Well, today it’s not so much “warmer” as “less cold”. The muddy puddles on the footpaths have returned, after a couple of weeks of being frozen solid.
There is still a thin skin of ice on the millponds though.
As part of my plan to get my life back into a normal routine, having been unexpectedly knocked flat by some kind of flu virus, I got up and walked round my normal running route. No running yet, but at least the ice has gone from the pavements.
Here’s sone NHS advice on how to cope with walking on icy pavements:
“Health officials are urging the public to adopt an unusual walking style to stay safe, as a fresh wave of severe winter weather grips the nation. The NHS has reissued its quirky but crucial advice for people to waddle like a penguin when navigating icy paths and pavements.
Why a Penguin Walk Works on Ice
This simple technique, promoted by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), is designed to improve stability and prevent serious injuries.
Laura Halcrow, the falls prevention lead for NHSGGC, emphasised that while the walk might look amusing, it is highly effective. "Waddling really works," she stated. "A slip on ice can cause painful injuries and even hospital stays, especially for older people." She encouraged everyone to share the advice and even find a "waddle buddy" to practise with safely.”
There you go!
In the USA they are protesting in various big cities against a different kind of ICE.
When our children were small, we quite strict about what sort of toys they should play with. We didn’t have television and so they weren’t constantly bombarded with adverts for expensive toys. Toys guns were a no-no. So they made weapons out of stickle bricks, although I am not at all sure quite where they got the idea of playing with guns. And then my brother-in-law bought them toy cap-pistols - bang went the idea of no guns!
More successful was the resistance to Barbie dolls. Relatives were instructed not to buy them for birthday or Christmas presents. Back then ( our daughter is now 46) Barbie was very much a fashion doll, probably intended for pre-teen girls who had grown out of playing with baby dolls and could now develop their “fashion sense” with this impossibly proportioned definitely-not-a-feminist toy. Over the years Barbie has become more feminist: she has had various professions. Now Mattel has launched an autistic Barbie.
On the face of it she doesn’t look much different, the same long legs and slim figure. However, her eyes “gaze slightly to one side, reflecting how some autistic people avoid direct eye contact. She has fully bendable elbows and wrists, enabling repetitive physical movements such as stimming and hand-flapping that help some people with autism to process sensory information or express excitement.
She has a (pink, of course) fidget spinner on her finger that helps reduce stress, wears (pink) noise-cancelling headphones to reduce sensory overload and carries a (yes, you’ve guessed it, pink) tablet with symbol-based augmentative and alternative communication buttons on its screen to help her cope with everyday communication.”
Oh boy!
Here’s a statement from the Pope:
"Sadly, there has been an increase in violence in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population, which has the right to live in peace in its own land," the American pope said today, adding that civilians in Gaza also should be assured "a future of lasting peace and justice in their own land".
I’m still rereading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee - an account of how Americans took the land where the Native Americans had always lived. Not much difference really!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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