Another week has flown by. It’s been cloudy and grey for much of the time but the tail end of the week brought some nice sunshine and relatively decent temperatures. Today, as I glance out the window on to the Upper Green, it is sunny with blue skies and the weather people tell me that the afternoon temperature will be a perfectly acceptable 7o C (45o F). Thankfully, we’ve endured nothing like the -27o Fahrenheit (-32.8o C) my sister-in-law reported from their lovely ice box in New Hampshire the other day! Whoa – that’s cold!
Ever since Ms Playchute “retired” from manufacturing play parachutes and then sticky walls, she has been wanting to donate her industrial sewing machines to some worthwhile charity.
A couple of weeks ago she came across the charity Tools with a Mission (TWAM) who provide exactly the sort of service she has been looking for. They are a Christian charity that collects unwanted usable tools, refurbishes them, sorts them into trade tool kits and sends them to the developing world for livelihood creation. Perfect!
Penny put a note out on the village Facebook page to see if anyone else had sewing machines and/or other tools which were no longer required and our house has become the collection depot for all manner of bits and pieces. One neighbour was delighted to clear out her father’s workshop of an astonishing collection of old hand tools, some of which will undoubtedly be useful. Another neighbour turned up with three old sewing machines, one of which I suspect should be in a museum. I think they are coming on Monday to collect everything. I hope they have a large lorry.
I passed the 70% completed mark on my virtual cycle ride along Route 66 during the week, somewhere on the road between the Petrified Forest and the charming community of Holbrook, Arizona. Thankfully, the Wigwam Motel provided a suitable resting spot before the next stretch of the adventure.
Last October I wrote about the “mysterious” markers which had materialised in front of our house.
These were to identify potential sites for the planting of some trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy to commemorate her Platinum Jubilee this year. I think the planning committee identified about a dozen sites around the village but the Parish Council wasn’t quite so keen. Towns, villages, youth groups, etc. all over the country are busily planting trees as we speak while we waited for an answer.
In the end the Council finally agreed to the planting of five new trees in the village. We would have preferred more – trees are nice – but we’re pleased at least to have one on the Green in front of Framington House. Naturally, we are only able to choose from a relatively small range of native trees and I think Penelope has chosen a crab apple of some description. Unfortunately, my preference for a Giant Sequoia was not on the approved list.
OK. You really, really could not make this up. A group of MPs has produced a report criticising the gambling industry regulator for trying to reduce gambling addiction.
Now, of course you might be forgiven for thinking that efforts to reduce gambling addition might be a good thing. Apparently not. Or, at least not if you are an MP who has received hospitality from the gambling industry to lobby on its behalf. Bizarrely, accepting thousands of pounds worth of hospitality and then advocating on your benefactor’s behalf is not against Parliamentary rules, as long as the receipt of the hospitality has been registered.
Or, how about this for the blindingly obvious news of the week? Our Covid cases continue at a level which some months ago would have been described as “through the roof” yet the idiot who currently occupies Number 10 needs to shore up support amongst his lunatic libertarian back benchers. So, this week all Covid restrictions were removed. No more mask wearing required. Anywhere. Anytime. And secondary school students no longer need to wear a mask in the classroom and, indeed, the Department for Education announced that they would sanction any school which insisted on students continuing to wear masks.
So, guess what happened? Yep, Covid cases in schools have sky rocketed, schools are having to close because of insufficient staff and now schools and local authorities are reinstating mask mandates.
Nope, you could not make it up.
And finally, a photo of our Jessica, the Times Table Rock Star and Maths Queen of her primary school.
Apparently, Adam/Ava told Penny the other day that they were chatting with another mother at pickup who told them that her child had come home and exclaimed that, “Jessica knows everything!” Yep, that sounds about right.
And finally, finally how about a couple of photos of a four-year-old with some chocolate cake on his birthday?
Yum, yum!
Meanwhile, keep happy, keep smiling, be careful, wear a f**king facemask in crowded places and keep your distance. And keep safe.
Lots of love to you all,
Greg