OneGuyFromBarlick

Around 1970 I hitched lifts from Liverpool to Dover, took the overnight ferry to Ostend, then hitched lifts through Belgium into Germany, down the Rhine and across to Stuttgart, on to Munich, then Salzburg and to Vienna. From there to Venice, and back via Milan, through Switzerland into France, Belgium and back across on the ferry. Everyone who gave me a lift was friendly and helpful and they often went out of their way to drop me off at a convenient spot. I had a GB sticker (as used then on cars) on the back of my rucksack and that worked like magic - I got lifts when others didn't!

I remember it well Bodge. In those days we were all innocents and as far as a driver was concerned, if he felt like it and was lucky it was in-cab entertainment on long journeys. I once picked a Canadian Doctor up on the East coast of Scotland and two days later dropped him in London. I still remember what we talked about and how much I learned off him. It ranged from finding semi-precious stones in quarries for a hobby, through development of the young body to his work with the Canadian Air Force working on Deep Vein Thrombosis in ferry pilots long before we knew about it generally. If there were bad ones I have erased them from my memory!
You always stopped for a delivery driver carrying trade plates......

I remember getting a lift early in the morning from a mini-bus taking a bunch of Belgian workers over the border to their job in Germany. At the border we were waved through, no checks, I was just another Belgian builder. No terrorism worries then!

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end.

On the other hand, in Italy a police car screeched to a halt in front of me and two armed cops jumped out and demanded to see my passport, asked me a lot of irrelevant questions in broken English, tipped my rucksack upside down so all my stuff fell into the road (ostensibly to search for drugs) then screeched away in the car, laughing. Other Italians were much more friendly!

I bet they were the Carabinieri Tiz and not the local Polizia. I had a run in with them also when robbed, the captain I reported the crime to insisted that it wasn't their problem and that I should go back to France to report the crime. (I was 100 miles into Italy when I had the first opportunity to report). That was until he got a proper tongue lashing from my friends mother and saviour of the day Ricky, (Italian by birth). I don't know what she said to him but he crumpled like a small child, gun or no gun and complied with our request for a crime report. She was poking him in the chest with her finger when he gave in. I would have been stuffed without Ricky, of that I am certain.

So, my household tip for travelling in Italy is to take a native with you if at all possible.

Perhaps your friend's mother is known over there as `The Godmother' and can end the careers of the carabinieri at the click of her fingers!

Additional tip. Never, ever, underestimate a woman! I have just been listening to a report on World Service about an all-woman anti-poaching squad recruited in Africa. The ex-SAS bloke who trained them said that his last all male squad, 79 of them, had reduced to 3 by the end of the first day. There were 35 women and they all completed the course.... Go figure!

I got my three monthly energy statement yesterday. There were no surprises, usage was normal and of course the price was high! But then it struck me that none of this mattered as long as I could afford it. The advantages of having a warm comfortable house when you are getting on a bit is a pearl beyond price! My first reaction of course is to remember those who are not as lucky as me. Think of the number of people who are waking up on even a relatively mild morning like this, cold and miserable. It's a hard world.

I don't know what the chemistry is but if you bake Mutton slowly in an enclosed roasting tin and have cider in the bottom under the grill instead of water and add some onions and a splash of Ouzo it enhances the meat and gives lovely gravy!

On a morning like this when the weather is frankly lousy I have to remind myself that there is no such thing as inclement weather, just inappropriate clothing! It's gong to be full wet weather gear this morning!

We got away with it yesterday but today looks more serious!
Cultivate your grandchildren, it pays off in years to come!

In April all my immediate family will gather for Jess' wedding to Muthomi. They are busy booking restaurants and other venues and it looks as though I will have a very full social calendar, assuming they invite me! So today's tip is, take full advantage of age! Lie back and go with the flow.....
[Must look after myself!]

I know it's tempting fate but I am remarkably free from winter ailments and snuffles. Is this because of my solitary life, my diet or just good genes? I don't know but I am very grateful and crossing my fingers!

It's your solitary life. Keep it up...seriously...it's the best thing for an older body...so long as you keep mind and body active.

I guess it's because you don't go into big supermarkets, pubs, clubs, restaurants, buses, trains and other crowded places.

I'm sure you are both right...... Human bodies can be dangerous!

It struck me this morning as I went through my bleach routine with my pot and the sink that this won't be doing any harm either!
As for contamination in public, anyone of my generation will remember the injunction "Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Trap them in your handkerchief!" To this day I avoid people who cough and sneeze and hold my breath at times until I am clear of them. That's a good example of how you can be imprinted as a child!

Febby and I do that too, Stanley - hold our breath and scurry a safe distance from anyone coughing. Our supermarket has antibacterial wipes for trolley handles. I also wash my hands after packing the shopping away, before eating or making a coffee.
Avoid snotty nosed kids at all costs. They are bug factories!
I also avoid handrails. Can you imagine how many bugs are on handrails?

We avoid contact with communal stuff like supermarket trolleys and wash our hands after being out in shops etc. We were always told you got colds by breathing in the viruses but it's now known that contact accounts for just as much or more than inhalation. And it helps avoid gastrointestinal bugs to.

I once had a long and interesting conversation with John Wilfred Pickard who was a GP in Barlick. He assured me that it was possible to contract VD from a lavatory seat if the conditions were right and always opened the door handles in public toilets with his hand in his sleeve.

Howard Hughes had the right idea - always wear gloves!

Most common colds are contracted via the eyes. Like Michael Foot you can wear glasses with side wings alternatively get some big diameter designer specs or better still a pair of pince-nez and stop those nasty germs getting up your nose as well.

The virus enters the eyes when we touch them with contaminated fingers.

Try not to touch or rub the eyes. If you rub them always do it in an outwards direction.