Day 264

Todays word:UHTCEARE (uht-Kay-are) old English for “sorrow before dawn” when you lie awake worrying about stuff!

So we are now promoted to Tier four, so I hope we do good business during the January transfer window!  I said all I have to say about Covid this week. 

So MP’s voted in the Brexit bill by a huge margin, no surprise after all this time they had no choice. Boris running around crowing like he’d personally won the World Cup and provided a stunning victory, is insulting and he should be ashamed of such a pathetic deal! Now we will have months and months of him telling us how exciting the future will be and what a marvellous time to be British, whilst the rest of the economy struggles to adjust to the upheaval, losses, costs, uncertainty and a mountain of legal repercussions and new paperwork. Anyone who cites short term pain for long term gain has not run a business in a period of “just in time” and modern world trading! We hardly manufacture anything in this country, so where do they think it all comes from? No it’s fine we will be independent, increase customs controls in other countries will be fine, no problem and it will all be alright in the end! When that “end” arrives the damage done will be catastrophic. This is the consequence of voting for a separation that had no plan, no direction, no idea of the real cost and a misguided belief that a club we wish to leave would be helpful in our going! All for what? Independence? A joke, in this the most integrated the world has ever been. We rely on so many other states to keep our economy stable we would not survive “independently” ! It’s okay though, why be part of the second largest trading block in the world we we can go it alone and do so much better! 

Before those who supported leaving start shouting, let me repeat, that I always stated that the EU was not the best organisation, full of fat cats and corruption and in need of reform and reduction in that vast amount of rules and regulations. Tell me though, especially after the last year of Tory governance, are our lot any better? Will there be less rules and regulations? The truth is any political coalition is going to have flaws and corruption, it is a sure as breathing! You don’t “pull up the drawbridge” and leave, you fight harder for change, you reason, argue and use diplomacy, something the British have supposedly been famed for! 

Whats done is done but mark my words this transition will not be taking us shooting to the bright future Boris predicts and he won’t be around when the pain is still being felt in the years to come!

Stay well

 Day 263

Todays words: HUNSLAPPADRIFA Is an Icelandic word for a particularly heavy snowfall it literally means “snowflakes as big as a dogs paws” 

QUIDDLING Busying yourself with trivial matters in order to avoid the important ones!

This is how bad things are in Northampton. Wendy tells me that just after she left work Monday there was someone who they suspected was having heart attack. Called for an ambulance and were asked if the person was unconscious because unless they were they had no ambulance available as every single one was out already and they had other calls waiting. Even if the person had been unconscious they could not say how long it would be! If you think for one moment the the NHS is not at breaking point, then think again. My son says this is normal even without Covid, which is even more frightening and he should know, his wife is a Nursing Matron!

Covid has escalated once more and we face a rise in the pandemic worse than we have already had! Vaccine or no vaccine, what we are doing is not working and the virus (like all viruses) is mutating. We knew winter would see a rise in cases and so it has proved. No doubt the government will impose another “lockdown” or at persist with its poorly reasoned Tier system. I cannot say it enough, if we keep doing the same thing we will continue to get the same result! Our frontline health workers and support staff cannot continue at this level. It is no good apportioning blame for pass mistakes and underfunding, it is where we are now that counts! I am not sure what works anymore, it seems whatever we do the virus still spreads. Science is can tell us what we can do but unless we strictly follow the advice, it matters little! Humans are not good at behaving (well not all of us) we are capricious, self-serving, selfish and there will always be those who cannot or will not protect either themselves or more importantly others! Services have to be maintained, food has to be available, sanitation, emergency services and transportation has to keep going. There is no “one size fits all” solution, I guess you have to make up your own mind as what is best for you and your family. I put forward this idea with a certain amount of hesitation but I suspect it is time we lifted all restrictions and let Covid have its head, yes it will take a heavy toll but in the end it might be the only way we get rid of it! 

Stay well

 

 Day 262

Todays word from Susie:LUCIFUGOUS (lu-c fu- gous) Light avoiding, a useful adjective for all creatures of darkness and those diving back under the duvet!

I don’t think there is a person who won’t be pleased to see the back of 2020, though at this point there is little to look forward to in 2021? Still we must be positive and optimistic and we have to get on with our lives. As you may have read we are hoping to move homes this coming year. There is possibly no good time to choose to move and at present it could not be a worse time. Having said that I think it is good to have plans and something to look forward to. You cannot place everything on hold simply because the surrounding situation is not conducive. The pandemic has thrown up lots of road blocks for us all and we have to accept that many things are just not possible but it does not mean we stop planning or dreaming of a better future. It easy to say we must count our blessings when there are precious few to count. Everyday is a treasure whether good or bad. I am not trying to sound like one of those happy clappy people who believe it is all wonderful, those who have read my rants will know I don’t believe that! As life goes rushing by it’s good to sit back and do nothing every now and then, so use this enforced hiatus to take stock and relish not rushing around as you usually do. Easy for me, I hear you say but in truth I never took anything to seriously or rushed around and as I got older the only time I quickened the pace was when I was heading home! What ever it is you do, however you conduct your life, taking a time out is necessary, this enforced one might just have some benefits you never new you needed!

Stay well

 Day 261

Today the word is: MERRYNEUM the blurry space between Christmas and New Year!

