed the point. My criticism is primarily of your organisation.

It is you who provides the diagnosis either on the website or by phone as far as I am aware and it is this diagnosis that I think is wrong. It is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis without seeing a Doctor and the protocol in place prevents, discourages seeing a doctor. Everything is geared to push the patient to the helpline.

Quote : What is the National Pandemic Flu Service and how does it work?

The National Pandemic Flu Service is a new self-care service that will give people with swine flu symptoms fast access to information and antivirals.

It is a dedicated website and a phoneline (0800 151 3100 or textphone 0800 151 3200) where you can get information, check your symptoms and get a unique number that will give you access to antivirals if necessary.

When you are given your unique access number, you will be told where your nearest antiviral collection point is. Ask a flu friend (a healthy friend or relative) to go and pick up the antiviral medication.

If you think you have swine flu, do not go to your GP surgery or A&E. Stay at home to avoid spreading the virus. Unquote

Had we been able to see a doctor in the normal manner none of this saga would have happened.

In addition, after completing the questionnaire my grandson was diagnosed with Swine flu and a number allocated to collect the Tamiflu. BUT HE DID NOT HAVE SWINE FLU and would have taken medication that would not have been appropriate and may in fact have caused further problems; not least making him feel very ill.

If you look on the internet you will find hundreds of cases where people, usually the most vulnerable, have been wrongly diagnosed with Swine Flu. Another aspect of this is that the statistics are also wrong.

The whole system needs rethinking.

SUMMMARY

I have posted this simply to give others my experience and to warn you of the pitfalls. The Receptionist overstepped the mark but was it on someone else’s instructions? Whatever, if you are worried about a member of your family having flu or, God Forbid, Meningitis, go straight to A & E is my advice.

PINK SATURDAY NUMBER 17

Twelve months ago we visited The Hotel Coronado near San Diego.

As a National Historic Landmark, the Hotel del Coronado has a rich and colourful heritage that sets it apart from neighbouring Coronado hotels. From Marilyn Monroe to Charles Lindbergh, from state dinners to the ghost of Kate Morgan, The Del is an American treasure with more than 120 years of fascinating stories to tell. Today, we invite you to create new great memories at this cherished hotel in Coronado.
BABCOCK & STORY
The Del's visionary founders - Elisha Babcock and H.L. Story - dreamed of building a seaside resort that would be "the talk of the Western world." Since then, the resort has become a living legend, visited by celebrities, dignitaries and U.S. presidents. In fact, publisher Rand McNally recognized the Hotel del Coronado for enjoying "more fame and historical significance than perhaps any hotel in North America."
PRESIDENTS & PRINCES
Eleven U.S. Presidents have visited The Del, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. One of the resort's most famous visitors was England's Prince of Wales in 1920. He would later become King Edward VIII, only to give up his throne in 1936 to marry Coronado divorcee Wallis Spencer Simpson. Many have speculated that they may have first met at The Del.
AMERICAN LEGENDS
The Del has played host to some of America's greats, including Thomas Edison, L. Frank Baum and Babe Ruth. Famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was honour red at The Del in 1927 after his successful trans-Atlantic flight. At this lavish banquet, a replica of Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" circled the enormous Crown Room ceiling.
HOLLYWOOD CONNECTION
Hollywood has been making movies at The Del since 1901. In 1958, The Del was the backdrop for the comedy classic "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The resort has also seen a steady stream of celebrity visitors - from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna.

SET SLAP  BANG ON THE BEACH

 

FABULOUS ARCHITECTURE

WITH IT’S OWN ICE RINK

STUNNING CHRISTMAS TREE

AND MAGNIFICENT POINSETTAS- DECEMBER “red”

 

Don’t forget to visit Beverley for more PINK SATURDAY STUFF!

JJ

RAIN, RAIN & MORE RAIN

Now I should not complain bearing in mind how dreadful the weather is in other parts of the country especially. our hearts go out to those in Cumbria who have lost so much. However, sitting here listening to the wind and rain hitting the windows with such force just makes me want to be whisked away on a magic carpet to somewhere warm and dry.

The only way I can do this is by looking at some photos which will transport me to happier climes.

A lazy Sunday lunch deep in the Halon Valley in Spain.

Enjoying traditional Spanish music whilst we wait for lunch.

Our favourite place in Calpe with good friends enjoying a BBQ on their terrace.

Ribs to die for – yum yum.

Our boys enjoying the sea and trying to drown the crocodile

Playing King Canute

 

A HOT HOT day in Rome

Want an ice cream?

A perfect day on the Dordogne

Seeking the shade in Bergerac

Enjoying the breeze on the Dordogne admiring the chateaus.

That’s warmed me up nicely. I hope you enjoyed that little glimpse of sunshine

JJ

PINK SATURDAY NUMBER 16

Now I confess to beginning to struggle finding things for Pink Saturday. Years ago I had loads of pink in the house, ornaments, china, glass, cushions pottery etc. However, as I have got older and no desire to do anymore housework than is absolutely necessary I have given away lots and the remaining sentimental stuff is in the attic. Less clutter = less dust .

The current colour scheme is teal and brown so no pink there then. Where else can I look?

Do you all think I could stretch a point and show you some beautiful sunsets and sunrises. One of my passions they never cease to please me.

What do you think?

This is the view from our apartment in Calpe, Spain.

SUNSETS

 

 

Given the JJ treatment to enhance the PINK.

This was taken from our deck here in Torbay. Much colder colours.

 

SUNRISES ALSO IN CALPE

 

And a colder sunrise here in the  UK.

I have many more stunning one’s taken in America – the land of the sunset but sadly they are still waiting to find their way on to my scanner.

Hoping you enjoyed these today, please press Beverley’s button and see some other posts on the pretty subject of P I N K !

PINK SATURDAY NUMBER 15

This time last year we went with 4 friends on a road holiday around a very small part of your wonderful country and I thought that I must be able to find some pink amongst my photos somewhere.

Here goes : we landed  in Las Vegas and after a night in a pretty awful (cheap) casino we set off through the Zion National Park.

This photo made me giggle as we had just passed a herd of buffalo – poor things.

 

Now I admit to stretching the “pink “ theme a bit far here but the lights are pink……ish! Mike & Barry trying on hats in an Indian shop.

Stopped for coffee in this shabby non chic cafe which had pink walls behind all the clutter.The bathroom was a REAL bathroom with a tub, basin and toilet.

Our first sight of those magnificent pink rocks. We were to see thousands more at Bryce Canyon.

A magnificent natural arch.

This was Rainbow Point elevation 9115 feet above sea level & c c c c cold!

Several hundred miles later we found ourselves in a pretty little town but I cannot remember the name. It is well known as an artists' colony. SEDONA, THAT WAS THE NAME everything  comes to those who wait

 

Another little gem – Tubac full of little boutiques selling metal ornaments, clay pots – highly decorated and beautiful garden furniture.

 

Sun set over Tucson.

 

Pretty pink bougainvillea outside  our hotel in Palm Springs

And more.