I`ve been blogging in the past and quite fancy giving it a go again.

I`m not always that good at keeping in touch with people (particularly those who are at a geographical distance) and a blog would give them a place to log on and keep up with us all. (Even if I don`t update it on a weekly basis).

I`m aware that not everybody likes facebook. Don`t quite know myself what I think of it. I`m on it and have been using it more in the last weeks (due to the above reason) but many of those who matter most to me fiercely resist using social networking sites. I do feel they are overrated, btw. And you cannot use as many words as you can in a blog.

I`ve been using wordpress in the past and quite like their designs – much, much nicer than here. But once you have set up an account they won`t let you ever delete it (although you can delete the blogs) which makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. I don`t like leaving clutter in my home, and I don`t like leaving clutter on the www, either. Plus, I like the connection to my email-address.

It was he best Christmas ever, just the two of us, to Stobo Castle, which is a spa hotel in the Borders.

It`s everything it promised to be, and more. So relaxing, so pampered, so lacking everything I don`t like about Christmas.

We both so want to go back next year!

Now it`s official – the vet insists that she loses 1/3 of her body weight.

The above went quite okay, and I am so glad about it!

As usual, I was anticipating major frictions, and I had an inkling about what those might be about:  dad found out that I had been last year and not told him. Two people divulged this on the same day. I wanted to spare his feelings, as we did not have time to see him. There was nothing nasty about us not telling him about the visit.

Of course, they asked, and as previously agreed, I firmly declined to comment. I did not want to either lie or discuss the whole thing. The topic was dropped quickly, and after two minutes of silence, the evening continued okay.

It was difficult to see my uncle who was recently told that he has only a year to live. What do you say when you say goodbye to someone who you may be seeing for the last time ever?

I am going home for the weekend – it`s my granny`s birthday.

I`ve been looking forward to it but right now, I am not exactly savouring the thought.

My dad and wife have found out that we were there last year and did not see or tell them. Oops.

The biggest news: My sister will get married to her boyfriend of one year in January!

They were talking about marriage from quite early on, and initially, people were a bit concerned that it was all happening too quickly! However, things are going well and a date has now been set!

I am really happy for them! Come January next year, they will have been living together for more than a year!

I`m glad that I have not firmed up plans to spend Christmas in Germany – I had thought about this, after not having been for 5 years! Now, we`ll go a week later instead!

Oops, I have not been doing too well with this blog! I started well but then stopped blogging until two people recently said to me that they are actually reading my blog and noted that I have not written for a while.

Well, I will take you on board and take up blogging again, honestly!

Thank you!

Council workers preparing to cripple Scotland with a pay strike have been handled a final salary pension worth £ 600 Mio a year.

Up to 150,000 local government staff are planning to shut schools and nurseries in a mass walk-out just after the summer holidays.

The move is aimed at maximising disruption for thousands of parents.

(Daily Mail)

 

Dear Mr Grant   I felt compelled to write because today`s headline and the one-sidedness of the article disgusted me.   Although top managers will insist on getting more, their proposal actually means that the wee man is getting things taken away from him, e.g. a pay rise below inflation, without any new negotiations for the next three years. This is those who work for low wages anyway, and, in the current financial climate, the proposal, although generous for some staff, is unacceptable for most of us.   Yours sincerely (me) (who will definitely participate in the industrial action!)

This case is currently making headlines: A lady suffered permanent brain damaged after drinking 6 pints of water a day, following the advice of a nutritional therapist, hoping to lose weight.

Today, our paper warned to avoid all nutritional therapists. Anybody may call oneself one, the profession is not regulated by law, a weekend course is sufficient in order to open a practice. If you need nutritional advice you should see an NHS-dieticien but never a nutritional therapist, so they say.

So one woman is giving the entire branch a bad name.

Fact is – nutritional therapy is a complementary therapy and not  currently regulated by law.

However, this profession has its own associations and every patient considering to see a nutritional therapist shoud make sure that theirs has a qualification which is recognised by at least the two large associations:

* Nutritional Therapy Council (NTC)
* British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutrition Therapy(BANT)
* many NTs are, in addition, registered with the associations for complementary therapists

A certificate for membership should be clearly displayed in the practice. Nutritional Therapists whose qualifications are not accepted by these associations cannot become a member.

Fortunately, the college where this lady gained her qualification from was named in one of the articles, so I could have a look at their website. Her training cost 1/3 less than mine – in time and money.

While looking for a suitable college for myself I encountered various such courses. None of them is registered with BANT and only few with NTC. Instead, there are with various dubious-sounding associations which were never mentioned by the most acknowledged colleges and associations.

I am annoyed that there are such differences in training but not in the qualification (they all offer a Diploma in Nutritional Therapy or some a Diploma in Natural Nutrition) and job description.

Dieser Fall hier sorgt momentan in der Presse fuer Furore: eine Englaenderin erleidet permanenten Hirnschaden nachdem sie auf Anraten einer Ernaehrungsberaterin taeglich 3 Liter Wasser getrunken hat, in der Hoffnung davon abzunehmen.

Heute wurde in unserer Tageszeitung eindringlich vor Ernaehrungsberatern gewarnt. Jeder darf sich so nennen, diese Berufsbezeichnung ist nicht gesetzlich reguliert. Ein Wochenendkurs reicht um eine Praxis zu eroeffnen. Wer Ernaehrungsratschlaege braucht sollte zu einem NHS-Dietician gehen, niemals jedoch zu einem Nutritional Therapist.

So gibt eine Frau einem ganzen Berufszweig ein schlechtes Image.

Tatsache ist – Ernaehrungsberatung gehoert zur sogennanten “alternativen Medizin” und ist nicht gesetzlich reguliert. (Das ist in Deutschland uebrigens genau so).

Jedoch hat dieser Berufszweig seine eigenen Vereinigungen und Innungen, und Patienten sollten darauf achten dass sein/e ErnaerungsberaterIn bei mindestens einer der zwei grossen Vereinigungen registriert ist:

* Nutritional Therapy Council (NTC)
* British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutrition Therapy(BANT)
* viele sind zusaetzlich bei den Vereinigungen und Innungen fuer alternative Medizin/Heilpraktiker registriert.

Ein Aushang welcher die Mitgliedschaft bestaetigt sollte in der Praxis zu sehen sein. Ernaehrungsberater, deren Ausbildung von diesen Vereinigungen nicht akzeptiert wird koennen dort nicht Mitglied werden.

Gottseidank wurde in einem der Artikel das College dieser bestimmten Ernaehrungsberaterin genannt, so konnte ich mir dessen Webseite einmal ansehen. Ihre Ausbildung kostete 1/3 von meiner – in Zeitaufwand und Preis. 

Viele solche Kurse sind mir auf der Suche nach einem geeigneten Kurs fuer mich selber unter gekommen. Keiner ist bei BANT registriert und die wenigsten bei NTC. (Dafuer nennen sie einige andere dubios klingende Vereinigungen die bei den serioesen Anbietern und Vereinigungen nie erwaehnt werden.

Mich aergert dass es diese grossen Unterschiede in Ausbildung, jedoch nicht in der Bezeichnung des Zertifikats (Diplom fuer Ernaehrungsberatung oder Diplom fuer natuerliche Ernaehrung) gibt oder der Berufsbezeichnung gibt.

Scharlatane sollten nicht eine ganze Branche in Verruf bringen.

This German potato salad from a somewhat old-fashioned book with emphasis on complete, natural nutrition, looked almost like it did in the receipe book:

In the book:

On my plate: