I'm Rambling - Even More Than Usual !

I'm not sure if it's the weather (dammit I only managed 6 words before mentioning it) or the time of year or my advanced years but I'm in a rambling frame of mind today.

It's been raining here recently and although that's not blogworthy in it's own right, it all adds to my state of mind.  No cheap shots, Daffy !

When it rains here, it really rains.  Not quite of biblical proportions but enough to displace critters from their natural habitat.  When you've seen a couple of small gators floating past the house, scrambling to get a foothold on the tarmac, you KNOW it's been raining hard.  The park turtles are much more serene about it and they look like WWII helmets shooting past the window.  They take it in their stride because basically they can't do much else about it. They go with the flow. The gators could learn a thing or two from them. Chill fellas.

The time of year reference is all about the clocks going back......or "falling back" as that expression helps Americans to remember which way the clocks go. Spring forward, Fall back.  All clever stuff.  In the UK our clocks go back this weekend.  Oh they go back in other countries as well but that's not important now.  In the US, they go back a week later and so for this week, the UK is only 4 hours ahead (that's AHEAD, Mr. Plague) of our US cousins.  I hope they realised this when setting up the tv schedules for the NFL game that is being played on Sunday at Wembley. These things are important over here you know, although tuning in an hour early for an  NFL game might not be such a bad thing for the advertisers. 

Ohhhh a little bit controversial there, Silverback !

By the way, while I'm in this rambling mood, I've had numerous readers asking me about the reason why I picked Silverback as my id on here.  So for both of you, here we go.  It has nothing to do with gorillas.  Or software applications.  It's a make of 5th Wheel.  You see I used to have a 30ft travel trailer here called a Mallard and for a while I used that name.  Not quite the image I wanted though.  Then we traded up to a 5th Wheel and Silverback as an id seemed like a much better idea.  So I became Silverback.  Now you know.

In the UK I drive a Clio.  Don't even go there.

Moving on, last night I finally watched one of my downloaded movies - Michael Moore's Sicko.  This documentary compares the US medical system with those like in the UK and France (and even Cuba) which have 'free' healthcare for all.  As usual with his movies, he gave a one sided view of many aspects of all these systems but even so, it was a disturbing insight into aspects of healthcare here but one that shouldn't have come as a surprise to US watchers.  They live it after all.  

What may have amazed them was how things can be so much better in other countries. Americans, by and large, assume that they live in the best country in the world. They sing about it at every opportunity.  Even in the middle of the 8th innings of the current World Series.  Even during a pool party here in Buttonwood Bay.  They love their country and boast about it all the time. That's fair enough but they don't seem to realise there are MANY other countries out there.  

I was going to say MANY other countries out there that have things better than they have.  But the previous statement stands on it's own. There are MANY other countries out there.  Honest.  They might not have a clue where they are geographically but ones with better healthcare systems. Better holiday entitlement.  Better working conditions.  Better benefits for new parents.  Better education.  And so on.

But it's not a pissing contest.  I love many aspects of American life otherwise I'd not want to be here for half the year.  The Americans I know are open and friendly to an extent rarely seen in the UK.  And yes I know that's only in my experience but after all, that's all I can talk about with any authority.  So maybe Sicko needs to be seen by all Americans NOT just to let them know about how healthcare can work much better elsewhere, but that 'elsewhere' actually exists and that in many ways, 'elsewhere' can be better than here.  Bit of a shocker, I know.  I'm not sure most are ready for this reality check.

Hey it's not raining now.  The gators are probably back in the lake and ponds and the turtles may be back there by next week. An hour either way won't make much difference to them.

But it does to me.  Leeds play mid week (7:45pm UK time) so I need to be aware of the new 4 hour time difference and start listening at 3:45pm and not 2:45pm. Or should that be 4:45pm ?  S'all very confusing. I'll be glad when we're back in sync again.

Then the UK will be back to having a disasterous day on the stock markets 5 hours before they have one over here. 

It's good to know we're ahead of the US in something !!!