h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A very gentle for Teuchter. Do look into diets and food allergies, the arthritis may just be a symptom or at least aggravated by the allergies.

Thanks all - especially those of you with your own health to worry about.
I'm feeling much better, having had a good old whinge.
The lip is back into Stiff Upper position - at least when I'm not swallowing handfuls of pills
We're starting with the Not G&T - and some heavy duty steroids - and there's a whole nother armament of stuff to try if that doesn't get us anywhere. Don't know if I'm disappointed or not that gold injections are no longer in use.

Sore toes are not a good thing, Sol. I hope it heals very soon. Have you tried anything to reduce the bruising? Maybe some arnica ointment? Would you get laughed at for wearing comfy slippers at wo*k?

Ag - I'm worried about that coffee-fingernails diet too. Not enough roughage for starters
If goodvibes do any good at all, there are entire bandwidths wending their way in your direction.

Have we done the group-hug thing recently? Now might be a good time?

Could Snopes be wrong? I found some pictures of what are claimed to be "brass monkeys." If someone is near Whale Island, Portsmouth you may be able to verify what the items on the wall in this photo are
http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/waiting/mon.gif
And this one is from the "Woolwich Museum" http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/waiting/cam.htm
Both were found at http://www.cyber-heritage.co.uk/waiting/cam.htm so given the single source may be mislabeled.

Teuchter, what a bummer

Good luck with them meds.

Yes, thank you.

Teuchter, courage ma brave, keep it stiff

Oops...sorry all, that was another of my belated replies . That one was for Teuchter.

The other thing that makes the usual 'brass monkey' explanation incorrect is that the only monkeys on most ships were the powder monkeys (boys who would shuttle powder from the magazine to the gun deck).

Oh and for Teuchter... hope the drugs *do* work!

Right, now I've read all the postings I might make more sense (might being the operative word!)

Teuchter, so sorry to hear about your poor hands. I really hope the meds work.

Sol and Ag, I hope your injuries get better soon. (I might have said this yesterday, but I still mean it!)

Hello Jolly.

Where I come from the phrase "Eh-up me duck" is a favourite. Pronounced 'ay (as in hay) oup (as not in soup) me douk'. No, I am not from another planet, I promise. I don't think the pronounciation guide is very accurate, sorry! . My mum likes to call people 'me duck' as a term of affection.

(The nearest I could get to a duck smiley.)

[GDZ]

The thing that really bothers me about the refutation of the brass monkey etymology is that it's confined to "they didn't do that on ships". Canons were used on land too. Maybe "brass monkey" is a specialized usage for ceremonial canons at marching grounds and monuments. We can't reject the whole explanation because the *ship* detail may be incorrect.

Teuchter - think positive. That usually helps a little, too.

B*gg*r and a half, Teuchter. Not nice, I am sorry. May I share an anecdote? A rheumatoid arthritis one.

*takes a deep breath, settles into the beanbag and begins*

12 years ago my then baby boy was diagnosed with 'non-autistic regression'. In true first time mum fashion, I only heard the word in the middle and did a pretty spectacular tailspin. Long story short, turned out it was due to chronic recurrent ear infections etc blah... Thames Valley syndrome. I ended up at a cranial osteopath's in Balham. He was old and retired but agreed to see me and as a courtesy to a mutual friend.

'nyways. His hands were severely gnarled (in his 70s if he was a day) and yet he was able to manipulate baby's head and neck very gently and for a good 40 minutes. I couldn't help commenting (sensitive soul of discretion that I am)...

I spent the next hour there, with the asleep in my lap and this very dignified old gent talking to me about Pauling (do I remember correctly?) and Vitamin C. Apparently he had been taking huge daily volumes of the stuff for several years and it had made the difference (for him, I hasten to add) between being helpless and being able.

I walked out of there knowing more about vitamin c than I ever wanted, curious as heck about alternative stuff, diet and nutrition impact on health, and a book (which I still treasure) with a big broccoli floret on the dustcover. I'll remember the author's name in a minute, but I do know that he has since gone down the route of 'designer health foods' and profit margins...

The walked and talked again within weeks. His 'treatment' consisted of cranial osteopathy and a 6 month period excluding bovine dairy (went on to goat) and wheat.

He still gets whacking great dark circles 'round his eyes if he overindulges in milk/bread.

Le fin.

Please have a peek at some other ways of tweaking the inflammation. I will help if you like, you know where I is...



*gets in position for the group

We might have to shuffle the group hug, crab-like, to the new Salon if it opens while we're

Wilma

I'm a big believer in good diet - and manage to stick to one, most of the time.
Yet again, in this morning's press, there was an article about the Mediterranean diet - http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sitesearch.do?query=mediterranean+diet&hitsperpage=10&nextOffset=0&offset=0&leftStartIndex=1&leftEndIndex=10&submitStatus=searchFormSubmitted&mode=SIMPLE&sectionId=674

All I need to do there is up the intake a bit and I'm just about there.

Now that would make an entrance and a half, WA

I promise not to tie any more shoelaces together Or we could end up looking like a very friendly cross between Twister and a few Three-legged races.

And .................

Lil would have a very difficult problem deciding who got the FTTF mug.

Nah, she'd just award it to the Hug.

My best mate has suffered with Rheumatoid Arthritis for years, in his ankles and elbows. Since he's had it he's realised his dream of running a sailing school and still does. Chin up quine

*waves to everyone*

Teuchter, that is awful - your poor mitts! I really hope the meds do some good.

The Matrix was a good film, the sequels were mainly dull. In the first one Keanu had to wander about the place looking pretty but puzzled (much like in B&T) which, to put it kindly, plays to his strengths. The subsequent films, when he wa supposed to be The One and know stuff suffered from too great a credibility gap...