With all this nice weather, and me using up lieu days. I left home yesterday, 7am, with a couple of ideas, heated gloves,5 layers on top and 3 on the legs.
I wasn’t cold once.
Thought about the West Coast or the old coast road to Fife.
So I got as far as Chirnside, late afternoon, booked the cheapest hotel I could find, lasagne for tea then bed.
Not lots of pics cos Im using the phone as a sat nav ( font size screwed up to the max).
Having a great time went to Bamburgh
Castle, then to Lindisfarne, Holy Island.
Managed to leave a few layers at the hotel today. And enjoyed the back roads till the fuel ran out on the way back.
Today I have put out of hibernation my US made 400 CC.
Contact on.. and it started immediately. Kept it running for a couple of minutes, time to evacuate old gazoline from the carb. But no time for a ride. the grass is not high enough.
Nice day for a ‘Plug Chop’!! Today I have been doing the old two stroke trend of mixture checking as I’ve put a snide PWK carb on the MZ. Never Done one in decades so it’s a re-learn an old trend.
I’m happy!!
I took the Hyperstrada out today for a potter, without any destination in mind really. I did about 122 miles on some lovely roads in glorious sunshine, stopping at the Baffle Haus and the Silver Fox Cafe.
The Baffle Haus was pretty busy for a Monday with a few interesting bikes, including a massive, noisy, squeaky - braked Boss Hoss.
Platelets usually mean a patient’s blood isn’t clotting effectively so this could be post operative treatment or, perhaps, ongoing treatment for cancer. It feels like it’s rarely going to be a ‘good news’ story but it always feels quite special to deliver because you just KNOW it’s a vital, potentially life saving treatment aide.
Delivery made just before midnight and home at 00:50 - I do LOVE this ‘job’! So nice to have “quiet” roads to ride and, despite a motorway closure adding a few extra delays, I made good time on the delivery.
I do LOVE this “job”! It just doesn’t get better than this …
Platelets are tiny cell fragments in your blood that help with clotting. Think of them as your body’s natural “band-aids.” When you get a cut or injury, platelets rush to the site, stick together, and form a clot to stop the bleeding.
They don’t work alone—platelets communicate with other blood components to make sure clotting happens at the right time and place. If you have too few platelets, you might bruise easily or bleed more than usual. If you have too many, it could lead to dangerous clots. They’re a crucial part of your body’s healing system, and doctors check platelet levels when looking for bleeding or clotting disorders.
Platelets are given as a separate blood product because they serve a specific function in clotting and are often needed by patients who don’t require whole blood, so they’re important as a distinct transfusion product. Some patients, like those undergoing chemotherapy, have low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia) but don’t need red blood cells. Giving just platelets helps them without adding unnecessary components. Giving whole blood when only platelets are needed could overload a patient with unnecessary red blood cells and plasma, which might strain the heart and lungs.
Certain patients like those with leukemia, severe infections, trauma or undergoing major surgeries (like organ transplants) often need different components of blood. By separating blood components, doctors can give patients exactly what they need while making the best use of each donation. The reason why @AdieP might often be called out is that you can’t freeze them and they don’t last too long… they also need careful handling.
Superb response - THANK YOU. Exactly what I was after.
We rarely meet the “beneficiaries” of our ‘work’ - though I’ve met 3 or 4 people who were told by their clinicians that they were alive, in part at least, largely thanks to a Blood Bike delivery … not necessarily our group but a recognised one, nonetheless. That kind of encounter (and especially my near heart-stopping personal encounter with an HBM delivery to a neo-natal intensive care ward) really adds significant weight to the human side of what we do and why we do it.
All that said, we’re here to support and help the REAL heroes of the NHS - front line workers of every stripe!
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