A Dog’s Life

Things are quite a bit better in the Bertie department. The cyst on his kidney is benign and he seems to have SLE but his organs have not been affected. His treatment (steroids) started yesterday afternoon.

The Ralph calls twice a day with updates, and a photograph yesterday. So there we are and I thought beagles are a healthy breed. I suspect Bertie may be a bit inbred, like the Habsburgs.

“From 1516 to 1700, it has been estimated that over 80% of marriages within the Spanish branch of the Habsburg dynasty were consanguineous; that is, they were marriages between close blood relatives. Most often, these unions took the form of marriages between first cousins, double-first cousins, and uncles/nieces.” (23 and Me)

Unlike me, Bertie doesn’t have a pedigree but he is better looking, more charming and more fun than me – and the Habsburgs.

It will not have escaped your attention that inflation, prices and taxes are rising in many countries including the UK; at the same time stock markets are falling. If you live in poverty in Africa, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka etc there will be more pressing problems than the stock market.

My main portfolio has lost about 30% this year. The other components have lost less than 10% because they are in steady-eddies: Personal Assets, McInroy & Wood Balanced Fund and MP Evans. I often advocate funds that nurture investors’ capital. They may be boring when the market is on a roll but they are a comfort right now.

Bertie Bulletin: “Bertie has been stable and settled overnight and this morning very bright. One of my colleagues will be in touch later today with a further plan/update” (Medicine RVN at The Ralph)