Month: November 2020

So, here we are nearly 24 hours after the US voters were out fulfilling their democratic duty and citizens are having to wait for the final results. Both candidates are expecting to win with The Trump declaring victory and his team already taking legal action in some states where Biden leads. Trump has said that the results have been rigged at the same time saying that he has won so how does that add up? It looks as if this election might rumble on for some time.

There’s a town in Louisiana known as cancer alley. The air is so polluted by the chemicals plants in the area that they have more cases of cancer and  miscarriages than elsewhere in the country. In most parts of the US the air quality has been improving for decades but not here in Louisiana where industrial plants have been increasing and still are with seven new petrochemical facilities having been approved. Where is Erin Brockovich?

Lockdown was announced a few days ago but today in parliament MPs voted to approve the move. The government won by 516 to 39 so it’s now official, from tomorrow everything except some essential services will be closed for four weeks. I hope you’ve got enough toilet rolls and anything else you think you might need but don’t worry if you haven’t, the shops will be open and they will be receiving supplies every day as usual.  Time to start bubbling.

Marks and Spencer have made their first loss in 94 years since it became a publicly listed company. They lost £87.6 million in six months compared with nearly £160 million profit in the same period last year. The company blamed its loss on the coronavirus lockdown and said they would be cutting 7000 jobs over the next three months. It’s certainly looking very black for the whole of the retail sector and I have to wonder what the high street will look like in a couple of years time. I don’t like the idea of having to shop for everything online, like many people I quite like a browse around the shops. Let’s hope that there will be a few entrepreneurs who will open a new shopping experience. One of the problems of course is the obscene amount of council tax facing the businesses.

There have been many love stories here in Dorset and now there is a new one. Maybe not quite a Thomas Hardy novel but still it’s good enough to get a mention from nannyjune. Tilly and Kieren from Bridport first met when they were 12 years old and attending the same school. They are now 20 and Kieren proposed and Tilly said yes and they have been married this week with just a few guests and social distancing etc. Tilly wanted to keep her surname which just happens to be Christmas and her husband’s surname is White. They now use the double barrelled surname of White Christmas. There, I knew you would like that story. Good night love birds everywhere.  😴💤😴

Only one day left of freedom although I will still be able to take a walk with a friend, one friend at a time. I can still be in a bubble with one family group and I can go shopping for essentials. I wonder if essential shopping when I’m bored will be allowed. If I’m offered one more programme on tv via zoom I shall ask for a refund of my tv license fee, well I would if I’d remembered to pay it. Something to sort out after Thursday. 5th November is a busy day, Sandy and I moved house on that date, step daughter Lizzie has a birthday as does my friend Liz in Wimborne. It’s Guy Fawkes day and now lockdown. Everything should go with a bang. Not forgetting that although voting is taking place as I write, America might have to wait for the results until November 5th or even later. This is partly due to the large numbers of voters turning out this year and also, because of coronavirus, many people are turning to postal votes which for some reason take longer to count. Don’t wait up, there’ll be plenty of time to find out tomorrow or whenever.

In Chelsea two houses have collapsed and been completely destroyed during ongoing building and renovation work on the properties. Other neighbouring properties were having basement work carried out. It seems that this type of work on London properties is popular as there is a shortage of large homes and buyers hope to increase the amount of living space. This time it was in a street where properties are worth millions but seem to be continuously surrounded by builders and the obvious noise, dust and general upheaval. A neighbour said ‘it’s a nightmare, Kensington and Chelsea is one big building site’. I think I’ll change my mind about that house I was keeping my eye on.

In Sri Lanka rescuers have managed to save 120 beached whales which seem to have lost their way and swam into shore. Sailors from the navy and coastguard along with volunteers managed to pull the whales, one by one, back into deeper water. They all had a long night but all but two of the mammals were saved. No one knows why whales beach themselves but it’s nice that so many people are willing to work together to save them. My granddaughter Elizabeth did her Duke of Edinburgh gold in Sri Lanka.

