July 5 - Day 88 - It's looking a bit black over Bill's mother's

I was amazed this morning not to get wet. There seems to have been several days of very ominous clouds and some very dramatic storms over the weekend.

I’d not heard the phrase used in the title until I met Jeff, even though I understand now that it is quite commonly used. Once known though, the inevitable question is - Who is Bill? According to the BBC, some believe it refers to William Shakespeare but others think it is more likely to refer to Kaiser Wilhelm II, the last German emperor and king of Prussia, abdicating at the end of World War One.

I much rather like to think it refers to some ordinary family and involves a local story and saying that has been passed on for generations. It certainly always makes me smile. Looking out of the window now though and the prospect of cycling home later, I hope the clouds move a bit further away than Bill’s mothers.

I can’t finish today, however, without mentioning that the 5th July marks the day 73 years ago when health minister, Aneurin Bevan, launched the NHS at a Manchester hospital. It was founded on the ideal that good healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth and maintains that principle today. There have been many opportunities over the past year to recognise the real value of the NHS and its staff but as time passes, this is all too easily forgotten. This is why we have to remember what Bevan said, ‘The NHS will last as long as there are folk left with faith to fight for it’ and make sure we do. For as Benedict Cumberbatch said, ‘Doctors and nurses do crazy hours and keep an ideal afloat through the love and care that they have for their craft and their patients and the institution of the NHS. We should be very proud of it.’