what keeps you awake at night ?

The programme questionnaire interview for "My Flat Pack Home" includes the question above. As this is such an occasion then the obvious answer is arthritis. When we planned this build arthritis was not an issue but since then both my hips and knees have been diagnosed as arthritic. Thankfully we do not live in England where the NHS seems to be in the process of conversion to the American profit model.  Patients merely seen as a market - an opportunity to make money. I would undoubtedly fail every criterion for hip and knee operations until I had been screaming in pain for many years as sufferers are in parts of SW England. Such are performance targets.  Scotland has more civilised and slightly more people centred healthcare even though we would all still be much better off for a very considerable increase in bean counter unemployment rates. The furore about free prescriptions south of the border ignores the obvious fact that drug treatments are for patients and represent free treatment at the point of delivery - one of the founding principles of the Health Service with the emphasis on "Service".  It is supposed to be there for people who need it when they need it. We already pay for it through taxation. If people object to millionaires getting free prescriptions then bang up the marginal income tax rates so they are truly progressive. Too young for hip and knee replacements for at least another five years and probably ten, the slow deterioration of my joints is well in progress and becoming increasingly painful. I take strong painkillers every six hours. On bad days I am counting the time till the next dose. My Mum had arthritis - fairly mild I think and my Dad had bad knees and I have both. My sister has had rheumatoid arthritis, thankfully in remission. The genes are just not playing ball. Much mountaineering, fell walking and sailing as well as working on farms has not helped, though many years pushing paper around for a living will have helped. The physical demands of building are definitely taking their toll. I shall be glad when we finish the blockwork in a week or so. Wet trades are not really my thing - I really enjoy working with wood, wiring and pipework. Jayne will be even more pleased when we have the 120 square meters of 6 inch concrete floors laid as those two jobs are possibly the most phyisical we are doing. Maybe finishing the turf roof will run them close.
We've finished blocking the sunspace and have got all the levels right and distances within a few mm. We're on the final course for the small roundhouse and have one full course plus a bit for the big roundhouse. Here the 80/20 rule comes into play.
Oh and the other things that keep me awake are the list of project management tasks that needed to be done last week. Orders, plant hire, blah blah....
And when we finish the house I am going to build a wood fired sauna with a sea view to ease the arthritis...