So Boris Johnson flew from London to Cornwall did he? Maybe it was the fact that President Biden was going to arrive in his presidential plane that prompted the desire to make use of his prime ministerial plane. He did not want to be outdone perhaps. For most ordinary folk, though, going on a scheduled flight, the prospect of arriving at the airport however long was necessary before the flight took off, usually about an hour, together with the time it would take to get to the airport on the first place, might put us off and have us running off to catch a more environmentally train. We aren’t really such a big country that we need to do air travel between cities. It’s just showing off!
The farthest Phil and I have travelled recently has been a trip to Marsden earlier this week. Others have staycations (horrid new word!!) in Wales or Cumbria or Scotland. We have a day out in Marsden, about five or six miles up the A62 from our home. If you google the information about the distance, this is a sample of what you get:-
“The bus journey time between Delph and Marsden is around 12 min and covers a distance of around 6 miles. The fastest bus normally takes 10 min. Operated by First, the Delph to Marsdenbus service departs from Marslands, Navigation Inn and arrives in Marsden, Manchester Road Towngate. Typically 75 buses run weekly, although weekend and holiday schedules can vary so check in advance.”
We were meeting an old friend of Phil’s for a drink at a real ale pub. The old friend is a real ale buff. He was travelling by train from somewhere near Sheffield to Huddersfield and planned to walk from Huddersfield to Marsden, along canal towpaths for the most part. He’s also a keen hiker. He reckoned it would take him about three hours. I was almost shamed into suggesting we should walk from here to Marsden but decided against it. So we walked to the bus stop just outside Uppermill instead and caught a bus, pleased to discover that we could still us our bus passes even though Marsden is just about outside the Greater Manchester boundary.
We met our friend at the real ale establishment, the first time we have been inside a pub in a long while, and sampled their wares. As they don’t serve meals we asked if they minded if we ate our sandwiches in their establishment. No problem. Now, that’s a new development, a bonus from the pandemic. Pubs are unlikely to turn customers away just because they want to eat their own sandwiches; they’re keen to keep our custom! I had prepared gourmet ham and salad sandwiches, with a touch of hummus to give them that certain je ne sais quoi (well, actually I know perfectly well what it is - hummus!) and gourmet egg salad sandwiches, with added mayonnaise, just enough salt and plenty of pepper. Who needs pub food, anyway?
We had a couple of drinks, ate our butties and set the world to rights. Phil and his friend also had a long session of reminiscing. Trips down memory lane are almost always good. And we had a beautiful day for it, blue sky and sunshine!
On our return journey we got off the bus opposite the aforementioned Navigation Inn and walked up the ginnel next to the pub, taking us up to the Dobcross road and thence homewards, admiring people’s gardens en route. A grand day out!
The weather has slipped a little since then - quite a lot of cloud, a bit of rain - but the sunshine is forecast to return for the weekend. As a result of the cloud cover we missed the solar eclipse but then, we don’t have the equipment to look at it anyway. It was fairly typical, however, that when something interesting was going on in the sky we had clouds!
Getting back to prime ministers and presidents, the Frenchman who slapped his president’s face has been sentenced to four months in prison. He got off lightly as he could have been sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of €45,000. He was also given a 14-month suspended sentence, and was banned from ever holding public office and from owning weapons for five years. Maybe he will be less impulsive in future. For he said his action was unpremeditated. He and a friend had considered throwing eggs at the Monsieur Macron but decided against it. But in the end he was carried away by the emotion of the moment. “When I saw his friendly, lying look, I felt disgust, and I had a violent reaction,” he told the court. “It was an impulsive reaction … I was surprised myself by the violence.”
He is apparently not affiliated to any organisation, despite self-avowed right wing views. But his home was searched anyway, routine procedure, I suppose. As well as weapons police found books on the art of war, a copy of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto Mein Kampf and two flags, one symbolising communists and another of the Russian Revolution.
Goodness! I’m not sure we would like to be judged on the contents of our bookshelves!
I read today that the Jehovah’s Witnesses were officially declared an extremist organisation in 2017. How odd! In 2015 16 members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of Taganrog, on the Sea of Azov, were charged with extremism after police infiltrated and filmed their prayer meetings. Church meetings have since been raided, and wiretaps, undercover agents and secret witnesses have been used to collect evidence against them. Jehovah’s Witnesses have been imprisoned. Thousands have fled the country to avoid persecution.
Wow! I am no fan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses but they are hardly a violent group of extremists. Unless you consider their knocking on your door and haranguing you with the “good news” to be a violent act! Amazing!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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