New Year's Eve

The end of another bloody awful year. 

Will next year be any better? Probably not, unless Boris suddenly grows a spine and starts to draw this madness to a close. Thing is, it's in his hands.

He could go on tv and say "Well done, everyone. Through your efforts and your diligence in having the jab, we're starting to get Covid licked - now it's time we slowly started getting back to normal, so there will be no more mandated restrictions and no more testing. The only thing we ask is wash your hands more frequently and stay home for a few days if you have cold or flu symptoms. Wear a mask or have a jab if you want to; if you still want to take tests, you'll need to pay for them. We're leaving it up to you now".

Now, how great would that be? I would be ecstatic. Not going to happen though, is it? 

I don't think Boris enjoys being PM, it's not as much fun as he thought it'd be, but he is enjoying the power and control he's been able to exert over the past 21 months. He thinks it gives him status and makes him feel important. He's not going to give that up in a hurry.

Even if Boris says nothing useful (which he won't!) the one thing that would really help is if people would stop the constant testing. What the hell is wrong with them...?! They're addicted to sticking a cotton bud down their throat or up their nose "just in case"! 

It's the ultimate in virtue-signalling "We saw some friends at the weekend, so we're taking daily tests... just in case". Give me bloody strength!! Get it through your heads... this is not normal!! 

Let's see what next year brings. It'd be nice to be able to say "It can't get much worse" but, sadly, with the current crowd of idiots in charge there's still plenty of scope for things to deteriorate. 

Looking forward to 2022 with hope and optimism is probably asking too much, so I'll just keep my expectations low and hope for brighter and better times.

Roasted Root Veg Gratin for us tonight using the last of the Christmas veg lurking in the fridge, then feet up in front of the telly with the new James Bond movie on Sky. I might manage to stay awake until midnight or I might not.

Happy New Year... and a toast to those we've lost. xx

Edit: The icing on the very crap cake that was 2021... Tony Blair has been knighted. Tony bloody Blair.

Don't even get me started about giving honours to the Three Stooges who stood beside Boris and whose lies led to much of the pain we've endured since March 2020. 

No words can describe my disgust.

And that was that

Another Christmas over.

It's the day after Boxing Day - our traditional time to take the decorations down and return the house to its usual state... and that's exactly what we did this morning. So much quicker to get it all taken down than it is to put it up!

Most of the leftovers have been used up, just a few bits left in the freezer and some biscuits and treats to take us through to 2022... oh, and a piece of panettone for a bread and butter pudding tomorrow. I hate having loads of food hanging around into the New Year, I like to start with a clean slate (or even plate!). New beginnings and all that.

Javid says there'll be no new restrictions for England before the New Year. Wow! Could this be a small, long awaited, outbreak of common sense or is it the knowledge that they have absolutely no authority now that we all know about the Downing Street parties last year? 

Admittedly "...before the New Year" is leaving the door open for any future action but, for now, individuals and, more particularly, the hospitality industry can breathe a sigh of relief and crack on with all the New Year parties they'd planned. 

Wouldn't it be a really great start to 2022 if Boris grew a spine and came on TV to say we can all begin getting back to what we knew as normal? After all, wasn't that what was promised when they started the drive to get jabs into everyone?

It could happen but I won't hold my breath... 

Actually, I don't care what they say; we had our lovely Christmas with The Troops, so I'm happy. I'll decide at the time whether I'm willing to abide by anything else they try to bring in for the future but, as long as I can see my family, I'm bulletproof.

I did not appreciate the Govt text on Boxing day, though, "GET BOOSTED NOW"... it said. Bloody rude, I thought and a completely inappropriate day to do it and, yes, it was all in capitals. Don't shout at me, Javid, I don't react well to shouting and certainly not when it's coming from a jumped-up civil servant with an over-inflated idea of his own importance.

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas!

We had a lovely day with our four Troops yesterday. I am a very happy bunny. Today... a walk, a rest, a new book, some cheesy telly and some nice things to eat are the order of the day.

Hope you have fun with those you love. Don't let anyone or anything ever stop you.

Cheese and wine, anyone?

It was a business meeting... so they say. Yes, of course it was.

I've been to a lot of business meetings; never did anyone bring their wife and small baby, nor was cheese and wine ever on offer. On the contrary, drinking at work was a sackable offence.

But this one was definitely a business meeting and absolutely conducted within the rules. Yeah, right. Liars... bloody liars.

They're taking us for fools and then they have the effrontery to lie about it, as though it's not worth their time telling the truth to proles like us.

We won't have any new restrictions for now, Boris said last night, but he left the threat of future restrictions hanging in the air just to keep us on our toes.

New Year celebrations have already been cancelled in Manchester and London so I imagine he'll be on TV in a day or so, magnanimously "allowing" us to spend Christmas with our families but, for our own good, and to protect the bloody shambles that is the NHS, we'll have to wreck the economy, people's livelihoods and their mental and physical health yet again in the New Year. Rinse and repeat. Ad nauseum.

One day I'd like to see him and his cronies in the dock at The Hague for crimes against humanity. Yes, I know it won't happen but I can dream.

Quick question: While we're protecting the NHS, who's protecting us and our health? Just a little something to ponder.

Meanwhile, away from the Covid circus, I'm still having a family Christmas dinner for six. I think I'm pretty much up to speed on it all, just the last Waitrose delivery tomorrow and I'm done. After that, if there's anything we don't have... we'll just have to do without.

I have a rather fetching top to wear on the Big Day - the reindeer on the front is wearing glasses so, technically, I'll be wearing two pairs of specs...!

Last Christmas...

"Last Christmas...they kept us apart. And within a few days, they locked us away 

This year...to save us from Tiers, they're dishing out Covid boosters"

**With apologies to George Michael**

Absolutely every possible resource of the NHS is being thrown at boosters, with no evidence that they're needed and no guarantee they'll work.

Even urgent operations may be cancelled - not great when the NHS surgery backlog already stands at nearly 6 million! They're passing death sentences on people who've done nothing wrong; I can't believe it, it's criminal. It all sounds like the manic pronouncements of a deranged dictator. 

Last night the majority of MPs, with the exception of 99 Tory rebels and a few other randoms, backed a vote on Covid passports to be used in large venues as well as compulsory facemasks in most indoor settings.

After nearly two years I can't believe this is where we are. Boris is ramping up the rhetoric nicely again to continue keeping people frightened and compliant, The sad thing is that mostly the public are still going along with this nonsense, which started with his statement in March 2020 of "Three weeks to flatten the curve". It's dragging on a bit, matey - it's been a bloody long three weeks!

In my post of December 23rd 2020 I said I thought we'd have a lockdown in the New Year. We did. One year on and I'm saying it again. If Boris doesn't cancel Christmas within the next week, he'll definitely put us into lockdown soon after New Year. 

I'm wary of planning anything in the midst of the current situation when it's quite likely we'll have the rug pulled again, but what else can we do? I will still see The Troops at Christmas - nothing Boris can say will change that.

Just prepare for the worst and hope for the best, I suppose.

Let's have a party!

Last year there was a party (or more than one) in No.10 Downing Street while the rest of us were not allowed to see our friends and family. The rules were for us, but clearly not for them.

Even Her Majesty the Queen didn't have her family at Windsor Castle for what turned out to be Prince Philip's last Christmas.

