Game, Set & Match

Last week I was reporting on the progress of a kidney stone blockage and mentioned around 50 stones had come out but I expected around 100. No more came which surprised me.

Seems now that the stones that had come out had released the "pressure" but there was still some remains. On Sunday I realised the problem was back and again it laid me flat which given the awful cold wet weather didn't disturb me unduly.

However today the sun made an appearance and I would have liked to have got active but the wretched stones again won the day. So lots of lying horizontal, watching a bit of TV and trying to read the odd thing but not feeling motivated to answer all the calls that were piling up. I was hoping for one call which did come just as I was not around and I didn't spot the answering machine blinking light until too late.

Luckily in the evening, Angie went to her fitness class and I was forced to take Luna for a walk. Decided to risk doing a "cross country" walk, zig-zagging along the edges of various fields and jumping/hopping over several streams in an effort to bounce the stones. 2.7km according to my walking App which frankly sounds like nothing but I did notice it and by midnight had the impression the pressure was reducing. We shall see.

The bit of UK Sky News TV I watched showed the MPs are back in Westminster and about to pick up the Brexit punchbag again with the first of the arrogant, victory, war, surrender, fight them on the beaches nonsense pouring out from press and politicians. I don't know if true but one commentator said the first date a 2nd referendum could be held was on 28th March 2019, the day before Brexit happens. So is it all over?

Quite possibly and regardless of which side of the fence you are on, Britain will be divided for a decade or more unless they can start a good decent war that will bring the country together (Falklands type). Three years of messing about and getting nowhere. UK politics is simply too black/white, Conservative/Labour, positive/negative - what one side finds good, the other side has to find bad. No compromise.

Games are like that but not politics or daily life. It's all about compromise and that is one thing UK politics and press don't understand. I picked up the second free copy of the Bavarian Farmers Weekly that arrived on Saturday and saw in the section for our part of Bavaria, an item on the fishing industry on Lake Constance (German: Bodensee). The lake is bordered by three countries (Austria, Germany and Switzerland) and while there are treaties dating back to the 16th century updated in the 19th century for certain parts, the majority of the territorial rights have never been formally set. The parties sit down and discuss the issues that arise that affect the entire area, whether environment, tourism, infrastructure .... The same is true for the fishing which is a little bit more complicated as Germany is represented by the two states that have borders on the lake - Bavaria and Baden Wurttemberg. Here the four parties sit down regularly and agree how many commercial fishermen, how many of each type of net etc and adjust according to the changing conditions. And as always someone won't be happy (this year the Bavarians) and they will now start airing their issues hoping that at the next meeting an adjustment will be made.

I wish the UK politicians would be more prepared to show an ability to seek solutions and compromise. Some will say that this does happen behind the scenes in the various working parties but what the leaders and major players say in public and in front of the world press is what influences people more.

And my final word (well for today) I can't see the need for a 2nd referendum when the UK never held the 1st one. The opinion seeking advisory vote that happened in June 2016 was not a referendum in any normal and sensible use of the term for a constitutional changing choice.

The Blip is of the sign on a track where Luna and I walked showing the way to the village Tennis Club. There they often have arguments over the odd umpire decision but can sit down afterwards with a beer and enjoy themselves.