The Longest Winter Since The Ice Age.

But look! Is that GRASS I see under the snow? I had forgotton what it looked like! No evidence of flowers or buds round here yet but the snow if FINALLY melting. Very slowly! I cannot wait for Spring. We will get our car parking space back!

New York City - St Patrick's Day

The weather was unbelievable. Hot. Hot enough to make you wish you had left your coat at home. And not a drop of snow anywhere. The Parade itself was a washout! There were SO many people thronging the area, most of them under 21 and very, very drunk! After standing on my tiptoes to take the top picture we escaped via the subway to Greenwich Village and our favourite Irish Pub in NYC. What a fantastic move! We sat outside in the sunshine to enjoy our lunch. Ron had Fish and Chips and Sian had Bangers and Mash. I had a less interesting Vegeburger as I continue to try to slim back to normal European size! After the Parade had finished we ventured back to Midtown and went to Madame Tussauds. That was great fun. It was wonderful being in a busy, vibrant city and feeling the sun on us! As a postscript to this blog I must mention how interesting I find it that so many Americans class themselves as Irish when the connection goes back to a great great relative! My grandfather was Welsh and my great grandmother Irish but I am very definitely ENGLISH! Ron's dad was Italian but he sees himself as ENGLISH. It must be a cultural thing!

Ouch! A report from The Davies Family's Chief Wellness Officer.

So far this month we have had 2 occasions when we needed medical assistance. This is after 7 whole accident free months, which is not bad for us! First Sian managed to cut her thumb on an electric saw in 'shop' (woodwork). The cut itself wasn't too bad but due to the position, the school nurse directed us to the local ER for stitches. My impression of the hospital was that it was very similar to hospitals in the UK. Right down to the Indian doctor and the crazy man shouting in the corridor! The only discernible difference was there was a flat screen TV in every room. This did come in useful to distract Sian as she was being stitched but was not really worth the $250 price tag of the whole incident. The school's insurance should cover it but we will have to pay first and then fill in endless amounts of paper work to get the money back. Sian is under strict instructions from now on to avoid sharp objects! Next up was Ron. He has been getting his asthma and COPD meds from England since we got here, delivered to us when people come to visit. But the day finally came when the doctor said no more! We knew this would be a problem when we arranged to come over here. Ron's medical insurance doesn't cover 'existing conditions' and we had been lucky to not need anything up till now. Eventually I found a medical centre who would see him without insurance. That was $40. Not too bad. Then he went to get his prescription filled. $40 dollars for his asthma inhaler, again - not too bad, but the preventative inhaler (advair) would cost $300. For a month's supply. There is no way we can afford that for the next 3 months. So Ron is now going without his vital medication due to the cost. A situation which millions of American's find themselves in everyday here. I have heard first hand from people who have had to cancel their medical insurance as they can't afford to pay it. If anything serious happened to them, from a broken arm to heart disease, they would be in real trouble. I'm trying not to moan too much about this, I knew what the medical situation was over here before I came and we DO have insurance if anything dreadful was to happen. But it makes me very proud to come from a country where free medical assistance is available to EVERYONE. It is something I had always taken for granted, complaining even when i had to pay a £6 prescription fee. Not any more though. The most puzzling thing is that intelligent Americans view our system with suspicion. I have had someone (a teacher!) refer to free health care in the UK as "Your Socialist system". Free healthcare, free education and democracy are the cornerstones of any civilised society. Oh well, as Meatloaf says... Two out of three ain't bad.