Last year I did as I was told because it was the right thing to do. This year... not a bloody chance!

The Troops will be here for lunch with us, come hell or high water. Boris can bring in whatever rules he likes - I will not be abiding by them. He has lost what little authority he may have had by lying and squirming to get himself off the hook. I hope he chokes on that hook.

He's allegedly planning to bring in Plan B, whatever that means, at some point soon. Good luck with that, matey; most people will laugh in your face. Quite rightly.

Update:

We're into Plan B as of next week. Yawn.

Boris is clearly desperate to get any talk of Christmas parties off the front pages of the newspapers. Someone should tell him no-one gives a toss about Plan B, C  or even Z.

He threw in yet another diversionary tactic by suggesting that the jab may become mandatory. Not for me it won't, matey.

He's really serious about getting people's minds off Downing St parties; he's chucking the kitchen sink out there.

December 1st

December 1st.

Will Boris allow us to have the Christmas we want? We'll probably find out at the eleventh hour like last year, curse him. Will I adhere to the rules if he pulls the plug again...? Ooh, that'd be telling, wouldn't it!

In an effort to banish the vile mood I've been in for almost as long as I can remember I got my Advent calendar out this morning and stuck it on the dresser with a couple of other cheery items - the countdown to Christmas has begun!

Might have to have a piece of shortbread later - I like a little daily piece of something Christmassy in the run-up to the big day.

Outside lights and the wreath on the front door will be up by the weekend and indoor decorations will follow. Some odd bits of cooking will shortly be taking place; I need to make another batch of Nigella's Chocolate Mint Cookies and a few Mini Cheese and Onion Quiches can be stashed in the freezer if I can find room for them.

Christmas has taken on a massive significance for me this year because of the complete disaster of 2020. I can't do that again... I won't.

Here we go again... again

They've given the nice new shiny variant a name now: I name this variant... Omicron. Doesn't exactly trip off the tongue, does it?

Boris was doing his serious face thing on TV again today. Strangely he said "It's vital people get their booster jabs", while admitting that the jabs may not be effective against the new variant. Well, that doesn't make any sense but, there again, nothing about this pantomime we've been enduring since March 2020 has made any sense.

For extra fun and games... masks are back! Yes folks, masks will once again be compulsory in shops and on public transport. You lucky people! Masks are not required, however, in pubs and restaurants... Don't ask about the reasoning behind that, I've no idea... and neither has Boris.

So the jabs and boosters won't work but a piece of cloth, dragged from the depths of your bag, will? He must think we came down with the last shower. How on earth are people still falling for this crap?

And the pièce de résistance? He's dangling Christmas over us again like the Sword of Damocles... We've been here before - it didn't end well.

I'm so sick of having my freedoms threatened by people who aren't fit to lick my boots. Just who the hell do they think they are?

I just saw someone on Twitter point out that Omicron is a anagram of Moronic, which just about sums up the whole sorry charade.

How exciting...

Ooh, another variant has come along! Clearly people aren't being frightened enough... but luckily a shiny new variant has arrived to concentrate their minds a bit. By all accounts, it's the "most significant variant to date"... well, it's the most significant since the last one and until the next one pops up, I suppose.

Do I sound a tad cynical?

Viruses mutate, that's what they do to survive and that's why they've been around for billions of years longer than human life. They generally become more transmissible but less dangerous... and that's exactly what this one is doing.

This is just another dose of Project Fear. People have been ground down for the better part of two years by Govt predictions of Armageddon - none of which have happened. Give it a rest now - sometimes you just need to know when to back off.

Incidentally, they'd better not even think about cancelling Christmas again. I mean it.

Worldwide outbreak of insanity

Events in other countries in the world regarding Covid are frightening and very worrying.

Austria is under full lockdown and is making the jab compulsory, Germany will probably do the same quite soon. Riots against Covid passports and lockdowns are going on in many European countries including Belgium, the Netherlands, Croatia and Italy. I salute every one of those people who won't put up with the ruination of their lives any longer.

The Governments in Australia and New Zealand seem to have completely lost all sense of proportion. Demonstrations are happening in Australian cities. Their leaders are quite clearly mad, particularly the weird horse-faced woman in NZ.

Where does all that leave us? Who knows? If Boris decides to make the jab mandatory, would you mind throwing some groceries over the fence for us please? Many thanks.

It's the worry, the anger and the resentment that gets me.

I'm trying to enjoy getting things together for Christmas and looking forward to seeing my four lovelies, but some days it's so hard just to get up in the morning and keep going. 

I'm struggling now.

What next?

It's not looking good in Europe. 

Austria has implemented lockdown for anyone over the age of 12 who isn't vaccinated - they may leave their homes for 'essential reasons' only such as work, food shopping or exercise; last Friday The Netherlands went into partial lockdown for three weeks; Ireland is on the verge of mandating Covid certificates for gyms and hairdressers. It's not very encouraging. I can only see things heading one way if we start following what's happening over there.

We all know from bitter experience that Boris loves a lockdown, so does he join in with similar restrictions? Will he or won't he? My guess is, he will. He said yesterday he can't rule out "Plan B" which is his not very subtle way of coercing people into having the booster jab (the age threshold has been lowered to over-40s). It allows him to keep us dangling on a string - which he can pull any time he likes. Nasty little man.

Quite honestly, it won't make any difference to me - we'll still go shopping once a week, still go out for a walk round the village and the lotties, and still see our lovely foursome because, if we can't go to theirs, they'll come here. So, do your worst... I don't care, matey. I stopped taking much notice of Govt bs a long time back, your stupid rules and regulations won't affect me. I won't be having your snake-oil, whatever you threaten me with. It's called choice. Now go away Boris, I'm busy, I have a family Christmas lunch to think about.

Christmas is getting ever nearer - the spare bed is covered in presents which need wrapping and the pantry is filling up nicely with little treats.

My days of making everything myself have gone, sadly; the spirit is willing but the body is weak... I still do some things but M&S and Waitrose pick up where I leave off. I haven't yet managed to track down an acceptable non-fruit festive cake but I'm working on it.

It's a lovely day out there - cold but sunny. This is our flowering cherry tree today - just about to drop its leaves but before it does it's putting on a show. What a little beauty.

Right, I'm disappearing into the kitchen now to put a couple of trays of Freeze-ahead Roast Potatoes away for the Big Day. It saves so much time on Christmas morning.

I'll get this posted if it kills me! Had to break off for a phone call and then another Amazon delivery - I'm almost on first name terms with our drivers... they've been here so often recently! Delivery men and women are worth their weight in bread pudden - what would we do without them?

Update 19.11.21: Austria has gone full lockdown and, in case that's not enough, to make matters worse the jab will be made compulsory over there from next February. The world is slowly going mad.

Don't threaten me

I see Sajid Javid is at it again with the veiled threats. "It's not too late to get your jab so we can get through winter and enjoy Christmas". 

Now look here Saj... you can say what you like matey, threaten me with anything. I don't care. I will be having Christmas with my family. Last year I did as I was told, it nearly broke me; I said I'd never do it again and I won't.  Neither he nor anyone else will ever again get to tell me who I can have at my house. Got that, Saj?