We have not, with very few exceptions, trusted our politicians for many years. Which begs the question why would you want to be one? You have to wonder why you would aspire to high office or becoming PM? One assumes that these men and women are in the most part intelligent, educated people who whilst they maybe privileged have some real desire to govern fairly? There are genuine MP’s and other council members and officials who try their best to help. Why is it then that we view almost every minister in this current government (and all the previous ones) as shady, inept, self-serving, heartless, corrupt, liars and unable to negotiate in any meaningful way? The old saying is there if it looks like a fish, behaves like a fish, smells like a fish, then it must be a fish! In other words we can’t all be wrong in our assessment! Still we keep voting them into power, why? Frankly I have given up trying to explain it. There is a fundamental lack of choice and a deep seated mistrust of the opposition that at present they just cannot shake. If you were writing a fictional account of a strange political governance you could not write one as strange as this lot. If you are the head of state of another country and you met our PM you would surely wonder how the British could have voted for him? This man and his ministers are the representatives of our country, just think about that! We may laugh and shrug at this bumbling haystack of a man but he is the PM! Look at those statesman’s and women who have come before him and then ask yourself why him? Times change and people change with them but in this country we seem perpetually stuck in a loop of Conservatism! 

Stay well    

 Day 260

Did you have a good Xmas? Was it quiet and restrained? Ours was and yet it was enjoyable. Now we head to the New Year and will have to be equally restrained! 

I want to know if in other parts of the country if fireworks have been let off at every possible opportunity, since the turn of the century? In Northampton every weekend since, mostly on a Saturday evening, fireworks are heard exploding. Over Xmas it has been every day? I don’t have any particular objection, just curious as to why?

I am not a great one for celebrating the turn of another year, it’s just another day of a man made timing system that matters little, other than a day off for some! This new year will be different, for oblivious reasons! It would not surprise me if people still tried to go to the usual places, like Trafalgar Square and try to see the new year in, even if London is in Tier 4. Did you ever imagine that the country would be divided into sections dependant on how many deaths a region is experiencing? Whichever Tier your in it will matter little to the virus, it has no barriers, no restriction will keep it from spreading where it will, regardless of the precautions. It is like trying to stop mist, impossible! I don’t claim to know what the answer is but we have to be smarter than this. If we keep doing the same things we will get the same result. There is a radical solution but one that is almost impossible to implement, total lockdown for everybody for at least a month. This would eradicate the virus’s ability to spread and if it has no host it will die! Before you spit your breakfast out, it is of course impractical and could not be implemented. A vaccine could eventually protect enough of us to bring an element of safety, as long as we understand it is not the complete solution, we need to radically change the way we live , work and stay healthy. The current way is not working and we have become complacent, stuck in our technical world believing we are so advanced and comfortable! There is much inequality between the have’s and the have nots. How can we have all this produce and still there are people in this country without enough and living on the streets. If you live in a system that rewards the wealthy and penalises the poor it is fundamentally wrong. Don’t expect this government (or possibly any!) to change things, they will talk the talk but never walk the walk, it is not in their interest. The status quo suits them very well!

Once again I write this sat in the dinning room of my warm comfortable home having just eaten bacon and eggs, at a time in life when I have never been so well off! I am great at suggesting but not so good at action, yes I just talk the talk!

I read about a man who had been into a B & M and bought a load of toys which he then gave to their Christmas toy drive. It inspired me to do the same and I did. When I told the cashier what I wanted to do he was amazed and admitted that these would be the first toys to go in as the store had done nothing. He could not believe I was doing it and asked me if I was sure! I have know idea who received them but I hope it brought a pleasure to a child and made them happy? Oddly it was only this morning that I remembered that I had done it? It could be a sign of my advancing years or a product of going out so little that it seemed like a dream!

Stay well

 Day 259

And so we are promoted into Tier 3! I hope this means we can play in the European leagues next year? 

It would be easy to write how this year and all its tragedy has made us miserable and prisoners in our own country but I would like to look forward to the beginning of the beginning of the control of the pandemic (providing it does not mutate at too faster rate) Visualise a world that has returned to some form of normality (I will refrain from mentioning our glorious PM and his “agreement” ), visualise freedom as you almost remember it, visualise not having to step aside when passing others! We will regain our lives to some degree and we must hope that the strain placed upon our NHS and others will return to some form of regular schedule! We are all to blame and we are all responsible to make it better. Not withstanding all the other stuff that is going down let us try to be kinder to each other! We are collectively surviving a pandemic and if has has brought into sharp relief all the foibles and idiosyncratic behaviour that humans display. It won’t stop all the bad things but just maybe each little act of kindness and inclusiveness will chip away at them? 

Stay well

 Day 258

Christmas Day word CONFELICTY Joy in the happiness of others!

Well done Boris I knew a man of your tenacity and never say die attitude would get us the best deal, never had a doubt! What a waste of four years. All because we weren’t patient enough to change the EU from within. Now we have capitulated and given the EU all the trading advantages as they can cherry pick sectors where up to now we actually had an advantage. We have our fishing “rights” but still allow the EU quotas. The rich will be rejoicing because we no longer have the protection of the European Court of Rights to curtail their dealings. And aren’t you glad we will be queuing like all other non-Europeans to enter countries where we just used to walk into, as we are checked through customs! Won’t you be pleased to have to get an international driving licence, more expensive travel insurance, apply for visa’s if you stay more than 90 days in 180? Your qualifications will no longer be recognised! Oh and of course there is the small matter of all the many billions we will have to pay! What a great deal? What a complete load of bollocks! But not to worry we have our “sovereignty” we are independent! Now for many that is fine if we are “independent” and as I have written many times the EU needs huge reform! And what was all this for? The internal politics of a Conservative party running scared of a man who had stirred up trouble because of his misguided belief that we were a puppet state being controlled from Brussels and the machinations of a man so desperate to become PM that he would flip flop to whichever side he thought would achieve that! They should be ashamed! Only those writing in the future will reveal the true story behind all of this and by that time I will be long gone. Think hard all of those of you who voted to leave and reflect on what you have done not to yourselves but future generations! Those who voted leave and still believe, that is your right but whilst admittedly opposed to your view from where I sit this has been one almighty fuck up!

