Under the knife!

I’m currently off work, but not for reasons of leisure or indeed enjoyment. Instead, I’m recuperating at home, following surgery to repair a hernia in my groin area. Known as an “inguinal hernia,” the injury, which is quite common in men, occurred not through heavy lifting, but as the result of a prolonged bout of coughing, that lasted on and off for several days. This occurred around eight years ago, and whilst I didn’t notice the condition at first, the hernia manifested itself as a small lump, in the region of my right groin area.

Over the years, the “lump” gradually increased in size, but it was sometime before I finally decided to do something about it. This only really came about, after the injury started giving me grief. It wasn’t every day, and not even every week, but there were times when after rolling over in bed awkwardly, I’d be plagued with a sharp and quite intense pain in my groin, that wouldn’t go away until I got out up and of bed.

I investigated further and discovered that such problems don’t clear up on their own and that intervention is required. I still procrastinated over getting mine fixed, but then, just when I’d plucked up the courage and started exploring the options for corrective surgery, along came the pandemic, and this obviously put a hold on all but the most essential procedures.

I won’t bore you too much with the rest of the details, apart from saying my GP referred me to a consultant specialising in these types of injury, and on Monday afternoon at a hospital in Tunbridge Wells, I underwent open surgery, under general anaesthetic, to repair the hernia. I’d been advised that the procedure would be a relatively short one, and all being well I would be able to go home later that day, but in the end the operation was a little more complicated than at first thought. I was kept in overnight, not so much because of the surgery, but because I was unable to pass some urine.

The medical staff see this as evidence that the kidneys are working correctly, after a general anaesthetic. Not being able to pee after surgery is quite common, especially when it is conducted in that particular area of the body, and I do remember when Matthew required surgery, as a small boy, the hospital staff not discharging him, until he’d had a pee.

As far as I was concerned, Monday had been a baking hot day, and my water intake had been low anyway - as is normal procedure prior to general anaesthetic. I was therefore quite happy to wait until the following day, especially as I was able to enjoy a nice, cooked breakfast in my hospital room.

So, here I am back at home, slowly but surely getting myself back to some semblance of normality. The soreness and discomfort is gradually becoming less noticeable, and I am definitely becoming more mobile. Yesterday, before temperatures climbed too high, I went out for a short walk. It was only as far as the post box and back, and it felt like I’d achieved something, I took a lightly longer walk this morning, although it’s still hard to contemplate that just 12 days previously, I completed a nine-mile hike along the North Downs Way, but one step at a time, as they say!

One thing I ought to mention is that prior to the op, I’d been taking steps to avoid people, as much as possible. With cases of Covid rising again, the hospital had given me a Lateral-Flow Test Kit and instructed me to take a test on the morning of admission. Fortunately, I returned a negative result, otherwise the procedure would have been postponed for seven weeks. This would not have been the outcome I wanted after psyching myself up beforehand, ahead of the operation!

I shall also be quite careful where I go and who I mix with, once I am fit enough start going out again. At the moment, even the slightest cough, is quite painful in that particular area, so a disease such as Covid, which can cause persistent coughing, is the last thing I want! (Incidentally, when I phoned in, on Wednesday, to update work, I learned there are a half dozen members of staff currently off with the illness, so it hasn’t gone away!)

A recovery time of 2-4 weeks is advised, before resuming normal activities, although 6 weeks should elapse before any heavy lifting, pulling, or shoving is undertaken, but the main thing is being able to drive safely. Being able to perform an emergency stop is important here, and the recommendation is to practice this with the vehicle stationary and without the engine running. I will be aiming for that two-week time-frame, especially as I know the sooner one returns to some semblance of normality, the quicker one’s recovery to full health is likely to be.

To sum up, undergoing surgery to enhance one’s quality of life can, in the initial stages, involve taking several steps backwards, in order to fix a particular problem. But on the basis of no gain without some pain, it’s a worthwhile trade-off, as long as if things go to plan. These issues may seem unconnected to a blog that is supposed to focus on beer and travel, but to be able to enjoy these aspects of life, it helps if one is fully fit and healthy.

