Another wild and (somewhat) windy week. When Storm Doris scampered across the UK last week and went on to rampage through the Netherlands and Northern Europe, we imagined that we would now get a bit of respite from the wild and windy weather. And we did – a bit. Nothing like the wind gusts of Doris but plenty of rain and strong winds interspersed with some bright days which tried to persuade you that Spring might be hiding just around the corner. The snowdrops are out in all their glory and the daffodils are just peeking their heads above the surface – is it safe to come out yet?
Thursday was one of those days when it looked as if it might be safe to come out. So, as we had an errand to do at the post office in Byfield, we decided to revisit one of our old stomping grounds and have a stroll around Edgecote. It did seem a bit odd perambling around the estate without at least one dog dragging along behind but the day was fine, the sky was blue and, although the wind was fresh, it didn’t hamper our enjoyment.
A neighbour of ours organised a Litter Blitz on the village last Saturday. It’s part of a national initiative to encourage folks to tidy up around their villages and neighbourhoods and he acquired a collection of litter picking implements and high visibility vests for the thirty or so willing volunteers who gathered outside the pub across the road from us on Saturday morning. We willingly joined the congregation and set off down the road to Canons Ashby to scour the hedgerows and collect what detritus had been discarded by thoughtless drivers.
I have to confess, I do not understand littering. How difficult it is to consume one’s packet of crisps or soft drink and carry the litter home to discard it in an appropriate receptacle (to be recycled, preferably)? Answer – not terribly challenging.
So, think about the conscious decision some folks make to consume their snack and/or drink, roll down the car window and heave the rubbish into the hedgerow. I suppose with most cars having automatic windows these days, it is easier than manually having to roll a window down, but still!
We drive down the Canons Ashby road regularly and the perception we had before the litter-picking event was that it was relatively free of debris. The odd crisp packet or soft-drink can, but nothing major. So, dressed smartly in our high visibility jackets, we set off up the road with our similarly community-minded neighbours, scouring the hedgerows for the odd snippet of litter. Each of us had a rubbish sack and, I think, we all imagined that we would be lucky (?) to fill them all.
Don’t you believe it! As we walked along the road we collected bags and bags and bags of rubbish – I had to walk back to the village from about half way along the road to collect more rubbish bags. I also had to collect the car to retrieve some of the larger items we had managed to find – a car bumper, three spare tyres (with wheels) and two large traffic cones, a twenty-five litre plastic water container and a large sheet of wood which once upon a time was probably part of a small shed. I suppose the car bumper might conceivably have fallen off, but wouldn’t you (a) notice or hear that it was coming loose and (b) stop to collect it? But the rest of the stuff? How and why does one make a decision to dispose of three spare tyres (with wheels), etc. in the hedgerow along the side of the road?
Not surprisingly, we all felt marvellously community-spirited when we had finished and saw the mountain of rubbish we had managed to collect.
As I mentioned last time, we had plumbers all last week removing the bath tub from our bathroom and replacing it with a walk-in shower. I had naively imagined that this might take two or three days but, in fact, it stretched out into a week. To be fair, part of the delay was due to the end-panel for the shower having arrived damaged and a replacement ordered which did not arrive until Friday afternoon. So, they came back on Monday to fit the panel and seal everything.
As you might imagine, I was excitedly looking forward to my inaugural shower on Tuesday morning. I brushed my teeth, shaved and, with my face still covered with remnants of shaving foam, I stepped into the gloriously splendid new shower and turned the tap.
Nothing. Hmmm.
I played with the temperature setting and discovered fairly quickly that I could either have a freezing cold shower or no shower at all. No hot water.
I surmised that the plumbers had simply neglected to re-open the hot water isolation valve when they finished, an issue which I could easily fix. However, Penelope insisted, considering the amount these folks were being paid, that I phone the plumbers and get them out there “At Once!” to address the issue.
The trouble-shooter arrived about 1.00 in the afternoon and I told him that the pipes for the shower were behind the bathroom cabinet, which they are. Therefore, the bathroom cabinet had to be carefully unloaded and taken down. Oops! While the pipes are behind the cabinet for ease of access, the isolation valve is actually in the airing cupboard. A simple “flick of the switch” and hot water was acquired. And, it is lovely – no more hoisting my fat backside up and into the bathtub every day.
Apologies for the following rant but Trump and Brexit seem to be the gifts which just keep giving!
There’s been a lot of flak and ridicule of Trump’s comments about the “troubles” in Sweden. His buddies at Fox News helpfully put up an “expert” in Swedish military and national security affairs who endorsed Trump’s assertions that rape and other crime were out of control in Sweden due to the influx of Middle Eastern refugees.
One small problem – no one in Sweden had ever heard of the “expert” and his (and Trump’s) assertions are demonstrably false.
Unfortunately, Fox has form in this regard. As well as the “security expert” who was arrested for falsely claiming to have been a CIA agent, the UK suffered its own Fox News Fake News two years ago when someone named Steven Emerson was interviewed on the state of Islamic relations in France and the UK under the tag of a “terrorism expert.”
In Britain, it’s not just no-go zones, there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim where non-Muslims just simply don’t go in.
And, parts of London, there are actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn’t dress according to religious Muslim attire.
Actually . . . absolutely, utterly, completely untrue.
Are some people really so desperate for their 15 minutes of fame that they make this shit up? What possible explanation is there apart from the desire to spin a racist agenda? And why on earth would someone make false claims which are so easily disproved?
When challenged Emerson apologised and ultimately admitted that he didn’t know what he was talking about.
What makes Fake Fox News so disgraceful is the damage it causes and the ignorance it helps to perpetuate amongst those who rely on it for their “unbiased” coverage of world events. With regard to Trump’s most recent comments about Sweden, the evidence simply does not support the assertions being made. Contrary to the claims made by the self-proclaimed Swedish Security Expert that there has been a surge in gun violence and rape following a record number of asylum applications in 2015, the evidence shows that Sweden is about twelve times safer than the US.
In spite of the seriousness of a President who is a perpetual liar and a “news” outlet attempting to legitimise those lies, I had to laugh at this list of places where the BBC is now banned.
Yep, the Trump White House is now on a par with the freedom-loving regimes of North Korea, Zimbabwe, Iran and Rwanda.
Let’s Make America Hate Again!
Finally, I am grateful to my sweetheart for alerting me to some splendid news – it seems that a recent study has concluded that drinking a glass of red wine a day is the equivalent to spending an hour at the gym. Thank God – some good (fake) news.
And finally, finally, the following appeared on my New Yorker desk calendar last Thursday. While I am not currently working on any book, I was struck by how accurately the cartoonist had portrayed my study.
Love to you all,
Greg