I hope you have a great day, Merry Christmas to my few (very few) readers

Stay well

 Day 257

Todays words old Scottish dialect DEEPOOPERIT and DUMBFUNGLED being physically and mentally worn out!

So Christmas Eve and not the one we would normally hope for. It is understandable to be fatigued and mentally exhausted. We are besieged by misery and bad news. We have politicians who quite frankly seem totally crap! Everyday the news which we hoped would get better, gets worse. Covid mutates like every virus are and we are surprised, new strains appear and this never ending cycle continues to go even more pear shaped. Wendy got very “pissed off” last night because she had an accident with a plate of food, it wasn’t the accident, it was all the other stuff that is happening but it was a trigger Andre  mood rapidly dived! I spoke with my dearest friend yesterday and he expressed a melancholy view of his demeanour, his humour had fled and the miserable weather depressed him even more as he wanted to get out of his house. Now I don’t write this to depress you or make you feel horrible, I merely am pointing out that it is natural to feel this way under these circumstances! Remember babies are still being born, people are falling in love, somewhere the sun is shining, kindness is being spread, good times will come again, people love you, this will fade and you will smile and feel the freedom of the world again. I am not a religious man and I do not pray but even I would whisper a pray for a world free of this pandemic. So my advice, what ever your circumstances try to raise a smile and a glass to a better future.

Stay well

Day 256

 Todays word HIBERNACLE a winter retreat or hiding place from which a hibernating animal might poke there nose from, before going back in!

Some of you may have seen my sarcastic FB post regarding the BBC’s upgrading of the rating of the film Flash Gordon because Ming the Merciless might be construed as being an Asian played by a Swedish actor! This is further proof of PC gone mad. Firstly anyone with a modicum of intelligence can tell the difference and secondly the actor is playing a comic book character! Not only that it is somewhat suspect that he looks “Asian” anyway! What has happened, real offence is perpetrated everyday, everywhere! In that film there are many different “species” portrayed, is it offensive to Hawks that men have wings, can fly and are called Hawkmen? I have no objection to antiquated and real offensive words and characters being erased. You could not broadcast many of the shows from 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s today but they were different times with the prevailing attitudes of those times. you could argue that in some small way they were instrumental in helping to change attitudes? You could not show Benny Hill today but his antics, unacceptable now, are a example of how society has progressed. We always go to far with the pendulum of any trend before hopefully it settles and we behave with balance. Political Correctness in itself is a misnomer as so many things are. BBC get back in your box and leave it to us as to what is and isn’t acceptable, we are perfectly capable of deciding and if your offended by Ming don’t watch!

Stay well

 Day 255

Golf today so one of my stories Stay well.

Treasure

I was looking through the catalogue, just browsing, I stopped short, surely not, it couldn’t be but there it was, right there, on the page 27.  I hadn’t seen it for 30 years. Memories flooded back, the place where we bought it, holding hands on the way home, the guilty expense, the anticipation of having it home. I stared at the page, was it really the same one, it had to be. I rang the auction house, a lady answered. Could she please tell me more about the lot on page 27? She transferred me to someone called Geraint. Geraint was very helpful and I put the phone done convinced it was the same one.

Excited I made tea and wondered what to do. 

Two days later, I boarded a train for Cheltenham. The auction was at 2. I’d never been to one before, I’d seen them on TV, I knew how they worked. I’d found out the reserve price. With some juggling I could just about afford it. If the bids climbed, I couldn’t go much higher. I tried to read but could not concentrate, my mind was full of the past. 

Just married, in love, mad for each other. We’d found a small flat, we described it as cosy. We did everything together, inseparable. A windfall, an Aunt left me some money. It was delicious dreaming how to spend it. Let’s indulge ourselves and on a cold Friday in January, we travelled across London by underground. The man we bought it from,  promised he’d have delivered by the following week. 

Wednesday, he telephoned, saying he’d be with us by 11. The time dragged until he arrived.

It was ours, beautiful, treasured, we could hardly believe what we’d done.

Cheltenham, intoned the automated voice, the next stop is Cheltenham. I took a taxi and 15 minutes later was standing outside a old brick building, with a silver sign on the wall, Hortons Auctions. 

I was early and finding a cafe across the street, went in and ordered tea. The man on the next table asked me to pass the sugar. Killing time before the auction he asked, I nodded. I hoped he wasn’t bidding for the same thing.

The room wasn’t full, there was no more than 30 people present. It was shabby, had seen better times.

I was nervous, could I get it?. The auctioneer was a petite young lady, nothing like who I had imagined. It started. Very quickly I got the sense of it. Bids were made by subtle nods, gestures, occasional raised hands. Lot 35 ladies and gentleman, she said. I held my breath, my mouth was dry, my hands were damp. The bidding started.

On the way home, I found it difficult to suppress my smile. I’d done it. It had exceeded the reserve but the man bidding against me gave up quite quickly,  she banged the podium and said sold. I was elated. I paid the money, they said it would get delivered next week, there was a fee but I didn’t care.

Wednesday, a man called and told me it would be delivered today. I found the waiting difficult, kept looking out the window. It arrived I signed the delivery note. It was mine again, beautiful, treasured, I could hardly believe it!

 Day 254

Word of the day from Susie LATIBULATE to hide ones self in a corner in order to avoid reality!

Well we wanted to leave Europe and now they won’t let us in! I don’t know what the solution (if there is one) to controlling or minimising the virus is but we are all responsible to try. I don’t know if lockdowns, tiers or masks are the answer (I respectfully suggest they are not). We have to be smarter, slicker, more attuned to the prevailing circumstances. This pandemic is not just about catching Covid (whichever strain) it is about eating sensibly, exercise and generally looking after yourself, not just now but in the future. This is just as important as any other form of prevention. If we all try to do every thing we can to be healthy we will put less pressure on our NHS, which was under enough even before this. It has become to easy to run to the medical profession for whatever reason, physical or mental. We owe it to each other to remain vigilant and keep well. There are many whose health is not good and many who are never going to recover or need long term care. We cannot stop illness, disease, injury, accidents, reckless behaviour or any of the other myriad reasons that medical assistance or care is required. We can individually take responsibility for ourselves. I know it is not always easy and your income or lack of it can dictate how well you can live. Most of us understand the reasons that cause so many of our health probems, we have known them for a long time and yet it seems, in spite of our collective knowledge, we don’t learn (or don’t want to!). We worry about shortages, lack of food in the shops, we stockpile in the panic of usually a non existent need. We have never had so much choice or produce at our disposal. Think of how much food we all throw away every day? We could not starve if we wanted to, we are spoilt rotten and are still ungrateful! Even if there were shortages, so what! It’s wonderful for most to live in a world where we have so much choice and things are plentiful but we still need to be mindful of our responsibilities. We live in the best of times and the worst of times but we have choices, so act wisely and make sensible ones!

Stay well

 

 Day 253

So Christmas is effectively cancelled, oh dear, oh dear! Truly what did you expect? We are in the middle of a pandemic and it saddens me to say that had ALL of us behaved they way that we should perhaps we would be able to enjoy the festive season with some freedom. So make the best of it because you have no choice! We had better behave or 2021 will be a serious lockdown. It seems we have learnt nothing over this year and many just won’t, can’t, or don’t know how to behave to protect themselves but most importantly others. Wendy and I reflected yesterday that at some point we must have broken the Covid rules without realising it but we have done our best to protect ourselves and others. I am very sad for you if your loved ones and friends are not going to be seen this year and I understand that many will be even lonelier than usual but there are times when we have to do things for the greater good and this is one of those times! There are no bombs dropping on us or buildings collapsing, fires raging, our young are not being called up to fight! 

I was complimented on my poem from yesterday’s blog so here are a few more.

40 years 

I now pronounce you man & wife

For the rest of your life

Billions of men you chose me

You said yes

A man with unfettered ego

Indiscriminate temperamental 

You so hushed still shy

Terraced door to street

Five cats covered your lap

Lives shared wallpaper stripped

Time raced ambition poured

Home grew so did your womb

Cats rabbit and now a boy

We loved we shouted we smiled

Work earning eroding my attendance

Bay window different pavement

Incubator but home another boy

Education for us school for them

Advice imparted sullenness started

Sickness overcome death averted

You bore the burden your resolute

Time raced ambition flown

Memories stacked in our dusty attic

Second generation repeat Saying I Do

Empty nesters baby boomers

Your not what I wanted

Your are everything I needed

Love is a crooked path

Tonight I’ll ask the stars above

How did I win your love

You told me

Life is more exciting on the rollercoaster

Not the roundabout for you

For richer for poorer or both

Time raced and keeps racing

Together always us

Agreement

“You’ve made up your mind?”

“No I have not”

“Yes you have you don’t like it”

“I never said I didn’t like it”

“I can tell by your face”

“My face is saying nothing”

“Yes it is it’s saying I don’t like it”

“Your misreading my expression”

“No I’m not you don’t like it”

“And what if I don’t?”

“You see I told you”

“Alright I don’t like it”

“Thank goodness I don’t like it either!”

I could be Noah

It’s Monday morning raining 

Thought of building an Ark

It would be entertaining

My neighbours will be shocked

Prow emerging over fence

Garden boat dry docked

How to summon them two by two

You cant text or message

That won’t get through

Perhaps I’ll be a new Noah

Animals sensing danger appear

They’ll even travel from Samoa

It’s falling hard getting wetter

This climate change spilling water

Have to wear a waterproof sweater

Plenty of wood preserver

Hammer nails and sealant

Build ship fast in a fervour

This constant precipitation

Earth saturated

Might become crustacean

Shopping

You’ll want that back then

Your right I will

I shouldn’t have taken it

I meant no harm

The officer looked stern

So give it back then

Yes of course 

I will

Right now I suppose

Yes now would be best

Well there you are then

Here is the key

I only went shopping 

Not very far

I know dear I know

But it’s my patrol car

Stay well

 Day 252

Every time I see or hear Jacob Rees-Mogg I want to thrust my hand into the TV or Radio and throttle him. We all know he is a rich privileged upper class idiot. We know he revels in his eccentricities. We understand that he likes to stir up controversy and say the unpalatable. He is the epitome of everything that is wrong with our countries inequality! There will be many who think he is a good laugh and should not be taken seriously, many who share his outdated crass views and believe he is only voicing good solid sense? Which ever way you view him there is no doubt he is as divisive as one man can get. The further he has got in politics the more extreme he has become and has come to represent all that is unpalatable about the Conservative Party. The Tories are currently like a Monty Python sketch about upper class twits only in this case they really are “running” the country! Governing is not easy, believe me I know, I had enough difficulty just managing staff when I used to work. Managing our population cannot be easy? How ever civilised, democratic, what ever the rules or laws are there will always be those who flaunt and break them! Even in a dictatorship there will be those who do not and will not conform (yes also for the right reasons) All that being said can you tell me honestly that you trust or believe this Tory government who seesaw between views almost within the same sentence! 

And now a poem I found on Twitter written by a lady who unfortunately died of Covid in a care

And here is one of mine

2000 years

2000 years have come and gone

I haven’t seen them all

My beard would be so long by now

It wrap around the Hall

2000 years have run there course

I wonder where they went

If I’d lived in the same house

I’d have paid a lot of rent

2000 years have run their course

I wonder how we know

Did somebody tick them off

Or use them just for show

2000 years have run their course

They went by pretty quick

A lot of people came and went

One of them was Dick

2000 years have run their course

Disasters have been many

The Earth has tried to shake us off

But we weren’t having any

Day 251

I am pleased to report that our tests were negative.

Todays word: huff-snuff (16th century) a hector or braggart who is keen to scrutinise everyone’s behaviour but their own!

I read a report from Alaska where two people had an allergic reaction to the Pfizer vaccine. 144 vaccination were given in total so 2 persons having a poor reaction is 2.8% of the total which as the vaccine is 95% safe is within the stated safety limit. I have no problem with those who for reasons of their own do not want to have the vaccine and I fully support that choice. I know many will have researched the subject and are intelligent enough to sift the the information from the completely insane conspiracies and understand the realities. Of course there is risk and if that is a risk you are unwilling to take then don’t. No vaccine is 100% safe. No medicine is without it’s limitations and side effects. That is the nature of medicine and human physiology. We are well aware of the vast number of strange and rare conditions that humans can suffer from. Science and medical science in particular has made huge advances in my lifetime and has eradicated conditions which used to cause the deaths of millions but it is not foolproof or always predictable. I am not clever enough or educated to understand the science or biology. There are those who do not trust the government or big pharma and with good reason. Big pharma are not in the business of being altruistic, they are a business who make hundreds of millions in profit for their shareholders they spend vast amounts in research as well this is the nature of that business. Governments have their own agendas and are hardly proven to be the most trustworthy of judges on these matters. We have to trust something though and make a choice. I have always believed in science and thus far in my life, medicine and the science behind it has not harmed me and indeed has saved my life! So when the vaccine is offered to me I will have it. Make your own mind up and research the subject, do your due diligence. If the percentage chance of it being effective are correct then those are pretty good odds.

You decide, that is what freedom is for!

Stay well

 Day 250

Wendy was not feeling to well and a Doctor client of hers advised her to go for a Covid test. Naturally I had to get one as well. We had to go to Wellingborough because it is impossible to get one in Northampton. They advise that you cannot travel by bus or taxi, so if it is further than a reasonable walk or bicycle ride your stuffed if you don’t have a car. The test itself is easy take no longer than 5 minutes. Now we await the results. I felt rough yesterday but today I am okay so far. 

I have over this year and previous ones written about many subjects and voiced an opinion on all of them. Not withstanding my campaign against the removal of Trump (finally won) or Johnson (still ongoing), I have ranted and hopefully been reasonable about, prejudice, freedom, wealth, health, commercialism, democracy, politics and much more besides. On some subjects I am well informed on others I am more ignorant but will voice my take anyway! I do try to take a devils advocates stance but that is not always possible. It has never been my intention to upset anyone (with some exceptions) or deny their right to express their view, no matter how diametrically opposed to it I might be. I have criticised social media platforms and the access they give to people to say that which is abhorrent and hurtful, whilst being fully aware that I am using them myself. The world is a very complicated and dangerous place and far from becoming more integrated and peaceful it sometimes seems that the opposite is true. We have been tested this year (no pun intended) like no other and the pandemic has coincided with many crucial world events that have often been overshadowed by the all consuming news and daily fear of the virus. There is a general feeling of despair and fear for our future but we should remember that in the UK we are far better off than many parts of the world and whilst we are governed by a bunch of inept fools at least we are not in a dictatorship or a country where death and poverty are normal irrespective of the Covid. There is much wrong with out country and little prospect of it changing quickly if at all but we still have much to be thankful for and by far the best of those is our NHS, what ever we think no other country has a health system that is free at the point of entry no matter who you are or how poor you might be. 

We will get through this and I can only hope that we do so with a better perspective and a more inclusive and kind society?

