Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

About retirement – dispatches from the front line – Part 50

Posted: January 19th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: About retirement - Howard Croft | Comments Off
howard_croft1-150x150[1]Dear Philippa,
 
You will remember the swine ‘flu hysteria of 2009/10. I was caught up in it myself. One of my friends, a doctor and senior figure in a primary care trust was forbidden by his employers to leave town as the catastrophe loomed, and advised to stock up on dried food, rice, pasta and so on, and tinned food, sufficient for a month. The epidemic would be such that deliveries would not be made to supermarkets because the lorry drivers would all be ill in bed, consoling themselves with Yorkie bars, and anyway there would be no diesel for the same reason. This was serious. I ran out to Morrison’s and filled my car with tinned pilchards and packets of Uncle Ben’s long grain.
 
In the event of course nothing much happened. No one I know got ‘flu, and the number of deaths was below average for seasonal ‘flu. Huge quantities of Tamiflu were stockpiled by the Government only to be thrown away. The Chief Medical Officer’s apocalyptic predictions were about as good as those coming from the Met Office; the morgues were not overwhelmed. This season looks like it could be more serious, but the Department of Health, like the little boy who cried wolf, is feeling foolish and its pronouncements have been more muted. Take-up of vaccine was initially low, but now it is scarce because the public has caught on. A scapegoat is needed. Step forward the under 65s who, denied the jab by GPs, legged it down to Asda and got it for nine quid. The disgusting rich have “gone private”, have effectively robbed the deserving poor and vulnerable of their protection and are little better than murderers. The Chairman of the Royal College of Practitioners has called for this behaviour to be criminalised. Being old, I got the free jab – but I took my wife to Asda and got her seen to there. So, guilty as charged. Well, her anyway.
 
What we need is straightforward advice, neither weasel words from the timid, nor headline-grabbing sensationalism from politicised doctors who should know better. Along the following lines. Some years ago, over a bottle of wine, I asked a professor of medicine how he coped when he was first alone, unsupervised, with a patient. He told me that his mind went blank, so he asked the patient why he thought his GP had sent him to see them at the hospital, hoping for a clue. What had his GP said? “Well, doctor, he came round from behind his desk, put his hand on my shoulder, and said: Charlie, you’re a goner.”  There is merit in this approach.
 
But we must take medical guidance where we can. Thirty-odd years ago, when I was working in Nigeria, I was an enthusiastic drinker along with a friend and colleague, Ben. We comforted ourselves that while we were tormenting our livers we were also defending our sanity against the pressures of daily life in what was then a difficult country. But naturally we worried. During that time when on leave in London I had to have my gall bladder removed, then involving significant abdominal surgery not the wussy keyhole stuff we hear about these days.  Anyway, Ben suggested I ask the surgeon to have a quick butchers at my liver while he was in there, and report back. This I did, and I received a glowing testimonial, which Ben found very reassuring on his own behalf and used it to justify his furious drinking. Shades of Woody Allen and his friend “Eggs” Benedict. If you are surprised by this you will be even more surprised to hear that Ben is still using the clean bill of health given to my liver as a basis for resisting suggestions of moderation, three decades later.
 
Whatever works, I say.
 
Best Wishes,
 
Howard

Will the Baby Boomers choose to live in communes?

Posted: January 17th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Care, Grandparents, Retirement | 3 Comments »

iStock_000003545204XSmall[1]As people live longer, pension pots shrink and more families find themselves caring not only for their own children but also parents and grandparents, some sort of communal living seems inevitable for all of us.

This represents a huge sea change in how we live in the UK. For people born after the Second World War, the nuclear family was often the norm. People moved out of the parental home as soon as they could and many moved away from their home town. The ubiquitous “modern executive detached” became the home of choice for the aspirant middle classes.   People expected older relatives to move to sheltered housing or care homes when they became frail rather than move in with them. Children were often sent to nurseries or childminders. In other words, there was a certain autonomy between the generations.

But this is changing. As the populations ages at the same time as public finances are shot, more and more people are finding themselves responsible for caring for one or more sets of parents and grandparents who often live some distance away.

At the other end of the scale, many of today’s young adults are being supported by their parents whether by being helped out with a house deposit  or  school or university fees  or even by providing childcare allowing them to work.

