Drinking. Running in the wind. Mask opinions. Patriotism?

Despite some of the tabloids showing photos of falling-over drunks being helped by police in city centres, the health secretary Matt Hancock has given “the vast majority” of people who took advantage of pubs reopening last night a pat on the head for behaving responsibly. Asked for his overall assessment of how the easing of lockdown measures on Saturday went, Hancock said:

“From what I’ve seen, although there’s some pictures to the contrary, very, very largely people have acted responsibly. So overall I’m pleased with what happened yesterday. It was really good to see people out and about and largely, very largely, social distancing.”

I don’t know how many customers turned up at the pub next door to our house but there were sounds of merriment until late in the evening. I think it will still be a while, however, before my friend and I resume our habit of lunching there about once a month.

Today is very windy. So despite warnings of rain later in the day I have taken a chance and hung my washing out to blow dry. Running along the Donkey Line bridle path first thing, I had to stop every so often to move small branches that had been snapped off trees during the recent deluge. Well, I didn’t have to but I was thinking of how I would feel cycling along there and getting some of the stuff caught up in a wheel.

A little bit of public cooperation goes a long way.

In that spirit, our oldest granddaughter tells us she has offered to take a portion of whatever she is cooking for dinner tonight to the old lady who lives at the end of her row. This is the same old dear who had to be advised not to put food out for stray cats as the stray rats were eating it. Apparently she mostly lives on microwaved ready meals - I read somewhere recently that that is all the “cooking” care workers are allowed to do for their elderly clients, which seems a bit restrictive, not to say potentially unhealthy -so our young granddaughter is stepping in to give her a change.

That same granddaughter has been trying to dye her hair purple, the sort of thing you can get away with when you are in your very early twenties. The results have been mixed - bottom half of the hair a nice lilac shade and the top half quite a nice brown, splendid in its way but just not quite the look she was aiming for. She has ordered more colourant and is having another go - one of the many wanting to see a hairdresser.

Phil looks forward to getting his hair cut some time in the next couple of weeks. On the whole getting back to the hairdresser will be easier for men, who do a rapid visit, but the prospect, the advisability of us ladies getting our hair coloured, a process demanding sitting in the hairdressers for over an hour, is a little more doubtful. Even if masks are worn.

The wearing, or not wearing, of masks has become almost a political matter in the USA, almost party-political. At President Trump’s recent campaign events few people wore them while at Black Lives Matter protests masks were everywhere. And some get quite worked up about it. People have posted videos of mask-free customers throwing items from their trolleys after being told to leave. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!

The reasoning behind not wearing the mask varies from “This is not Cuba, we are not in a communist nation.” to the quite wonderful “I don’t wear a mask for the same reason I don’t wear underwear: things gotta breathe.” Now, that sounds like someone you don’t want to get too close to.

According to a recent survey American men are less likely to wear face masks because they believe it is “shameful”, “a sign of weakness” and “not cool”.

But then, such values echo the kind of things their president said in his speech at Mount Rushmore: “Our nation is witnessing a merciless campaign to wipe out our history, defame our heroes, erase our values and indoctrinate our children,” Trump said. “Angry mobs are trying to tear down statues of our founders, deface our most sacred memorials and unleash a wave of violent crime in our cities.”
“This attack on our liberty, our magnificent liberty, must be stopped, and it will be stopped very quickly.”

It’s all a left wing conspiracy, of course:-

“In our schools, our newsrooms, even our corporate boardrooms, there is a new far-left fascism that demands absolute allegiance. If you do not speak its language, perform its rituals, recite its mantras and follow its commandments, then you will be censored, banished, blacklisted, persecuted and punished.”

Gesturing to the overwhelmingly white crowd, he said: “Not going to happen to us.”

Then he sat down with Mrs Trump to watch fireworks, confident that there was little chance of the pyrotechnics causing wildfires because the surrounding Black Hills National Forest has “gained strength” since then and that fireworks technology has advanced.

Here is a link to an interesting set of photos of the American flag with a young black woman, intended to consider the complicated relationship between African Americans and the American flag. They are accompanied by a manifesto, written by Nuriddin, that mirrors the preamble to the US constitution. Nuriddin is also the model in the series.

Coincidentally, American singer songwriter posted a picture of the flag with the caption “Reimagine America”- provoking a host of pro-Trump comments, expressions of disappointment that she was criticising her great country, and similar sorts of things. There you go!

 Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!