The Weekend Waits – In Sesame Street!

Glasgow – The Pitts

Yes since reading that Brad Pitt was in Glasgow filming (with Glasgow playing Philadelphia) I’ve been going to post something whilst trying to avoid obvious jokes.

Sadly I’ve failed in that endeavour because I notice that Brad, whose movie is about zombies, attended Celtic’s 0-0 draw with Sion of Switzerland in the Europa League last night.

It’s not known if he was looking for extras for the movie.

Beyond our Ken

It was with some amusement that I read this article

In comments, reported in the latest issue of Total Politics, the former London Labour mayor said next year’s mayoral race was “a simple choice between good and evil – I don’t think it’s been so clear since the great struggle between Churchill and Hitler.”

“The people that don’t vote for me will be weighed in the balance, come Judgment Day,” he continued.

“The Archangel Gabriel will say ‘You didn’t vote for Ken Livingstone in 2012.

“Oh dear, burn forever. Your skin flayed for all eternity.’”

Of course Ken was only paraphrasing God wasn’t he?

Anyway, the thought struck me that Londoners have a straight choice between Livingstone and Johnson.

Send help!

GOSH!

I kept a blog of my daughter Eve’s visit to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in March.

At long last the decision has been made that she is suitable for brain surgery which will take place 6-8 weeks after we sign the consent form.

The surgery will of course entail another visit to London and GOSH.

We have become used to NHS time scales but even so, things are moving.

The outcome is by no means certain and there are associated risks.

However small these risks are does not minimise the apprehension.

When we visited Yorkhill Children’s Hospital in Glasgow on Wednesday for Eve’s appointment, we were early and went to the canteen in search of some coffee. There was a patients, parents and carers group at the entrance to the canteen with a table laden with sandwiches, fruit, juice and tea and coffee.

“Are you attending a clinic with your daughter?”

“Er yes”

“Please come and sit down and help yourself!”

There were parents and children there of different ethnic groups and backgrounds.
Kids with a variety of conditions and problems -and mums and dads.
All socialising in a spirit of mutual concern and support.

Whilst at Great Ormond Street, I wrote :

“As in most, if not all, cases of adversity one finds oneself in complete sympathy with others in a similar situation. You become interested in their trials and tribulations and naturally find a common bond and you want not only your own child to have a good outcome but you find yourself hoping and wishing for progress for others you have only just met.

The natural empathy of human beings is a very powerful thing. It may take suffering or trauma to bring it out and let it flourish but its there in most of us.”

The twenty minutes or so we spent with these other families at Yorkhill reinforced the point.