To make matters worse, as if the NHS isn't in a parlous enough state already, the jab will be compulsory for front-line staff from next April. Good luck with replacing all the staff who refuse. The way things are going, the hospital appt I'm waiting for will probably come along sometime in the next decade... or two.

Fun and games here yesterday morning and a word of warning if you have a Britannia cooker. 

The clock and timer on mine have an intermittent fault. If you're ever tempted to book a full "health check" alongside a repair on your Britannia... can I suggest you don't? It was a total waste of money and a complete rip-off. Having told them the problem the engineer arrived without the spare part which I had expressly requested he bring, thereby necessitating yet another visit, and the very expensive "health check" mainly seemed to involve turning the burners on and off and checking for gas emissions. 

£260 please... ker-ching! 30 minutes and he was gone - I was absolutely livid.

Bought some gorgeous big mushrooms in M&S - it's looking very much like stuffed mushrooms for dinner tonight. I'd better use up the last of the herbs from the garden for the couscous before the frost finishes them off.

COP26 - a complete con

I expect politicians to be liars and hypocrites but the circus going on in Scotland brings it to a whole new level.

Approx 25,000 people are needed to tell us what we all have to do to 'Save the Planet'. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't need saving). 25,000... and do you suppose they all walked, cycled, swam or skateboarded to Glasgow? No, of course not, they flew at great expense, scattering carbon in their wake like confetti.

More than 400 private jets flew into Glasgow and Edinburgh; many of them flew out again because the airports don't have enough room to park them all. As for cars... well, Biden alone has 20 vehicles in his motorcade.

I've never believed the whole "man-made global warming" malarkey - it's garbage. Of course the climate changes, it always has - human life wouldn't have survived if it hadn't. Because of these natural cycles of change, the human race will eventually die out when the climate becomes inhospitable to us. We're really not very important as a species - we're just parasites on the face of the Earth. Get used to it and get over yourselves. 

If I was ever to waver in my belief, I'd just have a look at what's been going on north of the border.

This is the 26th such conference. If anything had been achieved by the previous 25 there'd have been no need for this one, would there?

So, after this pantomime is over, will I be changing my behaviour to 'Save the Planet'? No... not one bloody jot.

I've been a vegetarian for 25 years, I've only had one child and I've taken two short-haul flights in the last 20 years. When all those clowns in Glasgow can say the same, then they can lecture me. Until such time... they can sod off!

It has served one purpose, though - it's kept Covid completely out of the news for the last two days. Bliss.

Jabs, GPs... and Dinner

I'm not a woman who is generally lost for words but this headline a couple of days ago managed to leave me floundering.

"Double jabbed people are catching Covid and passing it on to those they live with"...! 

So what's the point of having the bloody stuff, then? Why on earth are they still falling for this crap? 

How can people be double jabbed and having 'boosters' (they're not actually boosters btw, they're another dose of the same jab that didn't work the first two times!) and yet they're still frightened of catching Covid, still masked up and still avoiding crowded places?!

Unless folk start to think for themselves it'll go on forever.

I had another experience of our 'wonderful' NHS yesterday. I had a face-to-face appt with Dr Z (oooh, lucky me!) I turned up at the right time... no Dr Z. "He's not in today but we've put you in to see Dr A". Not a phone call to ask me if I minded or if I'd like to re-book, just that attitude from the receptionist that I was damned lucky to be seen by anyone at all! 

Unsurprisingly, I said "No, thank you" and came home after a completely wasted journey. Will I see Dr Z at some point? Who knows... who cares? Well, certainly not the ill-mannered Rottweiler on reception, that's for sure. 

I sometimes wonder if they go on special training courses to teach them how to treat patients with complete disdain, while managing to stay just the right side of out-and-out rudeness. It's a skill few people have; GP receptionists have it in spades....

Having made some Butternut and Carrot soup last week, I still had half a large squash looking for a home. Thought I might have a go at this Gratin recipe for dinner today. I'll post a pic if it looks presentable!

Well, here it is... tonight's dinner as mentioned above. It was really tasty, I recommend it, definitely one to make again.

I made a couple of changes; I really don't like kale - horrible chewy stuff - so I replaced it with chopped leeks which I roasted with the squash... and I cut the recipe down by about two thirds for just the two of us. If four people were going to eat the original dish, I can only say they must have gigantic appetites!

Apropos of nothing, I absolutely hate that white baking dish but it's the only one I have that works for two servings - I curse the day I decided not to buy a beautiful discontinued Le Creuset dish in last year's sale!

Plan B or is it C?

Just when I thought the Covid madness was dying down a bit, up jumps an idiot MP to stir the pot again and keep it on the boil. And this time he's threatening us... "Get jabbed or we'll have to bring in Plan B". 

Ooh, isn't he manful?! A word of advice Saj, don't threaten me matey, you're stepping well beyond your remit... and your competency.

Plan C is apparently "under discussion", whereby households would be banned from mixing. Not for me, Saj; you can call it any Plan you like, I will not be taking part in any more of this nonsense. I will not endure another Christmas like last year.

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see another lockdown before Christmas. The power and control has gone to their heads - they're determined not to let it go. 

Mind you, I've seen many people online clamouring for mask wearing and other restrictions to be brought back, so I suppose they'd be quite happy with another lockdown. Clearly, the fear narrative peddled by Govt for the last 20 months is still working. I'm sorry they're so frightened but they really do need to start thinking for themselves at some point; it'd also be a good idea to do some research of their own and stop listening to BBC News.

Maybe they could start with thinking about how their jabs, which they were so keen to have, are now affording them minimal protection against the thing they fear most...

The weather has turned really chilly - I actually had to wear a coat when we went for a walk earlier. I had a butternut, sweet potatoes, carrots and leeks delivered earlier today. I can feel a soup-making session coming on!

Bowl of soup, chunk of cheese and some crusty ciabatta = happy days!

Tennis (again) and Christmas

Blimey, there must be something in the water the British tennis players are drinking - we were waiting for someone to come along and pick up where Andy Murray left off and it looks like we've found him. Step forward, Cam Norrie!

Cam did something last night that no other British man has done by winning the Indian Wells 1000... well done, that man!

Sadly, I didn't see the match - the time difference between California and the UK put paid to that; at my age I need my beauty sleep (not that it's helping much!)

Predictably, I've seen people online saying "He isn't a Brit" and "I find it hard to accept he's British"...! Why not enjoy a British sporting achievement and stop being so miserable, mean-spirited and wrong? His parents are British but he was born while they were living and working in South Africa - how much more British would they like him to be, for god's sake?!

I've started putting a few bits and pieces by for Christmas; had a lovely delivery from The Bay Tree last week - I could easily become addicted to their Marinated Figs, but I only buy one jar a year and eat them sparingly in the run-up to the big day. Now, that's what I call being strong-willed!

The family will be here for Christmas Eve, as they usually are (I will never forgive Boris for last year, curse him), Nut Roast Wellington with all the trimmings has been requested, so that's what we'll be having. I can't wait, last year was absolute torture.

Covid's still with us - well, it is with some people, not with me. If it wasn't for the unrelenting scare stories dreamt up by the media I wouldn't be taking any notice of it. It's become a bit of a non-event. Unsurprisingly, though, I've just seen a piece saying the situation is "concerning" and the "NHS will come under pressure this winter". Quelle surprise!

