Category Archives: Advice

How to open a tin of corn beef meat when the key is missing!

Do you ever get home from shopping, and sometimes you forget to check all the food in-store before placing it in your basket or trolley? You guessed it, I came to making a delightful corn beef hash (instructions eventually!) but at this important time to open the tin, arrggghhhh,


The key was missing, but not to panic, this is how I overcame a potential hair raising problem.


Now, very calmly get your tools out, the mechanical hand tools obviously that’s what I meant silly! using long nosed pliers carefully grab that bit of metal where the key should have been, and then gently wind it around the tin.


Once you have got back to the start then give the pliers a good pulling to get them out of the tangled spring loaded metal strip, oh, you see the metal was wrapped really tight, so actually try removing them carefully or you will cut your fingers.


Upon successfully getting the long nosed pliers out give yourselves a nice pat on the back, and then return to cooking the hash, I can smell it from here, hmmm…

Should sausages be pricked for cooking?

Its a question that seems somewhat poked alot, many say to let the fat cook the meat inside the sausage skin, yet many say poke the sausage allowing it to be cooked in the fat? Regardless of what the photo shows I do not prick my sausages, especially as these days they are getting much less fattier, so we are sold!?

You can exercise your sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis can put many folks off exercising, its understandable due to the difficulties sarcoid can put us through. Something that puts sufferers off is the initial get up and do it, you can it! I explain how I try and work through my exercising here, you to really can, have a view.

Employment and Support allowance appeals tribunal

This has just gone to the tribunal;

Hello tribunal service folks.

I received the re-arranged appointment for the EaSa tribunal/appeal to 7th June 2012 at 14:40, on this day I also have an appointment with the Neurologist at St Lukes hospital, Bradford at 8:40, as you can – or not – imagine the hospital appointment is more important, the chances are though, and public transport permitting, I should still be able to get over to Leeds in time.

I also enclose three attachments, these are communication letters leading upto June 2011 at my then employers Airedale hospital, you should read them in the order that I have numbered.

Dr Smith is the Airedale occupational health physician, the letters are explaining a few things, including; one, my sarcoidosis prevented me from working and two, the dosage of 20mg/day Prednisolone was too high.

As of the 2nd of June 2011 (the date you mention the tribunal is to cover), I was still on 20mg/day of Prednisolone.

If required I can get a letter from my doctors explaining the same to that date, the problem is that will cost me £35…

I hope this information is useful to you, I take it all other information from the 3rd June 2011 would be irrelevant at this stage? including my increased dosage of Prednisolone to 40mg/day.

Yours with sarcoidosis and battered lungs.

Stuart Briggs

How to make an easy cooking shepherds or cottage pie

A delightful how to cook easy a shepherds pie, or a cottage pie, in fact its named flat pie as this is made with turkey mince and I live in a flat! All cost’s are shown below the video, do enjoy the original music too…

Just take a look at these cost’s.

£2.50 minced turkey.
£0.75 potatoes.
£0.64 parsnip.
£0.22 carrots.
£0.45 celery.
£0.25 mushrooms.
£0.65 chillies.
£0.30 garlic.
£0.30 onions.
£0.30 peppers.

£6.36 total. And for this I created four good meals, three to freeze, average then is an amazing £1.59 for a good healthy meal.

Seatbelts do save you know so clunk click every trip

This year three car accidents have occurred on the road to my village, one was fatal, his girlfriend now wears her seatbelt, tragic. Yet I see another lady set off without seatbelt, upon return her son kicks the car door shut, he is only about 5-6 years old, if she carries on like this he will grow without respect for her and others.

My rant being, the guy who died was thrown from the car, they never wore seatbelts, it could have saved him? I have talked to his dad and dare not say anything – obviously.  The woman who still doesn’t, well I don’t care about her but please get your son strapped in, im more bothered about the possibilities that she also could be projected out of the windscreen and damage someone else, and her son too?

Its a proper pet hate but because its very quiet here it seems folks forget the law and common sense, believe what you want but driving a little slower with seatbelts on do save. Jimmy Saville and the clunk click every trip were bang on, this was before wearing a seatbelt became law in the UK.

Another guy drives with the two year old on his knee and steering, head resting to the screen, arrggghhhh…

Rant almost over, fasten your seatbelts folks and do not drive with young ones sat on your lap in the front seats, in any seat for that matter.

What turns a man off in a woman

If we have to be ever so straight to the point then here are my top ten turn offs, although they would be in any order, they certainly are not mentioned to upset any folks out there, it gets asked often and many skip over the question stating they’re not really too bothered, from my experiences it really does matter, if you think of turn offs too often when with a woman then the chances are she is not for you. Read it all in men’s top 10 turn off’s in a woman.

Can sarcoidosis be cured go away or come back

No technical terms here, just easy to explaining can sarcoid return after it has gone away or into remission, sarcoid has no cure but it can be treated, read about can sarcoidosis be cured go away or come back

Can sarcoidosis cause blindness

Yes blindness can be temporally and/or permanent and usually through Bilateral Uveitis. What are sarcoidosis eye symptoms though? its a question that seems to be brought up quite a bit, here is information on eye problems brought on by sarcoid including blindness. Hoping this straight forward explanation helps those who certainly – like me – do not like too much technical terms within many organisations explanations!

This is the link; What is Bilateral Uveitis?

Learning laughter therapy!

Laughter the best medicine they say, hmmm. well here I attempt some forced and unforced laughter, did it make me feel better? have a watch and find out how to laugh, join in and see how you feel…