One of the tabloids, I think it was, yesterday made much about the fact that the UK was having the first king’s speech in 70+ years. Well, yes! We had a queen, for goodness sake! As if having a speech made by a male monarch was a Very Important Thing! But there we are. Some people still set great store by such things.
Newsthump, the spoof news headline people had this to say: “Man who goes to work in a gold carriage relieved he didn't have to chastise homeless people for their tents”.
King Charles apparently didn’t mention the tents. (I’ve not gone out if my way to find out what he did day.) There have, however, been some excellent cartoons and mock-up photos of small boats with tents attached - Suella Braverman’s worst nightmare. And I rather liked one that purported to show an enraged Ms Braverman looking into Glastonbury and seeing row up row of tents. An advisor was reassuring her that these people were actually wealthy but that, yes, for them, living in a tent WAS a lifestyle choice… if only for a few days!
Finland seems to be a place that gets things right. Here’s something I saw on social media:
“In Finland, the # of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.”
I expect it’s a lot tidier than having sleeping bags, occupied or abandoned, in doorways along the high street.
On the whole Finland seems a good place to live. I hear that their education system works well too.
Granddaughter Number Two, by the way, informed us this morning that he has finally received the results of the assessment for one of her university course. Marking was affected by university teachers’ industrial action earlier in the year. But now, six months after completing the assignment she knows that she passed with flying colours.
It’s raining again this morning here in Portugal, well, in our bit of Portugal at least. It’s a bit contrast from yesterday when we strolled out for a walk in the park in the sunshine. The park was rather soggy underfoot but otherwise very green and pleasant.
At some point in the middle of the night Phil realised he had been bitten. No, we are not suspecting bedbugs; it was altogether a different sort of swelling, such as from a mosquito or other such insect. He has a history of reacting to such things and had brought some antihistamine pills with him. This morning we paid a visit to a local chemist’s shop, a delightfully old-fashioned establishment, and sought advice and bought cream and more pills. We suspect something may have bitten him in the park. The damp but mild weather allows those biting insects to survive until later in the year, as well as some more southerly insects moving north!
Climate change is affecting all of us. Here’s a link to an article about the havoc that future storms will continue to wreak unless we start to take preventive measures now. Money is being wasted by waiting until flood occur and then trying to put things right. Prof Jim Hall, from the Oxford University Centre for the Environment, added that regular checks of flood protections needed to be put in place so the response was proactive rather than reactive. He also confirmed what I have long believed from looking at places in our bit of the UK which have flooded in recent years but never before that: building on flood plains - and presumably putting flagstones or tarmac over whole garden areas to provide parking spaces for the multiple cars that families need to own these days - increases the likelihood of flooding! The water simply has nowhere to go!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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