bridge too far

Since I never (to my knowledge) act like a snob, it is never on my mind TBH. I am, however, very judgemental about the truth about food, particularly haslet. It hasn't escaped my attention that Tesco meat is allegedly often full of water and salt whereas Waitrose food tends to be more condusive to better eating. You may call this middle class. I call it getting value for money.

That's the treatment for ganglions, isn't it? The REALLY old wives' tale was that you should whack it with a bible

Probably - and paid for out of my NI contributions no doubt.

Did you get yours from Tesco? If so, that could explain why it was pre-sliced and vacuum packed with water and salt (probably). If Bungle made his purchase in Waitrose he would have availed himself of the middle-class option to have it sliced off the loaf.

No, dyke as in 'either a long wall or bank built to contain water or enclose or separate land, or the ditch from which the material was dug, or the combination of the two'. Interestingly, I've just learned that the term dyke, meaning a homosexual woman, is thought to have derived from the word 'bulldyker' meaning 'male stud'. So - all you studs out there - be prepared to be called bulldyke from now on. C'mon - there must be at least ONE stud out there :smt102 No? Oh

I would have thought 'Stanley', myself.

Still quite a lot of money to get upfront though.

Yeah there is - you can go skating on the dykes

Yeah - I have that too.

It's amazing how fans will stump up if their board is well respected, eh? http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/norwich/7923912.stm I wonder how we will compare.

Why thank you for that - I never read the techy bit of this site (see caveat re Luddite / ignoramus above) and I've struggled with attachments in the past. Now I know

For Luddite ignorami like me, it should be explained that if you click on St Landrew's table thumbnail, it will enlarge so that you can actually read it. HTH

It is :roll:

Eughhhhh - gross

Cor blimey you're taking me back into the mists of time now I used to love haslet (I've always pronounced it HAZLET). I didn't know it was still around!

There's a letter in today's Guardian from a Spurs fan in which he says he "doesn't condone the racist and homophobic chants aimed at Campbell but that they are the result, not of his moving to Arsenal (Pat Jennings was regularly treated as a returning hero after he signed for them) but of the manner in which he did this, treating with utter contempt the club that had nurtured him" Today's Guardian is well worth a read altogether. There's a section on how there might be an enquiry into the Leeds takeover out of administration (allegedly dodgy) and also, in the Business pages, about how companies listed on AIM are likely to get closer scrutiny because, again, the corporate governance of some listed companies is suspect! Both could be relevant to us!

This site is very slow again tonight

The salient difference between NHS and private hospitals with regard to MRSA infection rates is due to the fact that private hospitals screen admittances and will not accept patients who are colonised. Those colonised patients have to wait until they are clear of the bug before they are admitted (for elective surgery). The NHS doesn't have that luxury particularly with regard to patients presenting at Accident & Emergency. Private hospitals don't 'do' emergency surgery, remember. So given that 40% of the population is likely to be carrying MRSA, don't be surprised if a private hospital refuses you admission ('you' meaning anyone)

The salient difference between NHS and private hospitals with regard to MRSA infection rates is due to the fact that private hospitals screen admittances and will not accept patients who are colonised. Those colonised patients have to wait until they are clear of the bug before they are admitted (for elective surgery). The NHS doesn't have that luxury particularly with regard to patients presenting at Accident & Emergency. Private hospitals don't 'do' emergency surgery, remember. So given that 40% of the population is likely to be carrying MRSA, don't be surprised if a private hospital refuses you admission ('you' meaning anyone)

