They pretend to

ids of the 1980s did not have computers at home, except those born in the late 80s or mid 80s. People born in the early 80s seldom had a PC at home unless a parent needed one for work or was working in the “IT” or similar industry/occupation. Mobile phones did exist, but very few people had them back then. To us, the kids, phones were “on the hook” and TV was the thing to watch things on (with a remote control; some TVs didn’t have that yet).

Now, by contrast, kids grow up with skinnerboxes and computers, such as tablets. They’re being spied on, they get exposed to loads of rubbish, and politicians who grew up in the 60s get to decide if it’s OK or not OK.

Politicians don’t represent the public interest.

Why stop?

asks and sanitisers are still available here in large quantities. Being masked isn’t something to feel shy about. In some countries, masks are still common and were common before COVID-19.

Masks and test kits are “back on shopping lists amid signs of Covid-19 resurgence in S. Korea” and I too was still masked this morning because in crowded places there are all sorts of airborne diseases and besides, masks keep us warm and help improve privacy (as long as many other people also wear masks).

Never make fun of masked people; they might simply recognise risks (better than others) and some are immunocompromised.  Add your comment(s) |  Send this to a friend

It’s now open!

OME months ago major overhaul began in the area shown in the above article – an historically significant structure that underwent very significant changes since around January (I’m way too young to have any fond memories of it or to have taken train journeys from it). I wrote about it in relation to the Banksy exhibition and today there was a grilling event, with pleasant-smelling smoke coming out of the building.

More importantly, the coffee shop has opened to everyone.

“A new coffee shop is set to open in the former Mayfield station ticket office,” says the above.

There are still more trees left to be planted near the pavement, but it is overall work well executed. They took one of the ugliest corners of Manchester and turned it into a gem. We saw it gradually, in slow motion so to speak, turning from dust to gold.

Lots of rain heading our way

HE coming week will be rainy here. This is what we wanted and this is what we need.

The water level of some reservoirs across the country is low. If not enough rain falls (or fell), it would lead to all sorts of problems, not limited to “yellowing”; increases in food and water prices can follow (agriculture).

Rainy weather sucks, but water is life and we must get a lot of water.

he decision made a year ago to curb binges of salty and sweet foods ended our weekly ‘ritual’, but we have since then found alternatives, which are healthier and more productive use of time. Improving diet is a desirable thing and governments should recommend healthy diets.

So we try to stock good foods and consume them in moderation.

Today, for instance, I spent 2-3 hours organising and tidying up the house. It’s neater and it makes easier to find things. For instance, I categorised the bottles and sorted things by dates, then I arranged all the detergents and agents in the laundry room. In the past, when I worked nights (overnight) we mostly neglected some of those things and over time some closets became highly disorganised. We lacked the time to deal with it.

Worse yet, sleep was not consistent and diet was not ideal; even eating times were quite stochastic.

I’m glad we made the changes needed and, in hindsight, regulation against consumption of unhealthy foods is the push we needed. Less chances of diabetes, too.

oday a squirrel was walking along the fence here (on top of it). It wasn’t the first time, but it’s always a nice sight. Someone near us has begun feeding the birds, so there was a flock of about 200 birds flying there and their population seems to be growing despite weather and climate hardships.

It’s always good to see other people “chipping in” and feeding the wildlife.

Tomorrow football resumes here. First match in nearly 3 month. The trees are still green and owing to recent rainfall the grass is visibly regaining some life.

Maybe tomorrow I can finally write something positive about football. The last game was awful. Didn’t want to even watch it…

‘ve just come back from the local Asda, where tomatoes were on offer – a very good offer. So I bought over a hundred of them. Rianne’s birthday is on Monday, so this weekend we’ll make one of her favourites, shakshouka. It does take a lot of tomatoes to make one very large casserole of it. The taste is rich.