Sunday, 23rd June, 2024
Lovely morning. Warm and sunny. Breakfast with the doors open. Doesn’t lovely weather make you feel better about your life, Dear Reader? Gives a sort of optimism and hope for the future.
Eight years ago today, I was feeling fairly hopeless. The Brexit Vote was lost – narrowly but lost. I found it hard to comprehend. I thought it was madness. What were they thinking? Well, what emerged was they thought Brexit was going to radically change their lives. It was the poorer, less educated, Working Class who thought leaving Europe would bring a Land of Milk & Honey as the snake-oil salesmen, Johnson & Farage, promised them for their vote. It was nonsense then and it is nonsense now.
The better off and better educated largely voted Remain because it was obvious that leaving our closest and largest trading Bloc would be ruinous and so it is proving. The Fishermen were the first to realise they had been duped as they lost their markets for so much of their catch. The Farmers, who voted in droves to Leave, suddenly found that they would lose all the EU Agricultural Subsidies that they had survived on. Why couldn’t they see that coming before they voted? Supply Chains for Just-in-Time processes have been terribly disrupted. Time-sensitive products like flowers, foodstuffs have been made incredibly more difficult and, therefore, more expensive.
On the day, the vote was 51.9% for Leave to 48.1% to Remain. It was very close even then. I haven’t changed my mind but many who voted Leave have changed their minds. The sentiment is completely reversed to 40% Leave – 60% Remain. Their regret is palpable and no wonder.
How could Brexit make up for living in the North? How could it provide the manual labourers with little educational attainment and few skills a better life. Getting their country back was an empty gesture and those who pedalled it have largely paid for it. Labour will inherit this disenchantment and will have to tack back towards Europe.
It may take two or three parliaments but it will happen. Labour can’t say it openly now but, if they want growth in our Economy, they will have to re-join the Single Market and the Customs Union. That will be more than half way to re-joining the EU and who knows what else ….?
Monday, 24th June, 2024
Very humid start to the day. We are up early because a couple of builders are arriving to do some jobs for us. Already my friends from Yorkshire have contacted me to say it is very hot …. for North Yorkshire. They’re going to reach 25C in Ilkley today. How will they cope? Typical on a day when we could enjoy the garden that we’ve got builders raking out and repointing the base of the house where it meets the patio. It’s going to be lovely all week for us but we expect the builders to be here at least three days.
Breakfast at the moment is Muesli. I’ve never really been a fan of it before. The commercial stuff is so sweet but it is too hot for porridge so chef makes makes her own mix.
I still have the rolled oats of porridge plus plump, Californian sultanas, flaked coconut, flaked almonds and crushed hazel nuts all soaked in ice cold, skimmed milk. It’s absolutely delicious and gets me through to Supper. Well, I eat fruit during the day – bananas, cherries, grapes, melon – and I drink lots of almond milk, tea and coffee.
Going to Athens in a few weeks. Let’s hope Gatwick doesn’t catch Manchester’s disease. All those people had their flights cancelled because of a power outage. The ones who got away on a flight were only able to take cabin luggage. Hold luggage was left behind. That’s where our latest trend would pay off. Paying extra for seats with Speedy Boarding, Fast Track Security and 2 carry-on bags each, one of which is a suitcase, makes life so much more enjoyable and relaxed. We still took too many clothes.
Athens will be screaming hot. August is a time that many Greeks decamp to the islands where they hope it will be a bit cooler. Water becomes ever more important. We will enjoy a slightly quieter city because of that. The hotel is cool all the time so we can always retreat there if needed. I love Athens and I love the heat so it’s a win all round.
While we are there, we might take a ferry to a near-ish island of Aegina. Never been there and it would be nice to see somewhere new. Looks interesting. What do you think, Dear Reader?
Tuesday, 25th June, 2024
It’s 10.00 am and the day is lovely – blue sky, strong sun, 24C/75F. My friends from Yorkshire have already contacted me to say they have the same. The builders are back and are continuing to work on repairing resettlement problems that we have allowed to remain but now think movement of our new-build house has ceased. I expect them to be here for at least one and maybe two more days.
I always find workmen in the house a bit difficult. How much do you take an interest in them and how much do you just let them get on with what they are doing? How much of your normal activities can you continue and how much do you need to retreat behind a door. I try to make them welcome, offer them coffee, check they know what is required and then go to my Office out of their way. It means that I can indulge myself in reading and writing for a while without interruption although I do have this on in the background.
