I’ve been to the dentist for a check-up this morning and undergone the ritual torture of having my gums prodded and my teeth scraped and professionally cleaned. I’m not sure when I became such a minor-pain-sensitive coward but I swear that if I had had secrets to tell I would have revealed all! But at least I have a dentist to go. Many people are finding it impossible to get on a dentist’s list.
On the way back I stopped off in Oldham town centre and went through a list of things I needed to do: arranged to have a zip replaced in a rain jacket, bought light bulbs and batteries, found bargain fruit on the market, picked up vitamins and cosmetics from Boots and bought myself a new diary for next year. Quite a successful morning on the whole.
And it has to be said that the town centre looks pretty miserable, with lots of charity shops and fast food outlets, not to mention places that have been boarded up. But they are preparing for Christmas and the lights are already being put up. The date for the great switch-on is yet to be announced - or maybe I have missed the announcement already!
Meanwhile Jeremy Hunt seems to be taking over the country, forcing u-turns on all sorts of policies only decided in the last few weeks. Some are saying that the only reasons that Liz Truss remains prime minister are that they can’t think who should replace her and, besides, their own rules say she can’t be challenged and thrown out until she’s been in post for a year. Rules can be changed though! The idea of another party leadership election putting government on hold for months is horrific. Others are saying that there won’t be a general election because polls suggest that if we had an election right now the Conservatives would win a out 50 seats. Well, bring it on!
It begins to appear that being in government is an extreme activity. There are other odd or extreme activities around. Here is an article about an increase in what they now call “naturism” - aka taking your clothes off in organised society events.
“The biggest survey ever into naturism has found 14% of people now describe themselves as naturists or nudists: an estimated 6.75 million – or one in seven people.”
It’s not just long-standing nudists either:
“The survey also found that while naturism was “often perceived to be something that old retirees do”, it was in fact the younger generation who were far more likely to identify as naturists or nudists, with almost half of respondents aged 16 to 24 doing so, compared with just 6% of those aged 45 to 75.”
Goodness! Where do they all practise their nudism? Is this what goes on in the gardens with tall fences or huge leylandia hedges? And will they continue to hang around together in the nude as the weather gets colder?
Then there’s the people who go swimming in mermaid tails. A mermaid tail is also known as a monofin, a large single flipper into which both feet slot. They are also used by free divers and underwater orienteers and provide valuable propulsion. They are expensive, though – silicone tails can cost more than £2,000 – and are often made by hand. But some people are making a living by putting on mermaid displays at seaside places. Stories of silkies - mermaids who shed their tails to become the human lovers of men who live by the shore - seem to be coming true.
I was reminded of a Bette Midler dance routine I saw her perform in a TV show many years ago now. She came on in a wheelchair all dressed up as a mermaid! Fantastic! And there is apparently a little controversy about this as Lady Gaga has performed a similar routine, attracting the fabulous Ms Midler’s ire initially. The great star eventually calmed down and agreed that she should take it as an unintended tribute - Lady Gaga did not know that the artist she had long admired had already been a mermaid!
You see! People can still get worked up about the most trivial stuff.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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