A pretty decent week on the whole, the lashings of rain and decidedly muddy dog walks aside. We’ve been out a couple of times enjoying village-type stuff which is always good fun.
Penelope was out on Tuesday evening to her book club meeting which gave me an uninterrupted evening to catch up on March Madness. Excellent.
The book they were discussing this time was – We Are All Birds of Uganda by Hafsa Zayyan. I’ve not read it yet but I know Pen enjoyed it and there was much to remind her of the two years she spent in Uganda and Kenya.
Wednesday’s excitement was provided by the builders arriving to take down a “dangerous” chimney and block up an old window. I didn’t envy the pair of them – one bloke and his slender fifteen or sixteen year-old son to fetch and carry. It was a miserable, drizzly day and this is a pretty tall chimney with an awful lot of bricks to come down, but they did a great job and drove away with a van filled beyond its limits with the debris. Another job ticked.
Wednesday evening, we had the excitement of the Moreton Pinkney Garden Club Annual General Meeting. Election of committee members, appointment of a new chair and similar exciting stuff. Afterwards, over a glass of wine, we had a talk from an historical gardener, Michael Brown, who talked about the progression of garden implements through the ages, much of which was fascinating. It’s a pity he wasn’t able to bring some actual gardening artefacts which folks might have found more engaging, perhaps, but it’s always good fun to see folks and have a chat.
And more, good neighbourly chat on Thursday – it was our penultimate Morton Pinkney Film Night of the season. This time it was Where the Crawdads Sing which was very good – a step up from some of our previous film night offerings. Penny’s Book Club had recently read it and, although I’ve not read it yet, we had both seen it before. It’s a coming-of-age story of a young girl who grows up dirt poor in the swamps of North Carolina in the 1950s. She has an abusive father and is abandoned first by her mother, who simply walks away one day, unable to take any more. Her brother and two sisters soon follow and finally her father leaves as well and she is left to raise herself. She manages to survive by digging and selling mussels to the local store run by a kind black couple who befriend her. She is ultimately taken advantage of by the young “hotshot” around town with whom she forms a toxic relationship. When he is found dead, she is considered the prime suspect. Beautifully filmed with a gripping storyline. Watch it if you haven’t or, perhaps better, read it first if you’ve not done so yet and then watch it.
And fish and chips. What more could anyone want?
Sadly, only one more film night to come at the end of April. Then, the screen goes dark for the summer – back in October, I believe. It really is a very pleasant village social occasion.
A set of our lovely neighbours had their caravan stolen in the middle of the night on Thursday. They live just on the edge of the village up an exceedingly quiet lane and awoke to a missing caravan. And, they had one stolen previously after which they implemented a number of increased security features, all to no avail, it seems.
It turns out there had been reports of “suspicious-looking” characters wandering around the village late at night on a couple of occasions recently. Seems as if they might have been “casing” the joint!
The other topic of discussion around the village this week is the mysterious case of the oil spill in Moreton Pinkney. Some neighbours in part of the village have been complaining about the smell of heating oil and it’s now clear that there is a leakage from a storage tank somewhere. Oil is seeping into the drains and down to the brook at the bottom of the village. It’s so bad that one family have had to vacate their home because of the stench until the leak can be traced, repaired and cleaned up.
YCNMIU – Lis Truss, who served as PM for 49 days, has recently released her “Honours” list. Astonishing that she considers it appropriate to utilise the tradition awarded outgoing Prime Minister’s to nominate an honours list. This after serving as the shortest ever Prime Minister, whose “Fiscal Event” tanked the Pound, sent government borrowing and interest rates soaring, mortgage rates sky-rocketing and drove bonds and gilts into freefall. Quite an achievement. Her chief economic adviser, the genius behind her great economic catastrophe, is one of those she has nominated to be made a peer in the House of Lords.
You could not make it up!
Still, not half as obscenely corrupt as Boris nominating his father for a peerage, a confirmed wife-beater and groper, in his own resignation “honour’s list”.
And finally, the moles have expanded the extent of their damage over the winter. Generally, if they stay up in the top part of the orchard where it’s all a bit overgrown, I don’t mind. But once they start encroaching into more well-kempt areas I might have to take measures. As it happens, I ran across this Larson cartoon the other day – seemed appropriate.
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe. And be gentle to wasps and bees.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg