Coeliac Genes

 

Type "HLA-DQ2" into Google with quotes.

The full story will become apparent.

A Daily Dose of Sunlight

 

It may be better for skin cancer not to go in the sun, but there is a very strong school of thought, that says we need a daily dose of sunlight for good health. It helps to ward off other cancers for a start. One report appeared in New Scientist. It was debunked in the medical press, as it was done by a statistician who worked with trees. But his science was very good. I also used to know a dermatologist, who worked in the field and she believed skin cancer was much more down to the genes than the sun.

Anyway, I need my daily dose of sunlight!

Gluten Free Nightmare

 

We went racing at Lingfield Park on Saturday night. As we’d been at our son and daughter-in-law’s for the day and our horse was running in the 8:55, we didn’t get there until about 8:00. We should have had supper.

Now, there was a bit of food left at the racecourse, but as it’s Letherby and Christopher, who believe that all coeliacs and others with allergies are lepers, we didn’t eat there, especially as we had our dogs in the car. Note that L & C don’t have any cider in the bars!

So leaving Lingfield at about 10:00 to drive round the M25, to get home, we needed something to eat.

Forget it. It’s bad enough if you aren’t coeliac, but if you are, all we could find in one services was muffins and the world’s most disgusting fried breakfast.

Surely with all the traffic late at night, those who own service areas can do better than that!

I do hope that the extension of licensing laws will mean that pubs will stay open later. Wouldn’t it be nice on a late drive to be able to go into somewhere and get a refreshing salad, some smoked salmon and new potatoes or even something properly cooked. I hope it happens.

By the way a few months ago on this part of the M25, we went to the Bell at Horndon on the Hill for supper. It was excellent! They say they are gluten-free. I’m certain they were! They also have rooms, so if you ever need a bed in that part of Essex!

British Farmers

 

They’ve just had the President of the NFU on the BBC.

He was going on about producing what the public wants. Now surely it should be pointed out to him that if you buy a local food product, then because you are sure of the provenance, you are sure of what’s in it.

Local purchases have come up before here and it can be something that improves our diet. I for instance, drink Aspall Cyder and eat Musks sausages. Both are local and having spoken to the owners, know that they do their utmost to keep product gluten-free.

Writing to MPs

 

Do it!

Years ago, we had a problem with a company, that needed a little bit of Government help. It was designing a metred dose inhaler for asthma type drugs. Our MP at the time was John Gummer, who also was Secretary of State for the Environment.

He was very helpful, putting us in touch with the woman who was drawing up the Montreal protocol within a couple of days. The final outcome was that we got a lot of publicity and sold the device for a lot of money to Bohringer Ingelheim.

You’d be surprised how few people right positive letters to MPs. When you do that they are usually happy to respond.

What did he want in return, you cynical lot may ask?

He wanted to be invited to the Queen’s Award party when we got one. Sadly we sold before we did, but then as the local MP he would have been invited anyway.