I heard rain in the night, just as the weathermen warned us might happen, but by the time I got up it was fine again, perfectly fine for for a quick run round the village. The swans are still lording it over the millpond and there is still no sign of George the Goose. I suspect that the people who feared his demise might have been correct. He can’t have flown away as he is/was flightless, or so I was always told. The footpath through the trees, which had been drying up nicely, was moderately muddy once again. So it goes!
Not long after I arrived home my daughter sent a message to say they had just driven past me running in the village, on the bridge by the former bakery. They hadn’t pipped their horn to alert me to their presence in case they frightened me!! Suddenly I am a nervous old lady? But one who runs! They had been to a dress rehearsal for a show the five year old is involved in through her drama group. Goodness! that was a bit early in the day to be getting dramatic but I suppose it got everyone up and moving and leaves the rest of the day clear for other activities.
If the weather continues fine, but still rather chilly I must say, I might eventually get wrapped up and go and plant the primroses I bought yesterday. There is always the risk that bedding plants like those sit on the side in the kitchen for a week before they are transferred to their ultimate destination! Fingers crossed! I still might find a lot of other things to do first!
Scanning the newspapers online I came across a new problem for people trying to escape from Ukraine. Desperate parents are putting their children on the train, supposedly secure in the knowledge that they will be safe, having arranged for a relative to meet the children at the end of the journey. I can only imagine the despair of sending your children off alone, hoping against hoe that they arrive safely.
And now aid organisations are reporting children arriving with nobody there to meet them, or children going astray before finding the appointed person. Children, unaccompanied minors, are wandering round railway stations and disappearing. There are reports of child traffickers whisking children away. Women are also being exploited, offered work which does not materialise and facing the inevitable consequences! Drivers are turning up, offering to take people arriving by train to the next stage of their journey. Most are genuine but it takes an act of faith and desperation to get into a stranger’s car and drive off. There are supposed to be checks on all the cars but there are just too many deal with!
This is the 21st century and we aren’t coping well! Sometimes I despair of human nature!
Here at home, we are seeing prices going up. Electricity bills are increasing by ridiculous amounts here but not in France, where Monsieur Macron has set a cap on increases. My daughter’s car does not need refuelling often, she tells me. On Thursday or Friday she decided it was time to refuel, not having done so for a fortnight. In the meantime the cost per litre has risen considerably! Oh boy!
And alongside increasing prices we now have reports of increasing numbers of cases of Covid, and more hospitalisations. Earlier in the week they were saying that this was the case for the over-55s but now it seems to be all ages. Nobody is sure what is causing the increase. In the meantime, I shall continue to wear my mask on buses and in shops.
Surrounded by chaos, I shall follow the advice of Monsieur Voltaire in Candide and I shall cultivate my garden.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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