Doctorin' The House

Down London again. I've been going to the capital so often I'm starting to slang rhyme. ''Cor blimey ! Its time to Mickey on my Kermit''  (work it out for no prizes at all)

Today is Tuesday so it must be the unison annual leadership seminar. As everything this year I have no idea what,s to come so I travel with hope and expectation.
I go through my usual routine of rushing and subsequently delaying my departure. If ever a homily was more apt to a person than ''more haste less speed'' is to me. So my carefully planned 2 hours turned into a mad dash to make the train after the one I wanted.

The seminar was in the extremely grand home of the British Medical Association, called the BMA house. However bad the credit crumpet is, its comforting that the doctor's seem to be managing ok.  Must admit as I registered my eye was taken with another event entitle Anthrax Seminar. It could either be the deadly sheep disease or the 90s thrash metal group, either way it sounded slightly more exciting than a union leadership seminar, but duty and coffee called so I headed for our meeting.

The seminar had 2 keynote speaker's , our very own and brilliant leader David Prentis, and the political editor of the mirror and frequent news 24 pundit Kevin McGuire. The main theme was around our Unions agenda in the light of the current political and economic environment and the upcoming general election. It is clear politics in UK is reaching a watershed. After years of the stampede for the middle ground and the votes of those wretched Daily Mail readers (although I do like their Sunday Supplements and free DVDs, even my political principles take a back seat when faced with a free Time Bandits DVD!) we have finally reached the stage where the country is crying out for a progressive radical agenda. This can be supported by the election of a new US president with possibly more left wing policies than our own government. Well we can all hope, I suppose but the danger is that Public Sector spending could be squeezed out by tax cuts.

After it was over we were all due to have dinner (or lunch as we are down south), but I am determined to stick to my bloody diet so I opted out, and not wanting to sit at a table with no food sat in the corridor outside watching everyone eat heartily and network thoroughly. I made a couple of phone calls and after I got an attack of my shyness and social awkwardness and found myself feeling like a bit of an outsider so I didn't  join a table for a coffee and get to know you all chat. Its completely stupid on my part as everyone I meet at these events is so welcoming. I really have to get to grips with myself someday. Anyway I made my way back to Euston and managed to hold back the creeping tears of self pity and self frustration. A Marks and Sparks salad filled the hole in both my tummy and my mood.

I am now packing as tomorrow I'm off for 4 days to Bristol for Unison's LGBT  conference which is not a Lettuce, Garlic, Bacon & Tomato sandwich (though that would be nice) but Unison's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender conference. I've never attended this before but I feel as one of the few visible T people in our Union I have a duty to get involved.

Fat Index latest. Like the stock market I plummeted and bounced. Last week I was down 5 llb to 24 stone 8 1/2 llbs but this week bounced up 1 1/2 lbs to 24 stone 10lbs. I hope in stock market terms its a Dead Cat Bounce (sorry Gammo)

Capybara fact of the week (or last 2 weeks): They are allergic to Stilton