Jackie. I am confused. I thought you guys had national health care over there?
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Jackie. I am confused. I thought you guys had national health care over there?
Best health service in the world, free to anyone who happens to fall ill in England-------move out of the UK and you're on your own.Quote:
Originally Posted by 2us70
If I fall ill in the USA I need medical cover------without it, it's best you just curl up and die. It could wind up costing you everything you own!
Until I was 70 years old, my annual medical travel insurance was around £150 -------once I reached 75 American Express ( who I'd been insured with for over twenty years) did not want to know, at any price, even though I had never had a claim.
Premiums rose to ridiculous levels as I reached 80. I.E.;£1,000 + --------When I reached 85 the annual premium was £3500 + --------now here comes the pisser. (still have never had a claim) I had a couple of TIA's----------panic stations with the insurance company---------holy crap-----he's going on a cruise, ------cancel that !,,,, cease all future travel and cancel his cover.
How the hell the insurance company can get away with this after I paid the premium in full for a years cover defies belief. Just to rub salt in the wound------there are still six months left to run on the policy, BUT, no you cannot claim a rebate-------plus, you are no longer covered to travel.
My TIA lasted between five and ten minutes------- I have no after effects----- but I have lost my driving license for three months--------no insurance company in the world will give you travel insurance, especially since your over 85 years old.
Yes, I do feel the system has let me down-----I can see sense in the driving ban, but not the cancelling of my travel insurance?
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Remember, I told you I had a couple of burrs Johnno----------this is the front door stop-------the other is the back door. Unfortunately, the bold weevils have decided to take up residence-------little bastards don't usually take on the hard wood---------these must be Texas bred !
Attachment 388795
Thats about all all the stuff I've done lately------couple of them are for friends------ couple are for sale----- and a couple would be for the garden shed, except the bloody things full to busting with concepts from a bygone age.
Told her who knows more than Socrates, I need another shed to rack out and put some of my stuff in storage. Found out she has "Selective Hearing" .
Damn, but I need to get much smarter than I have been---------need to develop a mean streak, tough, assertive, positive--------then I come face to face and I turn into a snivelling coward------ but I'll change, "honest to murgatroyd".
It's blowing a hooley out there this morning------trees shedding leaves and branches bending in the wind, just get the feeling autumn is on the wane. Remember what Houston used to groan ? ------and the days dwindle down, to a precious few, November, December !!!
Never ever thought about the special few-------always believed I was "eternal" anyway----- that was when life was on an even keel------ might be on the bullet train, but I was enjoying the ride. Once you get knocked off balance, thinking goes adrift.
Saturday----- lets go foraging !
Time to go foraging at a car boot sale, is on a cold, wet, windy day, when it's chucking it down with rain and the stallholders don't want to be there anyway.
Ive been looking for a "TORMEK" grindstone for nearly ten years, have come across a couple over the years, they've always been stupid money------like £2/300 -------even the old worn beyond redemption grindstones bring a tear to your eye !
One of the regular tool dealers had a grade A example at a reasonable price------I decided to break his heart-------with water dripping off the poor sods chin I hooked him, played him, showed him a couple of twenties------offered him fifty, he went back into his car sulking, yelling I had no mother and father----- I wandered off down the field--------told him I'd call in on the way back and see if it was still there going rusty in the rain. Got ten yards down the road when he yelled that it was people like me who gave car boot sales a bad name--------I held out fifty quid----- he damn near tore my hand off.
In the end, it turned out to be just another October Saturday -------I played with Lizzie a couple of hours this afternoon------ cleaned up the "TORMEK" -----felt like i still had the knack, I'm not over the hill yet! I stepped off the bullet train, kicked some of the fallen autumn leafs, felt the soft late fall rain on my face, and decided it's good to stop and smell the roses once in a while.
Watched the sports report on TV -----had a couple of glasses of wine--------Murphy stretched out on my lap, decided life's not bad after all--------lets face it, how many 85 year olds get as much out of life as I do ?.
Sunday tomorrow, who knows what new adventures lay in store ?
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A couple of concepts from way back-----when I did other things besides boats ?
WHY .? You may ask-------honest answer------I have no idea !!!
"BEFORE THE WAR" ------I wonder how many of you out there can begin a sentence with that ?
I can ! I was seven years old when the shindig started-------my dad volunteered for the RAF ,----my sainted mother drove a truck, hauling sand and gravel for the duration. I was supposed to stay home, light the fire, get my little brother "NIPPER" to school, and make sure he was kept safe ! Now normally, that would have been ok, but my little brother had a habit of getting into trouble for no apparent reason. All the fights I had at school were due to Nipper. That's how come I got the unwanted label of being "hard". I wasn't really, I was soft as Vaseline and just wanted to do my own thing, but I was loaded with the responsibility of looking after a very unruly four year old!