So, by allowing the recovery process to continue, and getting back to full fitness in a measured and orderly way, without rushing, my aim is to be back reporting on all things beer and pub-related, as soon as nature allows me, and to then be off walking that final section of the North Downs Way!

Disappeared into the ether!

Those of you who are sharp observers, may have noticed that Paul’s Beer Travels website is currently off line, and those paying more attention will be aware that this has been the situation since the 2^nd of this month. If you click on the link now, you will see the colourful message shown opposite, stating that the website is under maintenance and to check back again tomorrow.

So, what has brought this about then?  The answer is a combination of several different factors, one of which was cost, but this on its own was not enough to lead to the current situation, which is one I have thought long and hard about. Basically, after a year and a half of the website going live, I have somewhat reluctantly decided to pull the plug on it. That 18 months doesn’t represent the whole picture though, because I’d already spent the previous 6 months getting the thing off the ground.

I started work on the project at the beginning of the pandemic, and after looking at various options for creating a website, I selected WordPress as the platform for my new site, but rather than go for the more common dot.com form of WordPress, opted for the dot.org version, instead. WordPress.org, is a self-hosted website, where the originator has full control over the layout, appearance, and general theme of the site, as well as being responsible for the creative content – the writing, if you like.

WordPress.com, on the other hand, is a hosted blogging platform, run by a company called Automattic. Here, writers can post their own material – text, photos etc, choose from a number of themes, and then allow the hosting company to set the whole thing up, in a manner that is very similar to that used by Google, with their Blogger software. No costs are incurred by the creator, with either WordPress.com or Blogger, but by the same token the number of themes one can choose from are limited, as are the types and number of ad-ons. 

In July 2020, after deciding to set my own website up, I opted for a company called Bluehost to host it. I also purchased my domain name, https://paulsbeertravels.com, through them. Going with WordPress.org, was quite tough to begin with, as it’s not the most intuitive software out there, and it certainly can’t be described as “user friendly.”

So, why after going to all the effort described above have, I decided to call it quits? Well as stated earlier, cost was a fairly significant factor, and with the renewal bill for hosting the site, being quite a hefty one - especially when the various extras that Bluehost recommended were considered (see opposite), my mind was more or less made up for me.

The other deciding factor was the website, in certain respects, was competing with this blog, and there just wasn’t sufficient spare time to maintain both. So, whilst I hadn’t totally lost interest in the site, I didn’t want it impacting on the blog which, incidentally, has been running for almost 14 years, and as I won’t now be renewing my hosting account, the website will lapse. The site hasn’t been taken down completely – YET, but unless I renew my contract, Bluehost will remove it – as is their right.

Once this happens, the entire site content will be gone forever – vanished into hyper-space, although this isn’t quite the case. You see, with two months’ notice regarding the renewal, I had sufficient time to copy of all the text, onto my One Drive account, and as the photos were all my own, anyway, the originals too are all on my hard drive.

I could therefore resurrect it, should I wish, especially as I have paid the fee to re-register the domain name – Paulsbeertravels.com. I’m not saying I will, but if at some future date, I decide to do so, I will use a more user-friendly site than WordPress. org. The experience has taught me much, and hasn’t been a waste of time, as I intend to use what I have learned to enhance and expand on the blog. In the meantime, thank-you for your interest, encouragement, and continued support.

 

Buying expensive cans of beer in Norway, plus an idyllic place for a refreshing pint.

The following post concerns Norwegian beer, a subject on which I knew very little, prior to our visit to the country last month.  I was aware of the fact that in common with the other Scandinavian countries, although perhaps with the honourable exception of Denmark, Norway shares a long history of disapproval, as far as alcohol is concerned. This non-acceptance of alcohol translated itself into high prices, and restrictions regarding it sale, although once revealed and understood, were nowhere near as onerous as I first imagined.

