You don't have to be privileged.

There was a report in the papers last week that still 1/3 of our winter olympic team went to private schools. No mention that 2/3rds don't. However, and remember this is nothing to do with jealousy or anything like that, the government want changes made to reduce that 1/3rd even further. I'm not sure that introducing the luge as a sport to the youth of Brixton is going to make much difference though.

Then I was thinking, there is one sport where the government have done bugger all to try and open it up to the other class. Football. How many Premiership footballers went to private school? Why does the Government not do something about that?

It's 2010, and still the Labour party are hung up on "toffs" and the class war.

Now that's what I call snow!

I was watching The Making of Britain or whatever Andrew Marrs programme is called. They were showing the winter of, I think 1947 or 49 when the country ground to a halt. But it was proper snow. Feet of it.

And there were people, out and trying to clear roads, pavements and paths with shovels. making sure life could go on as best as possible even though there were power cuts. And rationing. And still having to go to school. And work.

No Health and Safety there, advising that they would be liable if anyone fell over where they had cleared a path, or that the school would be sued if a child slipped on ice and hurt themselves.

The other week, whilst Brentford laboured under the 1" of snow that fell, at two schools I know all the teachers were in but many pupils were missing. Two of the excuses that came up were;

from 1 girls parent : I didn't know the school was open because you didn't ring to tell us.

From a boy who lives within sight of the playground : I couldn't come in because there was black ice on the pavement.

Meanwhile, my niece flew out of Finland with 5 ft of snow on time, to get to Geneva. Unfortunatley the flight was via Gatwick where they were delayed for 2 hours because there was slush on the runway.

I can't help feeling that we've lost a bit of backbone in the past 60 years. And if we have, who can we sue?

Twisted.

I meant to write about this earlier last year biut I don't think I did. If I did please feel free to ignore, or roundly abuse me, whichever you see fit to do.

I was at my prospective niece-in-laws house and her son had a poster on the wall. It was, I think, a Roy Keane poster from his playing days. The message on it was, "I expect respect and try to give it".

Now, that seems the total opposite to the way I was brought up but does seem to sum up the attitude of many young people. Apart from the fact I think it is worded particularly badly if not ungrammatically, I was brought up to show respect and try to earn it. But that, in general, goes against the grain today, where everyone has the right to everything and no responsibility unless it isn't too much effort.

So expecting everyone to treat you as though you are Gods gift whilst you only need to attempt to give someone else the time of day gives you some idea why teachers have a hard time. And it doesn't help when parents back the kids point of view rather than the teachers.

The Old Routine.

I've been away this last week in the sunny town of Stevenage. Well, actually, not in the town but in the Novotel inches off the A1 junction at Stevenage.

It was a good induction course, partly becuase I remembered quite a lot of it which made me look good, but also because many of the changes the company have made in the way we are meant to work actually suit me.

So i went off this morning on my first appointment. I didn't sell it. It's like I never went away.

Help Your Neighbour.

As we know, during the current cold snowy spell, as the government have told us, it is increasingly important to keep an eye on your neighbours.

Well, the 87 year old woman next door hasn't called on me once to see if I'm alright, and the lazy cow hasn't even taken her milk in for the last 3 days! So much for neighbourliness.

I've Seen The Future and It's The Past

I never lost a company under a Conservative government but have now lost 2 under this Labour lot. In reality, I haven't lost the second but it isn't worth me struggling on. I can't make the income I need as things are.

So, I have made a decision and a couple of phone calls. I have a meeting wih my ex area manager and divisional manager tomorrow, weather permitting. If all goes well, I'm heading back to Everest!

It's 8 years since I left. I took this decision over the weekend and although in general I never ever go backwards this feel right. I'm taking the pressure off myself, going back solely to selling, and, in acknowledgement of my age, realise this is going to be the run in to my retirement if all goes well. Admittedly another 12-15 years but all the same.

So, back to the future!

Lasers at the Ready

Marj was very brave today and went to see about having laser eye surgery. I'm lucky that, apart from starting to need reading glasses for small print my eyesight is pretty good. Or at least I haven't noticed it isn't.

It takes about an hour for various tests to be done and then they have a chat and give you a bit of counselling.

So, what did we learn.

