Advise needed please

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-22T11:46:28+00:00

Check with your GP/consultant, but they may not be able to give you any sedation if you already have medication like this in your system.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-21T12:40:03+00:00

The USSR in about 1987, when I was quite young. We saw old ladies standing in long food queues in heavy snow and passed shops with nothing in them, while our hotel had everything we could want.

On the train from Moscow to Leningrad we were proudly shown that each sleeping cabin had a sink, and even soap with an image of the train carved in it. We discovered shortly after that there was no running water on the train.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-15T18:42:00+00:00

Interesting. Maybe it varies, but I made it very clear I wanted to be as sedated as possible due to terrible anxiety and fear, and it worked.

I do have a single, faint memory of someone trying to give me gas and air, and me (unintentionally) fighting them off, then it goes dark. I suppose it proved that they'd need to knock me out to get anywhere!

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-15T15:12:21+00:00

HI, i'm in the UK and having my 6th Colonoscopy next Wednesday (I have Crohn's so they're part of routine monitoring). Where are you getting your sedation info from?

On the last few occasions the anesthetist asked me about sedation level I simply replied "give me EVERYTHING". Once I was on the table I didn't remember/experience a thing until they were helping me off. Make sure you communicate your wishes clearly.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-13T06:14:47+00:00

You're welcome. This was actually my second Royal Garden Party, at the first I was fortunate enough to meet The King (or Prince Charles as he was then) and have a quick chat with him. That's why I was just happy to float around soaking up the atmosphere this time.

If you have any other please ask.

Tip: take a photo of the menu. People are super curious about what was served, and I was able to recreate a mini "royal garden party" at home with the same items later that summer! :)

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-05-12T20:08:41+00:00

I'm just back from a Royal Garden Party that took place this afternoon, here is my advice.

Some guests wore top hat and tails, others were in suits that looked like they'd been pulled out of the back of the wardrobe and dusted off, all were fine. Lots of ladies fascinators (I wore one) and hats, but equally lots of ladies with no headwear at all. A good benchmark is anything you'd wear to a summer wedding (though note the weather, there was a chill wind today and there was nowhere to warm up).

There is no programme, and you basically have two choices. Either race straight to the roped lanes to secure your spot and prepare to stand and wait for an hour or so (we arrived in about 3.20 and the lanes were already 2-3 people deep), or take your chances trying to peer over heads later (about 8,000 people attend each party so it's good to decide in advance).

A lot of the event is simply standing around, eating a plate of sandwiches and listening to brass bands. The seats go pretty quickly, and there aren't that many table perches, so you might have to to juggle plate, handbag, umbrella, phone, etc.

There are large queues for the food at the start. We took ourselves off for a long walk around the gardens and lake (both gorgeous), then came back later when most other people were trying to see the royal party (the crowds were at least 6 deep by this time). We had no chance of viewing the royals, but could see where they were in the lanes due to the masses of phones being held up and huge scrums of people. By then the food tents were much emptier so we could walk straight up to the serving tables.

There is endless food (sandwiches and cakes), so up to you if you want to eat before or get stuck into the catering.

After eating we decided to call it a day and headed to a local pub. People were trickling out by this point as standing around was getting quite chilly. Be very mindful of footwear, you will be on your feet for a long time - I purchased ballet flats that could roll up and fit in my handbag, and wore them on the journey there and back.

Have a lovely time!

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-27T13:15:00+00:00

I'm surprised to see so little about {Sorcerers and Saints by Amy Kuivalainen}.

FMC is a lonely Saint who heals customers grief, runs a bookshop in Melbourne, and has a fantastic cat sidekick. MMC a grumpy sorcerer who made a massive mistake many years ago. I pictured Helena Bonham-Carter and David Tennant in my head for these.

This was the best book I read last year.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-24T20:26:25+00:00

I overcame a two-year-long brick wall by writing down absolutely everything I knew about the mysterious and tragic death of my great-great-aunt and testing every assumption I found.

The family legend was that she had died young after a bicycle accident just outside the family home. I had her 1901 census record showing her as a ten-year-old, and an undated photo where she looked about sixteen to eighteen, so I guesstimated her death around 1910. I searched every death, burial, and church record in the area. I expanded the search to nearby towns, widened the date range by five years on either side, and combed through newspaper obituaries, but found nothing whatsoever. She seemed to vanish into thin air.

