Health update & a pop at Ryanair

I realise that I've not posted here for a tad over a month, so thought that I'd better update my health status - the hospitalisation ended up being only for two days (1 overnight) and I was cleared of having a DVT or PE or meningitis, which is the good stuff. The less so good news is that the headache which I've now had for 5 weeks continues, varying from a dull throb (when fully medicated) to what I would liken to wearing a skull cap of molten metal. At times it affects my ability to read and, especially, look at emails. I'm still hors d'combat and won't be blogging until I'm back to work. I also await further medical intervention, although the current consensus is that it's most likely to be a viral infection caused by mosquito bites in Barbados.

Before signing off, I must share this letter from today's Guardian:
" A spokesperson for Ryanair on Radio 4 complained they had to cancel 52 flights and "very little information was available". Now he knows how it feels."
(Runway protests, December 9th)
Dave Garner
Southport, Merseyside

Scotland's smoking ban two years on

I've possibly mentioned before that I am a cigarette smoker and was interested to read in Holyrood.com that 80% of Scots are now in favour of the ban on smoking in enclosed public spaces, with 84% agreeing that pubs, restaurants and clubs are now more pleasant places.

I'll freely admit to having had severe misgivings when the legislation was introduced and the ban came into force 2 years back but I've come round to agreeing that it was very much the right thing to do, albeit not a very Liberal proposition.

There are numerous reasons for my change of heart and these include:
- big drop in dry cleaning bills.
- I smoke less.
- better atmosphere in pubs.
- save money by smoking less.
- healthier for bar staff.
- not making fellow customers inhale second hand smoke.
It seems to me that this legislation is party of what I hope will become a sea change of attitudes in Scotland. We need to have healthier diets, cut out smoking, cease binge drinking and take more exercise and I plead as guilty as anyone else to having a less than perfectly healthy lifestyle. Hopefully the impending move to Kinross-shire will give me the impetus to start making changes although if I'm truthful, it'll be more to do with the fact that the nearest pub will be four miles away!