Care fees, Trident and Jan's improving daily

5 April

That was a good night's sleep at last. The carers came round to get Jan up, dressed and washed yesterday but not until nearly 11.30. Seeing as she is doing so well now she cancelled them. there was argument from them at all. In fact they were probably relieved to have one less client to call on. The target they have to meet is set so high, they are hardly ever meeting it I think. As it is, Jan is improving well. She is getting about a lot better and a lot quicker. I think a lot of it is being confident about using the Zimmer frame they have given her.

Last night I sat and watched the Tonight documentary about the rising need for care its cost. As one lady was saying, they were eating into their savings now paying for her mother's care which mean that there won't be enough for to pay for their care later on. I can't understand that really. State help in care fees is assessed on the assists of the person needing care, not on their family. So why are they having to pay for it? There appears to be an element of emotional blackmail going on. Who is responsible for that is not clear, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's not down to social services again.

In the past I have mentioned that if we want all the benefits that modern medical science brings, then we have to be ready to pay for it. And that must include the longer life-spans that it brings about. Soon Britain will have two 60,000 toms aircraft carriers, but without aircraft. What will they be used for I wonder. And do we really need the Trident update. And what of HS2? Is it really needed? I have my doubts. The Prime Muppet says that £2 billion overseas aid budget is his proudest achievement. Yet how many of other areas could benefit from that money? India receives a fair old chunk of it and has said that it doesn't need it, so why are we still paying it?

Well, seeing as it's Saturday, the local Telegraph has it's 'On This Day' feature. Today they only go back to 1614 when romance bloomed between a British settler John Rolfe and an Indian girl named Pocahontas. I remember watching the cartoon version of it on VHS cos Tom wanted it. It wasn't bad as cartoons go but I had thought it was a tale of fiction. I found out later it was based on fact though. True love always finds a way eh.

I've never seen a flowering holly bush until I got to Chester Zoo the other week. I don't know if this one ... 

is a British holly or not, but it's a nice whatever.

And today's funny is ...

There were two evil brothers. They were rich, and used their money to keep their ways from the public eye. They even attended the same church, and looked to be perfect Christians.

Then their pastor retired, and a new one was hired. Not only could he see right through the brothers' deception, but he also spoke well and true, and the church started to swell in numbers. A fund-raising campaign was started to build a new assembly.

All of a sudden, one of the brothers died. The remaining brother sought out the new pastor the day before the funeral and handed him a check for the amount needed to finish paying for the new building. "I have only one condition," he said. "At his funeral, you must say my brother was a saint." The pastor gave his word, and deposited the check.

The next day, at the funeral, the pastor did not hold back. "He was an evil man," he said. "He cheated on his wife and abused his family." After going on in this vein for a small time, he concluded with, "But compared to his brother, he was a saint."