Well, yesterday we eventually went out for a walk around the village at 9.00 in the evening. Under a clear blue sky … after a day of grey clouds and drizzle! I say a clear blue sky but it was a very pale blue, only to be expected, I suppose, at that time of night.
This morning, however, even I was defeated by the weather. I listened to rain lashing down on the skylight windows and considered the idea of going for a run. I didn’t consider it for long though. Even when the rain eased down to a steady drizzle again I decided that staying in bed and listening to it was preferable to going out and running in it. After a while I did some indoor bending and stretching - not quite the same as running three kilometres but there it is. If the weather improves later I’ll walk to the library in Uppermill. My books are overdue but since lockdown they no longer fine people for late returns!
I am determinedly trying not to complain about the rain. On the television news last night they showed footage of the village of Wennington, East London, where wildfire destroyed a whole row of houses. It was like the kind of film you see of disaster areas in distant parts of the world: shells of buildings and burnt-out cars, people shaking their heads in amazement and wondering if anything salvageable is left behind. And wildfires are still going on down there. Even Heathrow had reduced visibility yesterday because of smoke drifting over the runways from nearby fires. So, no, I’m not going to moan about a bit of rain … not too much anyway!
Here’s a little something going around on social media:
“A lorry with £20,000 worth of perishable food for Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Somerset mansion is stuck in queues at Calais, according to a source.
The luxury food haul - including seafood, oysters & champagne - was for Rees-Mogg’s summer party today, but now won’t arrive.”
It’s a delightful idea, but I suspect its an urban myth, especially as I was under the impression that the hold-ups are on our side of the channel, not in Calais.
And do people really spend £20,000 on party food at one go? Really? Even the foolish rich? At the other end of the scale, I read that food-banks in some places are having problems because of lack of donations. They are having to turn people away because they run out of food parcels to give out.
Some of this is because many of those who previously bought a little extra something to put into the food-bank collection outside the supermarket are themselves struggling to pay for the food for their own families.
And here’s another possible explanation:
“Food banks across Britain are suffering from a form of long Covid. During the pandemic, many better-off families switched to online grocery shopping and worked from home – habits that have stuck for a lot of people. That means fewer donations from office fundraisers and fewer items left in food bank stands at supermarkets, removing two key forms of support.”
Maybe it’s time for supermarket’s online order forms to include a list of items destined for the food-banks so that those who can afford to do so can be reminded to donate.
One area where people are still spending money is in car-sales, specifically sale of supercars. There are more Ferraris and the like around than there used to be. Out and about, we have certainly noticed an increase in the number of what we call “Big Boys’ Toys” (BBTs), especially extra-expensive BBTs. Around here there has also been an increase in BIIIG expensive vehicles, Land-rovers and the like. Some are probably not bought outright but are on the rental scheme that is popular nowadays and are “traded in” at the end of the lease-hire time for something more modern but equally flashy. However, it does seem that those who have the money are splashing out on status symbols. Here’s a significant bit of statistics;
“Out of the top-10 areas for supercars, only two are not in the south-east of England. East Cheshire, known for its “golden triangle” of wealthy villages, is home to some of the most famous Manchester and Liverpool-based footballers and 321 supercars. The other is Birmingham with 175 supercars.”
The exact three points of the triangle are the subject of local debate but are generally considered to be Alderley Edge, Prestbury and Wilmslow. The area is noted for expensive houses in a pleasant countryside setting that is popular with wealthy Premier League footballers. I’ve a feeling our nearest Waitrose store is over there in the “golden triangle” too. Not that I plan to shop in Waitrose any time soon.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment