Sunshine for a change. Getting things done. Covid pass thoughts. And Brexit thoughts.

For the last few days we have had no horizons. Or rather, the horizons have closed in on us. Today they’re back! I cycled to the Wednesday market under a rather overcast sky but by the time I was on my home the sun was breaking through. By midday the sky was mostly blue and so we set off to walk up Lark Hill. The weather’s not been fit for that trek for the last couple of weeks but today was fine. 

The forecast seems to be good for the next few days. Hopefully it will stay fine for the weekend when the southern branch of the family - son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter - plan to come for a pre-Christmas visit. My brother-in-law is proposing a chippy hike on Friday, which sounds like a good idea provided I have finished the list of tasks I have set myself. 

One of those tasks was sending Christmas cards, which I finished writing and addressing yesterday and successfully posted during my trip to Uppermill this morning. I have one stamp left over. Maybe I’ll follow a friend’s suggestion and send a card to Julian Assange in his prison cell, a way of letting him know people are thinking of him.

I’ve just received the first of this year’s “round robins”, those letters sent to everyone people know telling us things we don’t fully understand about members of the family we barely know. No doubt more will follow! Some friends of ours don’t write round robins, they just make Christmas cards of photos of the family. That way all their friends keep track of how people have changed over the year and who has been added to the family. I am not sufficiently organised or IT skilful to do such a thing. 

Now, here’s a little moan about packaging. Why do manufacturers of thick liquid stuff - shampoo, conditioner, mayonnaise, the list goes on - put their product in plastic bottle with a sort of nozzle top ? Even more, why do these bottles have sort of “shoulders” that trap the last bit of the product? That last bit is often quite substantial but not very get-at-able. Shampoo and conditioner can be diluted so that the last bit can flow into the nozzle top but who wants diluted mayonnaise? Of course, I am aware that I could just buy things like mayonnaise in jars with a screw top and spoon the stuff out!

The new variant of coronavirus is now so prevalent that the African countries added to the red list have now been removed. Some friends of mine Re up in arms about it. Dire consequences of the spread of the virus are forecast but so far nobody has cancelled Christmas and quote a large number of MPs are still opposed to covid passes. Here’s a comment from someone or other on Facebook: 

“It is ironic that the same Tory MPs who voted against covid passes (because its facist) for England also voted for Voter ID requirements for non existent voter fraud, extra customs checks on the border (i.e 79 pages for each lorry load of fish), visa entry into the EU and removal of the freedom to work, travel, and live in 26 other countries to name but a few of the many ironies of this appalling government.”

My friend Colin commented the other day that he won’t be able to take certain food items back to Galicia with him because of Brexit-related restrictions on what can be taken from the UK to the EU. Now I find that our habit of taking what we call “emergency chocolate” with us when we travel, because our chocolate contains dairy produce. Then there’s a sneaky cost increase as well:

“British travellers planning a getaway to an EU country will be forced to pay a new fee to enter the bloc starting next year.

At some point in 2022, non-EU residents will have to pay approximately £5 to enter the eurozone and fill out a new application form before they travel.”

Hey ho! Another unexpected consequence of Brexit!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!