He wants to pay for treatment on instalments.  He wants me to take the risk.  He wants to avoid taking the full immediate consequences of his addictive behaviour.  For me that doesn’t appear to be a good deal.

On his Personal Enhancement Series of Neuro Linguistic Programming CDs, Dr Richard Bandler always says the word “learn” with a grinding voice.  He is absolutely right to do so – learning is a grind, a hard one.  Grinding away at new learning is precisely what separates the men from the boys. 

He has talent, if only he were truly to believe it himself.  He doesn’t need to dress it up.

I am impressed that the actress Jane Asher heads the charity that supports children with autism.  She has no direct connection with that condition in her own family so she supports other people purely out of the kindness of her heart. 

I remember her father, a consultant physician, teaching me when I was a medical student.  He was an inspirational iconoclast, being devoted to patients rather than to personal glory.  Jane seems to take after her dad.

(Said to my daughter)  “Your father is cool.”

I gather that one of our counselling staff described Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) as “Robert’s new thing”.  Indeed it is, and I am very excited by it and by its potential for influencing my care of patients.  However, this doesn’t mean that it has replaced my enthusiasm for psychodrama or EMDR or Choice Theory or any of the other things I do.  I’ve got lots of things.

A week ago, when I visited a friend in hospital, I came across a bag of rubbish in an alcove in the corridor.  I drew it to the attention of a passing hospital employee – a porter, I think.  Today I found another bag of rubbish in exactly the same place.  I drew it to the attention of a doctor and I felt sure that she understood my concern.  If there is one there next week, I shall go directly to the head of the hospital Trust.  If it happens again after that I’ll hit the press.

I remember doing bayonet practice when I was in the army.  It’s very unpleasant.  But it never occurred to me all those years ago that I would finish up professionally playing the role of the dummy. 

I was asked to illustrate my general practice work and also my counselling work to a group of European doctors.  I did so – and I emphasized that my ideas are not British, where the NHS has successfully impeded the development of any substantially new ideas, but came from the land of the free. 

I was pessimistic in advance about their prospects.  Now I am thrilled by their achievements.