Lots of people have trouble sleeping, some are anxious, maybe about work or some relationship, others because they have aches and pains and many more because their partner snores. I’m sure there are many more reasons keeping people from their beauty sleep. Queen Elizabeth like to get a good night’s sleep and believes that the answer is the perfect mattress. She spent a whopping £125,000 on The Royal State Bed. Well I’m guessing that she won’t be needing another in her lifetime. Sleep tight on yours, don’t let the bugs bite.😴💤😴

 

At last the rain stopped. I was beginning to think it might end up like the town of Macondo in the wonderful novel One Hundred Years of Solitude where it rained so much that everyone and everything had mould growing on them. Still the sun came out today and I went to meet my friend Paula for lunch, always a treat, and we had a good old catch up before the not so good lockdown. Then I got the new tyres put on my vehicle and back home for a cuppa and a biscuit.

I couldn’t resist watching the much heralded ‘The Undoing’ on Sky Atlantic with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. I found the first episode slightly weird but the second one which I saw today became quite sinister and definitely interesting. Quite the best since lockdown and restrictions started, but then I have always loved a good serial.

Amongst all the bad news which keeps pouring in was the wonderful rescue of a three year old girl from the rubble following an earthquake in Greece, The poor child had been buried for 65 hours and the firefighter rescuer, thinking she was not alive, asked for a body bag as he wiped the dust from her face. The girl opened her eyes and grabbed hold of his thumb. I loved that the rescuer wiped her face even believing she had died. She is now recovering in hospital and other members of her family had been rescued two days before. Also found alive a few hours before was a 14 year old girl, altogether 106 people were pulled out alive. Let’s stop moaning about lockdown.

Today is the last day before voters leave their homes to decide who will win the US elections. A mystery punter has placed a bet of one million pounds for Joe Biden to win. The bet was placed in the UK as political betting is not allowed in the US and is the largest ever political bet. If he wins he will receive just over 1.5 million pounds. Not sure the odds are good enough to risk losing that much but then it depends how much you can afford to lose. Then again a video in which Joe Biden appeared at a rally with Barrack Obama is doing the rounds. It seems that Joe was having yet another senior moment or two, or three and this might put a few people off who are still sitting on the fence.

Andrex has assured the UK that they have 100 million toilet rolls on standby. I’m sure you are all relieved to know that.  And a brewery boss is incensed at the news of the latest restrictions. He said it didn’t make any sense that he couldn’t sell take away or home delivery real ale as he did during the last lockdown. He said he will have to pour his beer down the drain as real ale has a short shelf life. I know a few people who will help him get rid of it before Thursday. Good night my darlings  😴💤😴

I watched the Pride of Britain tonight but somehow managed to miss Boris and Carrie addressing the nation. Did I blink and it was gone? Can anyone tell me if it actually happened please. I did take a phone call in the middle so maybe that was it. Now I’m going to be catty meow, didn’t Carol Vorderman look a mess, sometimes I have to wonder if people own a mirror. She obviously can’t have many friends or someone would have told her to go home and get changed.

I was pleased to hear of another government U-turn, this time regarding the import of meat. The new Trade and Agriculture Commission will be made properly independent and given the power to scrutinise each trade deal before it is made. This should ensure that we do not import chlorinated chicken and hormone fed beef. I was seriously considering becoming vegetarian after Brexit if we didn’t get some sort of proper food controls.

In London a new butcher shop has opened but it won’t be selling any actual meat products. Everything they sell will look like meat, taste like meat and have texture like meat but it won’t be meat. Makes me think of that old saying ‘if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck it probably is a duck’. My question here – yes, I know I always have a question but someone has to – is why do vegetarians need products like this? I like vegetarian meals and often eat them but I also like them to look and taste of what they are.

Over the pond there are only two days left before polling starts. Melania’s been on stage talking rubbish and forgetting that her husband is rubbish and now it’s Ivanka’s turn (the first daughter). She has likened her dad to Winston Churchill during WW2 calling him a warrior – not enough of one for him to do any national service though. I hadn’t realised that Republicans believe that it’s their Christian duty to vote Republican and an evangelist leader has been telling his 20 million strong congregation it is their duty to get out and cast their vote. However a large number of evangelicals have decided that the bible permits them to vote for the party that will do the most good and are preparing to back Biden. And while all this is going on the Trump has criticised European lockdown and his friend Nigel Farage is threatening to rebrand the Brexit Party as Reform UK opposing lockdown as he’s ‘had enough’.

And the panic buying has got off to a good start. Toilet rolls are sold out in many supermarkets and customers are piling their trolleys high with anything they can’t live without. I thought the shops were staying open but maybe people have been in the habit of stealing their toilet paper from pubs and restaurants. Good night my lovelies. Don’t let storm Aiden keep you awake. 😴💤😴