Because I am so exciting, I do find the Post Office Inquiry intermittently gripping. Today, they are grilling the Horizon Software Designer – an IT expert who knew it was open to outside manipulation. It will be crucial evidence. While I am following this, I am reading my emails, checking my Texts and Whatsapps and preparing pieces for my Blog. I am also reading every newspaper on my newsfeed.
The Times has a piece on the trend for Tactical Voting. The election itself is as much about getting the Tories out as it is about positively choosing someone else. Choosing anyone but the Tories is a thing. MEN sent me a piece about Red Wall disaffection. It featured the old Heywood and Middleton and the new Blackley and Middleton South constituencies. The new constituency is being fought by the long time sitting MP, Graham Stringer.
Clearly there is wide spread disillusion with Tories and Labour will take the seat but I was amused to read the two examples of discontent cited. One man said, All the time I’ve lived here, this tree outside my house has been growing and no one had come to cut it back. Another couple said, We have lived in Langley for 40 years and it has gone right down hill. Anyone who knew Langley 40 years ago will know there was no hill for it to go down. It was at the bottom then.
There will be some areas which will become even more extreme in their desperation – Bolton, for example, but the Red Wall are largely regretting their support for Brexit and the Tories. What were they really expecting – a Faragist land of milk and honey?
I was expecting a warm day and, at 1.00 pm the temperature has reached 29C /84F. One of our builders is sweating in the Kitchen. He used to work in Athens and lived in Corfu (small world) but he’s still suffering. I’m lapping it up out in the garden although I’d rather be in Kamares right now.
I snatched this photo from the live feed filming the harbour as the ferry approached. I remember the buzz of excitement that the movement of people and vehicles on an otherwise remote Greek island can produce. I would like to taste it one more time. How about you, Dear Reader?
Wednesday, 26th June, 2024
We didn’t fall below 18C/65F all night. I didn’t sleep well although not for that reason. By 9.00 am, it was 24C/75F and as I write at mid day, we are just going over 29C/84F. I’ve spent the morning watering and chef has been harvesting vegetables for Supper.
From fork to plate in 50 meters. You can’t do much better than that, Dear Reader. It’s always nice when the effort pays off. I’ve been working on my local street for two or three years, cutting the grass verges, planting and maintaining the flowers in the bed cut out in the grass. I buy some plants and grow the rest from seed. It takes a bit of time but keeps me active and occupied and in touch with the community.
This morning, a distinguished looking chap who introduced himself as Dudley called at my door this morning to thank me for all the work I was doing. He told me he was the chairman of the Development Management Committee. I told him that I did it as much for myself as for anyone else but it was nice to have my efforts recognised. Dudley was quite obviously a Tory voter and would not be comfortable in my company. He hadn’t heard the BBC R4 Today programme this morning which featured our constituency and showed that a lifetime of Conservative rule would be brought to an end next week. In my view, it will remain in Labour hands for at least 10 years and, quite possibly 15. By that stage, I will be 88 and so gaga that I won’t know the difference.
Did you watch the England match last night, Dear Reader? It was so awful, you could need no more persuasion to vote for a change. England’s finest were providing the same display I have seen almost every year since 1966. Only my friend, Kevin, saw it in a positive light and he is already gaga.
Thursday, 27th June, 2024
Incredibly hot and humid night although I slept much better. Out early this morning. Went to collect a couple of pairs of reading glasses I had ordered. I hardly wear distance glasses nowadays apart from when I’m driving. Even then, I can be half way through a journey before I realise I’m not wearing them.
I don’t like to go anywhere without my reading glasses so I now have 5 pairs because I’m always breaking, crushing, sitting on these flimsy things. I like half moon glasses because I think they make me look more intelligent than I am. I have a pair permanently in the car, a pair in the bedroom (Don’t ask?) and a pair in the Office. I have a pair in the Travel Bag and a backup pair. Two pairs of glasses this morning cost me just £90 and Specsavers gave a 50%-off voucher for another pair of glasses. I know an old lady who will use that this week.