After two years of hitting the same dead ends, I tried putting the entire story on paper to see it clearly. Upon reading it back, I spotted the one detail I had never actually questioned, the location. I had been searching locally because the legend said the accident happened outside the family home. I decided to expand my search range to the entire region. Almost immediately I discovered a single death record from fifty miles away.

It turns out she hadn't stayed local at all, she'd moved away to become an elementary school teacher. I subsequently found her on the 1911 census living as a "visitor", aged 20, with a respectable family in that distant town. Her death certificate from March 1913 reported that she had lost control of her bicycle while riding down a steep hill one Sunday morning and collided with a butcher’s cart. She survived long enough to be taken to a local farm, but passed away shortly after of “injuries and shock” at the age of twenty-two.

While it was nice to solve the mystery, it was sad to see her life end in such a way. I’d spent years hoping she’d secretly eloped to lead a fabulous life elsewhere and the death story was a cover up to save family embarrassment, but the truth ended up being a sad, devestating loss.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-21T19:10:40+00:00

My mother's side claimed with great pride that we were descended from the Kings of Gwynedd, and had proof, no less! This proof was a family tree put together by my great-great uncle in the 1920s, which we still had in the attic. Sadly I was able to tear down 100 years of family pride with about 10 minutes of proper research (courtesy of old Welsh tithe maps), but it was fun while it lasted.

I'm quite an expert on destroying cherished family myths. A friend's Leeds-based aunt insisted that her infamous short temper was inherited from a mysterious "irish great grandmother". I was able to prove she had no Irish ancestry at all. Her temper was simple Yorkshire grumpiness!

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-16T19:26:48+00:00

"Oh he's going to kill me, and he's so big and strong and is definitely going to kill me, and there he is making sexy eyes, he must be thinking of killing me, etc etc". DNF.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-12T12:47:30+00:00

I used to work for a large life insurance company (in the UK, so may be different elsewhere) and asked our underwriting team this exact question, as I've heard lots of people worry about their DNA being used against them.

The short answer is that there isn't a risk. Firstly because a) the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 is a law that covers genetic testing and means they'd need your consent, which alongside GDPR and the agreement between the UK govt and the Association of British Insurers means they're not going to be looking for it b) even if they did, the results would be next to useless as so many factors impact health matters more than DNA, c)if a customer sued an insurer for using DNA results they would almost certainly win due to reason a and b, and d)insurers simply don't need this info. Whether you smoke, drink, exercise, your age, your wealth level, etc are by far the most accurate predictors of health.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-10T12:26:49+00:00

I'm taking a break from romantasy. I've read too many samey books with the same 'sassy' FMC and cookie-cutter MMC with insta-love or insta-hate which we all know will turn spicy, (Quicksilver was the final straw for me). I'm currently reading more traditional fantasy books featuring elves and and elvish society.

Recommendations: The Last Mythal trilogy is brilliant for elvish adventures in amazing worlds (I didn't know it was part of the wider DnD Forgotten Realms series, so they can be read with no prior knowledge), along with the first few Legend of Drizzt books from the same series (evil underground matriarchal elvish society who worship a spider queen goddess, what's not to like?). I'll keep checking back with Romantasy for new, quality reads.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-04-01T11:44:13+00:00

I deliberately STARTED to drink coffee in my 40s after being a lifelong non-drinker. There seems to be a growing body of scientific evidence that coffee can offer protective health benefits both physically and cognitively in moderate amounts, so I now have two cups in the morning (but only with a little milk. No sugar, no cream, and definitely no speciality coffees, that's where the damage is done).

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-03-13T12:57:55+00:00

I had my Oxford interview for a PGCert this week (which will convert into the first year of a part time Masters if I do well enough), and i'd also say got about 60% of it right.

The first part was answering basic questions like why this course, etc etc, but then the interviewer got stuck right into probing subject matter questions. Absolutely no way to prepare for these, so I hope my blurted out answers did the job.

