The strangest thing is saying goodbye

Hello

Before l  continue with my blog l would like to acknowledge my husband’s family. l feel that maybe l have been lost so much in my own grief I have left them behind  and this is not the case. l think of them all of the time and what they have lost, a beautiful brother, an uncle, cousin and friend. I recall the day my husband attended hospital to see his consultant and was told he had three months left in his life. My son was with him and the shock was great.  Even though we knew how very sick he was over Christmas 2008, and that it would probably be his last Christmas, we still didn’t think it would be so soon. My son told me that on the journey home from hospital he said to his dad, ‘how will l live without you?’ and my husband put his hand on my son’s head and said, ‘son, you will find a way.’

l think of these words constantly and say we are all trying very hard to find our way.

We all dwelled on the news of how much time he had left for several days.  We were in shock and disbelief.   Finally my husband decided to inform his family members and make arrangements to visit them separately which he knew would be for the last time.

l recall going with him to see his sister who he cared about dearly and spending the weekend with the family. Many months after his death l went to stay with her and of course all our conversations were about him and one of things that came to light was even though he had phoned and told her of the bad news she didn’t realize that he had come to say goodbye and she was very very sad that she hadn’t said more. 

But who can tell after a loved one dies whether you’ve said everything you wanted to say. 

C

MPs ask for an alcohol price reduction...for themselves

I thought I had gone back a couple of months and it is April Fool’s day.

M.P.s. are calling for the price of alcohol to be reduced in the Palace of Westminster bars. The current price for a pint of Becks Lager is £3.20 and a pint of John Smiths bitter £2.60. At the moment the bar prices are linked to a Wetherspoons pub in Victoria, London. Wetherspoons are renowned for their cheap beer prices compared to other pubs in the local area.   Most prices for a pint of Becks lager in the Westminster area would be close to £4 a pint if not a wee bit more.

The M.P.s are suggesting that the bar prices should be linked to pubs outside central London to make them cheaper.  Do they not realise that anyone who works in Westminster and wants a pint in the area has to pay the going rate. Very few, if any, people have access to subsidies canteen never mind a reduced bar.

Do M.P.s still live in their House of Parliament bubble not realising that people in the country, especially the disabled, the sick and the poorer, are suffering due to the Government’s austerity cuts? No tax reduction for them unlike the Prime Minister and the thousands of millionaires who have just enjoyed such.

At the moment the tax payer is paying a massive £5.8 million subsidy for the M.P.s to enjoy their cheap food and drink.   

Of course they also do not have to worry about getting back to their nightly abode after they have stuffed their face and got sozzled on the reduced prices as they just have to order a taxi, I can’t imagine an M.P. hailing a taxi from outside the commons, again at the tax payer’s expense.

P.S.  Earlier this year Eric Joyce, the independent MP, was banned from buying alcohol in Parliamentary bars after he was arrested over an alleged drunken fracas.

McTaggart

Prison Life

In prison you haven’t got any freedom you have to be cooped up in a little prison cell for 23 hours a day unless you work. If you decide to work you get luxuries such as a little TV you can also get a play station in your cell. If you choose to work or do education in the prison you have more time out of the cell you can also use the gym which keeps you outside for longer.

I’m personally trying to avoid having to be put in prison as it isn’t as cosy as it seems. Most young people treat prison like it’s a holiday camp but its not. The way people describe what its like to be in prison isn’t true. You will never kow what it is like unless you have experienced it for yourself if one person on your cell block gets into trouble or into a fight the whole prison gets put on lockdown and you will have to pay the consequences for someone else’s stupidity. They also do education courses that prisoners can participate in which also allows them more time out off there cells. They will also get GCSEs and other qualifications if they finish the course.

by JW

The Helping Hand by Fritz

The hand that hit me
Never done me no good
Nor have I ever learned
By the kick of a foot
All I ever learnt about respect
Was love I received and didn't even expect

There's no justification to do anyone harm
If those that really hurt you are forever out of reach of your arm

Dog eats dog
It's called cannibalism

And if you can understand
You can't hate
But to understand
You've first got to listen

--Fritz

Would You Recognise Prostate Cancer?

Hello again

When my Husband was first diagnosed with Prostate Cancer I felt guilty for not knowing the symptoms but how would I have known? There was nothing happening to him out of the ordinary or so I thought.   My Husband was a very private person and this would have been difficult for him to speak about even with me. 

It was at a hospital appointment which I attended with him that questions were asked and answers given that I first heard about his symptoms.

Some of the symptoms of Prostate Cancer are:

Poor stream – The flow of urine is weaker and it takes longer to empty the bladder.

Hesitancy    -   You may have to wait at the toilet for a while before urine starts to flow.

Dribbling     - A bit more urine may trickle out and stain your underwear soon after you finish.

Frequency   - Passing urine more often than normal

Urgency      - The need to get to the toilet quickly

Poor emptying –The feeling of not quite emptying your bladder.

I have been informed that the above symptoms are very common and do not always mean that Prostate Cancer is involved, however it is best to get them checked by your doctor.

My husband was aware of all the symptoms hence his visit to the doctors but these symptoms had been happening for a very long time and not long before his death he did say to me how stupid it was of him not to have gone to his doctors much earlier but this is where I have to say how was he to know that these symptoms could possibly be signs of the final outcome.

So this is the question I am left with: why is there nothing out there in the general public that promotes knowledge and awareness of this horrible disease?

C