OK... When has there been a winter where the NHS hasn't been under pressure? When has there been a winter where the NHS has been able to cope? Why hasn't the NHS ever got any better at coping despite the vast sums of money thrown at it? All excellent questions, none of which will ever be addressed by the Govt... and that, ladies and gentlemen, is where the problem lies.

I thank you.

I'm worried

No, not about Covid. I'm worried about people's compliance, their response to this madness.

If you go onto any chat forum, as I sometimes do, it seems that everyone is perfectly OK with being double (or even triple!) jabbed; OK with LFT testing if they're seeing their friends or family; OK with still wearing a mask and social distancing even though these are no longer mandated and OK with having NHS apps on their phones. They send off for tests and marvel at how easy and efficient it all is - they don't see anything wrong in this. They think it's normal... whereas I think they're insane.

And this is what worries me. How far will they go in their compliance? How onerous do the restrictions have to be before they question it? When do they say "No, I'm not doing this"?

I once said if people were told to stand on one leg and wear mismatched socks to combat Covid, they would. I'm still convinced of that....

Just look at the situation in Canada and Australia - they've ramped up the rules to the point where people are unable to work without being jabbed; they can't board a plane or a train. If that happens here will people still be compliant? Covid passes for large events and nightclubs are already in place in Wales - are they coming to England?

We're thankfully not as far down the road as the Canadians and Australians, but we soon will be if people here keep bowing down to all the "Covid-safe" drivel. It's the willingness to do as they're told by Boris that allows this nonsense to continue. No need to make a song and dance about it, but if they quietly started behaving normally Covid would rapidly become just another virus. Because, make no mistake, their behaviour right now is not normal and should never become so.

I despair, I really do.

On a brighter note, the lovely lady on the checkout in M&S this morning gave me a bunch of flowers. How nice was that? I had a browse of a few Christmas items - I'll start buying some bits and pieces soon.

It's a madhouse

Is it just me, or has this entire country gone stark, staring, mad?

Our politicians are crap, the NHS is a bad joke, the combined forces of the Metropolitan police can't seem to stop a few unwashed idiots from blocking the M25, trying to refuel the car is a game of hunt the petrol, I'm told daily that supermarket shelves are empty and... the esteemed leader of Her Majesty's Opposition Party has stated this week that it's not right to say that only women have a cervix! Speaking as a woman... I've got news for him!

All this... and I haven't even mentioned Covid yet, which is pretty much dying on its feet as viruses do. The Govt won't let it lie down, though, they're still talking it up in order to frighten the public into compliance. The vaccine passport issue rumbles on; will they, won't they? My money's on them being in place if you want to go anywhere by next summer.

I feel I'm one of the few sane ones living in a madhouse.

It's enough to drive anyone to drink. Actually, it's a hell of a good job I don't drink - I probably wouldn't have been sober for much of the last 18 months. 

As a follow-up to the empty supermarket shelves stories, I received my usual weekly delivery from Waitrose this morning - I received everything I'd ordered. Shelves not quite as empty as we're told, then? Surely, the media couldn't be making a story out of nothing?

On the subject of food, I booked my Christmas delivery slot this morning! Waitrose, god bless 'em, gave me priority as a thank you for being a loyal customer. Let's hope we don't have a repeat of last year - the Christmas that never was. I'm warning you, Boris.

The Doctor won't see you now...

8 days ago... 

Rang GPs' surgery in hope of a telephone appt (don't even think about a face-to-face) with Dr Z. Not a chance: "We're very busy... blah, blah. Ring again on Friday".

Rang on Friday: "We're very busy...blah, blah. Ring again next Wednesday".

9.15 this morning... on hold for 17 sodding minutes to be told again they're very busy, short staffed, under pressure and blah, blah, bloody blah.

The receptionist/rottweiler came out with every lame excuse she could find for why there is no hope of me speaking to Dr Z this side of the next millennium.

Wtf? Wtaf...?

This is our wonderful NHS.

I had to go for a walk round the garden to avoid slashing my wrists or killing Mr S-V, who just happened to be the nearest person available. 

20 minutes later... Dr Z rang me.

Don't ask.

Struggling on

Some days/weeks are harder than others. It seems that 18 months of Covid crap has sucked the life out of me.

It's never-ending.

We all need a little boost

As expected, Covid booster jabs will be dished out to over-50s as soon as the NHS can get itself motivated to do so. I wonder if the boosters will then need boosters and those boosters will need yet more boosters... it could go on forever!

Just to add to the fun, Whitty and his little band of fools have recommended all children aged 12-15 be offered one dose of the Pfizer jab. I can't think what's possessed them to approve this when the JCVI did not recommend it. Obviously there is no long-term safety data, nor will there be for some few years yet, but somehow Whitty thinks it's ok to dish it out to our children and grandchildren?

Furthermore, children can override their parents' wishes, either to have the jab or not, so long as they are deemed competent to make the choice... the Gillick Competence. 

Under 16s can't vote, can't legally drink alcohol or smoke, can't join the Army or get married... but they can go against their parents' wishes and have a medical procedure, the long-term implications of which are still unknown? The people taking this responsibility out of parents' hands are insane.

I couldn't be more disgusted at the whole debacle - it's utterly despicable. I could weep.

All of this is to prevent our "wonderful" NHS being overwhelmed. Too late, I'm afraid. The NHS is on its last legs, it has been for years, it's an absolute shambles - bit late now to worry about it being overwhelmed. 

Incidentally, Boris is still havering about vaccine passports and the return of compulsory masks; which probably means they'll be with us sometime soon.

The weather is mirroring my mood - it's been pouring with rain since 7am. The gutters are overflowing, the heating's on and the lights indoors have been on all day. Bye bye summer.

Autumn leaves... and tennis

Well, it looks like the Govt has backed away from vaccine passports... for now. I don't believe they won't still bring them in, but they clearly feel the public needs to be softened up a bit more yet before they'll be accepted. I suspect another lockdown will do the trick... they'll say the only way to avoid more lockdowns is to bring in the passports. A dejected and demoralised public will say "Yes, we'll do anything to get us out of this". Job done.

It's quite obvious that they're trying to flog a very dead horse. No-one, apart from the Govt, seems much interested in Covid any more. 

People are fatigued and sick of the constant doom and gloom peddled by those with the power to do so. Inertia and boredom has set in, as it does with most things, so MPs keep popping up and changing the rules to keep people on their toes. Just go away, you lying shysters... we can see right through you.

Summer seems to be drawing to a close - the brief flurry of warm sunny days we've had recently has subsided into cooler greyness. The nights are drawing in and we're into the season of misty mornings, we already have a few fallen leaves in the garden and seed pods are dropping off the copper beech; I can feel winter just around the corner. We'll soon be back to stews, casseroles and soup. Lovely stuff!

Tennis. I love it, as I've said before, but I've rarely watched women play since Steffi Graf retired. Last night we sat down to watch the new darling of the courts... an 18-year-old British qualifier in only her second Grand slam. 

Emma Raducanu. WOW! What else can I say?

I've been a tennis fan since I was a child, I used to run home from primary school to watch Wimbledon (in black and white!) on TV. I thought I'd seen it all but never have I seen anything like last night's match. I was yelling at the TV like a woman possessed!

Emma was astonishing; confident, gutsy, and absolutely fearless. It was a joy to watch her win and it'll be interesting to see how she progresses from this. I can't wait.

Jabs and jam

Summer's back! Well, for a little while, at least. After nearly a fortnight of grey days with a cold northerly wind, we have an almost balmy few days to look forward to. Actually sat in the garden for a while earlier on. Hilarious, then, that John Lewis and Marks and Sparks have updated their websites to include Christmas items! Seems a little early to me...

I wonder if we'll be 'allowed' to have a normal Christmas this year? After l2020, when Boris pulled the plug at the eleventh hour, I wouldn't put anything past him.

I was thrilled to see the JCVI has said it doesn't recommend giving 12-15 year-olds the jab, but my relief was very short-lived when I discovered the final say has been handed over to chief doom-monger Whitty and his mates, who are almost certain to approve it. I desperately hope they don't, but I fear they will. I'm disgusted that it's even being considered for children...  actually I'm disgusted that it's been considered for anybody, but that's another story. 

It also appears that 'vaccine passports' will now be needed for large venues. I will, quite clearly, not be having a vaccine passport for obvious reasons. I'd be willing to bet that 'large' venues will soon become 'medium' venues and, shortly afterwards, 'all' venues. Give it time... I know the way their twisted minds work.

When the hell does this insanity end?

I spent a few hours in the tranquillity of the kitchen last week making jam. I say tranquil but I find jam-making really nerve-wracking - I'm always certain it'll never set and somehow it always does! We picked Victoria plums from the garden and I'd bought some greengages from M&S. After adding these two to the strawberry jam I made in July, the preserves cupboard is looking very healthy.

Next week... curried fruit chutney, made with the last of the plums, a stray cooking apple, a few woolly apricots (why can we never get decent apricots in the UK?) and our own onions from the garden. Might make some onion marmalade as well, if my dodgy ankles will keep me upright. We'll see.

August Bank Holiday

Bank Holiday Monday. It's grey, drizzly and chilly. I'll be glad when this poor excuse for a summer is over.

I haven't written anything for a while, mainly because I'm so worn down by what's going on that I don't know what to say or where to start.

Covid rumbles on. The threats and coercion continue as politicians go into overdrive. They're having to keep this nonsense going because they don't know what to do to get us out of a situation they created. You have to feel sorry for politicians - their small brains really aren't up to this.

The next 'wave' is being predicted once children go back to school after the summer holidays. Phrases like "cases will spiral" and "we may see record highs" are being bandied about. Unsurprisingly.

At the beginning when Boris et al were trying to scare people witless, they did such a good job that they've now found it's impossible to bring normality back. Many people have become accustomed to their fear, they've found they actually like the rules and regulations, they like being on furlough, they like being told what to do. The Govt is reaping what it sowed.

This country is now on the verge of jabbing 12-15 year-olds. I never thought I'd say that; I can't believe any sane parent would accept this for their child. Giving the jab to adults who can weigh up the pros and cons is one thing; giving it to children, when there is no long term safety data for a medication that could affect them for the rest of their lives, is another thing entirely. I am horrified at this. We'll see.

Afghanistan is now in the daily news mix - yet another shambles caused by woefully inadequate politicians. It's been in and out of the news in one way or another for most of my adult life - it will continue to run and run.

Eric Clapton, god love him, has a new single out to download "This has gotta stop". He is not a happy chap about the way Covid is being dealt with. I've loved Eric's music since I was in primary school, I've seen him several times at the Royal Albert Hall and once at Wembley stadium. A long, long time ago, back in the day, "Clapton is God" was spray-painted by graffiti artists on bridges and walls. They were right. He is.

Bring on another crisis

When Covid started I always thought the only thing that would knock it out of the limelight would be another crisis. Step forward, Afghanistan. It's all kicking off over there... as we knew it would, eventually.

This country, and most of the world, has been concentrating all its efforts on eradicating a virus. While they had their eye off the ball, wittering about Covid cases and vaccinations, the Taliban were quietly beavering away until they were ready to strike. The only people surprised at this are the world leaders, who couldn't see it coming.

Expecting the numpties in Westminster to deal with anything effectively will always lead to disappointment. It's lucky for them they're MPs - no-one else would be stupid enough to employ them. 

The sight of them in Parliament yesterday all vying to look the most pious and concerned was nauseating. I'd be amazed if any of them could point out Afghanistan on a map - there's not a dozen brain cells between them. 

Ghastly as the Afghan situation is, at least it gives us a break from Covid constantly hogging the headlines.

On the subject of Covid, we now have the unedifying prospect of people being called imminently for their booster jabs. When on earth will this ever stop? Do we just keep jabbing people again and again until Covid dies out? It'll do that on its own if we just stop panicking and give it time - that's what viruses do, they change and mutate. Someone should tell Boris.

I'm waiting for a journalist to ask Boris or Javid a question to which I can't seem to find a sensible answer: If more than 93% of people have Covid antibodies, either from previous infection or from the jab, why are cases rising at the moment? Seems to be the more people have the jab, the more cases there are. 'Vaccine' not all it's cracked up to be, maybe?

I'm currently still hobbling around, with both bloody ankles now affected. I'm not at all convinced it's tendonitis so I am seeing a GP tomorrow. Yes, a genuine GP in the flesh! He tried valiantly to diagnose the problem over the phone today, not easy when he couldn't see me, but realised the futility of it and gave me an appt to see him tomorrow. See... they can do it when they want to.

Fruitcake anyone?

I seriously worry about the brainwashing that's gone on to get us to this point in the Covid story. I'm not really surprised at the comments on Twitter and messageboards but I am a bit sad. Some of them are really nasty about anyone who's refused the jab. 

Those who've had the jab are so sure they're right - anyone who isn't as sure as them is an 'anti-vaxxer', 'idiotic', 'dangerous' and 'needs a good slap'. Brian May thinks I'm a 'fruitcake'. I understand why they feel that way but how will this play out for the future? Will there always be a them and us divide? I suspect there will. The propaganda that's been put out has been so devious, so insidious, it's almost impossible to counteract.

I'm grateful that my family have accepted my position on the jab, but not everyone will be as lucky. This has the potential to tear some families apart, especially now the jab is being offered to 16 and 17-year-olds. It really is not the role of Govt to drive a wedge between loved ones. It's shameful what they're doing.

Just for the record I am not an anti-vaxxer. In my life I've had a multitude of vaccines, including a few that most people haven't had because we lived abroad for three years. I am anti this particular jab; I refuse to even refer to it as a vaccine. If others choose to have it, I respect their choice; I just wish they'd respect mine.

I sense a similar attitude emerging to mask-wearing. There were a few sideways glances thrown my way in M&S today by people wearing masks. I was not, I stopped wearing one when the Govt said they were no longer mandatory. If others choose to be masked, good for them, as far as I'm concerned they can wear a wetsuit, flippers and a diver's helmet... I choose not to. Choice seems to be an alien concept to some, it's so much easier to control people if you take away their choices...

As I was sitting here typing I just saw the date in the corner of the laptop... 09.08.21. It is exactly 50 years ago today that I met Mr S-V for the first time when I started work in the same office! 50 years... dear god, where did that time go? Blink and you'd miss it.