They can correct the need for wearing glasses for long distance and also astigmatism. They can't do anything to help with reading. The former being to do with your eye lenses and the latter to do with your eye muscles.

The actual time with the surgeon is only about 10 minutes, the lasering part only being a matter of a minute or so. And that's for both eyes.

The worst case scenario if things don't go according to plan is that you get an eye infection.

Not as expensive as we thought. For the cost of £1400, bar some loose change, she can expect to have perfect vision except for reading when she will just need over the counter reading glasses. Although as she doesn't need them now she may get away with even that.

Now all she has to do is decide whther she's brave enough to have the procedure.

End of 2009

Well, unless anything momentous happens in the next 24 hours that's another year done and dusted. It's been a strange one. Most people seem to want to see the back of it. If there's something I wish I could have next year, apart from the obvious "lots of money" answer, it's energy.

I feel always to be tired. Don't know whether it's been worse since my op or I've just noticed it more. I went for 15 years without a proper holiday and survived it, but not going on one this year seems to have taken it's toll.

So whilst I'm on handing our gifts here's a few for my most loyal readers.

Elle - To have some respite from her illness so she can have a sustained period of feeling good.

Graybo - continued success with his business plus some of those items he's been coveting over the last 12 months.

Masher - The chance to fit another holiday in to his work schedule. I reckon you only got 15 trips away this year and that left you with a fortnight without going away at all at one point! :)

AJ - To manage to find a way to go back to University yet again. This working lark has never really suited you. :)

DG - And probably the biggest wish of all. That he could have his mum back.

Enjoy your plans for the New Year. I wonder what it has in store?

The Child In All Of Us

I am organising a concert for one of my opera groups. It's non-opera and one of the songs I have chosen is "Teddy Bears Picnic".

All amateur arts groups have those who take themselves too seriously and there is a great deal of pleasure in wathching them sing childrens songs whilst trying to remain aloof.

In general though, there are few amongst us who aren't cheered by a chorus or two of Teddy Bear. Reliving our youth is an important thing to do. Particularly at times of stress. They say that you can reduce a roomfull of 50 year old men to tears by playing the theme from Listen With Mother.

I suggest you stop whatever you are doing right now and sing s song from your childhood, perhaps Nellie the Elephant? And if your boss complains make them join in too!

Never-ending Work

Will my present job in Tooting never end! I have a client who's complaining about the time and money involved but then keeps adding more bits in.

At least I have a day off tomorrow cos I've got a hospital appointment.

Against All Odds.

I was told that getting my sort of cancer was around the same odds as winning the Euromillions. Yes, thanks God, next time could I have the 90 millions please! :)

Now, with all the Belle De Jour press stuff going on we know she is a "cancer specalist". What are the odds that when they sent my nadger away for "a cancer specialist" to biopsy, it was her.

Wonderful, not only have I missed a payday but there is now a possibility that whilst Belle De Jour was fondling my nether regions I was 100 miles away down the M4!

Sound the all clear!

Saw my consultant today. They have checked my most recent bloods and the CT scan and I am now clear of cancer.

I do however have to consider having a major operation. I am clear of visible cancer cells but there is a possibility that the tumour seeded into my abdominal lymph nodes. The choice is, have the lymph nodes removed just in case or avoid the op and take a chance they don't become cancerous. I see the surgeons in the next two weeks to discuss. My consultant tells me that sertoli cell tumours are so rare there is no textbook treatment therefore they might recommend but it has to be my decision. The world's leading sertoli cell specialist is at Charing Cross, even he will not come down one way or the other as to the decision.

The operation means I will be in hospital for a week and recuperating for a minimum of 8 weeks. So, a fortnight of pondering and fact finding, but not a fortnight of living with cancer.

I'm lucky.

Into the Unknown

Firstly, Patience went well, good reviews and a highly enjoyable time for the cast and also the audience according to feedback.

But whilst all that was going on I've been having hospital appointments. I need to apologise here to AJ who I saw Saturday but couldn't tell about this as my mum was nearby and I didn't want her to overhear.

Last friday I was given the result of my recent opertion. I had a sertoli cell tumour. Somewhat rare. It was malignant. So, I had cancer but do I have it still?

Now I have another round of appointments starting tomorrow at which I will have a CT scan. Never had one so it will be interesting. By Friday I'll know whether it spread or not and what they propose to do as I will almose definitely be having an operation either to remove or to prevent any spread from now.

Yhe only people I have told are Marj, obviously, a friend at opera who asked how I was and has prostate cancer, and Marj has told Anne, our friend. After that, it's you lot. Once i have my final results on Friday or whenever, then I start telling family and wider circle of friends. I'm not bothered about telling anyone now except my mum. Not a conversation I hope I have to have. It'll be hard enough telling her it went well as she'll only worry for ever more. Indeed, the thought has just occurred as to whether I should tell her at all if I'm clear. Not sure. I probably will have to tell my brother if I find out that there could be a genetic link.

Anyway, what I'm waffling on towards is the fact that if I am still playing host to cancer then I am going to start a blog that deals only with that.

In the meantime, once the shock had worn off and I'd told Marj, I'm in good spirits. I'm not the first to face this nor will I be the last, so onwards and upwards.

We open in Venice....

Well, not exactly, nor do we go on to Verona or Girona.

It is however show night. 5 performances in 4 days of Gilbert & Sullivans Patience. I'm playing Major Murgatroyd, my first solo role. A lot of singing, a lot of choreography, anf for the rest of the week, not a lot of sleep.

Expect things to be as quiet as normal around here.

Astral Breakdown

Science test at Ms school yesterday.

Question: Why do astronauts at the space station need to do weightlifting?

Young girls answer : They need to be strong in case the space station breaks down and they have to bump start it or push it back.

And now for something completely different....

40 years ago yesterday a new programme took to the airwaves. It consumed our playtime talk and like many people across the country led to an astonishing amount of re-enacments of "the Parrot Sketch", "The Lumberjack Song", "The Ministry of Silly Walks" and others.

Monty Pythons Flying Circus was here.

I'd like to say I was there at the beginning but I wasn't. It took a couple of weeks of playground talk before I got to see it. And of course it wasn't simple even then. Those were the days when you didn't have a television in your bedroom. I had to negiotiate being allowed to have that programme on, and not just that but negotiate an extension to bedtime to see it all. I was 12. 12 years olds in 1969 didn't stay up half the night looking at the internet, they went to bed at a sensible time, particularly on school nights.

But I did see most of them first time round. My mum, grandma and auntie couldn't make head nor tail of it, which of course was only right, and thought it was a load of rubbish. Then one of Terry Gilliams animations came on, a pair of airmen I think it was with legs that whirled round and round as a song was being played, They laughed hysterically. They still thought the rest of it was rubbish but it did give me leverage to tune in every week and subject them to the rest of it.

No-one who was around then can possibly mention spam without either singing the spam song or listing the menu items from the sketch. You can imagine how confusing it's all become for us with junk e-mails then!

Going to Extra Time

Went back to hospital yesterday for the histology report following my opertion.

I now know I had a tumour. The problem is they don't know whether it was benign or malignant as apparently. and how typical of me, I had to have a tumour unlike any other they've seen before. So, it has been sent for further tests to a specialist medical laboratory. No-one, including me, seems to be worried as I have no other markers for cancer so I have a 5 week wait until the final result is in.

One thing that did happen whilst I was waiting to go in was a woman turned up for an appointment. The receptionist checked and said she had no trace of an appointment. They checked and rechecked. Eventually, a passing nurse said "Is this to do with headaches that you have?". "Yes" said the woman. "You need Neurology, not Urology!" came the reply. Let's hope she ends up with the right surgeons!

A Novel Idea

Marj is at church this morning and they have a baptism. When i looked at the list and saw the childs name it seemed to me that if ever I was going to write a novel I had the title.

The Baptism of Thomas Tooth

Now all I have to do is come up with about 40,000 words and it's in the bag. But what a great title.

I don't like pain, it hurts!

Not as tired or drowsy today as yesterday but the pain is a little worse as the anaesthetics administered by the hospital finally leave the system. I have three different painkillers in tablet form so I just have to remember in what order and at what time I am meant to take them.

I feel an excel spreadsheet coming on.

Sleeping Beauty

Was released from hospital last night and slept for 15 hours. Pain could be worse, could be better, but despite the forms and being told to bring money, I didn't have to pay for the pain killers so that's one good thing.

Back to sleep again soon i think.