Finances are being squeezed every which way.  Add to this, concerns about job security, pensions coming up short, high student debt and house prices outstripping the incomes of only the most affluent and the result is that families are under severe pressure.

So, is the answer to live together and share the burdens? Whilst there is a certain economic sense to clubbing together, there are many families to whom such an arrangement will be an anathema.  Many will be reluctant to give up their own homes and hard won independence in this way. Many simply don’t get on well enough. Much of our current housing stock is not conducive to intergenerational living. Many modern homes are too small, cramped and inflexible. Larger homes are very expensive and may be unaffordable unless all the family members have money to put in the pot.

Another possibility is that people join together to buy a large house and live together as mutually supportive friends. This is a common aspiration amongst my contemporaries.  This has the attraction of living with people you ostensibly like, although you would need to choose carefully. The friends with whom you partied in your 20s or shared school runs in your 30s are not necessarily the people to share your later years with.  Whilst you might all move in with good intentions, what happens if you fall out or one person’s care needs or circumstances change dramatically? Do you boot them out or all club together to care for them?

Another alternative is the supportive community model, The Big Society idea which is all the rage in Whitehall at the moment (although no one yet has come up with a decent definition of what it means). Here communities, ie your street, your town become much more mutually supportive.  For instance, people get together to support an elderly neighbour with shopping, cooking and cleaning. But this sort of activity would have to be heavily organised in order to be effective and it also relies on huge amounts of goodwill and people in the locality having sufficient spare time to volunteer .

Perhaps we should all move to retirement villages where the organisational structures are already in place? In the UK we have been slow to embrace this concept and it is certainly an unpopular proposition amongst my friends, based on maybe outdated notions of “Old People’s Homes”.

Ultimately we will all need to find an arrangement which suits our own families. But I cannot help but think that the days of the nuclear family are numbered. Community, if not the extended family, has to be the way forward. 

What do you think? Do you agree?


The options for managing your own homecare budget

Posted: January 14th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Care, Health | Comments Off

This blog post first appeared in Kirkwood Care’s blog. Kirkwood Care are a homecare provider.

By Reece Howe of Kirkwood Care, on January 14th, 2011

Taking control of your Individual Budget for home care can be extremely liberating, but it needs to be planned and handled well for you to be able to get the most out of it and avoid potential pitfalls.

People who receive home care that the local council has agreed to fund often find they are signed up to receive care from Block Care Providers – typically the care providers who put in the winning (read: lower) bids when the council put the care provision bid out to tender. The lowest bid tends not to pay for the most competent or most caring home carers, so potential problems such as missed care visits, rapid staff turnover, lack of training, care visits not happening at preferred times and general lack of professionalism, tend to come up sooner rather than later, and are often dealt with badly by local management.

But all is not lost! Under the name “Direct Payments” or “Self Directed Support”, many people have managed to take the home care budget they were allocated by the council and spend it on what they want, when they want, and with the home care provider they want, as long as it goes towards meeting their care needs. Expenditure can be on equipment and technologies as well as home care services. And home care services can be relatives (with restrictions), neighbours, direct employees or home care businesses.

Each of these has its risks and rewards. I’ll go though the three below.

Paying a friend or relative

Someone who is familiar to you can be a safe bet in terms of reliability and personal safety. In this case it’s necessary to ensure that the friend or relative is demonstrably providing the home care assistance, as the council will expect to see evidence that your needs are being met. Some questions to consider before taking someone you know on as your main carer are:

  • Will this detrimentally change the relationship we have?
  • Do they have the knowledge and expertise to do what I need? Will they be able to cope if my situation changes?
  • Are they reliable, or do they have other commitments that may get in the way?
  • What will happen when they’re on holiday, or ill?

Directly hiring your own home carer

It can be very rewarding to have your own personal carer who either lives with you or visits whenever you need them to. You can be sure that the carer is the same and gets to know you over time. Some questions to consider before hiring someone directly as your home carer are:

  • Do they have the knowledge and care expertise to do what I need, and will they receive proper ongoing training?
  • How will I vet them properly? Do they have a criminal record? Can I trust them in my home? Do they have a legal right to work in this country?
  • Are they reliable, or do they have other commitments that may get in the way?
  • What will happen when the carer is on holiday, or ill?
  • How will I do the administering of payments, tax and national insurance? (See Penderels Trust for help with this.)
  • What about contracts, employment law and workplace safety? (Often overlooked, as a recent article shows.)

