The Bath Crafting Cranny

One of the ways that I remembered to keep an eye open for the Storyville documentary was by popping the Mindhacks website into my Bloglines.

Bloglines is a way to keep up-to-date with all the new posts on the blogs that you read. Helen reminded me of it recently and I've rediscovered it in all its glory. It's functionality is wonderful... basically plug in every blog you want to keep an eye on and everytime a new post goes out it will appear as a link in Bloglines.
It's beauties are:

• all new/updated posts appear within the Bloglines window, which keeps everything neat on your desktop and you don't drown in gazillion open windows (you can click on the links in the post to open them into new windows if you wish);
• by checking Bloglines fairly regularly you can keep up-to-date with your blogs without getting overwhelmed - I used to remember to check some of the blogs only every month or so and then had to spend a whole lunch-hour topping up...;
• once you've read the new posts of that blog, it disappears from your list until a new post goes up;
• you can mark some posts 'as new' if you like them and want them to appear in your  'updated feed' list permanently;
• you can tailor all the options to suit you, e.g., whether links appear in a new window/same window, newest/oldest posts first, display entire post/summaries, display items updated within 'X' hours/days; and
• you can mark 'all as read' if you know you've checked the sites individually outwith Bloglines or if go on holiday and can't be bothered reading the 403 new posts that await you!

The only disadvantage: I now read 44 blogs regularly...and the number is steadily rising! Gulp.

More brain nattering

Occasionally I watch something on TV that draws me up short...(not often, I might add, which is perhaps why they have such a strong effect on me...).

Last night I watched Storyville: The English Surgeon and was reminded of the fluffy knitted brain. It really was one of the most amazing documentaries that I've ever watched (brought to my attention by the MindHacks website *little nod in their direction*).

It was aired on BBC a while ago (I had it downloaded on my iPlayer) and, sadly, I don't suppose BBC will show it again for a while, prefering to re-run a load of rubbish instead (another documentary that I wish they would re-run was that of Henry Perkins, a touching programme indeed).

Henry Marsh is a neurosurgeon who works at the world-renowned St. George's Hospital, London, and has developed links with a neurosurgeon, Igor Kurilets, in the Ukraine over some decades. This documentary tells of the trips to the struggling Ukraine and work done by Henry (free of charge) with Igor to tackle brain medicine.

Notables from the programme that I thought you might also find food-for-thought were:

• Igor Kurilets struggles against the Ukrainian government - generally, it would seem, because he is successful (he keeps being investigated; they touch on the country's politics and it sounds dubious);
• Brain scans cost only $50-100 but most of the country can't afford this - and, sadly, with neurological problems time is of the essence. Some of the children that he sees have gone blind - their sight could have been saved by a simple scan and a simple operation;
• Henry collects the drill tips from St. George's that are going to thrown away (£80 a pop; 5 used a week) and gives them to Igor (who vows to use them for a decade);
• They browse the Ukrainian markets for tools, rivets and screws for their operations - assessing carefully for quality (although the scene when the drill's batteries start going flat is terrifying - and surely would have been for the patient (who is under only local anaesthetic));
• Igor has neither the skillful team or financial resources to use a general anaesthetic to saw open the skill and then local anaesthetic for the brain op (the patient needs to be awake for the surgeon to minimise damage to surrounding healthy tissue and thereby avoid any paralysis)...so...you guessed it...the patient has to lie awake and listen to them sawing open his own skull; and
• Probably the most moving part of the film was watching the two men discuss the scans of a beautiful 23 year old Ukrainian. She'd been told by some other doctors that she had minor encephalitis from a tick-bite but, in actual fact, she had a inoperable brain tumour and would soon go blind and then only live some 2-3 years after that. The two men spoke amongst themselves in English - she couldn't understand them but listened attentively. They decided that she must bring her mother with her before they could give her the bad news - she must have known when asked to revisit with her mum that this was serious but left the consultancy room with such grace. Igor sits with her later, she asks 3 times if the treatment will be expensive. He gently avoids answering her questions but does reassure her that it won't be expensive and the consultancy was free. They talk casually (he bluffs) about when she should return. "Should I come back soon?", she asks. "Don't leave it too long", he replies.

This programme will stay with me for a long time. Partly, as an amazing story in its own right and, partly, as a stark reminder that - whatever we say about the medical system and all its foibles in the UK - we have it good.

I could do with one of these...

A knitted brain!! Excellent!

Sigh: at the moment, I'm sure my own brain is fuzzier than this one...

Sustainable beauty

Some of the general Jess knitty-silence is due to an imminent house-purchase and move...and all that stuff that comes with it taking up much of my free time...packing boxes, signing lots of bits of paper, etc...

I've had much Google fun looking for fun housey things - inspiration from Design is Mine and her cited links (Another Shade of Grey is one of my faves). There's so much lunchtime fun to be had...and, ahhhh, to be a billi-squillionaire.

Anyhoo, I was particularly taken with this website: Reel Furniture. I can't remember where I first read about it (ooops, Jess = bad blogger; but it will be from Design is Mine and links from her)...I love the Reelfurniture website because it's so understated (the website is undeniably a little clanky and the photos aren't always wonderful quality) and because their vision is so simple, lovely and anything, no matter how big or small, is worth their effort (toothbrush holder; right; sellotape holder, left). Everything they sell is from recycled timber and made by craftsmen who care about the sustainability of timber resources and conserving our forests.

And there's no need to compromise anything on design: this chair (right) is seriously cool and on my wish-list for this summer!

Happy day

Bath is lucky enough to have the Fashion Museum at hand (formerly the Museum of Costume). Much to my chagrin, I've not yet been (only except when they had a teeny tiny bit of their collection open during the refurbishment last year).

So, Mary and I pulled on our big coats (snowing) and shades (sunny; the British weather lived up to all expectations) and popped down to have a gander. Brilliant (£7 but if you're a Bath resident then it's free of charge...bonus!).

In order to whet your appetites: here's a wee peek at a millionth of the vast collection that was available to gaze at.

(1) A white cotton lace dress and moulded leather collar: if there was ever a fashion paradox...here it is (left). Alexander McQueen's concoction: pretty 'field of flowers' charm coupled with a prosthetic-limb type harshness. Whether you ike it or loathe it: it's certainly challenging;

(2) There's a collection of knitwear, including this (right) from knitwear-designer Sarah Dallas. If you're vertically-challenged (me - but, hey, my mum's 4' 11'' so I've done pretty well all things considered), it's not that easy to pour over this bit (I'd like to have had a good ogle) but the written information that is provided is interesting;

(3) There is some wonderful knitted swimwear, like these trunks from 1943 (left). Men wore full body swimming-suits in the 1910s, an increase in the cutting-away of swimming-suits was seen in the the 1920s and 1930s (perhaps due to the increased trend of sunbathing?) and finally, by the 1930s, the wearing of trunks had became fashionable. (we are spared versions of Borat's 'mankini' - phew!); and

(4) There was a wonderful timeline of fashions - splendid dresses that would have let your chest hang out, but as long as ankles were covered then you were considered modest (?!) - and there dresses resplendent in ruffles and frills. We shrieked at this dress (right), which would have meant wearing cane 'panniers' on your hips. Seriously.

Topped off with a potter around the wonderful building and a cuppa tea and sticky bun - t'was a lovely day! Stitches for the soul.