Tea, Deaf, Boris

ta.

 

I am sat here chock full of tea.

My favourite, best looking, and most intelligent niece, sent me a gift of tea and biscuits from the 'taverymuch' company.   The biscuits are frowned on by my highly specialised diet but were accidentally eaten just the same.  The chosen tea was also a change from the normal Sainsburys 'Red Label' stuff, and very welcome it was.

That this is the only gift my family have scraped together for my, er..32nd, birthday says something.  Most of them could not even get round to sending a card on time.  One of my good looking and highly intelligent niece's did manage to get a card, forgot to write it, then her daughter took her for a day out so it did not get posted, and I only got to see it when the daughter, also good looking and highly intelligent, posted it on facebook!  The other two favourite and good looking women both managed a card, three days late! 

It is not that I require anything from them, it is just nice if they get the dates right.  One niece managed to send everybody a Xmas card one year, nobody was missed out as was normally the case with her.  We enquired as to her efficiency, "It's because I forgot to post them last year" she said.  My brother got my Xmas present from her one year!  He did not send it on.  

On top of this shambles I have gone deaf.

Washing the other day left me deaf in the left ear.  Nothing I have done since has moved it.  Surely it is wax that is the cause, but the proper stuff to clear it has not made a difference yet.  Another week and I will annoy the doctor, well the nurse probably, just in case something has gone wrong.

Using only one ear is a huge disadvantage.  Nothing sounds the same, everything is different.  Noises appear from all around and are difficult to distinguish with only one ear.  I am amazed at how different things sound, and how much I cannot actually hear, the right ear being no longer as young as it was.  How those totally deaf manage I know not.

Guardian

 

Boris has been at work again.  This time announcing the end of lockdown to go ahead, in spite of the increase in the Indian variant numbers.  Boris and his pals are telling everyone to return to normal even though the variant is out of control.  Vaccinations are not catching up and even the new Health Minister Savid Javid says we can expect 100,000 to be hit by this virus.  These people are playing with the nation.  'Herd immunity' is being tried by not vaccinating the schools.  All their press supports this stance yet the health experts say vaccinating schools ought to be done.  The privately educated scholars may get vaccinated, you wait and see.

 

Indoor Musings

 

I am thinking of renaming this blog 'The View From My Window.'  It appears that for the next six months that may be all I see.  Now I am happy enough hiding from virus's, 'Lock Down' in my view is better than pubs and street raves, football grounds and cafes filled with folks sharing Coronovirus freely, but it is a drag.

The view is quite good here, however, the rust is beginning to show on the leaves, Autumn arrived today, and with no leaves I get a better view, but mostly of rain.  Very misty last night, cleared by the time I rose, a sign of Autumn if nothing else is.

 

Feeling great yesterday after some exercise I got up early to visit Tesco.  This was a mistake.  Feeling good yesterday has left my knees aching today.  How does that work?  This limited my shopping as I am beginning to stock up for Brexit Day, January 1st 2021.  The Brexiteers claim all will be well, however, I noted yesterday that those Englanders living in the EU will find their cash blocked by the banks because of some 'administrative' problems in London.  I tried not to laugh.  Those who wanted Brexit while living in France and Spain do not encourage sympathy.  

I will however continue to stockpile against the wishes of the government who claim all will be well, it will be for them, lining their pockets on Russian Rubles, and I only hope the Butcher can continue to provide sheep for lunch in January.

 

This indoor life has encouraged tea drinking.  It appears to me the cup is never empty.  As it has occasionally been quite warm the tea drinking has escalated, surely this cannot be good for me.  This reminds me of my mother and her friends who could drink pots of tea, with a pot of hot water standing by to refill teapot, all day.  I use no teapot, I do have one, bought in an attempt to save cash by reusing teabags.  This was OK for a while but six old bags can either be too strong, or too weak, depending on bags.  I may have to look at this again to save money.

 

Of course being trapped indoors means there is plenty of time to do all those wee jobs ignored for the past 'wee while.'  This is of course true and I assure you I have every intention of doing them, tomorrow.

In fact some jobs have been done, others have been noted, and materials obtained for the work in some cases.  Several weeks of laptop problems have interfered somewhat with this and now the problems ease I must begin to fix things broken since Adam was a boy.  Almost everything I possess is either second hand, broken, or aged, just like me.  I was asked a while ago regarding the age of a jacket I was wearing, "About 20 years or so, just like the shirt," I replied.  The poor woman had a fit.  Wearing something that old was beyond her ability to comprehend.  Good job she does not see what is in the cupboards.  I suspect nothing she owned was more than a year old.  'If it works use it, if it wears well, use it' I say.  Modern stuff may be fun but do we actually require the latest technology?  Do we not just require the technology we use?  New clothes are good, if we need them and they are available in the charity shop.  Charity shops are struggling also these days, too little gifted during 'Lock Down' and now too much handed in at the first opportunity.  It is also difficult to get into one with the limitations on numbers allowed inside.

We are however much better off than many, we do not suffer war, or even Civil War like the USA will soon endure.  We are fed while others use Food Banks, we can walk while others cannot.  I give thanks I can see blue sky and sunshine, open spaces and birds singing in the trees.  Some people cannot see these things, I am well off.

 

Lock Down Continues...

The tea is going down.  The number of cups drunk is increasing to habit forming numbers.  The kettle may not survive this constant boiling!  What else is there to do?
Watch TV?
50 channels of total pigswill on offer when I looked earlier, only one programme attracted me and my little aerial could not receive it!  Those who enjoy mind sapping pap may be happy enough to continue watching this stuff, however these are the people who only ever watch two channels anyway, no quality to be found on either! 
I attempt to insert an aged video, the machine spits it back out.  I try another and it merely switches the thing off.  I insert a DVD and find it is not recognised!  It strikes me I must do something about this machine.  Using all my technical ability I am sure I can soon get it to catch fire and burn the house down.  Maybe later...
Radio, nowadays my favourite.  However it is Saturday and little new of interest is to be had.  Who arranges these programmes?  Is Radio 4 getting worse or is it my tastes are getting better?  Even Radio 4 Extra has little to offer today.  Bah!
Drink tea instead and stare out the window.  
This is difficult as the curtains are half drawn across, the usual situation when a North, or as today a north east wind blows.  The air comes either through the gaps or straight through the glass ensuring I know that what the weatherman says is a 'mild' day is in fact a 'mild day with chilly wind.'  This air thus ensues my tea quickly chills and I am once again filling the kettle.  In an effort to save tea bags I may have to start making use of that aged small teapot and reusing the old bags again.

 
Desperation to remain focused may mean digging out the coffee.  This is a strange one however as after drinking I do not feel any wider awake, yet while trying to sleep later my eyes will not shut!  Is there delayed action coffee?  
I hear from some that after a few days they have a sparkling clean house.  You can rest assured that is not the case here.  The women have been cleaning, cupboards, behind furniture, kitchens, while the men have found work to do in the garden if they have one.  
Less fortunate people are trapped with children!
Now there's a funny thing.  Imagine being trapped by your own child with no escape.  With some people and their kids it makes me laugh.  Others are trapped with a dog, dogs want out and it is clear the man from the club is getting much more exercise than he requires, I note the wife was out with the dog today.  
You would think there was an abundance of blogs to read at such a time, it appears not.  There again so many people no longer pour out blogs.  So many I once knew are dead, married, moved away, got fed up, lost interest or took up social media in a big way and no longer find blogs worth while.  This is a shame as there are still some worth reading, if you can find them.
Those not getting out might not have much to say of course...