Stay well

 Day 249

Everything is boring at the moment. Dull, uninspiring and beige. Talking of beige, we have been house hunting, as I have reported, I want to know why so many house are painted magnolia? Does nobody like colour anymore? Naturally those who have added colour to there walls have gone the other way and purple seems to be a favourite. I digress, the news has become bland and has all the inspiration of a wet blanket. I know we are in an unprecedented situation and we are all waiting for some light at the end of the tunnel but there is precious little else outside of the pandemic to lift our spirits. Not only that but there are conflicts still continuing that barely get reported within the tsunami of Covid news. For those who struggle at the best of times this will be even worse. Have you read an uplifting piece of news? There are those who inspire and perform acts of kindness and help but they are almost exclusively related to the pandemic. I looked up the definition of Pandemic and it is 

Epidemic over a wide geographic area affecting a large proportion of the population

So Covid fits the bill and has definitely affected a large proportion of the population. It appears that we will be living with the virus/viruses for some long time to come and vaccine or no vaccine it will be a long drag before we finally see that light.

Stay well

 Day 248

It is interesting how different programmes on TV affect you. Yesterday we watched the Christmas edition of Mortimer and Whitehouse Gone Fishing. If you have not seen it you’ll find on the BBC iPlayer. It is a gentle, charming programme about friends, both of whom have suffered from heart problems, who go fishing together. Paul Whitehouse has fished all his life, Bob Mortimer is new to it. The relationship between the two of them is touching, funny and full of love. It is probably because they are a similar age to myself and discuss things that make you laugh and bring a tear to your eye in equal measure that gives me such pleasure in watching. They go to beautiful places in Britain fishing in rivers and occasionally the sea. I never understood the popularity of angling but I must admit watching them stand fly fishing in shallow running water for salmon or trout has a contemplative connection with nature that looks very calming. Casting a rod is a skill and I’m beginning to understand the attraction. Just so as your know they always return what they catch.

Let’s pretend you just lost a football match 4-0 but your very unhappy about it! So you tell people it was a fraudulent result and say you will challenge it legally and that what obviously everyone clearly saw did not happen. Everybody says you lost the cameras prove you lost but you persist in claiming you really won. Your own club stays quiet because they do not want to upset you and if any of them ever dare to say “guv we lost” that are quickly sacked! This goes on for some weeks after the match was played and now you sit hiding in your office and only communicate by some form of social media. Eventually you are reluctantly removed and fired as manager, no other club will hire you because they all think your mad! Some fans still believe you did were great and that you were right to challenge the result, they are desperate to keep you in your job but the overwhelming evidence means you have to go. You never manage again you are considered toxic and unemployable not only that but past events come back to haunt you and you end up a broken man dribbling into your soup, telling everyone and anyone that you have been robbed!

Stay well

 Day 247

Today I promise I will not rant or rave about either of my favourite leaders or bleat about the B word. Frankly I am not sure I care anymore and there is little or nothing we can do except keep going.

So instead I am going to try and be upbeat and cheerful. Not easy when you have just had to rip off a big toe nail, which had been hanging for some days, I was very brave! 

We have a lot to look forward to now we have finally chosen a new place to reside. 

Today the weather looks as though I will be able to ride my new bike for the first time. I’ve been trying to get out on it but it has either been too cold or wet. I will admit to being nervous as the last ride resulted in the accident that necessitated the procurement of the new ride! I will not go far. I confess I am a fair weather rider and at my advanced age why get cold and wet if you don’t have to? 

Do you have something to look forward to? Will Xmas be a good time for you in spite of the current restrictions. Unfortunately it seems that Northampton could be slipping into Tier 3 as our case numbers are high. What do you think of the Tier system? It appears to have flaws and an unfairness of consistency but I suppose a line has to be drawn somewhere and it will always appear unfair? We must try to look forward to a time when this pandemic can be controlled. It will not be easy and it is here to stay for the foreseeable future. I’ve lived a fair while and I can tell you that all things pass and become a memory, whether good or bad. When in the future we reflect on this time, however terrible it has been, however badly it has affected your life, you will have learnt something about yourself and others. You will cherish your loved ones that little bit more, maybe we will be kinder? If you have lost loved ones or friends, comfort yourselves with the knowledge that they would be very happy that you are still here and you will never forget. It’s devastating to lose anyone close to you but for their sake you have to keep going. I for one have much to be thankful for and for all my moaning and complaint, I am largely untouched by the current events. I only rant against what I view as injustice or stupidity not because it has any bearing on me and mine but because of those it does and can have an effect on!

Stay well

 Day 246

Let’s have a little fishy on a little dishy! What a country and what a press we have, bring out the gunboats! Nothing like an overreaction! What ever the sticking points on a deal you have to say both sides are responsible but there would be no deal to talk about if we had not voted to leave. History will not reflect well on this period of the UK and its politics. I will bet you that within 10 years we will be asking to join again albeit hopefully with a more savvy negotiator than we have right now! You would not trust either side to negotiate their way round the inside of a dustbin! What is this never ending obsession some people in the UK have with jingoism, patriotic superiority and the thought that we are a great nation who should be specially treated by all other countries? The world is not in enthralled by the UK, I am sure most don’t give us a second thought. Boris’s bright future is a fantasy based on a country that has largely given up it’s own manufacturing and sold off large chunks to the French, Germans, Chinese and others. I have no problem with that. It’s a global market. I am fed up being told that together we will build a better Britain when all the evidence points to a country that is divided in so many ways, North and South, men and women, rich and poor, haves and have nots, still riddled with prejudice, inequality and the remnants of a class system that we still can’t quite shake off! Yes we have great things as well, we are brilliant at many many activities and products, world class at lots of stuff and still a country to be respected and admired. There will be those who diametrically and fundamentally disagree with this view, those who truly believe we are headed for better prospects, out of the EU, masters of our own destiny, able to determine our own future. I hope they are right but I see little evidence to support that opinion. At best they are naive and at at worse deluded!