Employing the services of a home care provider

It is generally safer and easier to employ the services of a home care organisation than to directly employ your own care staff. The provider will organise vetting and background checks, employer’s insurance, tax, national insurance and risk assessments. They will also ensure that the staff are appropriately trained for a range of possible scenarios, have backup staff in the event of holiday and sickness, and receive ongoing training and education specific to your circumstances. There are, however, a number of questions you will need to ask any organisation before you agree to arrange home care with them:

  • Have you been registered by the Care Quality Commission, and are you a member of a professional body such as the UK Home Care Association?
  • Do you have full professional indemnity and employer’s insurance?
  • Do the carers receive full training before starting work?
  • Are you available for contact 24 hours a day in an emergency?
  • Is there a free initial assessment?
  • What are your rates? Are there any additional costs?
  • Is there any minimum number of hours per week?
  • Are all carers fully vetted with enhanced criminal records checks and background checks?
  • Will I get regular carers, or will they change from week to week?
  • Will I get care at the time that I want, or at the time that is convenient to you that week?
  • Is there a local manager, or is your office run from afar?
  • If my needs change, do you have the expertise to change my care? Do you have the capacity to increase my care?
  • How do you plan to support my independence, rather than just do my tasks for me?
  • If I don’t like your carers, will you be able to change them? What is your complaints policy? How long am I tied in with you?

Summary

Overall, you are likely to be better off using the services of a specialist home care provider than directly employing a carer, provided you ask the right questions. In any event, as someone who receives Self Directed Support, if you have any problems you will always be able to go back to your assigned social care worker at the local council to amend your care plan.


How to tell your Baby Boomers from your SWOFTIES

Posted: January 14th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Grandparents, Miscellaneous | No Comments »

Red TagI was reminded to write something about labelling certain sectors of the population when a friend I met on the train this week (a self evident “Baby Boomer”) was trying to hold himself out as a “Generation X-er”.

So here goes:

Matures

By far one of the more complimentary names, “Matures” purportedly refers to people born before the Second World War.

Baby Boomers

People born roughly between 1946 and 1964 are often called baby boomers after birth rates boomed following the return of the soldiers after the Second World War. The term “baby boomer” divides opinion. Some like its rather positive, upbeat overtones while others consider it pejorative, suggesting pre-geriatric toddlers.

Generation X (or the Baby Busters)

People born between 1965 and late 70s /early 80s.  According to some, this is the generation with a fondness for leisure which is not afraid to spend money.

Generation Y

Also known, rather dashingly, as the Millenium Generation, Gen Y-ers were born in the 1980s and 1990s.

SWOFTIES

A new one, this, coined I believe by the Financial Mail this week, SWOFTIES are Single Women Over 50 who like clubbing, Twitter and exotic holidays.

SKI-ERS

Baby Boomers and Matures spending the kids’ inheritance. We seem to be hearing less about this group these days, perhaps because the kids are just as likely to be spending their parents’ retirement fund in an effort to get on the housing ladder

Sandwich Generation

These are people caught in the middle of looking after their parents whilst raising their children. Not to be confused with :

Club Sandwich Generation

Grandparents looking after grandchildren, helping children out financially and caring for their own elderly parents.

So there you have it.  Although a marketeer’s dream, labelling like this is not that helpful and noone comes out of this sort of classification well (although the SWOFTIES seem to be having fun!).

PS

Since first publishing this list, www.virtualgranny.com have also suggested MAPPY = Mature Affluent Pioneering People with Youthful Enthusiasm  which has a nice ring to it!


About Retirement – dispatches from the front line – Part 49

Posted: January 14th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: About retirement - Howard Croft, Miscellaneous | No Comments »
howard_croft1-150x150[1]Dear Philippa,
 
Before Christmas, I spent a few days reminiscing with my sister and our cousin about our shared childhood in the fifties. I was struck not just by how much I had forgotten, but also by my failure to recall anything whatsoever about some events even when they were described to me in detail. No echo at all. My journey home from this pleasant interlude took me through Hull, the city of my birth, where I took a detour to look at the street in which I was born and lived until I was eighteen. Not that I was born in the street itself – we could do better than that – but in one of the terraced houses. My entire family, grandparents, aunt uncle and cousins all lived in this street, but ours was an “end of terrace” house boasting what we regarded as a large garden. Actually, it was rather small – but bigger than the one I now enjoy, though I call it a cottage garden, to make me feel better. I suppose I am lucky to have survived – it was wartime, pre-NHS, and I was a “blue baby”, something I discovered only a few weeks ago.
 
