It’s been a decent enough week – a fair bit of sunshine and tolerably respectable temperatures. We’ve even had the bi-fold doors and skylights open a couple of times. Lovely.
Indeed, Saturday was so glorious that, after striding across the fields with the Darling Daisy, I celebrated with my first “on-the-road” cycle of the season. A leisurely 10 mile loop. Only overtaken by two other cyclists who, as usual, rode past me as if I were going backwards. But, hey! I was enjoying the sunshine, scenery and birdsong. What a treat!
The weather forecast for next week looks promising too! Full speed ahead.
My week was enhanced with the news that my submission to the Moreton Pinkney Garden Club’s Spring Competition had been judged the overall winner. And, before you ask, I was not the only entrant – Penny entered as well.
Navigating around our local area got more complicated this week – we’ve got roadworks at our end of the village with the road completely closed. For some three weeks, I believe. Thankfully, we know our way around the back lanes and diversions – I feel sorry for those drivers not quite so familiar, especially as Sat Navs occasionally shunt them along the unpaved lane at the bottom of Brook Street. Good luck getting an articulated lorry along there. The pot-hole riddled recommended alternative along Leicester Lane is not much better. But, I suppose that’s what you get when you fritter money away on vanity projects such as HS2 while neglecting to invest in the repair and maintenance of essential infrastructure.
The road closure is due to our local water board doing something presumably unrelated to either of the two priorities on which they should be concentrating – reducing leaks and stopping the dumping of shit into the local rivers and streams. It’s a bit surprising that there is any money left for jobs like this considering the eye-watering sums they hand to their shareholders and directors each year.
We’re off this evening to Warwick University to see and hear Jools Holland in concert, courtesy of a birthday gift to Penny from Nick and Lucy. Good foot-tapping music although I don’t imagine there’s any danger of either Penny or me getting up to dance on the stage – those days are probably gone.
What’s that definition of insanity? Doing (or saying) the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result. The former PM with an intellect inferior to a lettuce, Liz Truss, came up with the fascinating suggestion that what was needed in the West was a kind of economic NATO to counter the growing dominance of China. Rather similar, for example, to the European Union. Which the UK left and seemingly wants no part of re-joining. She said the same thing back in February and folks were just as scathing then as they are this time around.
And, a bonus YCNMIU this week – Nigel Farage, one of the main conspirators responsible for the Brexit debacle, conceded this week that Brexit has been a failure. That’s more than any of the other lunatics have admitted thus far. Please note, though, the concept of Brexit per se is not a failure – rather it’s the way in which it has been implemented, i.e., in exactly the manner he and his fellow loony Brexiteers demanded. During the Brexit campaign and in the immediate aftermath, he did claim that if Brexit was a failure he would emigrate and live elsewhere. Sadly, no sign of him leaving so far.
You really could not make it up.
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