A mixed bag of stuff

I can't get my head round where this Covid situation is going; it's so far fetched, it's like something you'd see in a really bad sci-fi movie. Between the politicians and the 'scientists' it's a toss-up who's worse. Nearly 18 months in it still makes no sense - it still seems like an exercise in control and power rather than the management of a so-called deadly virus.

It's like they're playing with us. Every day there's another little tweak to the rules, another bribe or threat to coerce people into having the jab, another dire warning of what you won't be able to do if you don't get jabbed, another scare story of 'possible' variant on the horizon. Oh and, not forgetting my favourite, another report of some random in hospital, sad-faced and gasping for breath, saying "I wish I'd had the vax". Well, how lucky are we that there just happened to be a reporter and photographer there to pass on his words of wisdom...!

Thing is, I don't believe any of their crap any more; I now start from the point that they're all liars. It saves me so much time - I don't have to weigh it all up, do my research, then decide for myself whether there's any truth in it. There isn't. End of.

Bad news on the gardening front: We discovered earlier in the week that all our tomato plants have blight... damn it. I've picked a few that don't look to have been affected and I hope to get a few more if the sun comes out, but most of them will go in the compost bin. I'm so disappointed. Oh well, better luck next year.

I hobbled round the kitchen yesterday (bloody painful tendonitis in my ankle all week) and made a new recipe. I saw something in a magazine for Vegetable Biriyani. It looked nothing like any biriyani recipe I've ever seen, but at least it was quick and simple - just as well, because I can't stand for very long! I changed the quantities and tweaked it a bit - it's well worth doing for a quick weekday meal.

It's completely inauthentic, more of a pilaff than a biryani, but it tasted great and it was all store-cupboard stuff and very easy.

I'm putting it on here or else I'll never remember how to do it again!

1tbsp vegetable oil

200g small cauli florets

200g potatoes, diced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 tbsp tomato puree 

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp turmeric

2 tsp curry paste

150g basmati rice

350ml stock

1/2 cup frozen peas

15g butter

chopped coriander

Put the vegetable oil in a lidded frying pan and add the cauli and potatoes; cook on a medium heat for 7 or 8 minutes; add the onion and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the tomato puree, garlic, spices and curry paste. Fry for a minute then stir in the rice and stock. Bring to the boil, pop the lid on and cook over a gentle heat for 8 minutes, gently stir in the peas and butter, cook for another 2 minutes then turn off the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the coriander and serve.

We had it with onion bhajis and samosas (shop-bought - I can't stand long enough to make my own, even if I wanted to) and a goodly dollop of mango chutney. It was a cross between a pilaff and a cheat's version of a biryani; I'd definitely make it again. Might add half a can of chickpeas next time.

No mask!

Oh joy! After a year, almost exactly to the day, I went to M&S yesterday without wearing a mask (well, scarf)! It was lovely to speak to the guy on the checkout like a normal person. I don't even like shopping but just for once I was chuffed to bits to be there.

Admittedly there were quite a few people still hiding behind a mask but some of us were happy to embrace freedom. At last!

It was a small moment of pleasure, and there have been precious few of those since March 2020.

Given that more than 70% of adults have been jabbed, hospitalisations are low and Covid case numbers are going down on a daily basis, I wonder what it'll take for people to break out of the fear cycle and start the slow walk back to normal? As I've said previously, it's very easy to instil fear... but not so easy to take that fear away.

Govt ministers are being wheeled out regularly to urge us to have our jabs, be vigilant, don't let our guard down and remain cautious because "... it's not over". For god's sake, it'll never be over if they keep talking it up at every possible opportunity.

I'm not a huge fan of the Olympics (except tennis) but it's been a relief over the past couple of days to see Covid knocked off the headlines by some of our athletes doing well in Tokyo. 

Thank goodness for a short break from the doom and gloom at least. Well done boys and girls, and congratulations to Tom Daley who's finally won a gold medal after 13 years of trying.

A day of contrasts

Contrary to yesterday's weather forecast (they're rubbish, so why do I still take any notice of them?) it was a lovely day; warm and partly cloudy with a fresh breeze. Did a bit of housework then sat in the garden and watched assorted planes including Spitfires, Tiger Moths, a Typhoon which was deafening (nice new livery btw!) and the amazing Red Arrows doing their stuff in the sky overhead.

We live near an airfield which stages air shows a couple of times a year; not last year, of course. We really missed them. Many of the planes take a wide turning circle right above our house... such a joy to see them all again. 

We've lived here 13 years and we still rush outside to watch, it never gets old; we're worse than a couple of kids! When the Red Arrows went over yesterday, roaring and billowing coloured vapour trails, it brought a tear to my eye... one of the few things left in this country to be proud of. Hello lads, it's nice to have you back. See you next year.

I'm still sailing a bit close to the water - pretty much anything can have me in tears. I blame the Covid crap which is unrelenting and grows more sinister and threatening by the day.

British people are being abused by the Govt - it's been a constant barrage from day 1 and still it continues. With the help of a complicit media they frightened people into staying locked up in their homes and, to regain their freedom, they're frightening people into having an experimental 'vaccine' to ameliorate the effects of a virus which has a better than 99% survival rate. Who knows what they'll come up with next? It won't be good - that's the one thing I can be sure of.

We've now reached the point where the threat hangs over us of not going to almost any public place without being double jabbed. It looks like my garden will continue to be the sanctuary it's been since March 2020... in fact, if they bring in 'vaccine passports', it might be the only place I'm allowed to go without checking in with a bloody app.

The Govt is trying hard to promote a system of medical apartheid - the haves (jabbed) and the have-nots (un-jabbed). Shame on them.

It was a day of contrasts. The Red Arrows and the Govt. Something to be proud of and something to be bitterly ashamed of. I'll leave you to work out which is which.

It gets worse...

Just when you think things can't get any worse... they do.

Boris chose yesterday to announce that from September, entry to nightclubs and other "crowded venues", as yet unspecified, will be dependent on having had two jabs. A negative test will no longer be enough to gain entry.

The crassness of his timing was unbelievable. It beggars belief that he told people on "Freedom Day" that they'll need mandatory vaccines if they want to have a night out. 

It won't bother me very much, I don't have a social life and I'm too old to go clubbing, but I think we all know what comes next... this rule will soon start to apply in other places too. How long before we hear "No jabs, no entry" at the doors of pubs, restaurants and theatres?

I worry for young people; they won't know the freedoms I've had, most of which I didn't take advantage of. It horrifies me that my grandchildren may one day have to submit themselves to the jab just so they can go out with their mates.

What the hell are these people doing to our country? I no longer recognise it.

Today's the Day

This is the day trumpeted as us getting our freedom back but, like anything in which the Govt is involved, it hasn't quite worked out like that. To call it a shambles would be too kind.

Boris has removed most of the legal restrictions but this means individual businesses are making up their own rules as they go along. 

Firstly, most of the supermarkets and some other shops have said they'll 'encourage' shoppers to wear masks; secondly, some pubs and restaurants are demanding people prove their vaccination status and thirdly, all public transport in London require people to be masked. Finally, anyone hoping to go on holiday to France will still have to isolate for 10 days on their return, even if they've been double jabbed. Does that sound like Freedom to you? No... me neither.

I wonder how long the Govt can drag this out. At the beginning it may have been about the virus, but that hasn't been the case for over a year - it's now just an experiment in social control. It's a bit like watching the emergence of a new religion which, like all religions, requires compliance and the total abandonment of all critical thinking. I've never had anything to do with religion of any description so, understandably, I'm finding this one pretty hard to swallow.

I love the irony in Sajid Javid, Health Secretary, testing positive for Covid... after having been double jabbed! That vaccine's not much good, is it? You'd need to have a heart of stone not to laugh.

Having been in meetings with Javid, Boris and the Chancellor were trying to weasel out of self-isolating by taking part in a so-called  'pilot scheme' to avoid it. They then did a u-turn fast enough to make their heads spin, when there was a public outcry about them not keeping to their own rules. After what they've put us through for the last 16 months their insensitivity is breath-taking, how they thought they'd get away with it is beyond me.

Given the complete fiasco over masks, I went to M&S today fully equipped with my usual scarf (I'm still refusing to wear an actual mask!) not because I wanted to wear it, but because I didn't want some mask-happy jerk thinking it's their duty to 'educate' me in the error of my ways. Never argue with the stupid. Unsurprisingly, virtually everyone was still masked - they call this "Freedom"? Yeah, right... sigh.

The past weekend has been unbearably hot, but it's a little more acceptable today, thankfully. I start to wilt when the temperature goes above the low 20s. We had breakfast in the garden this morning - it was still 23C but that felt blissful after yesterday's 31! Salads and lots of cold drinks are the order of the day... roll on, winter!

Incidentally, my money's on another winter lockdown... to "Protect the NHS". Again.

Football and Freedom

Well, my cry of  "Forza Azzuri" clearly did the trick as England lost the Euro final on Sunday - I couldn't be more pleased for Italy. Bravo!

Sadly, Matteo Berrettini lost the Wimbledon final but he's still young, there'll be other chances; Djokovic can't go on forever.

News yesterday was full of the usual post mortems on why England, once again, fell short. Nobody seems to be pointing out the obvious - we weren't good enough. If we had been, it would never have gone to penalties.

Predictably, the result has deteriorated into a racism row, as so many things do these days. I think most England fans wouldn't care if the players were green, striped or spotted - they just wanted to see the ball in the back of the net.

On the subject of racism, I'm with Morgan Freeman..."Stop talking about it. I'll stop calling you a white man and you stop calling me a black man". Seems the most sensible approach to me.

I expect we'll go through it all again next year for the World Cup. Hopefully, they'll have ditched "taking the knee" by then and I'll be able to watch again. Regardless of their professed reasons, I find it divisive and inflammatory - I also can't see what possible good it does.

Boris had another televised briefing yesterday - as expected he's having a fit of the vapours and is backtracking at a rate of knots over "Freedom Day". No surprise there then.

Virtually all legal restrictions have been lifted but we're still being given mixed messages; social distancing is ending, but they say we should meet people outside if possible... masks are no longer legally required but it is "expected and recommended" that they're worn in crowded indoor settings. Transport companies will be allowed to decide whether passengers should wear masks but we've already been told they're not required. Confused? You will be.

So, in a nutshell, keep away from people if you want to and wear a mask or don't... sometimes, maybe... if you like. Right, well, I think that's all perfectly clear. 

Carry on.

Cry Freedom

Boris was blathering on TV on Monday, confident that we'll all be back to a semblance of normal from July 19th... Freedom Day.

Masks will be a matter of "personal responsibility" i.e. wear one if you want to, no social distancing and all other restrictions lifted apart from a few foreign travel issues. Well, he says he's confident this week but next week, next month... who knows? He'll probably have an attack of the vapours and we'll be back to square one again before you can say "New normal". 

He states we'll have to learn to live with Covid but then goes all weak-kneed and starts warning about the rising number of cases of the "Delta" variant. Make your mind up, man!

I'm not a betting woman but I'd be willing to put a large amount of money on us being back in lockdown before Christmas. Boris's problem is... once a liar, always a liar.

Both Wimbledon and the Euro football tournament finish this weekend. I'm always sorry to see Wimbledon end, it's been great to see it back this year, but I'm so glad to see the back of the Euros. The kneeling, virtue-signalling England team is in the final which means the entire country seems to have gone football crazy.

It's conveniently forgotten that 1) They haven't actually won anything yet and 2) They're in the final thanks to an own goal from Denmark and a penalty which should never have been given! I saw a short video after the match. Honestly, a two-year-old in a tantrum could throw himself to the floor more convincingly than Raheem Sterling did in his quest for a penalty. He went down like he'd been shot! It was shameful.

There's still time for England to lose the final, though. I won't be watching but I'll wear blue on Sunday in support of Italy. Forza Azzuri!

As previously mentioned, I made some strawberry jam this week - the smell emanating from the kitchen was intoxicating. I had to purchase the strawberries, our ones from the garden are over now sadly, but it's still so much better than any you can buy. I can really recommend this recipe if you like a soft-set jam (ooh, I do!)

A supply of scones and fresh bread may well be imminently needed!

Sunday, bloody Sunday

It's Sunday. MPs love Sundays, it means they can go on Andrew Marr's show and sound like they know what they're talking about... even though they don't. Today's nonsense was all about keeping us dangling regarding the restrictions; will we still have to social-distance and wear masks or will we finally be allowed to act like adults and exercise personal choice? Tune in next week, children, to hear what Uncle Boris has to say.

They can't see the stupidity of all this and they're still trying to have it both ways. If the vaccine works, why do we need masks and distancing - if the masks and distancing work, why do we need vaccines? It's a conundrum for them and clearly one which they're not going to address. 

The other main news today is football related. I like football, I've been a fan for as long as I can remember - in my youth I stood on the terraces with my Dad watching West Ham (standing...those were the days!) - but the current euphoria over England reaching the semi-finals of the delayed Euro 2020 leaves me stone cold. I haven't watched a single match involving England.

Why? Well, it's because of this 'taking the knee' malarkey. I don't care what teams from other countries do but I find it offensive to see people wearing an England shirt, representing this country, making a political point. If you want to be a politician, get yourself elected and become an MP. A football pitch is no place for politics.

I'll be hoping our team of virtue-signalling, millionaire hypocrites get knocked out when they play again on Wednesday. Come on, Denmark!

In gardening news, our strawberries have sadly failed us this year - it's just not been the right weather... too cold and wet at the wrong times. We've had some... well, a few, to eat with yogurt and meringues, but there won't be anywhere near enough for jam. Looks like I'll be buying in supplies if I want to get the jam pan out. I also think our plum trees may fall short this year; again... it's the blasted weather.

On the other hand - the rhubarb is still growing like crazy and the beetroots and onions are looking great. I could always make chutney instead of jam, I suppose?

Pop goes the weasel

Well, that was an interesting weekend, politically speaking. It's always nice to be proved right. I said Hancock was a jumped-up little weasel and a liar months ago... and I wasn't wrong. He's been caught out on camera kissing some woman in his office. Not his wife. Classy.

Not only did he cheat and lie to his wife and three children, he broke the Covid rules that he's so piously been preaching to the rest of us. The video of him groping his 'Parliamentary aide' was toe-curlingly awful - he's been forced to resign because rule-makers can't also be rule-breakers. Couldn't happen to a nicer (nastier?) bloke. It felt so satisfying to see him get his comeuppance.

