A grey January morning on the “English Riviera”!
Torquay taken at 11am and Paignton Pier at 11.25am Tuesday !
Archive for January, 2010
An unusual sight out side a front door…..
……in southern England! A Legacy from our inclement weather….emergency transport awaits us in case of a return of the snow Ha Ha !
Universal Health Care – well I did say I might get controversial !
Universal health care is health care coverage for all eligible residents of a political region and often covers medical, dental and mental health care. Typically, costs are borne in the majority by publicly-funded programs.
Universal health care is implemented in all industrialized countries, with the exception of the United States. It is also provided in many developing countries.
Countries offering universal health care (not an exhaustive list):
Europe
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
Americas
- Argentina
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Mexico
- Panama
- Peru
- Uruguay
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Venezuela
Asia
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- China
- Hong Kong
- India[citation needed]
- Kuwait[citation needed]
- Qatar[citation needed]
- UAE[citation needed]
- Saudi Arabia[citation needed]
- Israel
- Japan
- Malaysia[citation needed]
- South Korea
- Seychelles[citation needed]
- Sri Lanka
- Taiwan
- Pakistan[citation needed]
- Thailand
Note
- “Citation needed” = some clarification needs to be made on whether claimed “Universal Health Care” is in fact for real in these countries.
- In fairness the provision of Universal Health Care does not guarantee the highest standard of care, rather what the country can afford. In western industrialised countries standards are generally high; France being the highest in Europe. For those who can afford it, private insurance (as in the USA) tend to offer the highest standards of health care.
- Visitors to the UK are entitled to free “emergency health care” but visitors are advised to be make sure their regular health insurance covers them while they are here.
- What is the cost of the National Health Service in UK to citizens? I wish I could give you that. Tthe best I can say from research is that about GBP1 in every GBP8 raised in income tax goes to the National Health Service. This means someone on GBP100,000pa would pay about GBP4200 to the health service or GBP350 per month. Someone on GBP30,000pa would pay GBP925 annually to the health service or less than GBP80 per month !
- Not every service under the NHS is entirely covered by taxation; all primary health consultations with family doctors are free as is consultations with hospital specialists and treatment in hospitals including care as an
in-patient and operations, post operative physiotherapy, Xrays etc. - In some parts of the UK prescriptions are free and they are free in the whole of the UK to those under 16, over 65, those on benefits, cancer patients, and some others. For those who do have to pay the charge is GBP7 per item although those who need regular prescriptions can buy an annual season ticket costing just over GBP100 and this covers everything you might need in a year.
Love is……
….two peas in a pod !
These two, Gladys and Tesco, were “found” in bed together this morning at 7am! Its a disgrace….they are not married and I am currently considering measures to separate them until the relationship is formalised !
They do love each-other though LOL !
Gladys the dog needed a walk and so did I !
Well……its not safe outside….the pavements (sidewalks) are totally untreated and iced up and my road still has several inches of albeit melting snow. However I decided to venture out and donned the gear that I bought to wear and did not need when I visited Maine in Winter 2004 – I think you Americans exaggerate all this snow you claim to get !
The photos:
01 Tetbury Old Station Yard Car Park
02 Mist rising from the snow on the Old Railway Line
03 Gladys the dog listening and watching for RABBITS !!
04 The Old Railway Line
05 The Head of the River Avon which flows to Bath & Bristol
06 Cart Horse
07 Snowfolds
08 Phoebe the cat wants to go indoors
09 My front door
10 Dinner tonight – beef stew !
Sheer Pandemonium outside my house tonight….
As we continue to battle against a further onslaught of snow, a John Lewis (store like Macy’s) furniture delivery truck got stuck in a drive at the end of my road necessitating an exacting rescue by a winch truck.
Naturally I was alarmed at the prospect of my Van being damaged by idiot truck drivers…….in England we have an ole country song we adapted to suit our lifestyle here….it goes like this:
I love my van, she’s right outside
I ain’t got much love but I sure got a ride
It don’t matter who lived
It don’t matter who lied
I got my van right by my side
*wink* !
Bravely we strive to lead a normal life under extreme conditions…….
.
The unusual sight of a Fieldfare !
I took this photo through the glass of my office window. This is a Fieldfare – native to Eastern Europe, they migrate to Eastern England in the Winter to escape the cold and live in the fields and countryside eating berries, worms and insects. If it gets cold in the east, they simply fly further west.
This year, there is nowhere much west of us to fly and the birds have taken to coming into urban areas in some numbers, visiting residential gardens to find their food.
They are a member of the Thrush family, have a speckled breast with a red tint – it has been said that they look a little like a finch on steroids!
