10 May 2014
By Ronny Allan
2 Comments

Through the Keyhole?

Patient Advocacy
  Through the Keyhole is a Panel Game Show on telly originally hosted by Lloyd Grossman (who?) and then Sir David Frost.  It was resurrected last year hosted by Keith Lemon.     Sorry to disappoint you but this blog is about a different type of keyhole.  Today I'm on 'K' words (I drew a blank on J). Keyhole Surgery After I had major surgery in Nov 2010, I left the hospital knowing that I'd be returning later for another but I needed to be fit enough first.  This took some time but in Apr 2011, I returned for further surgery, this…
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09 May 2014
By Ronny Allan
1 Comment

Queen Mother of the Isle of Wight

Patient Advocacy
  Decided to do a one off today after reading a story published on 7 May on the PLANETS Charity Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/PLANETS-Charity/122088044556397?fref=ts The is a story about a lady who was faced with one of the most deadly cancers - Pancreatic Cancer, where the 5 year survival rate has not risen for the last 40 years (another story for another time).  Young and fit people can struggle with this cancer and its treatment so it must be ultra tough at 83.  Her attitude and strength of character in facing up to this terrible disease is very inspiring to me and an…
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08 May 2014
By Ronny Allan
3 Comments
What have the Romans ever done for us?

What have the Romans ever done for us?

Humour, Inspiration
"What have the Romans ever done for us?" Reviewed and updated 5th October 2021 .......... apart from better sanitation, and medicine, and education, and irrigation, and public health, and roads, and a freshwater system, and baths, and public order ....... 😊 (apologies to those not familiar with Monty Python stuff!) Well, they also left us the outstanding Hadrian's Wall which is the first topic of today's blog.  In January 2014, the oldest piece of paper in my 'in tray' was a newspaper article about the World Heritage Site of Hadrian's Wall - it was dated 28 Sep 2003 entitled 50…
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02 May 2014
By Ronny Allan
3 Comments

Bournemouth Marathon

Patient Advocacy
  Hope you enjoyed the 'A' blog yesterday.  Some of you might also note I changed the previous blog titles to make them more catchy. Here's a few 'B's Bournemouth Marathon I once ran a marathon aged 28 in Verden West Germany 1984.  I was there defending the free world from Communism (ahem....). It was a tough gig even at that age and the training was even tougher.  I'm therefore delighted to announce that my old mate Steve Davis (pictured above), former Orienteering buddy and 'Quaff Club' member, has nominated my PLANETS Charity page as his chosen cause when he runs this…
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01 May 2014
By Ronny Allan
0 Comments
Army to the Rescue

Army to the Rescue

Patient Advocacy
  I promised you an A-Z so here are some 'A' headlines: Agenda.  The walk is 84 miles long - Chris and I will be walking from East to West over 6 days as follows: 25 May - Staying with friends near Newcastle 26 May - Wallsend to Heddon-on-the-Wall (with Nick Naylor) 27 May - Heddon-on-the-Wall to Chollerford  28 May - Chollerford to Once Brewed (with Dave Taylor) 29 May - Once Brewed to Lanercost (nr Brampton) (with Jim Waterson) 30 May - Lanercost to Carlisle 31 May - Carlisle to Bowness on-Solway 1 Jun - Lazy breakfast in our lodgings and then head south…
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30 Apr 2014
By Ronny Allan
4 Comments
My Blog – What’s it all about?

My Blog – What’s it all about?

Patient Advocacy
Welcome to my blog!  My plan yesterday was to blog for 26 days using the alphabet A to Z as a guide for the content.  That would have taken me to 25th May, the day before my walk of Hadrian's Wall commences.   However, Chris and I were playing a game we used to play with our children on long car journeys "I can see something beginning with....."  On analysis, it appears I might struggle with certain letters! Guess what....K, J, Q, U, X, Y and Z are not necessarily the problem!   I'm still intending to do this but…
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