MooN

longer term yes. I still don't really understand exactlyt wht it is cos it's not simply arthritis. if i've understood right, rhumatoid polyarthritis is an auto-immune disease of some sort that causes, during flare ups, swelling and pain in joints.Long term it can cause paralasis of said joints by creating holes in the bone or cartilege. Hands and feet are usually first to suffer which is why i've been having batteries of scans , echos and x-rays of those, which will serve in the future as a basis for comparison. I don't really suffer from it yet but discovered it following a consultation for pains in lower legs, specifically knees and feet. blood tests revealed the specific chemical makers for the disease were off the bloody scale! not yet a real physicle problem, but the rhumatologist and the medical imaging place that i need to use are in Dijon so there's a lot of time spent on the road to and from there. I'm back there again on the 7th for the rhumatologist and again on the 14th for cortisone injection in my left wrist for carpal tunnel syndrome... I'm waiting for some concrete or quantifiable information before telling work that i'm fucked.

Not that I owe any of you lot any sort of explanation, but; work went bonkers and we had endless technical problems ( but then there has been no maintenance done for 2 winters on the trot so not wholly unexpected but excacerbated by being forbidden from spending any money on parts) Discovered that I have rhumatoid poly-arthritis and have spent most of my spare time driving or riding to and from Dijon for x-rays, echographies and numerous other medical exams of hands and feet. then I was given 2 weeks off at short notice and the computer crapped out completely, refusing to recognise it's own innards. 'putor went to the repair shop and I buggered off for 4 days with bike and tent, leaving everything technological at home. ( 'cept the camera) I got back yesterday, picked up the repaired 'putor this morning and here I am again. If you're very good, i will regale you with tales of motorcycling exploits and derring do over the next couple of days.

funnily enough, most of it was abandoned shortly after he arrived Bob.

showing yer age there Buck. Hi Wiliam. welcome in.

Hi Parker, don't mind the locals.

naaaah, we don't hate you Bob, some actually admire the decision to leave. what we hate is the disingenuous, hypocritical and unscrupulous way in which the whole thing was carried out. Th wrangling, lying, cheating and conniving of the British political sphere in all it's dealings regarding Brexit has probably done more harm to the european perceptiion of the British than anything in the last century. Certainly here perceptions have changed.

when I had an aussie employee, his wife was a european national, he had a residence permit due to his wife's nationality, but he was very limited work wise as he had to prove, every year, that his wife, as the european national in the couple, was the principal earner. If that was not the case, they removed his work permit.

"oooh Nurse!" I mean your bike! kinda following on from Bob's "one Bike" thread really, what's the longest you've been without riding, and how often do you ride normally. obviously weather dependant for many of us one way or another. I've not been without a bike since I was 16 and got my first moped except for the first 3 months I was in France, having sold my bike in the uk before leaving. I had no car for 6 years so rode every day, work, shopping, weekends etc. the longest I have been without riding was following my back operation in 2016 when I went 6 months without getting on a bike. I usually ride at least once a week at this time of year, 2 or 3 times a week in spring and autumn and whenever possible in the winter, usually once or twice a month if it's not actually snowing.

I cooked " gratin de raviolis" for the kids at lunch today. I decided to use up some slices of processed hamburger cheese as well as grated emmental. it was surprisingly bad

on motorcyle related questionaires or even forum sign up pages, amongst numerous other stupid questions like "starsign" or " favorite music" they often ask " Riding style". I always reply " Yes"

not yet, no. I'm actually still almost hoping that the company will fold ( I know it's on the cards) that way I get a "licenciement economique" with a reduncy cheque of about 4 months wages, the equivalent of 70percent of pre tax monthly wage for up to a year, free or paid retraining etc etc.... As things stand I would have to stop working and pay for retraining...

G'day zzzack.

you are such a fucking class act!

I can't afford more than one, and If I could I probably wouldn't. I have always preferred to concentrate on one thing at a time.

weather's shit here too at the moment, the frogs are complaining about it almost as much as brits do.

If it's any consolation Pedro, you'll be pleased to hear that I suffered no side effects at all from my 2nd pfizer jab

you get an e mail from them telling you that there are customs charges that they, as the transporter, have had to advance. the actual amount varies on the value of the item but usually between 30 and 40€. you pay online and get your parcel a couple of days later, but still a week or so longer than previously and can be anything up to a month, if it hasn't dissapeared completely. It took me about 10 days and 3 phone calls and 2 e mails to get a proper invoice out of them (DHL) and on the invoice, which they are clearly loath to give you, it clearly states the value of the item, the VAT, the customs clearance charge (0€!) and then an " administration charge" of 30 odd€... + VAT on that charge! legalised theft in my opinion. I am prepared to py the DPD fixed 7€ charge as I understand that there is more paperwork involved and the charge is clear and justified. DHL are clearly doing their best to hide the charge by lying and telling you it's a "customs clearance fee" implying thereby that they have had to pay this fee to the customs.

well at least with a bit of luck the shortage of lorry drivers won't last, you won't need them cos everybody I know is simply stopping buying anything from the UK cos it's too slow, too expensive and too complicated. we're all pooling info on new suppliers of parts from germany or holland, they're loving it and starting to compete for our business. DHL is currently adding a 30 to 40€ "administration charge" on anything coming from the UK. (DPD is more reasonable at a fixed rate of 7€) which adds insult to njury.

has it already been meniond that you're not normal?

that is a good quote. I shall pinch it and reuse it. there's and old well known prayer, I think probably hebraic originily along the lines of " Lord give me the humility to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and most of all the widom to know the difference..." recognising the limits of one's ability or knowledge is, in itself, a sign of wisdom.

all other considerations aside, it does look like fun!

phones, credit cards, number plates, loyalty cards in shops, security cameras, GPS, any internet connection or login... and so on and so forth. They're actually far more interested in being seen to be anti establishment ( no matter the cause) than in any actual real problems or debates that they would be clearly too moronic to make any useful contribution to. Like all morons, they make a huge amount of noise about a non event, basing their "arguments" on hearsay and wild surmises in order to cover up their otherwise complete lack of comprehension of any scientific or factually based subject. They are therby desperately trying to make up for they're otherwise evident lack of usefulness to society.

the UK doesnt want or need foreign labour Bob, I thought that had been clearly explaind to everyone during the leave campaign... just have to hope it's a temporary problem and that it will even out over time. read on the BBC world news site thismorning that uk ministers are suggesting that they may drop the quaranteen regs for returning residents from France IF they're double vaccinated. nothing concrete yet though.

you have a point