More Conversations With Lauren

Most years we go on holiday to Rhodes with my daughter and her family. Earlier this year my husband had to have an operation and so we couldn't go with them to Rhodes. I was trying to explain it to Lauren as she had looked forward to the holiday for months. She especially loves our swims together in the pool above.  Here's what happened:

Lauren: Nanna, why can’t you come on holiday with us?

Me: Because granddad is poorly and he can’t come.

Lauren: Well why are you keeping him then?


Mmm...... Good question Lauren!


Post 163

Please Release Me!

Harry O

Do you remember Harry O?

I do. He's my all time favourite TV detective. Harry O was a classic American crime drama television series that aired for two seasons from 1974 to 1976.

The series starred David Janssen as Harry Orwell, a private detective living on the beach in a cottage near San Diego. He had been a San Diego policeman until he was shot in the back and forced into retirement.

Harry O is probably the best American TV crime drama of the past thirty years and the character Harry O was without a doubt one of the most compelling. It was very likely one of David Janssen’s best performances.

The series had brilliant scripts, written by Howard Rodman who created the series. They were full of humour, wit and often melancholy. The cinematography was unusual and elegant, more typical of film than TV. Harry was a well rounded character, bohemian, complex, vulnerable and memorably portrayed by David Janssen. His voiceovers were a significant part of the early shows where he philosophised about his life. Remember? 

Days happen to you... and sometimes I wish I could go back to when I was 17 again. When I was 17, I once said, “A woman is like a bus -- let her go. There’ll be another one along in five minutes.”  But that was a long time ago...

Take a trip down memory lane, listen to the great theme tune and watch a clip of David Janssen's wonderful portrayal of Harry O in part of an early programme in the first series, Gertrude. The quality isn't brilliant but it's OK.

Oh how I love those voiceovers!

I remember watching this on the BBC on Saturday evenings. It was very popular in the UK possibly because Harry O was more like the kind of TV detective we tend to prefer. Flawed, vulnerable and with a good heart! The locations in San Diego and then later in Los Angeles were a bit different for us too.

Unfortunately the series was axed after only two seasons as the demand for more violent TV programmes increased and Universal Studios who produced it went along with that.

Sadly it has never been released on DVD. Currently Warner Brothers holds the rights and has no plans to do so. There are numerous scam websites taking money for Harry O DVDs that don’t materialise and others that sell low quality materials produced from TV showings, so don't fall for the scams. So many other TV programmes of this genre, yet nowhere near the quality, have been released, but this one has not.

I have to say I'd love to see this series again and so I created a petition to send to Warner Brothers who seem reluctant to release it.

If you remember the series and would like to support this petition please sign it. If you have never seen Harry O, and you prefer more realistic TV crime dramas than the ones we are fed with today, perhaps you’d like to sign too. You would be in for a treat!

If you'd like to help promote the petition please feel free to put it onto your Blog, email to friends or put it onto Facebook. I'd be very grateful.

Post 162

A Bad Week in January

It started as a bad week in January and it kept me from blogging for quite a while. 

On the Sunday, our little old cat Tuppence started to have serious problems with her heart and although I didn’t realise it at the time her joints were giving her trouble too.  As if that wasn’t bad enough two days later my husband was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus (gullet).  It has been a difficult few months and thankfully Eric has recovered but sadly little Tuppence didn’t.  It was heartbreaking letting her go, but it was the best thing for her. I started to wonder whether we were ever going to get back to a normal life.

I won’t go into the details of my husband’s treatment, all I’ll say is that it’s been fantastic and thankfully, successful. Well as successful as things can ever be when you've had cancer. There are no guarantees.

Our National Health Service comes in for criticism but I have to say it's amazing. The speed at which my husband was treated and the quality of treatment and care was phenomenal. I dread to think how much it must have cost. The care has continued with our local community nurses who came out every day after he was discharged.  If we were relying on private medical insurance, I doubt if we would be able to get it for him. If we could, we wouldn’t be able to afford it. It’s already a nightmare getting his travel insurance.

I try not to be too Political (with a capital P) when I blog. However I hope the Conservative government invests as much in the NHS as the previous Labour government has done. The Conservative track record on the NHS isn't good. Margaret Thatcher and co. decimated it by massive underfunding. The NHS is one of Britain's greatest achievements and it’s our country's most most priceless asset! So politics over, now to the information bit of the posting. 


Check this out and be aware of the dangers of oesophageal cancer as very few people know much about it.

We hadn't heard anything about cancer of the oesophagus before January and although it's not common, it's the seventh most common of the cancers in the UK with 7,000 new cases every year. We were surprised to find that it's on the increase worldwide. Apparently the North East of England and Scotland have the highest incidence of this type of cancer in Europe.


There are two different types of cancer of the oesophagus, adenocarcinoma and squamous. I won't go into detail here, you can find out more on the Patient UK website.

What causes Oesophageal Cancer?

Apparently there are various causes of cancer of the oesophagus:

• Ageing! It's more common in people over 65 and in men. 
• Diet is a possible factor. A high fat diet and obesity are thought to increase the risk and a vegetable and fruit rich diet is thought to reduce it. 
• Smoking. 
• Drinking a lot of alcohol especially spirits. 
• Acid reflux. 
• Food and drink temperatures. Some research has shown that high temperatures could be a factor. 
• China and the Far East has a higher incidence than Europe. This could be due to environmental factors and/or diet. 

If you want to find out more about the causes check out Cancer Research UK. 

So what are the symptoms?

Well unfortunately there are no early symptoms for this type of cancer.  Sadly most cases are advanced before they are diagnosed. The most common symptom is difficulty swallowing and feeling that your food is getting stuck in your throat. Less common symptoms are persistent hiccups, coughing, weight loss, indigestion and vomiting.

Eric was one of the few people diagnosed through a total fluke. His symptoms hadn't been any of those listed but our local doctor sent him for an endoscopy to try to find out what exactly was wrong. This detected a minute tumour which was then found to be cancerous but thankfully it was diagnosed very early. He had his operation (very drastic) but didn't need any further treatment. It's been a slow recovery for him and he still has quite a long way to go, but he has a very positive attitude which certainly helps. 

It goes to show that you should always get checked when your symptoms are persistent.

As for me, I'm just starting to relax and get my life back on track. Well I was this week and now we have the school holidays and grandchildren. No rest for the wicked!

Post 161