On a brighter note we have made and had accepted and offer on a large apartment in Kettering. So now the culling of stuff begins!

Stay well

 Day 245

I am no fan of Trump as anyone who has read my scribbling will know. He was the worst decision ever made by voters even worse than the idiots who voted for Brexit! If there was a God (there isn’t) and he personally told Trump he had lost he would double down once more and say that God was part of the cheating that lost him the Presidency. His very behaviour since the result should be proof positive of how unsuitable he ever was for office. How his supporters still rant against the Biden win and continue to say he was fraudulently beaten beggars belief! He is no longer governing the country as he sulks locked in the White House, refusing to engage with anyone or anything that does not support his doomed campaign to overturn the result. I suppose we should not be surprised in view of how he has behaved both before and since becoming President! I think most of America will breath a huge sigh of relief when Biden finally takes office, not so much because he is now the President but simply because Trump isn’t! Those Republicans who have thus far stayed quiet and failed to acknowledge Biden win will, once Trump has gone, come out and quickly backtrack on the support they had shown him whilst in office. Like rats they will quickly distance themselves form his administration. 

By the way Johnston is on a rocky slope as his backbenchers get more and more disgruntled with him in charge! Methinks his time will be short.

Stay well 

 Day 244

Todays word from Susie: BOONDOGIE An entirely unnecessary and wasteful undertaking (often the result of bamboozling and hoodwinking)

Wendy pointed out to me last night the our Parliament voted in legislation that prohibits a “no deal”? Therefore Johnson (not for the first time) would be breaking the law. I’ve just double checked and it was an amendment introduced by Hilary Benn and passed by Parliament. At the time Boris said he might not comply with it, which says it all really! I know I have been thumping a well banged drum both before and after the referendum and those who wished to remain have just been pissing in the wind but really what a shambles! I have read a long article this morning about goods coming in and going out. Even the author warned the reader that their brains would be dribbling out of their ears if they got the end! Suffice it to say, nightmare does not cover it and as usual the government is woefully under prepared and are leaving to everyone else to sort it. The documentation required is mind boggling, as we will have done away with no tariffs and freedom of movement. Take large pump action shotgun, aim, pull trigger and blow your foot off! I don’t know about you but I am tired of the whole mess and my own interest in it! If Shakespeare was around to write a new tragedy he would give up as he could not match the nonsense that has enveloped this country since the turn of the century! This may sound weird but it was almost inevitable that some would vote for Brexit and then something would come along that made it much worse, Covid! We have much bigger problems than whether our goods can get in and out, after all there is far to much stuff available already. We have more goods of almost every description that we don’t need! So maybe this might be a good thing in disguise? We have to many social and problems of inequality and prejudice that are far more pressing and important than whether the latest Mercedes or French wine has got into the country.

Stay well

 

Day 243

House hunting yesterday and it was interesting but exhausting. Okay it wasn’t up there with manual labour but we were very tired at the end of the day. You have to credit Estate Agents for their creative way of taking photo’s of properties. It wasn’t as if we were naive about how they try to show off the house at it’s best and so they should but the reality is often very different. There is a little of the voyeur in all of us and there is a perverse enjoyment in touring other peoples homes. Some decorating is plain and boring, magnolia walls and little in the way of colour, others have gone the other way and have some questionable wallpapers and paint schemes. Most have cosy homes that you would feel comfortable in. There are a number of factors that affect our decision and we understand we won’t necessarily find the exact house or apartment, so it will be the best compromise based on all the available info. It is difficult to picture your own furniture and household contents in another house especially when you are looking at homes that are smaller than our own. We did view an apartment that was huge, though empty and it would swallow our furniture and still have room for a fairly large gathering (Covid permitting)! So we continue to look,  nothing yet has grabbed us to the point where we’ve made an offer (The apartment probably but there are some “concerns”. Needs another viewing).

I probably need to read and research more but I find the current situation our country find itself in with regard to Brexit deeply depressing. Simply put you don’t know what or who to believe. I read this morning that the stumbling blocks on an agreement are to do with principles on both sides that see so in unlikely to happen that they are unnecessary. I just don’t know whether any of what I read is accurate or from what angle it’s being reported. It is  a sad reflection on the last few years in particular when you no longer trust any source. Whether it is Brexit or Covid or anything else our perception of the real facts are distorted by anyone and everyone. There is probably truth in there but it’s often hard to tell. I have every sympathy for those with doubts about the vaccines now being rolled out. I have doubts myself, it does seem fast even if there has been an unprecedented co-operation across countries. I have written in support of vaccines and I am prepared to take it, up to now my own experience with vaccines has always been a positive one and I have real experience of drugs alongside medical care saving me from death! I repeat it is sad when trust has been eroded and motives questioned because they appear to always be about self-interest? Most sensible people can sift the information and work out what is best for them and their families but ain’t easy!

Stay well

 Day 242

Todays word and it a tongue twister!ULTRACREPEDARIAN  a presumptuous critic; one who gives opinions and advice on subjects they know nothing about! Hmm I wonder who they could be?