I was also lucky in that I ”got out” of what is not, and never was, the garden spot of the East Riding and although I was a happy child I would not have grown into a happy adult in that place. I would like to tell you that I got out by running  away to sea, or that I joined a circus, which would be a good story, but the dull truth is that I passed the 11+, went to a grammar school, and later to university. Very slippery of me. It is a sad fact that while I see the 11+ examination the critical factor in a process that got me out of an unpromising situation it is spoken of in the same hushed an disapproving way as the Black Death, the Great Terror, and Margaret Thatcher’s Poll Tax. Especially by teachers who ought to know enough history of education to keep them from such silliness; they are full of doctrine but have no perspective.
 
Anyway, feeling increasingly depressed as I wandered along the street I recovered a long forgotten memory – the ricky boots I wore. These were similar to the boots issued to soldiers at the time, and favoured by workmen during that period of Army surplus plenty, but were supplied in small sizes to children who had suffered from rickets, and had weakened ankles. By the fifties rickets must have been pretty much a thing of the past, though I suspect the crooked backs and bow legs that I remember noticing in some adults was a hangover from the afflictions of earlier generations. But ricky boots were still popular among poorer families – I suppose because they were hard-wearing - but were seen as shameful by the respectable working classes, partly because the association with the disease, compounded with the “shame” of poverty that unlike rickets was still with us. I wanted a pair.
 
My mother, being respectable working class, resisted but I wore her down the way children do and the great day arrived when I put them on to go to school. I would have been about eight or nine. Mum laced them up good and tight and I set off to walk the half mile to school, kicking sparks from the studs as I went. About half way to school I suffered terrible pain in my ankles, lost the use of my legs, and howled. Two women who knew me made a chair of their arms and carried me home to Mum – in those days there were no CRB checks to deter them – who instantly diagnosed the problem, whipped off the rickies, put me into a pair of “smart but casual” school shoes from Clarke’s and sent me packing. I never saw my ricky boots again. Mum knew best.
 
Best wishes,
 
Howard

Tales from the front line of inclusive product design

Posted: January 10th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Inclusive design, Press coverage | Comments Off

Design_Museum_day-thumb-300x191-765-thumb-300x191-766[1]You might remember that in June last year, I spoke at the “We are enabled by design” conference at London’s Design Museum.

Our friends at www.enabledbydesign.org have just published an account of the product design session at which I presented together with other pioneers from the front line of enabled product design; sugru, Trabasack and MERU.

For a copy of the report and the slides, go to http://enabledbydesign.org/blog/2011/01/the-big-blog-backlog-part-two.html#comments-open


About retirement – dispatches from the front line – Part 48

Posted: January 10th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: About retirement - Howard Croft, Health | No Comments »

howard_croft1-150x150[1]Dear Philippa,

I see that the Department of Health has struck a shrewd deal on our behalf with Asda and others whereby £250million worth of vouchers, redeemable only at Asda, will be given away “to families”. These vouchers will entitle these families to discounts on healthy food items they could not otherwise afford, or would for other reasons avoid. Brown rice, for example, which in my view is fit only for use as cat litter, and certainly cannot be rendered edible by any cooking process I know of and is indigestible. Also on offer will be a few bob off alcohol-free lager, another disgusting product, which has a metallic aftertaste and doesn’t do the job lager is meant to do. Now, these pointy heads at the DoH are not stupid – they know that the cause of obesity is multi-factorial, and have added to the mix a fiver off a pair of trainers (JJB Sports only) to get the nation jogging.
 
And to prove that they can hold more than two thoughts in their heads they have bundled in a nifty move that will address the concern about poor cohesion in families brought about by the decline in the practice of eating together – 20% off an Asda dining table and chairs. Brilliant!
 
