Journal Entries
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A Visit to Constable Country
Posted Oct 17, 2006
John Constable was baptised June 11th 1776 in the church at East Burgholt, Suffolk. His father owned the mill and granary just outside the town in the hamlet of Flatford. The mill made use of the River Stour, and there was a flat ford that provided a constant procession of horse-drawn barges stopping to load or unload their cargo. A system of locks allowed the barges to make the 23 mile journey from Sudbury to the Brantham tide-mill. The Flatford Lock was one of these.
Remarkably, Flatford is relatively unchanged from the early 1800s when Constable painted the scenes he loved best. The lanes are cartwheel wide. There are open expanses of fields dotted with sheep against a billowing Suffolk sky. There stands the Constable’s Mill, with only minor alterations due to an improved waterwheel system. Turn in place and there is Willy Lott’s house just as it was except the baking oven is gone now from the chimney stack. Walk up the lane past the vast granary, and there is the dry dock where barges were made and repaired. Above the dock is the thatched roof of Bridge House. Go and stand up on the bridge itself. There is the bell tower of Dedham Church in the distance and the river winds its way through the fields as it always has.
Looking upon the scenes, John Constable’s paintings spring to mind. There is where the boy on the horse pulled the barge along, with the Mill standing on the horizon. John must have set his easel here. The painting he made is titled ‘Flatford Mill: Scene on a navigable river’. 1817. Here is where the haywain crossed the ford while the spaniel looked on. Stand in the footsteps of the artist. The trees tower above Willy Lott’s House now as they do in the painting. ‘The Haywain’; 1821. The old locks of John Constable’s time were replaced by new ones of the same design. The old locks were on what is now become an island. The view of the mill is askew now with the painting ‘Flatford Mill from the lock’ 1812, but never mind. It is so close as to make only a small difference.
“Painting is but another word for feeling. I associate my ‘careless boyhood’ with all that lies on the banks of the Stour. They made me a painter, and I am grateful, that is, I had often thought of pictures of them before I had ever touched a pencil.” John Constable in his letter to John Fisher 23 October, 1821.
Flatford is a tiny place that looms large in the heart. It is an idyllic glimpse into the past and into the life of one of our greatest oil landscape painters, John Constable.
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Oct 17, 2006
Hip Replacement
Posted Jun 5, 2006
It is now 3 weeks since my hip replacement operation. I am able to walk - slowly - without any pain from the arthritis. In fact the only pain I have is just a dull ache in my muscles around the quickly healing wound. I am feeling stronger every day, and no longer use a stick to get around in the house.. but am not steady enough yet to walk without one when I go outside. The worst part right now is having to sleep flat on my back. 8 hours in the same position makes for stiff muscles. I sit up and do stretches during the night and that helps. Would I recommend having a hip replacement if needed? YES!!!
Discuss this Journal entry [8]
Latest reply: Jun 5, 2006
Funny
Posted Mar 17, 2006
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base. -- Dave Barry
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Mar 17, 2006
hip replacement surgery
Posted Mar 10, 2006
I watched a tv show last night that was alarming to me since I am about to have my hip replaced by the NHS. To cut hospital waiting lists from two years to six months was one of new Labour's pledges. At the end of 2005 only 12 people had to wait for their operations longer than six months. This was accomplished by hiring foreign surgeons to work in private hospitals. This is something that I had no idea was happening. It is very serious because these foreign surgeons often don't speak english, and are not qualified to the standard that British surgeons are qualified. Yes, the waiting period for a joint replacement has been slashed, but there have been a
series of botched operations and premature failures which have left patients crippled.
More alarming yet is the failure of the Department of Health to properly monitor surgical outcomes. If no-one is counting the failures then what kind of success is the Government boasting about?
Read more about this here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4790334.stm
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Mar 10, 2006
Hip Replacement
Posted Mar 1, 2006
At my tender age (55) I'm having a hip replaced. 
It's been giving trouble for a long while, but now I can barely walk anymore. Last October I was put on 'the list'. Which means I am on Britain's National Health Service's waiting list for the operation. They are telling me that my turn will come up in April. It is my understanding that a 6 month wait is a big improvement on the 2 year wait that people had to suffer not long ago. The government has demanded that the NHS must cut down on the waiting times for patients. The hospitals and doctors have complied by eliminating patients actually seeing their consultants (surgeons) until just before the operation takes place. All the preliminary examinations, x-rays, and the diagnosis are now handled by lesser beings... in my case it was a physical therapist. Also, worst cases are now moved forward.
Mustn't complain, though.. the operation will be 'free'... if you forget that we've paid for it all through taxes.
Right now I'm waiting for a phone call from the hospital to set up my appointment for my 'evaluation'. This will be a thorough examination to make sure I am fit for surgery. This is also when I will finally meet my surgeon, and learn exactly what to expect will happen to me. Many people have told me how wonderful a hip replacement is, and how good it will be to be out of pain. I'm looking forward to that; but not the operation.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Mar 1, 2006
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