sheeponacid

Well, I won’t lie times are rough at the minute.
Not sure if I have mentioned this already, but my sister in law was diagnosed with kidney Cancer before Christmas last year.
To keep things short, she had the kidney removed, however they didn’t clear it all away and it spread to the other kidney…..then her lungs, lymph nodes and now throat.
If that wasn’t hard enough, she went and got pneumonia.
She was taken into hospital last Friday, on Sunday morning at 4.30am we had the call that we need to go in and say our final goodbyes.
All the family were gathered in the room, ICU doctor went through every possible treatment that she was too weak to have. The only thing left now was to treat her with antibiotics to clear the fluid off her lungs, if successful she could return home to die. 
Later that day, we held an early birthday party in her room at the hospital, her 43rd birthday is 5th August however when she asked the doctors if she would make it to then, the response was a less than enthusiastic hopefully. Hence holding the birthday party early.
Monday we get a call from my wife’s mum, you need to get down here quick as they don’t think she will make it through the night. We stayed until 4am and it’s probably one of the hardest things I have ever done.
My mum and sister came up to pick up my dog Jax, this is a key part of this week which I’ll get on to later.
Tuesday, still here so we return that night as my brother in law asked us to, said he was scared to be alone when she dies. I had to leave at 1am due to the heat, with no air con and a small fan, the temperature in there was unbearable.
My wife stays until dinner time, comes home to get some sleep, she says she’s looking loads better and the doctors are pleased that the fluid is clearing from her lungs, blood pressure low and she’s still obviously terminally ill.
MacMillan end of life support team come in and we return around 8pm to spend the night there again. Couldn’t believe it, she was sat up, talking and breathing a lot better. Still very weak to even consider moving her back home.
I take a family quiz in as a distraction, after we had finished I received a text from my sister. She’s tested positive for covid again. I saw her Monday. 
We made our excuses and left pretty swiftly, heads a mess trying to find a late night chemist to pick up some covid tests. Find one, £2.50 per test! Pick up enough for the next few days, get home and thankfully we’re negative, but in that position now where we will be testing constantly as he really needs us. 
His parents are looking after their 5 kids, one of which is disabled, 10 years old with a mental age of around 4 and doesn't talk. 
Her parents are old and unable to spend the nights there like we can, brother is still sectioned so pretty much down to us.
To get Covid now would rock the family massively, we both really struggled the first time we had it, didn't leave the house for 3 weeks after.
So yeah, life is somewhat of a rollercoaster right now so this forum and football isn't even on the radar right now.
But one thing my own experiences have told me is it's good to talk and whilst I might not come back to read the replies for a while, it's helpful just to write down and stick out there for others to hear.
There are no comforting words right now, it's one of those challenges that life throws at you.
Sat there, watching someone dying that's only a couple of years older than yourself really brings home how cruel this world can be in deciding how long you're here for.
She's never smoked, goes to the gym, relatively healthy, no genetic history of cancer in the family. Just for whatever reason her name came out the hat.

The police where invented to stop the poor, stealing from the rich. Nothing has changed.

The debate in the xr topic and lots of issues lately just seem to scream how easily we are accepting the move to a world where there are rules for the ordinary that don’t apply to the privileged and protections for them that aren’t extended to ordinary folk ,
watching the news tonight with a report of 3 burglars who targeted tamara ecclestone , frank lampard and the Leicester owner , the police checked cctv , interviewed around a thousand cab drivers , tracked the gang to south east london , carried on the investigation and tracked them to Italy ,they arrested them and they have been sentenced to 28 years in prison,,, now don’t get me wrong I think it’s fantastic they are caught and punished but ordinary folk are lucky if they get so much as a visit from police when burgled with thousands of burglary s not even investigated ,
the rich must be protected 

It's not quite that simple though is it? We have evidence that is beyond deniable that our climate is changing so the simple question that faces us now (and it is not a question, sadly, that you and I can answer) is "knowing all of this, do we want to do anything about it - recognising it will likely impact significantly the way we all live our lives?"
And this is where I do have some sympathy with Extinction Rebellion - as I see it they are trying to shake us up and give us the shock we need to actually do something about it. If we don't then it does look like we will leave a planet behind for our descendants that will struggle to support us all in the way we live today - with all the consequences that will bring. I could get all aloof and snotty and ask if it really worth the extra HD television, skiing holiday, third car for the weekend and other things that many might consider unnecessary given the likely impact. But, as said earlier, we (nearly) all think what we do is necessary - I travel up to see Derby on the train, I will buy a new car in the next couple of years, I leave the lights on sometimes and forget.
Again, either we (the human race) do something about it or we don't - and every evidence suggests that the collective view of humanity today is that the new television is worth it, our kids can figure out the mess, we don't really need polar bears anyway. Extinction Rebellion are simply trying to force the discussion, given that forty years of trying to do it via conventional routes has had pretty much no impact.

Meh. A few smashed windows and other criminal damage is rather insignificant compared to what will come if world leaders (and the people who elect them - in some cases) cannot come up with a plan to stop doing things that exacerbate global warming.
Sure, they could protest in a Priti Patel approved way but that kind of defeats the point of protesting.

If you're of a certain age you will clearly remember just how new and fun the Happy Mondays were as a band. They sounded like nothing that had been before. Paul Ryder, bass player and brother of Shaun (described by Tony Wilson as Britain's best poet since W B Yeats) was a pillar of that sound and 58 is no age, even with the amount of over indulgences they all partook of.

There was a point when i thought will we see the Rams at PP again? 
We will and that is plenty for me, Football fans have got very short memories but we shouldn't forget how bleak it was off the field those past few months. Let's enjoy the season and see where it takes us

No

And after 160km, 96 miles we've finally finished

Day 7, The Devil's Staircase out of Glencoe to Kinlochleven . Low cloud at 6.30am.
 
At the top of the Devil's Staircase.
And the track keeps going.

"It wasn't me who scouted him (Oduroh), but somebody at the club I had mentioned in my pre-match press conference last week," he said. "We don't have a recruitment team at the moment. Every club has around 10 to 15 people working in a recruitment team, but because of what has happened at the club we haven't had one.
"Pete Shuttleworth, who is the club analyst, has probably spent 24 hours a day scouring not just this country but the continent. As an analyst, has gone above and beyond to help this football club. It's the same with Jon Howard. It's a collaboration and we are all working beyond our roles but that's what this club deserves and how it has to continue moving forward."

Another few photos.

Days 4,5&6 and we’ve made it to KingsHouse, Glencoe. Photos don’t do the scenery justice.

I don’t think it will be that difficult.
Train at some of the best facilities in English football, easily the best in league one.
Play in front of 20k fans at home at one of the best stadiums in the league.
Play with young players from one of the best academy’s in the country.
I’d say even in our current state we’re pretty attractive. 

I'm not sure why people are still testing? Are the symptoms worse than a cold?

Feel these guys need their own recognition threads. Feel like transfers as they could have gone elsewhere but chose to stay with us.  

You’re spot on. The EFL can’t be forgiven for their role in this. I agree with other posters, without the pressure from our fans on local MPs and the government the EFL could’ve created another bury. It’s not the EFL hierarchy per se, it’s the fact it’s the clubs regulating themselves. Descends into mob rule protecting self interest so it becomes about making sure a club stepping out of line doesn’t get an advantage and ensuring it’s penalised and not about helping a club in difficulty survive. We have been more than punished and the EFL business plan will continue that punishment.
That being said, I think the business plan would hurt us more in the Championship. I think in league one we will have enough headroom to build a competitive side.

So happy, my dog called Cloughy died last night and it makes me so happy to see the club get saved today. It means so much. 

I'd love it if we could all make a pledge to leave the new owner well alone during games.
Let him carry on in the North Stand, and going to away games on the terraces, let him live his best life on match days.

Imagine the pride he must’ve had writing the line below his name. What a man.
 

Let's go out and buy those season tickets as that's the best way to say thank you David Clowes.

I would like to publicly thank Mr Clowes for saving the football club I have supported all my life. 
Here’s looking forward to a good season and many more.
Hip Hip Hooray 

FTFY.

My work colleagues hate it when I do that. They say here comes old s*** Hans again... 

Apple bobbing in a chip pan.