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Teeth Get on my Nerves.

Much prayer and paracetamol has passed in the last few days.  One of my rotten teeth became rotten and has given me increasing pain.  It was touching on unbearable at times, sleep was difficult as was eating, and today I went round the dentists trying to get in. 

The first two I tried possessed friendly, even caring receptionists, who threw me out as there was no NHS openings with their men.  Both were helpful and looked willing to aid me if possible however, that was not possible so back home to pray for guidance or healing.  

Healing was not given, not while there are dentists around to do the job it appeared.  Instead I was led to a dentists who had an open door for trauma teeth.  This was not NHS but by now I had stopped caring, I also had some idea of the prices and considered this was worth it.  

So, of I ran at high speed, crashed in the door and fell at the receptionists feet demanding mercy.

This was given.

Highly efficient and polite she enabled me to see a man in an hours time, less actually as they called me to come early, again I ran.  As I entered the door a second receptionist was on duty, she recognised me by my desperate face.  

Soon I was ensconced in a  fancy chair, a man prodding my teeth here and 'ouch' yes there, while a lovely young lass floated around silently providing his requirements.  Proddings abundant, X-Rays, note how they both run away to the far side when X-rays are taken thus providing assurance, and other bits were on offer, along with relevant questions and photographs of my teeth. 

So, he decided the nerves in a broken tooth had died, thus leading to swelling, this pain, thus he froze it somewhat and made a date to remove the beast next Monday afternoon.  So, armed with antibiotics and hope I gleefully went home, at the moment able to eat again.  How soon the pain will return I know not but paracetamol is abundant today in here.

The lack of NHS dentists is clear, no money for the dentist in this.  Today my examination cost £60 and the tooth extraction will be £165.  I can afford this, though some other work will cost vast amounts, in the 500s or so.  Therefore I was not recommended this.  The emergency fund has a use, and is being used as it ought to be.  

One small tooth ruined my week.  It is years since I have had toothache and I do not want it again.  I may however, take more care of my teeth now.  

All else is at a standstill, nothing else mattered, nothing else interested or kept me occupied.  Even the plan to clean the oven has been put back, and this is a shame.  Maybe later.

US Rail

These early mornings, while the sun decides whether or not to appear, I often drink my coffee to the background of US railways.  This is merely to show some sign of life in the world, while I attempt to find my head.  The coffee ought to do this, especially now I am slurping to a Sainsburys 'Winter Edition,' ground coffee. 

 

 'A medium dark roast coffee,

with hints of cinnamon, dried fruits,

and bittersweet dark chocolate.' 

Hmmm, thought I, this sounds like the scrapings of the leftovers from the other coffee's.  And lo and behold, on the back we read this coffee comes from Ethiopia, Guatemala and Indonesia!  As I thought, the leftovers mixed together to create a 'Winter Edition,' dark, strong and rough.  Still, Sainsburys only made £30 billion profit last year, I understand when they have to scrape things together.

What the coffee on Amtrak railways is like I cannot say, though it must be better than this.  As the greyness seen behind closed curtains lightens slowly I watch Amtrak, interrupted by an occasional CSX freight hauling over a hundred wagons, heading from Richmond, just a short ten minutes south of Ashland, all the way to Boston Massachusetts.  This is a long trip and I wonder why people board the train here at 6:19 in the morning.  Leaving Richmond at 5:35 am it arrives in the far north at 15:47 pm, all things going well.  Notoriously, Amtrak trains do not get priority on US lines.  These lines are owned by the bog US rail companies,  CSX, BNSF and Union Pacific amongst them.  This means they own the lines and their freight gets priority.  As a result many trains run hours late, though on this line such delays are less common than on other lines.  

So, when they board in Ashland, Virginia early on, where are they going?  Washington DC is the first major city on the run and arrival just before 9 am would suit commuters I suppose.  If you do commute this way at what time would you return?  Allowing for delays you might not get back that day, or that week if the snow falls and lies deep.  Most either remain in town for a week or have other business up that way.  

I would love to travel these long lines in the USA.  This one goes through Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, before the engine become electric and continues to Providence and Boston.  More than a thousand miles covered here, so few must do the entire trip in one go.  Surely for Americans aircraft would be better on such a distance?  

There are of course other stops along the way, and other trains cover a similar route, some beginning in Miami where Donald Trump plots to remove President Musk, and goes all the way to New York or Chicago.  Such long rail trips, and I can hardly get a train to Liverpool Street these days.  That is something I must do soon.

There is something about rail travel, apart from commuting, which is enjoyable.  If you commute daily it becomes a slog, especially if using one of London's stations, however, a reasonably long trip by rail can be enjoyable, much better than by bus, as long as the train is not crowded and the passengers, sorry we must call them customers these days, behave.  I must get among them this year to commemorate 200 years of rail travel since the opening of the Stockton to Darlington line in 1825.  200 years of innovation and indeed disaster, fun and joy, economic growth and the opening of new vistas to people of all levels.  Rail changed the way the world lives more than computers I say, I say while using a  computer...

Railway Museum

New Year Continues...

 

Christmas is over, England, well some of it, has returned to work, normal life restarts and individuals begin to understand what day it is once again.  Traffic shows signs of life, the supermarkets raise their prices and energy bills have gone up again.  Normal UK life.

Already 'spam' messages call my mobile.  Where is Pontypridd anyway?  Thankfully these are marked as 'spam' as clearly this crook is well known.  The electric crooks call to inform me I need a smart meter on both gas and electric, ignoring the fact that they know I cannot install one, and anyway they do not provide gas.  

Interestingly, the family have not called.  Tsk!  This means I have to pay to call them, meanies.

So, as the sky is blue, the yellow thing hangs around in the air, and the temperature drops once again, we march into a new year, not concerned re the dating system but looking to the arrive soon of Spring.  That has been going on in this place for thousands of years, long before the ice ages came and went, long before those standing stones or cursors were created.  Man has looked to the warmer weather with hope and cheered by brighter days.  We have not changed much since those days of long ago.  Basically we remain the same.  I suspect however, we live longer and have warmer homes.  Plus overpriced supermarkets which save us the requirement of hunting deer or fishing for lunch.  

Of course the USA has trouble.  Not only has a man blown himself up outside a Trump Tower in a Musk car, but another ISIS impersonator has killed 14 in New Orleans.  I believe there has been two shootings, involving several people, also.  God bless the freedom of the USA.  

Scottish Football continues to shock, not only did a lousy Rangers side romp home against a feeble Celtic for the first time in 10 years but the Heart of Midlothian won a victory and did not throw this away!  

Onwards and upwards...

Happy New Year 2025

May you walk in light and happiness throughout 2025.  

May all obstacles and difficulties be overcome and may joy be with you always.

Hogmany 2024

 

Post-Christmas Ramble...

BBC

An Azerbaijan aircraft flying over Southern Russia crashes while landing in Kazakhstan.  It appears to have been shot down by eager Russians fearing Ukrainian drones, possibly.  A South Korean airliner crashes while landing, the landing gear failing leaving at least 179 dead.  Add to this a Norwegian aircraft also had problems near Russian territory, and others in the Baltic region have found interference in communications also.  Those who suffer have all been NATO partners, now questions are arising re Moscow's involvement.

Could the man who sent his people to poison opponents in Salisbury, killing anyone who got in the way as you do, and who has found opponents and  critics falling out of high buildings across Europe be involved.

Nothing new in Russia killing people far from home, the Tsar did this in Germany to critics, Stalin removed Trotsky in Mexico via an ice pick, and Neo- Stalin Putin is eager to do similar.  Would he be involved in these plane interferences and crashes?  Of course he would!  

Enjoy your flight...

Christmas comes but once a year, and with it comes Amazon vouchers!  This is great!  However, as most of the vouchers will go towards second hand books obtained from er, Amazon, I am going to need more bookcases.  O woe is me!  Especially as I have no more room for a bookcase.  

On top of this I still have not finished the books in the waiting queue, yet here am I beginning to plan for more.  Some on view have to be read, some in the loo, some in the west wing, and some lying in front of me.  Just where am I going to get the time for this?  

I might end up with piles of books lying on the floor leaning half-heartedly against things.  This will make the monthly hoovering difficult, and I may spend much time falling over them.  All this because of Christmas generosity.

Tsk!  Life is so difficult these days.  

One Christmas benefit was the roast dinner offered to me yesterday.  How lovely to be in a clean house, well run, with a wonderful roast dinner given by good people.  The trouble was trying to remember how to eat properly, not dropping bits on the floor, or messing up the clean table cover.  Today of course I am unable to eat, nothing whatsoever in this house tastes so good after that!   

Pie and chips tomorrow...

Dreich!

Boxing Day 2024

Boxing Day, a day to recover from yesterday's excess, or indeed to contribute much more to that weight problem.  The day begins slowly, dreich weather greets the dog walkers, dull clouds span the horizon dampening enthusiasm for the Boxing Day walk.  However, already one or two well wrapped joggers pass by full of an enthusiasm I do not copy.  

