My
readers will be puzzled by my silence of the past few weeks - so let me
explain.
Global
and European events do, of course, make it is increasingly difficult to present
the positive note I strive for here. After all, this is a blog crafted by
someone who values discovery and openness and who has always opposed the
ravings of ideologues and conspiratorialists which seem to overwhelm us these
days…….
But
that is not the only reason for my silence of the past 6 weeks…… I have been
hit by a debilitating condition which doesn’t seem to have a strong media
profile – known in Britain by a term which resonates with seas-side holidays –
that of “shingles”. It’s a
virus which affects the nervous system and starts with Herpes (which I always
associated with sexually-transmitted disease!) and can often then transmute (as
it did in my case) into full-blown “Post
herpetic neuralgia” which numbs part of the face and gives periodic sharp pains....
Initially
I had toothache and the dentist was about to do an extraction (and a couple of
implants) when the anesthetist alerted him to a heart irregularity, leading to
a visit to the cardiologist who put me on a “halter” for a 24 hour test. By
then the Herpes was identified – and, a week later, the full PHN.
For
the next few weeks, therefore, I am resigned to this daily discomfort. I eat minimally and stopped all alcoholic intake – with my belly already showing
the benefits! The downside, however, is listlessness…….
So please take advantage of this gap to read the various books I have put
online….not just In
Praise of Doubt – a blogger’s year but previous years’ posts which are available
on an annual basis
And
the thematic treatments which can be accessed at the top right of the blog…… 
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