I love talking to people and I’m not shy. I was served by a young girl who brought my new glasses to a desk where I had to try them on. As we sat opposite each other with nothing but reading glasses in common, I used my normal ice breaker: How old are you? She was called Emily and she was 21 years old. She had gone to Littlehampton Academy which she quite liked and then gone on to the local College to study Acting. Her great ambition was to be a famous actress. (Not going to happen.) and she was working in Specsavers in the meantime. She wasn’t sure who she would vote for in the General Election (She wasn’t even quite sure when it was or who the candidates were.) but it would be anybody other the Conservatives.
Emily thought that whoever she voted for, she would be well into her 70s before she could retire. I thanked her and left her with: Vote Labour. Lovely girl but I wondered if I was that ignorant and naïve when I was 21. I was certainly vulnerable but … We went on to the beach which is close by. The tide was completely out which made it an interesting scene. A few people had actually walked all the way and were swimming.
Felt the warmth, smelt the sea air and then left to do our Sainsbury’s shop. When we got home, my friend from North Yorkshire contacted me to say he was thinking of setting up a virtual College reunion group on Whatsapp. He’s called it Old Friends 69/72 Bookends which is a reference to the years we we at College combined with a quote from a contemporary Paul Simon song:
Time it was
And what a time it was
It was a time of innocence
A time of confidencesLong ago, it must be
Paul Simon – Bookends
I have a photograph
Preserve your memories
They’re all that’s left you
Actually, pathetic, old man that I am, reading those lyrics again made me really sad.
Friday, 28th June, 2024
A little cooler and a little less sunny this morning, We haven’t had enough rain to encourage grass to grow. I may not need to mow today. In fact, Met. Office forecasts suggest we will be lucky to get any rain at all until this time next week.
We don’t live in Florida or Athens but solar power still has a lot to offer in free energy. We already know that the only way we will be able to drive very soon will be using electric vehicles. A North of England company are making a success of selling solar charging units for car batteries. It is a brilliant way to park throughout the day in a workplace and allow the sunlight to trickle charge your vehicle for the drive home.
This innovation in South Korea features a solar panel covered cycle track down the centre of a motorway. The electricity generated is sent to Service Stations for charging cars.
This morning’s news was of a real breakthrough in electric car charging and range. Range has long been the great barrier for me. Just driving to the North of England is a 260 mile distance which, currently would be on the outer edge of possible under one charge. To go on holiday through France and Italy would need multiple charges. If a full charge takes 2 – 3 hours in a service station, the whole thing becomes impossible. Fast charge as in this UK innovation will really change that.
I drive a self-charge hybrid which has massively improved my mpg but most of my weekly trips are 5 – 10 miles which is bad for fuel consumption and could easily be done on electricity. That’s why I’m going to buy a plug-in hybrid. It will allow me to do most of my day to day driving on electric entirely but I will not have to worry if I want to drive 3-400 miles in a day on occasions. In the old days, I used to drive Calais to Ancona non-stop in a 15 hr trip of 900 miles. Whichever car I buy, I doubt I’ll be doing that again.
Saturday, 29th June, 2024
Gloriously warm and sunny morning. The grass is green. The sky is blue. The sun is out. Where are you, Dear Reader? Hope you are having a lovely day as well.
Drove up to Highdown Gardens yesterday evening. It really is only about 5 mins from our house. It is a municipal garden now but was created by Sir Frederick Claude Stern at the turn of the last century during a period when expeditions were going to China and the Himalayas collecting rare and interesting plants. It is a popular walking place with locals but it is also the site of a posh hotel and restaurant.
Many of the original plants from the early collections are in the garden today, particularly one of my favourites – paeonies. I don’t know if you are familiar with them, Dear Reader but their reputation says they are exotic and difficult to grow. Once established, the received view is that they are very difficult to successfully move. We grew them and moved them very successfully in Yorkshire and fell in love with their beauty.
Just by chance, our next door neighbour came back from shopping yesterday and presented us with these, gorgeous paeonies from the florists. They are gracing our Lounge right now …. the flowers not the neighbours. Wouldn’t let them in.
Talk about not letting neighbours in, there was an incredible piece of circularity of experience in the Greek Newspapers this morning. You probably saw it yourself, Dear Reader. Sifnos is the island where we bought a field and built a house. We were aware of the sensitivity of incomers buying up land. It has clearly become more intense over the years since we sold up. The circularity comes from the fact that the article quotes Alkmini Paka, Professor of Architecture at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki where we were staying just a couple of weeks ago. I enjoy coincidences like that.