I found out very early on in life that "ATTACK IS THE BEST FORM OF DEFENCE" -----charge at them, making animal noises and smack 'em as hard as an eight year old could and the fight was over!
Dad was away until the end of 1945----- by then, I had reached the ripe old age of 13.
Sainted mother was just 30 by then ------had a child comforting bosom-----looked very good in shorts and father was away fighting the Hun single handed, Canadian and American soldiers were stationed at
"THE CROWS NEST" ( Sir Titus Salts deserted mansion) . By the end of the war I had twenty seven colonial "uncles".
After the war, dad came home and mum settled down again ( well, as much as she was ever going to)
Nipper and me were sent off to Sunday school after Sunday lunch, don't think it was for our religious education. More to get us out of the way with a guarantee of non interuptus.
My sainted mother did more for Anglo--North American relations than Winston Churchill ever did and that includes giving them the BELL X 7 for free!
Daughter "Boo" and little Jeff came to visit this afternoon-------don't get many of the kids just "calling in on the way past" these days. I'm usually up to my fetlock in some project or another so I don't have time to stop and talk anyway. Boo's a schoolteacher and is wiser than Solomon-----still tries preaching to me after all these years, but it was nice to see them both and brightened up a dull Sunday.
Did get a couple of hours in the shop where I managed to make a planer blade sharpening jig, and another Chisel sharping jig, ------if I went out and bought these, they would have cost over£150, so it wasn't a wasted morning.
As Scarlet so famously said "Tomorrow is another day" !
DAMN------I did it again------- I woke up-------I'm still here-------YIPPEE .
Been piddling about in the shop all morning-------busy doing nothing, busy the whole day through, trying to find lots of things not to do! A Yankee at the court of King Arthur------Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Bill Bendix. Funny the useless stache of information I have buried in the back of my mind!
Wandered around the shop like a lost sheep--------couldn't decide what to do or construct.
One of the jobs that takes up most time, and is also least satisfying when it's done, is trailor making.
Usually takes longer to make a trailor than it does the damned boat that sits on it!
Platform ------stollage-----two axles-------four wheels, ( with bearings ) -------four tyres------a pair of mudguards-----winch post-------give the whole lot a good old "Swirling" ------ cover the runners in green felt, and you got some idea of the bloody effort that goes into a trailor.
I started one about a year ago------got pissed off with it, (Like I do) , put it in a plastic carrier bag and hung it behind the door. I walk into the damn thing at least twice a day and swear blind I'll just buckle down and Finish it one day-------- well today was the day I started to put it all back together.
Have no idea what concept will sit on it once it's all up and running, except, it'll be big. I'm fresh out of hardwood in the shop, which means I have to pull another plank of English Oak out of the log store.
Hve a slight problem there, as the smallest plank is eight foot long, two foot wide and two inches thick. Weighs a damn sight more than I can chuck on the bandsaw without getting chronic backache and stretched muscles. Still, I'll get over it-----I always do. Should give me enough raw material to last the rest of the year.
Ive got the gleanings of an idea kicking around in the old think box----- might have something tangible to show you later in the week, lets see what tomorrow dishes up.
Mark stepped in and sent me a line drawing of the new 40 footer he's building-------mean looking SOB. Fairly straightforward------should be able to cobble something similar that bears some resemblance. There you have it--------just when you think you might have time to clean up the shop, something always comes along to check the arthritis and tickle the little grey cells.
Looks like Lassie got the monopoly on "Jonrude" pictures------he's vying with "FUJIMO" as to who has the most foggies---------of course Fuji is all black and LARS is all white, but what the hell, it makes for some interesting observations first thing in a morning. Course his "FACTS" aren't always so, which means I sometimes don't quite see eye to eye!
Five FECKIN wheels, ( four for the trailer and a spare ) took me most of the day --------always said blasted trailers take longer than the concept.
Need another full day on it before it's done. Still, was generally cooking with gas, was a slow old grind with "Middling" progress.
Looks like the P1 series in the U.K. Is over and gone with-------promoter is trying for a 20 race USA series------I'm told that since the switch from OMC to MERCURY--------engine's have tended to stay on the transom longer. There had been a big problem previously with saddles being broken. Only repeating what I was told. Have heard all these big ideas before--------95% fall by the wayside
maybe this time it'll happen-------again, I wouldn't bet the farm on it.Attachment 389275
Back of my house there's a 100 acre field--------farmer turned up with a NEW HOLLAND monster tractor, had a ten furrow plough hung on its bum-------just a few hours later, the job was done. Later that evening I saw the same rig with headlights tackling a 1,000 acres. Shudder to think what the cost of that little outfit was!