Wednesday 10 February 2021

A further moan about the state of the world.

Measures are being put in place to keep the virus out. Incoming travellers from covid hotspot countries will have to go to special quarantine hotels and be tested twice during their quarantine. It will cost  £1750 per person to stay in a quarantine hotel. Wow! 


On the radio news at lunchtime somebody in the know said they hoped it would only be in force for a matter of weeks.


Here’s a little post about Brexit, from the #RejoinEU group.


“OK - here’s Brexit. I had a microphone on Ebay. Italian chap wanted to buy it. Cost of mic £85 cost of shipping £47 plus customs charges. Number of forms to fill in 4. Somebody in Coventry bought it. Postage £8.70. No forms. Glad I’m not running an export business.”


I suppose that’s another example of the “teething problems”.


The UK is not alone in suffering from all the covid problems. Here’s an advert, of sorts, from the Spanish tourist board:


“Madrid has recognised some of its oldest restaurants as places of significant cultural heritage to protect them from the impacts of the global pandemic.


These restaurants uphold Madrileñan traditions & have stood the test of time for centuries. Business has fallen by up to 80% and these restaurants are in danger. 


Tradition, culture and gastronomy are the ingredients that distinguish these establishments that share centuries of history.


Have you been to any of them?


Discover them here 👉 https://bit.ly/2MZt4tF


Turismo Madrid #SpainAwaitsYou”


I hope they manage to preserve the heritage but also to help the smaller places which don’t have that possible heritage status. 


It’s going on and on all over the place. Such confusing times!


Holidays are another matter. I listen to news reports of all the people desperate to go away on holiday and how it’s all adding to stress and mental problems. But there is a niggling bit of me that remembers a time when it wasn’t considered to be everyone’s absolute right to go away on holiday, especially to somewhere exotic or at least expensive, every single year. Oddly enough people didn’t have major nervous breakdowns about it. 


And now I sound like one of those old moaning Minnies - “back in my day we used to .... blah... blah ... blah ... - but the fact is it’s really all down to expectations and our society has created high expectations. Yes, I would like to go on holiday again but more than anything I would like to be able to go and visit my son and his family in another part of the country. I would like to be able to pop into my daughter’s for a cuppa and a chat. I would like to have lunch out with old friends. 


Okay, I’m going to stop before I do begin to stress about ti all.


Meanwhile, dealing with something that predates all our present problems but which is still there for those who are suffering from it the Grenfell Towers investigation/enquiry reveals that inflammable cladding was knowingly sold. Thee were two versions of the cladding available, one rather cheaper than the other. You can guess which was safer. A salesperson for the company said that British builders preferred the cheaper version. Nobody seemed to feel the need to say THIS CHEAP VERSION IS DANGEROUS! Well, they didn’t ask! And so highly dangerous cladding was put on building, people died, and people who were fortunate enough not to have their buildings burn down are faced with huge costs - not to mention flats they can’t sell if they want to move on to the next stage of their lives. And it’s four years since the Grenfell towers fire! It’s high time it was sorted!


Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone

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