They say Boxing Day was the day boxing fights occurred but while such events may have taken place, often illegal prize fights, it appears the idea may have developed over a great many centuries.  This being the Feast Day of St Stephen in some types of church, boxes were placed at the door where money collected was used for gifts to those in need.  Later, a gift box on that day was given to servants, tradesmen and employees, or others in need, and servants were given the day off, usually.   Today, for many it is merely a shopping trip, though with all the goods collected over the previous 24 hours you might wonder why?  Shops will be open, staff forced to work, money collected abundantly, yet folks will still grumble.  Those with no money will of course not participate in such dealings.

The day continues with Twitter revealing masses of pictures showing families dressing matching pyjamas.  Now where on earth did such a trend begin?  And indeed why?  A family with young kids may do such a thing, but placing photographs across social media does indicate an outlook I do not share.  Twitter also offers many people telling us cheerfully if their sick relatives, or indeed how grannie died during the night!  Now this is relevant to those who know you, it is not relevant to the entire world.  I suspect with many users who have fled Twitter and joined BlueSky the algorithm offers anything to fill the empty spaces.  This is why I receive info on Pakistan politics, Brazilian murders, and things in Chinese or Malayan that make no sense to me.  The tarts are much more obvious also.

Christmas tv, which I avoided, was full of Black and White films from before the war, action films from 30 years ago and kids stuff, which all the grannies watched.  

Today, in between the spam from online shops made use off in the last month, we see Twitter filled with pictures of royalty walking to church.  People, often in wheelchairs, line their path offering gifts to the multi millionaires who care not a jot about them, certainly not about the cost of heating and the lack of a winter fuel payment.  What is it about England that they need a monarch to bow down to? 

The Princess fills the pages of the media while propaganda informs us of their popularity, but in Scotland that has waned much in recent years and dim Willie will not become a welcome addition to Scotland.

All in I find Christmas is lost in sentimental slush, present buying, supermarket visiting and money laundering to pay for it all.  It's a relief to be in a church and find a stable environment (stable, geddit?). 

Christmas Day 2024

 

Christmas Eve 2024

It was Christmas Eve in Sainsburys, 

All was riot and struggle....

Bruisers fought their way through the mob,

Me, I was too puggle..d.

Last desperate shop to fill every cupboard and the freezer.  After all the shops are closed tomorrow and will not be open again until, er, Thursday...  We might starve in the meantime.  

However, the number of fathers trailing around the supermarket with one child, the dad just as lost as the kid, was entertaining.  Not unusual to see dad's leading the child but less so in such shops.  Mum will have forced them out to get things done at home, this giving her free time and less hindrance for advice from both!

 Talking of starving at Christmas, judging by the number of people now wearing items 'Size Fat,' I am not convinced many will suffer malnutrition here.  Those that might have been to the Food Banks, ours works on Wednesdays so they either went elsewhere or got double rations, I wonder which?  I suspect the Salvation Army or someone else will be offering food tomorrow, I think they did last year.  I must ask about that, usually something is mentioned.

 

A quick glance at the tv schedules for the tv that I never watch shows that apart from a religious service most BBC one and two offer kids type movies, game shows with added celebrities I have never heard off, the News and weather, and little else.  I would watch some of this to see what I am missing but expect within a short time I would be moving away from that.  Possibly the wireless will offer better, I will look that up later tonight while supping from the Bottle of Jura that was accidentally opened before Christmas, I know not how.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, 

and an understanding of what Jesus coming means for us all.

Carol Service

The service of nine lessons and carols was if I remember correctly begun in 1919 just after the Great War, this to bring some joy to a hurting nation.  Quite how the nation responded I am not sure, however, the idea became popular and persists till this day.  

Tonight, our Canon, John, designed a variation of this theme, with carols, readings, some varied from the usual, and a few words after each to enlightened the congregation.  I thought he designed it very well indeed.

Quite a few strangers attended, apparently the vicar had been pushing leaflets through doors and speaking to people all around.  I suggest putting out 1000 leaflets may bring in one solitary person, but that would be a good result, I think he brought in quite a few more tonight.

The Mulled Wine afterwards disappeared quickly, not by me I must say, I had to wait for the later outpouring as this lot grabbed the first quickly!  Tsk!  However, the evening went well, Jesu entry into the world was celebrated, and the story told once again.

I went into a cogitation during this, just wondering why Jesu really had to come to earth in this way.  However, there was no other way to redeem sin filled people but a Holy sacrifice.  Sacrifice to take away sin is in many societies, here it was a sacrifice of the Holy God for sinful people.  Instead of us making the sacrifice God himself does it!  What a thought!