Leaving aside the issue of pricing for a moment the restrictions, whilst still a nuisance, can be lived with, once you know what they are. For example, if you want to buy beer from a supermarket, you must do so before 8 PM on weekdays or 6 PM on Saturdays, and on Sundays, no sale of alcohol is permitted, unless you are in a bar or a restaurant. In addition, Norwegian supermarkets are only allowed to sell alcohol below 4.7% abv, so if you are looking for anything stronger than this, you will need to visit a

“Vinmonopol .” These are a chain of government-owned of liquor stores, and you will find outlets in virtually all Norwegian towns. The name of these stores literally means the "Wine Monopoly."

I found this out for myself, on the morning we docked at Stavanger, an attractive port town in the south-west of Norway. Queen Mary 2 couldn’t have been much closer to the town, if her captain had tried, so with this in our

favour, and thoughts of Norwegian beer abounding – in my head at least, we set off to explore Stavanger. The latter turned out to be my favourite of the three Norwegian towns we called at on the cruise, and really was an attractive little town set amongst some spectacular, coastal scenery.

Having eyed-up a couple of potential pubs to try, and then discovering they didn’t open until midday, I led us on something of a wild goose-chase, trying to find the town’s Vinmonopol. Mrs PBT’s wasn’t best pleased when we failed to find this liquor store, especially as Stavanger is quite hilly in places so it was then I reminded her that had we called in at the Tourist Information Centre – as I suggested, we’d have had a map to follow.

Instead, we had to make do with my phone, and Google Maps. After the Cambridge debacle I should have been more insistent, but I really don’t know why my family are intent on giving TIC’s such a wide berth. We walked back to the quayside, and after finding a convenient bench, in a sunny location overlooking the harbour, I set off alone, leaving Eileen to admire and contemplate the waterfront scenery, whilst musing on the advantages of paper maps compared with Google.

I soon found the Vinmonopol, located in a small and centrally located shopping centre. It was brightly lit and well laid out inside, and after asking a couple of questions, and making known my interest in beer, a member of staff, who I assumed was the manager, offered to show me the store’s selection. He was very knowledgeable and seemed proud to introduce me to some of the stronger craft stouts and porters, the majority of which were locally brewed. I selected four of these beers, and as you can see from my receipt the total came to NOK 288.40 (Norwegian Krone). This equates to £23.79, at today’s exchange rate, so expensive yes, but something to enjoy on a cold, dark winter’s evening!

Before leaving, the store manager, pointed me in the direction of a supermarket, where he said I’d be able to buy some weaker beers, including pilsners and pale ales. At the Helgø Meny store I picked up a further five cans of mainly local beer - Lervig & Jåttå Gårdsbryggeri, both of which are brewed in Stavanger.  I’m not sure of their price, as I bought a load of other provisions – mainly sweets and snacks for us to scoff in the cabin.  

Mrs PBT’s was still sitting patiently on the bench, although I had messaged her to say I’d found what I was looking for and was on my way back. She was feeling rather cold, so we agreed to return to the ship, for something to eat, rather than waiting for the pubs to open.

A few days later, I enjoyed a Norwegian beer on draught, at a small hotel and restaurant overlooking Olden fjord, in one of the most spectacular setting imaginable. I ticked it on Untappd as Ringes Pilsner, from Rignes Bryggeri of Oslo. Carlsberg-Ringnes and Hansa-Borg are the two remaining large players in the Norwegian beer market, the industry having undergone significant consolidation over the last fifty year, but on a hot June day, with the snow-topped mountains reflecting in the fjord, I can’t think of a much better location to enjoy a nice cool beer.

Having dealt with availability and choice, it’s worth a quick look at beer prices in Norway. The taxes that the Norwegian government imposes on alcohol are the highest in Europe. Any beer over 0.7% abv is subject to tax, with the rates on a sliding scale depending on the strength. As with restrictions on sale, the high taxes on alcohol are meant to discourage excessive consumption.

There are also strict measures regarding cost-based promotions on alcohol, meaning that you won’t see happy hour type promotions at your favourite, local bar. While these restrictions and high prices might sound extreme to the average European, most Norwegians appear willing to accept them.