This all looks to me like a typical January sale with added PR opportunities for Asda and JJB. Also involved in this public service endeavour are Mars and Nestle who have their own reasons for wanting us to think well of them by knocking a few pence off their “healthy” foods that none of us have heard of, while enjoying the righteous profile that association with a Government health campaign will bring and hoping it will extend in the minds of the gullible to their central concerns – pushing chocolate.
 
I understand where these companies – “stakeholders” I should call them -  are coming from, and I strongly suspect that the idea came from them. I congratulate them. But do the pointy-heads really think this will work, do what it says on the tin in the foolish jargon beloved of civil servants? Are they certain that social bonds in families have deteriorated because they don’t own dining tables? Have they considered the possibility that it is not cause, but effect; that people don’t spend their money on beautiful Asda dining furniture not because they have only 80% of the price of it, but because they don’t like each other enough to eat together and it would be money wasted? Do they think that youths steal high-end trainers from each other at knife point because they want to go jogging?
 
Executives at Asda and Mars know exactly what floats their customers’ boat, and it seems the pointy-head’s boat. No grant application will succeed unless it includes the terms “obesity” or ”carbon footprint”, preferably both. I have seen and signed such foolish documents, may God forgive me.
 
Now I want to find out how to get my hands on the fifty quid’s worth of vouchers – will they weigh me, I wonder? 
 
Best wishes
 
Howard
 

Ten top tips for future-proofing your bathroom

Posted: January 10th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Grandparents, Inclusive design | No Comments »

April 2010 - croppedMaggie Winchcombe is a leading occupational therapist and is keen to promote ideas that could help us all accommodate the changes in the way our bodies work as we grow older. She is a Director of consultancy business,  Years Ahead www.yearsahead.co.uk

It’s the start of a new year and the time for resolutions and plans! If you’re thinking about re-fitting or replacing your bathroom it’s worth considering how you can make it low maintenance and user-friendly for you in the future. Here are my 10 top tips for future- proofing your bathroom!

1. Don’t think ‘grab bars’ think ‘hand-rails’!

These are so useful and do not have to look ugly and out of place. There are some elegant, ‘designer’ chrome rails on the market now that look more like a bathroom feature and could co-ordinate with your towel rails. Or, why not install towel, or shower riser rails, that are robust enough to use as a hand-rail if necessary? There are some that are designed to be dual purpose. Even if you don’t want to install rails now make sure that the bathroom walls are sturdy enough to take the fixings as and when you want to add them.

 2.    Do away with non-slip mats!

If you’re buying a new bath or shower – get one with a non-slip surface so that you don’t have to bother with rubber mats that will need to be kept clean. Think about your options for non-slip flooring – cork, or specialist non-slip rubber floor finishes, are soft and warm to the touch as well as being non-slip when wet.

 3.    Maximise your space!

Bathrooms are usually the smallest room in the house, so if you’re re-fitting yours think about how you can make the most of the space you’ve got. Points to consider:

  • Is the door wide enough if you need help, or to use a mobility aid in the future? Would a sliding, or bi-fold, door create more useful space?
  • Is there enough space if you need help in the future to manoeuvre on and off the toilet; in and out of a bath or shower; or even sit to use the hand basin? Can you create more room by re-arranging the fittings?

 4.    Lighten up!

Good lighting becomes increasingly important as we grow older, so think about using a mirror which has lighting incorporated into the frame to minimise shadows.

 5.    If you want to bathe – think about….

…how easy you find it to get in and out of a bath now and what you might need in the future. A bath with handles that are well positioned for you to pull yourself up, or lean on when sitting down is essential. Some baths incorporate a small shelf or sitting area to make it easier to get up from the bottom. It’s worth trying these features out in the showroom before you buy! 

 6.    If you want to shower – think about…

…whether you might want to sit and shower sometime in the future. If you use a cubicle you could include a wall-seat and hand-rail, or at least ensure the walls would take their weight when you do want to install them. You may need to decide on a ‘level-entry’ shower instead a cubicle with a step. There are plenty of wet-floor shower options to choose from. Whether you have an over-bath shower or a stand-alone one, think about a long shower-hose that is adaptable enough for sitting or standing to shower, or wash your hair.

