Summer is here

'Will you hold my stick while I have a wee?' I asked Alison after an hour and a half. 'I will not' she hit me playfully on the arm, 'oh, alright then' and took my walking stick while I disappeared behind a tree.

We were on a walk in Ingleton along the Twiss and Doe rivers. Through the Swilla Glen there is first one and then two or three coin encrusted logs. They look like ancient dragon limbs. People are encouraged to hammer coins vertically into these fallen tree trunks. One of them has an extra 10p in it now.

The weekend had promised to be glorious and so I wanted to head out a bit. I'd never been to Ingleton before and Alison knew the way, so off we set at 9.30am. I thought it would be busier but no. There were plenty people, but not too many for a gentle morning stroll. The four and half mile walk took about two hours, and back to Ingleton just in time for a late pub lunch in the sunshine. The waterfall trial has been designated a site of special scientific interest, and is definitely worth the trip. The views are great. I can't believe I've never been before. The two main waterfalls are Thornton Force and Beezly falls, pictured here.

On our way back we passed the Snow falls and massively steep gorges that are at once scary and make you want to dive in. It is as if a hot watery knife has been sliced across the limestone butter. I love limestone geology and studied it for my 'o' level, somewhere round here there'll be pot holes and hidden stalagmite and stalactite caves.

Limestone is sedimentary rock, made up of compressed exoskeletons of sea creature many millions of years old. It is amazing to think of all this below the sea, and rising up, only to be eroded flat again. The slippery, shiny limestone looks in parts like those tarnished metal statues of the saints in old cathedrals where their shoes or hand shine brightly from where people have touched them over the years.

By the time we got home I was exhausted, and so an early night. I got my first football game back today after nearly a two year lay off.

Man U vs Barcelona

How exciting. It's cup final day. Manchester United vs Barcelona. A repeat of the final two years ago when we were well and truly beaten by a much better side. This time too, they are strong favourites, but I have a good feeling. We'll see. Jonny says it's the most important day of his life in a fit of hyperbole.
It is the end of a difficult week, of course, for one United player. They're all at it, but his crime seems to be to try to conseal it.
It's been a hard week for me as well. Not in the same sense, you understand. It was the busiest of my lecture tour so far.
Wednesday was 'understanding referral rates' to a group of GP in the 'Chorlton and Whalley Range' local area group. Thursday was on Chronic Kidney Disease at the end of the Primary Care 2011 conference in Birmingham, and yesterday was a cardiology talk to a group of practices in Stockport. Now I'm utterly exhausted and have been sleeping all afternoon.
It's not that I don't like giving these talks, and surprise myself at the range of issues I find I can talk about upon. It does take a lot out of me emotionally. You're never quite sure if you've pitched it right, whether you're brilliant or boring. Brilliant usually, when I run it through my head afterwards.
The biggest and most surprising one will be on 'creating capacity and capability in primary care' and the Commissioning 2011 conference in London. I've just finished the talk and sent off the presentation. That's it now until they day. I will be nervously running through it in my head, and want to change things but I'll have to stick with what I've got. Like when you finish an exam paper.
It's nearly six o'clock and time to get psyched up. I think I'll watch doctor Who first and then settle down. I'll be watching it with Ken. Jonny's going to watch at a pub with his friends. Too noisy for me.
Come Ryan Giggs, show us why you're the best.
23.47 Out played by a better team. Next year perhaps

Averroes

After this weekend I can add Frankfurt and Zurich to my list of places I've been. Well the airports anyway. I was at our annual meeting of GPs with an interest in cardiology, in Palma De Majorca. We meet every year for a study weekend, exchange ideas, consider new studies, and above all, have fun. I don't know why I chose to go via these hubs but I did.
This year I talked about the Averroes trial. Now the trial is actually nothing to do with Averroes, for Averroes is the Western name given to to an Andalusian born Islamic scholar. He was a theologian, scientist and above all philosopher. He used Aristotelian philosophy and blended it with Islam, and somehow managed to link it all to Western philosophy. He was born in Cordoba, southern Spain and died in Marrakesh.
While I was in Frankfurt I got the call from the interview panel. Apparently they had three excellent candidate. He implied I was one of them, but didn't actually say that, and unfortunately, on this occasion, they selected someone else. Oh well, the job would have meant a whole upheaval. He offered to put me forward for a position on the committee, and I said I would really like that.

A NICE interview

I got interviewed today. Now I'm exhausted. I will tell you all about it if I get appointed.
It was a telephone interview, which is a bit weird. There was the Chief Executive of NICE, some government guy and the deputy chair. The deputy chair is a GP also so that made me feel better. It was a grilling alright but I honestly think I did OK. I wouldn't have given any different answers if I'd have known the questions before hand. I even made them laugh at the end when they asked me what I would say to the press when I became famous. I said 'I'm already famous'. Ouch, may be I wouldn't have said that bit. Still it's pretty good to be shortlisted for a job like that.
Last week I gave my talk to Sheffield doctors, and this weekend I'm going to Palma to tell them about the Averroes trial, of a new drug.
The 'making it real' workshop last week also was a great success, as widely acknowledge. I think I managed to get the GPs to see the potential of working cooperatively in this new NHS adventure. Definitely those in our area are already pulling together. I'm running a workshop with them on 'understanding referrals' next week.
So all go then, well it's better than sitting in my front room on the computer and watching back episodes of Taggart. Its murrder.