Now YOU are talking rubbish! Were you privy to the conversation I had with her all those years ago? CE Marks are European Standards. These can apply to a number of things - here's the Wiki explanation because I can't be arsed to type it all out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark The CE mark in question is applicable to the processes to sterilise operating equipment (scalpels etc.) This mark has to be achieved by NHS establishments and the mark itself doesn't CAUSE MRSA, silly man However, I think I'd be quite worried if the hospital carrying out a procedure on me didn't achieve (or have to achieve) that mark. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The clue is in the word 'resistant'. Staphs are common infections in all walks of life. Because of our over dependance on anti-biotics in the past, this particular staph has become RESISTANT to most common anti-biotics. Most of us carry MRSA on our skin or in our noses. The problems are caused when this super-bug enters open wounds (bed sores, incisions etc.). Many super-bugs thrive, not just in hospitals, but in places where lots of people live together e.g. colleges, boarding schools, nursing homes, cruise ships. However, these establishments rarely have residents that have had recent operations with open surgery. Another super-bug is the norovirus and that often breaks out on cruise ships as an example. There is now a strain of MRSA which is community acquired rather than hospital acquired. So I guess cruise ships, halls of residence etc will succumb to that strain eventually. It's nothing to do with cleanliness or otherwise of wards. It IS to do with washing hands (with alcohol rub). When I visited my daughter and new grandson in hospital last week, I was surprised to see how many doctors particularly but also nurses / midwives DIDN'T use the alcohol gel between patients. That is human nature and is nothing to do with whether the hospital is a private one or an NHS one. I suggest you read up on the subject - here's a simple explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus I know quite a bit about it because it caused my father's death in 1996.

Now YOU are talking rubbish! Were you privy to the conversation I had with her all those years ago? CE Marks are European Standards. These can apply to a number of things - here's the Wiki explanation because I can't be arsed to type it all out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark The CE mark in question is applicable to the processes to sterilise operating equipment (scalpels etc.) This mark has to be achieved by NHS establishments and the mark itself doesn't CAUSE MRSA, silly man However, I think I'd be quite worried if the hospital carrying out a procedure on me didn't achieve (or have to achieve) that mark. MRSA stands for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The clue is in the word 'resistant'. Staphs are common infections in all walks of life. Because of our over dependance on anti-biotics in the past, this particular staph has become RESISTANT to most common anti-biotics. Most of us carry MRSA on our skin or in our noses. The problems are caused when this super-bug enters open wounds (bed sores, incisions etc.). Many super-bugs thrive, not just in hospitals, but in places where lots of people live together e.g. colleges, boarding schools, nursing homes, cruise ships. However, these establishments rarely have residents that have had recent operations with open surgery. Another super-bug is the norovirus and that often breaks out on cruise ships as an example. There is now a strain of MRSA which is community acquired rather than hospital acquired. So I guess cruise ships, halls of residence etc will succumb to that strain eventually. It's nothing to do with cleanliness or otherwise of wards. It IS to do with washing hands (with alcohol rub). When I visited my daughter and new grandson in hospital last week, I was surprised to see how many doctors particularly but also nurses / midwives DIDN'T use the alcohol gel between patients. That is human nature and is nothing to do with whether the hospital is a private one or an NHS one. I suggest you read up on the subject - here's a simple explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus I know quite a bit about it because it caused my father's death in 1996.

In the dark ages that I was talking about, there weren't the large number of private hospitals there are these days. There certainly weren't private wards in NHS hospitals like there are now. And private healthcare was not the sophisticated big business it is these days either. She quite simply paid the consultant for her consultation and then got treated in an NHS hospital on an NHS ward for free. However, as with the number of people taking their children out of private education rising fast, I reckon the number of people dropping their private healthcare plans will rise fast too. Did you know that private hospitals are not subject to the same hygiene inspections that NHS hospitals are? For example, their instrument sterilisation procedures are not to CE Mark standards as is required by the NHS.

In the dark ages that I was talking about, there weren't the large number of private hospitals there are these days. There certainly weren't private wards in NHS hospitals like there are now. And private healthcare was not the sophisticated big business it is these days either. She quite simply paid the consultant for her consultation and then got treated in an NHS hospital on an NHS ward for free. However, as with the number of people taking their children out of private education rising fast, I reckon the number of people dropping their private healthcare plans will rise fast too. Did you know that private hospitals are not subject to the same hygiene inspections that NHS hospitals are? For example, their instrument sterilisation procedures are not to CE Mark standards as is required by the NHS.

I really do hope your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek. Otherwise I feel desperately sorry for you......

I really do hope your tongue is firmly planted in your cheek. Otherwise I feel desperately sorry for you......