A level results and GCSE results are out. How I do not miss the days of going back to work in August to sort out all that. Mopping tears, hugs and cheers and endless re-jigging of best made plans. Meanwhile some wonderful news of past students. One of whom today qualified as a Chartered Accountant. She will not mind me saying that given her strict Muslim background, her grandfather came to UK, stowed away on a boat from Bangladesh. Her parents, against all their own qualms, have enabled her to train, to even be unchaperoned on ‘away’ audits. Where, as I did, staying in hotels to be near client offices, mean long hours and weirdly over-sociable evenings. Perchance,I met her mum and sister today. Her sister is at med school, another is a nurse. You must be so proud I said. You must be amazing parents to let your daughters do this. She agreed and grinned and in the words of that great film ‘Bend it Like Beckham’ she said: better than making chapatis all day like me! I am, as ever, invited over any time. For chapatis and more!

Just a quick update of urinary tract infection stuff.

The Uromune vaccine which NHS has very kindly signed me up for is clearly not working. ie no change in symptomatic infections.

Whilst of course it still might work, in a somewhat divergence from normal procedures I have followed up on a treatment called ‘phage’.

Put simply and I quote: phages are much more specific to their bacterial targets than antibiotics. This is beneficial during treatment because the phages will not be able to harm any other bacterial strains other than the one they are targeted to, leaving beneficial gut bacteria unaffected.

It was Jerome who pointed me in this direction.

It has taken a while to understand quite how to access the clinic. Let me try to explain. The Phage Centre is based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Phage therapy is used broadly in Georgia, which has been the global center of phage expertise for over 100 years. They state: world’s first, most successful clinic of its kind, providing phage therapy services to international patients. The clinic, staffed by both medical microbiologists and medical doctors, treats a broad range of bacterial infections –

Now getting a urine sample to Tbilisi , urine which is antibiotic free and reasonably ‘fresh’ is kind of tricky. But, following their instructions I opened an account with FedEx. I paid 200 USD to an account in NewYork as Barclays Bank do not seem to recognise Georgia. Over the last week I have been tracking my sample on its journey. Bedford…to Tbilisi. Today… just now…it has arrived ! I cannot imagine what state those bugs must be in by now. I am actually giggling to think. Goodness knows what happens now. But for now I am laughing! Not only but also because the look on the face of the courier who insisted on knowing the contents and value!

Sunday, 20/08/2023	12:59Shipment information sent to FedEx
Monday, 21/08/2023	12:23Picked upMILTON KEYNES GB21:06In transitMILTON KEYNES GB
Tuesday, 22/08/2023	01:00In transitRIDGMONT GB01:06In transitRIDGMONT GB12:48In transitFELTHAM GB12:50In transitFELTHAM GB21:05At local FedEx facilityFELTHAM GB
Wednesday, 23/08/2023	08:26In transitFELTHAM GB08:26In transitFELTHAM GB08:26In transitFELTHAM GB08:27In transitFELTHAM GB
Friday, 25/08/2023	12:00In transitPackage available for clearanceTBILISI GE13:28At local FedEx facilityTBILISI GE13:28International shipment release – ImportTBILISI GE
Monday, 28/08/2023	11:19DelayBusiness closed- No delivery attemptTBILISI GE
Tuesday, 29/08/2023	10:34On FedEx vehicle for deliveryTBILISI GE13:30DeliveredTBILISI GE