I’m full of the cold and feeling very sorry for myself.
I don’t know about you but it’s the first time in two years I’ve had one. Either I’ve forgotten how yucky you feel, or after two years of no colds in sight, it hits us badly when one takes hold of us.
Of course, I’ve done daily Covid tests just to be sure because a sore throat and sneezing could be the start of Covid, but I’m thankfully testing negative each time.
That’s the problem with going out into the big wide world of course.
I’m still wearing my mask and sanitising, but these cold viruses are everywhere right now. So many people are coughing and sneezing and there seems to be a particularly horrible strain of the cold going around.
If you are full of it like me, I hope you get well soon and have plenty of Heinz tomato soup, which I swear by as a cure for all ills.
A lovely hot bowl of tomato soup was the treat I always had when I was off school as a child, so it’s one of my favourite comfort foods.
I don’t know if you have seen the newspaper articles about my friend Carol Vorderman’s son Cameron who has just graduated with his Masters in Animation from Dundee University.
Cameron was diagnosed as a child with severe learning difficulties, including dyslexia, ADD and ADHD. He was turned away from schools who just couldn’t teach him and spent years being bullied for being different. Cam talks about his school days as being an unhappy time where he didn’t feel like he fitted in.
However, Cam had a drive which kept him going, and after graduating with a first-class degree he then went on to achieve his Masters. It’s a wonderfully inspirational story for the thousands of children with severe learning difficulties who feel they wont be able to achieve anything.
Carol’s advice to any of you whose children are struggling is to find the things they like in life, which do not necessarily have to be academic. Cam’s love of gaming was what led to the career path he was to follow and he is about to start his first full-time job.
Cam is a wonderful young man. I’m a bit biased of course as I’m very fond of him.
He is funny and kind and is just him.
For those of you whose children are struggling with learning or waiting to be diagnosed with a learning disorder, hang on in there.
Unfortunately, a simple blood test isn’t available and diagnoses can take years, but as Cam proves, anything is possible.
So many successful, special people are on the autistic spectrum or have some form of learning disorder. We need to start accepting that we are all different and more of us have problems than we realise.
Carol is passionate about helping other parents because she know how it feels when you aren’t getting the help you need for your children. And someone in the public eye like she is, who is known for being a high achiever, is the perfect person to highlight that we can all achieve in life, no matter what is thrown at us.
So thank you for your replies about the state of our GP surgeries. There seems to be quite a variation across the country as to how many of us can access “in person” appointments.
I had a lovely email from Moira who works as a receptionist in what sounds like a super GP practice in the north-west of Scotland.
Moria was explaining that it’s the sanitising between patients that is time consuming and that phone calls make for a more efficient solution
However, Moira agrees that maybe we are not all lucky enough to be part of a small practice which has fewer patients to deal with like hers.
My argument would be that if we all sanitise our hands at the door, surely major cleaning between patients is no longer necessary. After all, we are all back out in the world now touching things in restaurants, shops and on public transport.
I therefore still feel that more doctors’ surgeries need to get back to normal as soon as possible because thousands of people ignoring symptoms is too scary a prospect.
Meanwhile, I don’t need a doctor for my tiny little cold, but I do need a cup of tea Gordon, if you are reading this!
Have a good week,
Yvie x
