Maybe they have Phil

https://standen.co.uk/products/harvesters/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlor-5vuU6QIVTLTtCh1N4g2SEAAYASAAEgIMTfD_BwE

https://www.thewatercresscompany.com/how-we-grow-bayleaf

Nick

I’ve always considered myself fairly slim and healthy but let’s just say I’ve definitely let myself go a bit over the past month or so. :D

Not obese, or even overweight, yet. ;-) 

At a time in life when it is most important to stay trim, it’s equally one of the hardest times to be making an effort at the moment. 

No mention about the standard of care? Is ours as good? Or is this another of Britain is the best, end of. I hate to say this but when you've recently spent a lot of time visiting the elderly in hospital and seen them allowed to fall out of bed (three times, same person) have medicine handed to them in a cup and then walk off (person shaking with Parkinsons and with severe vascular dementure), being told someone has dehydration and their cup and jug of water left out of reach I'm afraid it's a question you have to ask. I'm not blaming the staff per say - but how can this happen?

Who told you that? Your BMI is in the healthy range.

Ty for the link. I never cease to be amazed at the deaths we accept from preventable pollution, including deaths of children and/or a life of health problems for them.

When you look at the stat of 460,000 deaths per annum across Europe being caused by pollution you have to wonder why we do so little about it. A matter for a different thread though I guess.

I make that a BMI of 20.6 so nowhere near overweight even! I weigh 13kg more than you for the same height and that is still (just about) within the normal parameters...

At that weight you would have been borderline obese if you were 4 foot 10 - i think she might have made a mistake.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/height-weight-chart/

Thanks Nick. I wouldn't have a clue about crop farming. I wonder if the farmers that need the manual help also have invested in equipment as maybe both can't do it all, or if it is just the former and they aren't able or too tight to purchase equipment in the first place.

I could add to that list of reasons ‘conflicting, confusing and dangerous media reporting’.

Hubby’s step mum just phoned, asking if it’s face masks I’m making.  It’s not, it’s face visors.  She’s in the 12 week high risk shielding category and believes from the news that she can safely go out if she wears a face mask!

 I just hope hubby’s managed to convince her to stay home!  

I suspect you are a fit strapping welterweight John. Perhaps the lady sees smaller fellas around her!

FWIW Phil I've been called a number things in the past, but  "fit strapping welterweight" has never cropped up  

You're welcome Phil. You still need a decent workforce to sort the crops once out the the ground or whatever. There will be few if any commercials using manual labour only. 

When you start this kind of work you get into it gradually and pace yourself. That's the key. It's hard work and you don't rush into it like a flaming banshee as some people do.  It's also far more skilled work than many people realise. Picking strawberries for example sounds easy but there is a knack to finding the fruits in the correct condition, picking them fast and keeping up with a fast output. There are machines to harvest but as many UK strawberries are grown tabletop style and the fruits easily damage it's better for human inputs here.

I wouldn't want to work in a commercial tom place. Hot, humid and knackering. Ask Ian from TWO. There again the TWC people deserve recognition too. Up at 4am this time of year, beginning work by sunrise rain or shine, so you can buy those prepacked salads in the supermarkets. Has to be done early to reduce wilting after harvest. Key workers as much as NHS.

Sorry to ask a stupid question. I realise I'm going to be unpopular here, but I'm a person who's always wanted to ask questions.

I am not defending being overweight, but wish to ask as a layperson why is being overweight associated with all the negativity, including being more severely affected by coronavirus? I know it very obvious that being very obese is highly damaging to health, but even being less than slightly underweight is deemed harmful.

I haven't so far found good reasons to why being overweight (including slightly) is health damaging on Googling. All I found is plain statement that being overweight/obese is harmful, making prone to almost every ailments (even causing autism).

I take it's that obesity hinders circulation & metabolism, including fighting against Covid 19. It's clear that Covid 19 badly affects persons who has circulatory problems & poor immune system (including problems caused by body processes facing resistance by excess fat).  

I've lost 8 kg since 10 March 2020, from 78 to 70 kg, & am 5.9 ft. I'm planning to lose further weight, assuming it will help protect myself from the effects of coronavirus.

Maybe we have a separate thread in this.

I feel the same way about obese people as I do smokers and druggies. It's self inflected and they are a drain on the NHS

Apologies if posted already but this is certainly a different view and raises some very interesting points - not saying I agree but they are well worth a discussion.

https://off-guardian.org/2020/04/29/lokin-20-the-lockdown-regime-causes-increasing-health-concerns/

Properly slates Imperial College.

Michael or perhaps Quantum may have an informed view. However, I'd have thought 70kg is close to optimum for you. Isn't there a risk that ending up at the very bottom end of your BMI ideal range could be counterproductive? For example, if you can't eat for several days and become underweight. 

Edit: Your BMI is a tad higher than I thought when I posted the above. However, I'd still think you're not far off where you would probably want to be.

There speaks a very nasty thin person! It is not exactly self inflicted. My wife and I eat the same meals, same snacks. The only differences is she exercises a bit more than me. I am thin and she is slightly obese. Surely in your lifetime you must have come across people that can eat and eat and never put on any weight? People have different capabilities of assimilating and burning off fat. It is true if you eat less you will lose weight but not all people who are overweight are big eaters. Food in itself is an addictive drug and to just generalise about them is wrong. Have you ever tried stopping eating, drinking alcohol, or smokiing? Drugs are slightly different but people don't want to be addicts, they mostly took a very bad life decision at some point. 

I would have thought so.  I'm about 1/3  in to my "healthy" BMI range.  I have   no plans to lose any more weight.  The comments are interesting on the NHS BMI  web page.  If you are overweight they suggest you lose some weight  as DIY.  If you are underweight they suggest you may be ill and to seek advice from your GP !

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

I think the bit "C19 deaths appear to be indistinguishable from quite normal mortality." is enough to conclusively prove the above link is stuff and nonsense.

Don't get me started!

I can tell you about incompetent consultants "looking after" my late mum...a female GP who I saw on the NHS and then privately 18 months later, the first appointment she had no time for me but at the second meeting - we'll keep this family friendly - I thought she wanted to date me.  As for tracing test results and accessing your own data on the NHS...heavens above! Should I have to be bloody difficult to get access to my own data  

Here's a fun mystery game - a proper (net) curtain twitcher for you! It was taken out of my living room window just now.

Spot the object in the photo below which although not illegal, really shouldn't be out and about...

Need a hint? No, it's not the pampas grass (there since the 1970s - it was there when we moved in in 1983). It's not the spawling viburnum my mum planted in the late 90s either, nor the roses planted in the 70s.

It is, of course, the ice-cream van. What a selfish pillock driving around and luring kids out - it worked, too, as I heard my neighbour's young children going to it. There has been a massive debate locally about these guys and although it's not strictly illegal to sell ice cream from vans, the general concensus from council and public is that it should be shunned, strongly discouraged.