Moggy, I’m a life long Atheist, I used the ‘There but for the grace of God phrase, in the context of me being fortunate, in that I am not at the present time, at least as far as I know, terminally ill. From what you’ve said in your last post, you’ve had more than your fair share of experiencing grief.

I really don’t understand those, who believe in a caring and compassionate deity, that sees patients, their families and friends go through the ordeals connected with debilitating, and painful, terminal illnesses. I just don’t get it.

Sorry Kev, I edited/added a couple of lines to my post prior to seeing yours.

Kind words John, Thank You. Last summer, a couple of months before he could no longer drive, he took me down to the hallowed Myrtle Avenue spotting place at LHR. We both share a great love of aviation, and his fave jetliner is the A380. The sun was out all day, and it was a good day out for us both, and I shall never forget it. It was beginning to get dark, so time to make the 70 mile journey home. He said, ‘lets stay a bit longer’ he just wanted to see one more 380, then the ‘killer’ phrase, ‘cos I don’t think I’ll be coming here again. Suppressing tears at that point was not easy, and that 70 miles seemed to last for ever.

Of course, we must always look for hope, but what happens when there isn’t any? The answer as far as I’m concerned, is to be allowed to let go, and to have the right to do so, without the spectre of prosecution hanging over those involved. The law needs to be changed. IMO, its inhumane not to do so.

Kev, I’m sorry to hear about your father. Dementia has to be one of the cruelest conditions there is, and one, we are told, more of us have the chance of suffering in the future.

Last year, my 35yr old brother was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease, or MND. For those that don’t know, this disease destroys the nervous system, and is always fatal. In the space of a year, by brother has been transformed from a healthy 6 foot tall landscape gardener, to someone who is now chair or bed bound, unable to feed himself, and no longer capable of taking care of his own hygiene. Some sufferers are diagnosed and dead in as little as 6 months. some, like Stephen Hawking, go on for many years. Long term sufferers such as him, are extremely rare. Doctors can never forecast the speed of the progression of the condition, or which functions will be affected first.

He has told me that he is no longer afraid of death, but is terrified of what he will go through in the final stages of his condition. It’s a sad fact, that human beings are kept alive in circumstance that, if the sufferer were a dog, would rightly land the owner in court, or worse, for cruelty. Until now, I had not really thought much about euthanasia, but having watched the steady, but relentless deterioration of my brother, I am now an unashamed supporter of it, as is he.

It’s all very well folks going on about the preservation of life at all costs, irrespective of the wishes, and the amount of suffering, being endured by the patient. I’m sure I’m not alone here, in having to have watched a loved one, being waisted by a cruel, and devastating condition, or by the ravages of old age related conditions. If you have, then maybe you’ll agree, that the sufferer who is of sound mind, should have every right to arrange to die with dignity, at a time of their own choosing. Personally, I am amazed that many believe, that the sufferer should not be allowed that basic right. It’s high time that the law in this country, should be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century in respect of voluntary euthanasia. There but for the grace of God…………….

That Dauphin is a along way from home.

I hadn’t thought about Air France, but then again………..;)

Firstly the BBC is not run by the state.

I’ve always been under the impression that the BBC is involved with the state. Until the debacle over the Dr Kelly episode, I, like many others, had great respect for the organizasion, but not any more. As has been shown during the last few years, there have been many individuals pursuing their own agendas within the organisation, and some of those agendas are questionable, as are some of the ‘trustees’ running it.

IMO, present day BBC News is no different to the likes of Sky News, CNN, Al Jazeera, RT etc. The BBC can be every bit as selective about the news it transmits, as can those news agencies I have listed above. I’m not sure that its right to bestow some kind of sainthood on the BBC, any more than it is right to do so for any other similar news media. There’s nothing wrong with having a healthy skepticism of any agency, that insists that it is telling the whole truth, and nothing but, because guess what, sometimes, they’re not.

Nice pic. That tail still reminds me of Cubana. 😉