I was not a particularly happy bunny when I looked at the schedule for the care workers to arrive at the weekend and saw that the more normal time of 8.30 had been pushed back to 7.00am.This means that to get my morning jobs done, I need to get up at 5.00am and if I happen to wake up at about 4.30 (which I did yesterday)then I have to stop myself falling into a deep sleep so keep myself awake and the whole of this makes for a very long day with an hour's extra heating and so on. The fact this pattern is repeated on Sunday as well as on Saturday compounds my unhappiness. I think I know the explanation for all of this which is that one of the clients of the care agency likes a lie-in at the weekend which means that someone (i.e. me) now has to have the earlier care slot as they cannot be in two places at once. Having got this sorted out once, it looks as though the old pattern has been repeated.p>
Our attention has been diverted from the war in Ukraine with the tariffs crisis but of course, the Russians feel they have the upper hand in military terms so have no inducement (and in fact the reverse) to come to secure a deal. Negotiations have since taken place with both Kyiv and Moscow, the latter of which Mr Trump has been accused of being soft on, but the war has continued well beyond its three-year anniversary. Asked what it will take to secure a deal, Mr Trump told reporters at the White House he needed to see 'enthusiasm' from both sides as otherwise he will 'pass on' i.e. abandon any efforts at peacemaking. Of course Trump famously boasted that he would end the war 'in a day' and then made the ridiculous claim that if he had been president, the war would never have started. Finding the problem of ending the war is. a difficult one as Trump refuses to sanction the Russians and so Trump had just decided to wash his hands of the whole affair. This is a 'de facto' withdrawal of support from the Ukraine and the handing of a victory to the Russians but we Europeans are dedicated to support the Ukraine 'as long as it takes' which means the war will drag on, perhaps for years. This a war that Europe cannot afford to lose as Putin evidently wishes to recreate a 'Greater Russia' as in the situation before the collapse of the Iron Curtain so the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia and even Poland must be feeling nervous in the extreme.
Today, I will carry on with my study cleaning. Yesterday, I knew that I had a pile of 50 old files (largely travel documents) to go through and I made reasonable progress so only have 21 still to go. I did have some poignant moments, though. In one of the files, I found some of the 'pen and paper' tests that Meg was asked to do when her dementia was being diagnosed and this was October, 2020 so this puts a type of date on the start of things. I also discovered some sorts of articles with titles such as 'Does my cat understand me?' which I had evidently downloaded in my early relationship with Miggles when the cat was a little on the neurotic side (pleasure turning to scratches once stroked more than twice) But Miggles has walked out of my life despite the fact that I had fed the animal night and morning for about 7 years and as the cat always looked the picture of health, I still think that her owner must have moved away taking the cat with him. I must give away the stored cat food I have to a cat owner after I have had a chat with various of the care workers who often have a dog or a cat in their home. Meg and I had a fairly leisurely breakfast as we had made an early start to the day and then I took Meg down the hill for our Saturday meeting in Wetherspoons. On the way down, I hand delivered four Easter cards (two actual Easter cards, two cards of illustrations of flowers rather than actual Easter cards). Easter is practically as late this year as it can possibly be - the latest date for Easter is April 25th and Easter Sunday this year falls on Sunday 20th) The weather was rather overcast but not really cold but has brightened up in the afternoon as we were told it would. I was pretty tired today after the journey up and down the hill and I suspect that getting up the best part of two hours earlier has taken its toll. We had a simple lunch of quiche and fine green beans which was simplicity to cook in the microwave.
At last, it looks as though the UK is learning from other societies. The health secretary is taking inspiration from Japan in his bid to change how Britons are treated by the NHS. Wes Streeting has said he is interested in the idea of 'health MOTs' for Britain's older citizens, evoking how the Asian island nation relies on personalised medical plans for its ageing population. Japan combines genomics and AI machine learning to offer hyper-bespoke programmes for individuals, helping to predict and prevent illnesses before they really take hold. Mr Streeting said such an approach could be a 'game-changer' in the UK, as he prepares to publish his 10-year plan for the health service later in 2025. He has repeatedly spoken about his desire to move more of the NHS's work out of hospitals and into local communities, focusing more on preventative care than more expensive and invasive emergency treatment. Last year, NHS England - which is due to be scrapped - announced patients over 65 or those with frailty-related conditions would be given health MOTs outside emergency departments to avoid unnecessary admissions. The tests checked for blood pressure, heart health and mobility. If this is going to work, though, it will have to be properly staffed and resourced. I fear the government may attempt to do this on the cheap and whole thing might turn into another expensive fiasco.
© Mike Hart [2025]