 7.    Toilets come in different heights and shapes…

…but the ideal, modern solution is a wall-mounted toilet that maximises space, is easier to keep clean and can be fixed at a height that is right for you. More conventional close-coupled toilets are available in heights ranging from 390 – 460mm (15½ -18 in). Choose one that is not too low to get up easily, or too high so that your feet dangle.

 8.    Thermostatic shower and bath taps

It is worth thinking about bath and shower mixer taps that have thermostatic controls. They are economical as well as keeping you safe from scalding, should the water pressure suddenly drop.

 9.    Anti-flooding

You could install a modern stop-cock valve to turn water off at a flick of a switch. These connect directly to the water supply, close to the stopcock, and have a remote, water-activated switch at a convenient location for turning them off quickly and conveniently. 

10.  Finally….

Bear in mind that there are lots more products and ideas to make bathing and showering safer and more comfortable if mobility becomes an issue. Seek advice or go to a specialist retailer to see what’s available to help!

 

© Maggie Winchcombe


And the winner is…..

Posted: January 6th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: Offers and competitions | Comments Off

High res teapotWe are very pleased to announce that the winner of our Christmas prize draw is Ms C of Leighton Buzzard!

One of our beautiful double handled teapots is on its way.  Brimming with character, these teapots, made especially for The Future Perfect Company by Reckless Designs, have a useful second handle by the spout, making them easier to pour.  Designed to complement the double handled mugs made by the same potter, the teapots are hand made and hand painted, making every one unique.

If you were not lucky enough to win this time but would still like to own one of these very special teapots,  you can buy one HERE

Watch out for more competitons and draws in 2011!


About retirement – dispatches from the front line – Part 47

Posted: January 4th, 2011 | Author: admin | Filed under: About retirement - Howard Croft | No Comments »
howard_croft1-150x150[1]Dear Philippa,
 
We returned from Chichester and Quendon, where we spent parts of Christmas, to a house untouched by seasonal chaos, just as the rest of you were wearily pulling the last few shreds of brown meat from the turkey carcass. Untouched by heat, too. In our absence the expulsion pipe from the “combi” central heating boiler had frozen, but thanks to my technical wizardry I soon got it roaring away, and with help from the wood-burner things were toasty in twenty four hours. We had a good Christmas, but too much driving in poor weather conditions again, and in a Mini at that. A couple of days ago we ran out and bought a 4×4, which may well mean that next winter will be mild. I had been determined never to have such a vehicle, but three bad winters on the trot changed my mind.
 
On Christmas Eve Margaret, my Mother-in-Law, also known as the Wise Woman of Westgate, invited her neighbour in for a drink, he approaching ninety, she a bit younger. At first sight I took him for a retired librarian, and resigned myself to some instruction on the Dewey Decimal System for the classification of books, an excellent tool if you are a librarian, librarians but dull stuff if you are not. I was in for a surprise. He spent the war parachuting into Burma from five hundred feet in order – I surmise, he was not explicit on the point – to deploy a blade in the service of his country. He now amuses himself in retirement by jumping out of aeroplanes. He is planning to celebrate his 90th birthday by free-falling from several thousand feet strapped to the front of a more experienced and younger nutter, effectively sitting on his knee. For this he must have a certificate from his doctor, whose only concern when he approached her about it was for the feelings of the guide jumper should he find, on landing,  a corpse sitting in his lap. She signed the certificate. You never know, you can’t tell by looking, and I should know better.
 
Rather less surprising was the behaviour of my clever economist friend at his New Year’s Day drinks party. I have told you about his ratting suit, of a style that suggests he acquired it from the body of a gamekeeper found dead on the moors, but at the party he was wearing a smarter number, previously unseen by me, that made him look like a bookie’s runner. Or a pox doctor’s clerk.  I was disappointed, and told him so, because I had my daughter Helen with me and I had described to her how he often appears when entertaining at home in a kimono, which she did not believe. He disappeared upstairs, returning a few minutes later in a long shift. There are those who think there is something of the cross-dresser about him, but I am not one of them. He would have made a splendid pantomime dame, however - had he not been a clever economist.
 
So, that was my Christmas, agreeably bracketed by drinks parties and, thankfully, not a turkey in sight. Goose for me every time. My resolution for 2011 is to get behind the wheel of my Chelsea Tractor and intimidate Mini drivers.
 
Happy New Year
 
Howard