Well, we had a monster, crash-bang-wallop thunderstorm at about 3.00 this morning. That woke us up! Then the drizzly rain turned torrential, hammering down, but not for long. There are a couple of puddles on one of the footpaths where I run but it’s made no discernible difference to the water barrel in the garden. It’s getting very difficult to scoop water out with the watering can. We’re almost down to the sludge created by all the leaves and such that our small grandson has dropped in while experimenting to see what floats and what doesn’t. I’ll have to start filling my watering can from the kitchen tap before long.
More thunderstorms are forecast for this afternoon apparently! We shall see.
Of course, in some parts of the country they’re faring worse than here. I hear that a ban has been implemented across Kent and Sussex due to a record demand for drinking water. Large parts of Devon are also banned from using hosepipes. In some cases schools have had to close - no water coming from the taps, no water flushing the toilets - and residents have had to get drinking water from bottled-water stations.
You would think that on a small island like Great Britain, which is pretty wet for large parts of the year, we could arrange to pipe water to everyone everywhere. Unless, of course, you neglect the upkeep of the pipe system!
Teachers are due to resume strike action. The government seems to be failing to discuss things with the unions. Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the NEU, called on education secretary Gillian Keegan to meet the union urgently, saying it was “in her hands” to avert the action. “There have been no meetings since before Easter. It’s remarkable,” she said. “We’re always willing to come in and talk to the secretary of state but she has chosen to just not engage. It’s a terrible way to treat the profession.”
We’ve grown used to there being a shortage of Maths and Physics teachers in secondary schools and sixth form college but now it seems they’re also having difficulty recruiting English teachers. Things are falling apart!
Meanwhile, people continue to earn a living in odd ways that were unheard of before social media took off. One young man I read about makes money by posting pictures of his bare feet, usually his dirty, bare feet. It seems that he stopped wearing shoes in 2021 because he couldn’t come up with a reason to do so and took all his shoes to a shoe bank. Erm … because walking on the pavement and along footpaths with bare feet is uncomfortable, or because there are often substances on pavements that you really don’t want to put your toes in. It’s surely not rocket science. Personally, if I were inclined to go barefoot I would keep a couple of pairs in reserve … just in case! Apparently baring his feet online was a “natural progression”. He’s only 20. He’s undoubtedly more media-savvy than I am. But is there a future in it? And will he be able to earn a good living showing off his feet for the rest of his life? And did he keep his socks? i ask this because I often need to wear socks in bed as I cannot get to sleep with cold feet. But then, I am no longer 20.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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