In Loving Memory

Richard was cremated today.
The ceremony at the Manchester Crematorium was simple and moving. I've never travelled in a funeral cortege before and was humbled to be there. I had been given the great honour of being one of the pall bearers and there I was in the back of the black limousine edging gently from Chorltonville to the Cemetery. Anne, Margaret, Steve and John in the back, with Barbara in the from. Uncle Basil was also in the car. 'He was a rum one in his time' Anne whispered.
I was surprised by the reaction of people and deeply moved. Most people look on solemnly, and at least half of them cross themselves as the coffin went by. It was a sunny early afternoon and the children at Chorlton Park juniors were out in the park playing. The whole scene was touching.
We arrived at the Crematorium a little early to be met by the slightly comical sight of the previous mourners being hurried away to fit us in. Richard would have found in amusing, as he did many things about funerals, having conducted countless himself.
Afterwards we had a wonderful memorial service at Manchester Road and then food and mingling. People had come from far and wide, but also many of our friends from Chorlton were there. Richard had touched their hearts too. It was a warm and affirming moment.
It was a memorable occasion.

Bluebells at Buckland Abbey

I am here in Devon with my dear friends Ade and Sue. We came down on Friday for the long weekend and to miss the 'Royal Wedding', which meant also that the roads were clear. Then yesterday we went on a bluebell walk.
I love this time of year, and down in Devon all the blossom is out, the gorse is out, and so are the bluebells. Knowing my love of bluebells Adrian has looked out a bluebell walk and so off we went yesterday. It was an hour's drive but worth it.
Buckland Abbey is an old Cistercian monastery which later became home to Sir Richard Grenville (must be someone famous) and Sir Francis Drake (definitely someone famous). The wooded walk was a two mile gentle path through carpets of rich blue flowers. They are so blue they have an almost purple hue. Through the trees you can see the undulating Devon countryside. Marvelous, just what you need to remind you that there is life away from the bustle of weekly work life.
We came back home via the Castle Inn and then a nap. I woke up just in time for the Chelsea Tottenham game followed by dinner. Civilised, conversational and excellent.
Xante and new puppy Pebbles were sufficiently badly behaved to be cute, although a loud thunderclap frightened them briefly. We watched a couple of episodes of Lead Balloon and an early night. I love this pace of life.
I told Ade about my thoughts on twenty four hour retirement. Oh yes, I'm thinking of doing that in a few years. Apparently I've earned too much in my career to make it worth working longer, but twenty four hour retirement means you can collect you pension and then work again if you want. I'd like that, and draw back a bit on the humdrum and perhaps stick to my cardiology stuff, we'll see. It would even be nice to retire down here, but I miss too much, I think, and my children.
It's not been possible to avoid the Royal Wedding altogether, of course, every news paper has the 'happy couple' kissing, on their front pages, and Chelsea managed to scrape a win from Tottenham. Apart from that it's been a lovely weekend so far.
Today it's a local walk and United Arsenal. It is also one on my own wedding anniversaries, so I offer her a thought and a prayer, and hope she is happy and well.

Easter Day, the Garden of Eden and the Serpent

This Easter Sunday was a strange day. I went to Manchester Road Methodists for the first time. It's where Richard went, and preached many times. He wasn't there of course, but you could feel his presence, especially during the choruses of the great Wesleyan tunes. He would always come booming in at the rousing point in the hymn.
I also had to deliver two death certificates to the families of two other people, both dying on cancer this same weekend. So three more souls in heaven.
Also just seen a TV programme on the history of Christianity. I didn't realise the history of Islam and Christianity were sooo intertwined.

Another interesting idea from a different programme is that the Garden of Eden was in fact the garden within the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, where God lived. Adam was a king who tended the Garden. When he became too worldly it lead to the destruction of the Temple. This story, 'most scholars believe' was originally placed later in the Bible, but moved to the beginning in more recent times, so giving it much more significance than it perhaps deserves. Rather than being the fall of an individual king, this story has come to represent the Fall of the whole of mankind. Wow, but without the Fall there would have been no need for the sacrifice of Jesus.

The place of the serpent in the story is interesting to me too, having been called 'the voice of the serpent'. It is well known that the serpent is also the symbol of Medicine and of Healing, the rod of Asclepius. It also represent rejuvenation and even resurrection in some cultures. Even Moses uses a bronze serpent to cure the people from snake bites (Numbers ch21v6-9). So I don't feel as bad now about being its voice.