Re: Reasons For Returning
 

So true. Mr David Dimbleby portrays Brtain so beautifully. It is an amazing blend of art, wilderness, people and its history. It shows Lancashire in all its splendour. He clearly adores the UK and sees it with very loving eyes. Wonderful.

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

He covers areas in Scotland too. I was lucky to go up to the Highlands once and I was stunned by the scenery. We even found a bag piper (in the middle of nowhere) playing alone. There was no car, nobody around, just stunning mountainous wilderness.....it was so beautiful. I could only compare it to seeing a Masai on an African plain!

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

I'm convinced bagpipes are intended to be played in the middle of nowhere. They just sound so much better when you are out in the wildies.

I was at the funeral last weekend for Suzy's first dog-sitter and bagpipes were played immediately before and immediately after the burial service. The sky was clear blue (unusual for round here!), and the mountains were right there in the background (the village is in a valley with steep mountains on one side). It was a sound and atmosphere you can't find anywhere else in the world.

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

Chilling and magical and so very unique. And yes, they should be heard across the glen far and wide. I imagine the service although very sad was incredibly beautiful and filled with loving friends and family and even Suzy maybe? Best wishes.

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

Hi Bev,

I wonder how much of the difference is due to different health authorities. But yeah, I dunno. I'm actually quite surprised about how many new doctors there seem to be lately...

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

it's true. I like the UK but every time I go for a visit I remember all the things I don't like about it, and weighing it up, those things would piss me off more over time than the things that annoy me about Canada (of which there are plenty)

Though, I still harbour a love for Paris and Edinburgh.

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

Oh where?...I was in your "neck of the woods" today....watching our oldest have a pre season friendly....drove around afterwards and ended up driving along Marmion....only thing is we did not want to head to Hillary's etc as that is what we always end up doing...drove all the way down to Freo..Cottesloe was way to busy and full of youngsters way to drunk.lol..then when we got to Freo said nope...lets head home...we just did not want to go around the same places again....just felt really caged in so to speak...a friend just asked me what I'd done today and when I told her she said you should be thankful...it's the best coastline in the world...it's pretty in parts ofcourse but there is just nothing to do when you get there..or we have done the same thing over and over again because there is nothing else to do....okay sorry grumble over....I just get fed up of being told how I don't know how lucky I am to live here etc...

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

Not my neck of the woods anymore though is it:D

We are staying over in Manchester as it's my sisters birthday, so quite afew of us out on the lash. Valentine weekend too, so may well be very busy. I am so looking foward to it, not been round Manchester since the days of 'Hacienda':cool:

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

I'm fascinating to find that tubs for labour are considered normal in the UK.

Back in the early '80s I was very active in a woman-centered childbirth movement in Nova Scotia, and one of the things we were advocating for was being able to have a water birth. And birthing chairs and beds. And some other things. The chairs and beds came in, but not the water births.

It's really great that they've become the norm in some places.

Bev:thumbsup:

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

The hospital has no 'altrnative' facilities for mothers to be. It's a narrow bed in a room with a very basic shower and that truly is it. No birthing balls, no tubs, truly nothing to help. It's really unfortunate and has always been like this. As you know they have only just had midwives here in BC and Alberta I believe since 1998 so not many advocates for natural birth.

Water births are fairly common back home these days and birthing centers are wide spread. It's so frustrating that something as simple as a tub could be installed to make a woman's delivery more comfortable and therefore less chance of needing medical intervention!

Does Nova Scotia have midwives? I don't think Newfoundland does. Good for you Bevm. I am shocked and stunned by what I read regarding c section rates and drugs in birth. I'm water all the way....at least that's my intention! It's great to have people like you advocate for natural birth and stop 'some' doctors from getting the needle out and sharpening their knives!

At the moment I'd like to go home to a birthing center or over to the lovely Vancouver Womens. Wonderful place.

Re: Reasons For Returning
 

Cedar Square (the nice birth rooms at Womens) is really lovely, and apparently if you have a midwife you get priority for those rooms. The rest of the rooms are pretty crappy imo.

I talked about this on the other thread, but have you thought about bringing a blow-up pool to the hospital to use as a tub? It's something I and a lot of my home-birthin' mates used for our labours..?