Do you remember I wrote about the BBC starting to charge again for the tv license for over 75s, the government say it is wrong as do Age UK. BBC delayed imposing the charge for two months due to coronavirus and now say that this delay has cost them 35 million pounds – just from the pensioners. As in all nationalised companies, money must be filtering through some very large cracks. The BBC license costs £157 a year and that is from every household that has a tv or wants to watch via iplayer. Netflix charges as little as £72 (less than half of the BBC price) and viewers choose if they wish to use the service or not and like BBC there are no ads. What’s more, with all those so called ‘reality’ shows on the beeb, the viewers end up being the performers.
More retail closures as Boots announces 4,000 job losses many of which will be at head office or throughout its in-store opticians. John Lewis will close eight stores with 1,300 jobs at risk. It’s a scary outlook for our new job seekers who have just finished their education as well as all the families who relied on the retail economy for their income. The cruise ship industry could also be affected as the UK government is advising people against taking holidays at sea.
The Prince of Wales was at an Asda centre in Bristol today with his wife Camilla, I’m not sure if they just popped by to do a quick shop, maybe something for the bbq this weekend, or if they had been invited. The prince stopped to chat to a member of staff outside the centre and the poor man was so overcome to find himself speaking to royalty that he fainted. He was helped by colleagues and later the prince did manage to catch up with him again and check that he was ok. The royal couple thanked everyone they spoke to for stepping up to the mark during the pandemic. Jolly good show your majesty.
Many European countries have said they don’t want unrestricted tourists from Britain this summer due to the coronavirus. I actually think it’s because of the way the men insist on walking around topless with their white torsos flashing in the sun, not a pretty sight, who wants to look at that while they’re enjoying their tapas or meze?
The saddest and bravest of stories this week was of the mother who threw her three year old son off a third floor balcony because her apartment was on fire. She was screaming for help and onlookers told her to throw the child. As the boy fell a neighbour ran across barefoot and caught him in his arms and rolled with him onto the ground. The mother who was burning rushed back inside to save her daughter. Both children are being treated in hospital but the mother tragically died. The man who saved the little boy said the mother was the real hero. I wholeheartedly agree. Good night everyone 😴💤😴