Yesterday we spent quite a long time fixing the vacuum cleaner. For a while now it has been temperamental, to say the least, cutting out intermittently as if there were a blockage of some kind. Having followed all the suggestions for checking for blockages recommended by the handbook that came with the machine, all to no avail, we resorted to the time honoured process of taking it apart and putting it back together.
Via the handbook and the internet we worked out how to reduce the thing to its component parts. We dusted and cleaned and poked around in all those bits and pieces and then put it back together. This can often be the hardest part of such an operation as it is not always logical how the various parts fit back together and in what order. Having done that, we tested it again. Still a rather stop-start affair, “pulsing” as the chap on internet described it. Then Phil said, “Let’s try it on the ‘high suction’ setting.” I was surprised. There are two settings: ‘high suction’ and ‘max section’. I reserve ‘max suction’ for very rare occasions. I cannot remember the last time I set it to ‘max’. Had I done so inadvertently? Had Phil done so - inadvertently or otherwise - in an attempt to make it work faster? Whatever the reason, it was on ‘max’ so I switched it to ‘high’ and, lo and behold, it worked fine! Was that the only reason for its ridiculous performance recently? Goodness knows! We shall see how it works from now on!
In the news they have been talking about Honours lists. We’ve had all sorts of rumours about Boris Johnson nominating his father for a knighthood!!! And now it seems Liz Truss has submitted hers. What I want to know is this: was Liz Truss really PM long enough to seriously merit an Honours list? How long did she last? Maybe six weeks? If we have an general election next year, as has been suggested, and if Labour win, as has also been suggested, then there’ll be another Honours list. Good grief!!
Thinking about former Prime Ministers, there’s the business of Boris Johnson and those parties. Here’s an opinion put out on social media by Otto English, in a group called Scientists for EU:
“While his wife was dancing to ABBA, while his staff were carting wine into Number 10 and having piss ups in the garden, while Spads were vomiting down the wall and knocking out karaoke hits - the rest of us were doing the right thing - trying to save each other from Covid.”
Quite so!
On the whole I don’t mind if people refer to politicians by their full,name or just by their surname. I get a little fretted from time to time when reporters and commentators use the politicians’ first name, for all the world as if Boris and Liz and Rishi were personal friends! But that’s a different matter. We listened to David Sidaris on the radio the other day. He’s always worth listening to. On this occasion he was talking about letters from readers or listeners. One letter-writer objected to his referring to Former President Donald J Trump, 45th president of the United States, as simply Trump! This, the letter-writer said, was disrespectful. He should have his full title. Wow! As David Sidaris said, we speak of Kennedy, Clinton, Obama and nobody suggests that that is disrespectful. Maybe some people just need the honour of their full title!
Petty stuff!
And finally, I would like to know why my Facebook seems to have been invaded by stuff about Stephen King - Lovers of Stephen King in particular. I’m pretty sure I haven’t spoken about the writer, or even thought about him so that the social media could pick it up as something I might be interested in!!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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