Gout

The New Canadians were outside the community centre with their after-school care person. They had hockey sticks that were longer than them and that had brightly coloured ends for some reason (if there's an actual term for the end of the hockey stick, please someone enlighten me). They were beating up piles of leftover snow and shouting 'tenderised meat, tenderised meat!' which I thought quite peculiar for children of an age to be requiring after-school care.
So much energy was being expended in this exercise that I was surprised that the trainer-turbans didn't fall off.

A report out today, or possibly any time in the past month, has made a strong link between sugary drinks and gout. The article on the BBC website says that,
"This link was independent of other risk factors for gout such as body mass index, age, high blood pressure and alcohol intake." Also that the risk did not include diet drinks.

My mother suffered from gout, which tends to be viewed as something funny, jokey, but I can tell you that it was far, far from amusing. She was in intense pain from it and it went on sometimes for weeks. There also seemed to be little that could really be done for the condition apart from stay the hell away from the sufferer.
The good news for me is that another study shows that coffee-drinking apparently reduces the risk. So, since I never drink sugary drinks (unless all the sugar has been turned to alcohol as the advert used to say) and I do drink coffee, if I develop this dire condition, I'm going to want my money back.

I was chastised by e-mail by Austen for implying that the Daily Express is a newspaper.
"Your blog, today, is misleading, as it implies that 'The Express' is a
newspaper. The only part of the paper that is not complete fiction is
Rupert..."

I do of course apologise for misleading anyone and certainly did not mean to suggest that The Express is a newspaper.

We watched yet another new Canadian series last night, 'Sophie'. Unfortunately I found the writing to be rather uninspired. It could become one of those series that gets relegated to Saturday morning on the W-Network, like 'The Jane Show'.
It did have one redeeming feature though. I'm getting some great pointers from the mum/nan on how to embarrass your children.
And I thought I already had all the moves.