Have you had to resist the overwhelming urge to reply to someone’s post that particularly makes you angry but restrained from doing so because you you can’t be bothered to deal with the comments or because it is someone you like and you don’t want to get into a spat with them? I am opinionated otherwise I would not write each day about the things I do. Naturally I think I am reasonable and knowledgable about the subjects I choose but of course I am deluding myself and have typed many things that are questionable. 

I am particularly annoyed at the moment with those who espouse doubt about vaccines. I have no idea where all the recent scaremongering started and why and I have no desire to research it because it’s a path that will no doubt make me even angrier. We had eradicated measles in the UK but doubt cast on the vaccines we give our babies, has meant that it has returned. Of course the scientific and medical researchers can get it wrong, of course pharmaceutical companies are in it for profit, thats the nature of human advancement and the commercial world we live in. The advancements in medical science and technology since the 50’s, when I was born, has been remarkable. There have been tragic mistakes along the way but many more successes. There is evidence to support an over reliance on prescription drugs. However the track record of vaccinations is very good and many diseases and conditions that previously ran rampant have largely been eradicated. I completely agree with those who support a “healthy” lifestyle, it does not take a genius to realise you should eat sensibly and exercise to stay fit, no question! For those who promote that alone as a fight against ill health, I’m afraid I cannot agree. Covid-19 is virulent virus that cannot be controlled by anything but a vaccine. Healthy lifestyles are one way of ensuring you minimise illness but for this pandemic, medical science is the only solution. There are those who may not like it and that is your choice, if you don’t want to be vaccinated then don’t but please do not try to influence others!

Stay well

 Day 241

If you did not think our government was a deceitful, lying, underhanded bunch, then you have not been paying attention. Their latest pronouncements and tactics towards negotiations with the EU are proof positive of how they have conned the our country. Since the referendum we have heard them shout how they will get a great deal to divorce from the EU. Johnson has constantly told us that he will negotiate a great deal and we should not worry he has it all under control. He could not control his way out of a wet paper bag! Every time he or his ministers get questioned (not toughly enough) they respond by changing the story or just refuse to engage and say the matter is closed. All past governments have been slippery when it suits them or they are in trouble but Johnson and his ministers have made it in to an art form. The hypocrisy, hubris and deception is a tsunami of lies. We keep seemingly forgetting that we have voted to leave, why should the EU make it easy for us? We want to leave but how dare you make it so difficult for us, don’t you realise who we are? If i was the EU (and they are not perfect or without their faults and corruption) I would be glad to get shot of the UK. I am sure they would like to set us adrift and hope our whole islands would float away! I repeat we asked to leave, they wanted us to stay! Do you honestly think we will get a deal? Do you really believe that Johnson ever intended to leave with a deal. All along he has headed for no deal and once that happens he will no doubt tell us that he tried his hardest but the EU just would not agree and it is all their fault and proof positive of why we should have left in the first place! There will those of you who say I am deluded and Johnson is leading us into a bright future where the UK once again takes it’s rightful place in the world and if you believe that your all bigger fools than I thought!

Stay well

Day 240

I have just read an article which tells how a father of a boy and girl sat down and wrote letters to each describing both his own life and their childhood. He presented them, hand written and with no crossing out if he misspelt. They loved it. Other parents have written letters and blogs to their children since that were born. My memory of my boys childhood is sketchy, as indeed it is of my own. Naturally there are things I remember, some well, some not so well. I have no idea if that would be interested in reading about how they grew up but the is precious little chance as i my memory is hazy. I suppose the main thing is they became good men. I certainly not sure they would want to read about my life. Apart from not being able to remember my early life that well the rest is fairly dull, laced with the odd highlight! Wendy has a far clearer memory of past events and often tells me about events at which I just shake my head and say I don’t remember that! I guess it is one of the failings of someone who lives only for the present. Memories are unreliable and one persons recall is often not the same as another’s, even if they were both present. 

Stay well

 Day 239

Talk about a man raging against the dying light! Trump just can’t give up! He lost, there is no doubt, no recount, legal challenge or accusation of fraud will reverse the decision, Biden is the next President. He has always danced to the beat of his own drum and he has always been banging the wrong drum. Never has a defeated President been so ungracious or in such denial. He is the President until January but he is doing nothing to help or govern his country (not that he ever has!). He bleats, moans and whimpers about being cheated, not understanding the irony that he has cheated his whole life and has committed more fraud than most! Still his party and supporters will not acknowledge that he lost, it’s like watching the worst of cults, brainwashed acolytes supporting a flawed leader, who has been shown to be what the rest of us knew, a small minded, vengeful wannabe dictator. If he asked them to commit mass suicide in support of him, it would not surprise me if some of them did. 

We went to Wisbech in Cambs yesterday, to look at the town and some properties. There is something rather bleak and yet attractive about the Fens. Flat but gives a real feeling of space. the sky was dramatic, low cloud with sunshine and blue breaking through, a landscape hanging above. The town is pleasant and with a proper market and some very nice houses and quiet residential areas. We saw two nice houses and one apartment that was to die for and looks like one of those ones you would see in a magazine or on a TV series. Now we have to decide whether we want to live there. It is a big decision deciding where to live. I for one want to get out of Northampton and the surrounding area but there are considerations that could keep us in the nearby locality. It’s hard decision and one that has to be weighed up carefully. This week we will be looking in towns not far from Northampton like Desborough. There are concerns, which I can easily dismiss and go with it but Wendy is a more cautious and I don’t want to push her into something she is not convinced with?

Stay well