Headlines. Health. Bell ringing. Cathedral fires.

“PM insists he can avoid a second lockdown” say the headlines. Well, he is obviously a man of great power! Even the virus must obey him.

“Pressure from Trump led to 5G ban, Britain tells Huawei” says another headline. So his power is modified by what Mr Trump says! There is a hint of an idea that if Mr Trump is not elected for a second term then our attitude towards Huawei might change. The answer seems to be blowing in the wind.

Meanwhile Twitter appears to be trying once again to get on the wrong side of Mr Trump, who put out a campaign style video featuring music from a group I have never heard of, Linkin Park. Twitter removed the video, so POTUS retweeted it. It was disabled. A cease and desist notice has been issued. How many more musicians will POTUS try to “borrow” before her runs put of possible material?

Here’s another headline:-

“Grant Shapps breaks ranks to book summer holiday abroad”

with the next line reading:-

“Transport secretary becomes first senior UK politician to say he will be travelling overseas”

My inner cynic wonders if he has been instructed to do this to persuade the public that we should do the same.

 “‘Junk food is the new tobacco’: experts call for restrictions to tackle obesity” - yet another headline!

Obesity is one of the critical factors that makes you more likely to die from the virus, among other health problems. The nation needs to get fitter, not fatter, so that we can help Mr Johnson avoid putting us into another lockdown.the article under that headline quotes Amsterdam’s experience:-

“Amsterdam set up a scheme in 2012 to tackle obesity after a fifth of its children were found to be overweight. Within three years, the number of overweight and obese children had dropped by 12%. Measures included:

•  Banning fruit juice from schools and only allowing water and milk. 
•  No sponsorship from fast-food firms. 
•  Parents asked to stop using pushchairs and start putting children on pedal-less balance bikes. 
•  A team of 100 focusing on the first 1,000 days of every child’s life 
•  Subsidised gym and sports centre membership for low-income families 
•  Cooking classes to create healthier versions of traditional recipes 
•  Fast food outlets asked not to serve children without an adult present” 

We could try that!

Cambridge graduate, environmental activist, actress, supermodel, a redheaded woman who gets things done, whatever other labels you can put on her. Lily Cole has a daughter called Wylde! Why do people, including clever people like her, inflict such names on their children? I quite like Ms Cole though. She seems in most other expects to be a sensible person.

I read that the bells of Southwark cathedral on the south bank of the Thames will ring today for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown was imposed. A reduced number of bell ringers will be involved because of social distancing. Luke Camden, leader of the cathedral’s 30-strong band of bellringers, is reportedly delighted at the prospect of again climbing almost 200 steps up the medieval bell tower, after the Church of England announced that bells could once again be rung.

“I’m worried that I’ll have forgotten how to do it. This is the longest I’ve been without being on the end of a bell rope,” said Mr Camden, 32, who has been ringing for two-thirds of his life. “I went to check on the bells earlier in the week, and just being up the tower was exciting.”

While his enthusiasm is impressive, I can’t help,feeling that he should get out more. Still, he will be able to do so more and more as Mr Johnson’s new normality comes into force.

In France they have other problems with their cathedrals. News came yesterday morning of a fire in the 15th-century Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral in Nantes. It is not the first time the cathedral has caught fire. It was partly destroyed during the second world war in 1944 after Allied bombings. In 1972, a fire destroyed its roof. It was rebuilt 13 years later. Later news broadcasts suggested that the fire was deliberately set and this morning the news is that a man has been arrested. The building has been saved but a precious organ has been destroyed. Why would anyone want to destroy something of great beauty, whatever your faith or lack of faith? Such a shame!

Sunday here in Delph is fine and sunny. If the sun keeps shining, Phil might cut what we laughingly call the “lawn”. My daughter and I have been planning an “adventure” for the offspring. There may be photos for tomorrows post.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.