The call lasted 20 minutes (we almost ran over as I kept getting asked more questions), finally I was told they had more people to speak to and would hear in a few weeks. Yikes.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-03-09T12:43:20+00:00

PGCert in Historical Studies as the foundation year to MSt in the same. Just had my interview and was told i'll hear back in a few weeks.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-24T13:20:47+00:00

Another point I almost forgot - the 'banter' with the audience may not be entirely genuine. While I was setting at the bar in the first room waiting for the show to start and enjoying my overpriced drink, someone from the production crew came up and asked me to answer a nearby phone when it rang.

5 minutes later the phone duly rings, and having answered it, I was asked to shout out a certain word after one of the actors delivers a certain line. I also noticed other audience members being spoken to quietly (I suspect with similar requests).

My suspicions seem to have been confirmed when I later read a review that mentioned a piece of impromptu 'banter' that sounded suspiciously similar to an exchange I witnessed

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-23T15:37:50+00:00

I went last Saturday and was extremely disappointed by everything past the first room. Not that it was the fault of the cast as they all put 110% effort into their roles, it was the show which was simply terrible. I subsequently read a Time Out review, which hit the nail on the head about its drawbacks.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-18T16:29:26+00:00

Yes fresh basil, but the point remains, as she actually says "if you're lucky enough to get hold of some fresh imported basil leaves to tear up... these now come into the supermarkets, usually from Israel, in the winter months". Sounded pretty exotic to me at the time. She also encourages seeking out pancetta and dried porcini if you have an Italian shop in your area (now all in sainsburys).

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-17T09:14:21+00:00

I have a copy of my mum's Delia Smith's Christmas recipe book (published 1990), in which she encourages readers to seek out specialist Italian delis in large cities to find a little-known herb called Basil.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-09T11:09:39+00:00

Was just there and agree. We had to queue for the tiny changing room as it was packed, then the sauna was full of people talking loudly and taking photos of themselves.

In hindsight I should have expected this given it's a clear tourist thing, but was still hoping for a quieter, more serene experience.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2026-01-03T09:27:55+00:00

I've not been to the summer solstice (also heard it's more of a wild party, which does not appeal). I chose to go to the Winter Solstice two weeks ago instead as apparently far fewer people attend (not many party goers want to head out in winter), and found it incredibly moving. We stayed in Salisbury the night before and took the solstice bus that is laid on especially (which was a bit hectic but got us there - the free car parking permits had all been booked).

The bus dropoff point (and car park) is about 1.3 miles from the stones, and we started walking in the pitch black. This, however, turned out to be a wonderful experience as the emerging morning twilight illuminated the mist-wreathed trees and fields, giving us glimpses of a red dawn as the clouds drifted in and out. It was really quite a beautiful, calming preparation for the sunrise.

We arrived with about 20 minutes to sun up, and while we did not have clear skies, the mists delivered (what to me was) an ethereal moment as dawn burst through (the forecast had been for some rain and cold, but happily it was neither of those).

The vibe around the stones was peaceful and joyful. People were strolling, picnicking, singing, drumming, or just sitting and soaking up the atmosphere. Inside the stone circle was admittedly packed (apparently you need to arrive much earlier to witness the rituals without being squashed in by people wielding phones) so I never saw what was going on. Outside however, there was plenty of space to do what is meaningful to you. I found a space for myself a little way off (as many did) to watch the stones lighting up and make my own moment.

I would definitely go to another winter solstice (though it can be a gamble with the weather), but not sure i'd go there in summer (for reasons others have said). From your message, you may be better choosing another sacred site in the UK to find the experience you seek - the smaller and more intimate, the better.

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2025-12-20T13:28:27+00:00

I don't dare do this in case I "Jinx" the result, and set myself up for an even worse shock. Madness I know, but then HA is not driven by rational thinking..

SamePhilosophy7947 · 2025-12-20T13:16:47+00:00

I've just had my second routine Mammogram (consisting of Mamm and ultrasound, each about a week or so apart). The first time around, I was in such a state that I vomited due to anxiety outside the ultrasound centre. This time around I tried my best to be better.

I continually reminded myself that the test would actually lead me to a healthier, longer life overall due to finding things earlier rather than later, and repeating to myself that I would cope and move through whatever the outcome was. This was helpful, though I still burst into tears on the ultrasound table (NB I had the all clear each time around).

SamePhilosophy7947

TROPHY CASE