Cheating on his wife and children is something for them to deal with... their business, not mine. I only care about the way his rules have changed our lives for the past 15 months. 

Businesses have been trashed, people have died without being able to spend time at the end with their loved ones, grandparents haven't seen their adult children and grandchildren; families have struggled desperately with the Draconian 'no visits' and 'no hugging' rules enforced in care homes... but, it seems, the rules didn't apply to the very person who made them.

The next time a Govt minister comes up with a damn fool Covid rule I'm supposed to follow - which they will when they invent another 'variant' this winter - I shall do as Hancock did... ignore it. 

Now, all we need to do is lose the idiot 'scientists', Whitty, Vallance, Van-Tam etc. who've been advising Boris, and we might be able to make some progress.

Weather not great today, overcast and grey mostly, so I spent some time in the kitchen making a double batch of Not Sausage Rolls - the last time we saw the Troops they completely cleaned me out of the stock I keep in the freezer!

Our wedding anniversary next week, sadly we won't be going out to lunch because I absolutely refuse to wear a mask. Another thing to lay at Matt bloody Hancock's door.

The longest day

21st June, the longest day and the Summer Solstice... and the central heating is on! 

It's cold, it's raining, and my hands were blue when I came out of M&S this morning. I think someone has turned Summer off at the mains; I wish they'd turn it back on again. 

Having picked a few strawberries last week, they seem to have gone into hibernation until the weather improves. I can't say I blame them. Instead of salads and summer fruits we're back on things like pasta bake and cauli cheese - it feels like October!

As well as being the longest day, today was also meant to be "Freedom Day" until Boris had an attack of the vapours and postponed it by four weeks. There's no guarantee, of course, that it'll actually take place on July 19th, but at least it gives him a month to think of some spurious reasons (aka... lies) why we have to extend the delay even further. 

He says things are "...looking good" for July 19th to be the "terminus point" for restrictions, but he's a proven liar so nothing he says carries much weight. He's also warning of a "rough winter" ahead, which sounds to me like he's already planning the next full lockdown. You can read him like a book...

Hopeless Hancock is planning for booster jabs in the autumn. I'm sure he'd add it to the water supply if he could. I must say, that jab sounds a bit weak and feeble to me if it needs a booster every six months.  As I said months ago, this hasn't been properly thought through or properly tested. People are still being treated like lab rats. 

It's almost impossible to see a GP for day-to-day illnesses already - if they have to keep administering boosters there'll be no chance of seeing one this side of the next millennium! For god's sake, don't get ill - you'll be on your own.

As of tomorrow we'll be heading inexorably into the shorter days of winter - I wonder if we'll be 'allowed' to have Christmas this year? I'm only asking.

Four more weeks... maybe

So, here we are. Another four weeks before the country opens up. 

Well, that's what Boris said on Monday... of course, there's a good chance he'll have invented a new variant by July 19th and we'll have another delay. Rinse and repeat. Ad nauseum.

If only we had someone in charge with balls and a backbone; someone who is aware of the damage he's doing; someone who isn't scared to say to the 'scientists', "No, enough is enough. I will not carry on dangling people on a string like this. We open up now".

Deaths are in single figures; as I've said before, how low does he want them to go? He's still worried about the NHS being overwhelmed, for god's sake. I am heartily sick of being made to live my life like this in order to protect a failing Public Service which, in fact, is offering no service at all unless you happen to have Covid. 

Anyone would think the NHS was a sacred cow that needs to be kept in a glass case, pristine and pure. It isn't. It's an outrageously expensive publicly funded service which isn't fit for purpose; a 'health' service which infected thousands of people with Covid who were in hospital with other unrelated conditions. They're keeping that one quiet, unsurprisingly.

No amount of "protecting" the NHS will improve it - it should have been ditched years ago. They still peddle the lie about it being "The envy of the world"! Yeah right! I'd say the rest of the world looks at the NHS and cringes at how bad it is.

We've cancelled the lunch reservation we made for our anniversary at the end of this month - it was a little beacon of light on the horizon, something to look forward to, but not now. Not when masks and social distancing are still in place, when I have to have the NHS app on my phone, when they want to take my temperature before I'm shown to a table and when I can't see the face of the waiter.

One day I will go out to lunch, I'll see my lovely physio about my dodgy knees, I'll go away for a weekend and I'll go to the jewellers to get my eternity ring fixed. One day. If I haven't died of fury before that day arrives...

In better news, we had breakfast in the garden this morning and then picked the first of this year's strawberries... all three of them! I'm hoping for enough of a crop to enable me to make a couple of jars of jam like last year, but three is a good start!

Summer, smells and sport

Lovely weather yesterday and today - it feels like a proper English summer. Warm, but not hot; breezy, but not enough to blow your sunhat off. 

Took a walk round the lotties and the farmer's field yesterday - he's growing oats again! 

I like the summer, little things like having the kitchen door open and being able to wander in and out for a few chives or a sprig of rosemary, picking a few strawberries or a handful of tomatoes for a salad and just feeling the breeze blowing in. 

The downside of summer, of course, is that it does tempt people to bring out their barbecues again. If the smell outside is anything to go by, cremated slabs of dead animal have appeared on many a dinner table this weekend. Nice... if you like that sort of thing. Yuk! If I had my way barbecues would be banned - they stink and they're anti-social.

News media is forecasting that Boris will be delaying the 'big reopening' by four weeks... damn and blast him. I think we all knew it was never going to happen - he's clinging on to that last shred of power for grim death. 

Strange though, that this 'deadly' virus is supposed to be so contagious, so dangerous that we all have to wear masks, stay socially distanced and have a double jab... but in Carbis Bay in Cornwall, where the G7 leaders are having a bit of a jolly at our expense, there's no need for any of those pesky, tiresome restrictions. Maybe Covid hasn't found its way over the Tamar... or maybe the whole thing has been nonsense from the very beginning, just a particularly nasty flu virus which never needed all the hoo-ha we've had surrounding it? Well, wash my mouth out!

England start their Euro 2020/2021 campaign today - I'd like to watch it, I've been a football fan for as long as I can remember, but I won't watch while they're indulging in this 'taking a knee' virtue-signalling crap. Being called a racist by Gareth Southgate because I disagree with bringing politics into sport is the last straw. I'll be rooting for any team we're playing against - I hope England lose every match.

Well, sadly, England won and so did Djokovic in the French Open - not what I wanted in either case but, as Mick Jagger sang, "You can't always get what you want".

Our 'wonderful' NHS

Unfortunately, I had experience today of our 'wonderful' NHS. 

I was on the phone for 21 minutes before someone deigned to answer. Thankfully I'm not desperately ill, I was ringing to ask about the possibility of booking an appointment where I could actually see a GP for a couple of ongoing problems.

"Hi, when do you estimate I'll be able to book an appointment to actually see a GP?"

"Well, they're only seeing patients by invitation. You have to speak to them by phone and they'll decide if they want to see you."

"But what if I want to see them?"

"Well, I can only book a face-to-face for some conditions. What's wrong with you?"

So I explained my medical conditions to someone who isn't a doctor, a nurse or even a pharmacist - someone who actually has no medical training whatsoever, in fact... at which point she replied "Let me see if that's on my list.... No, you'll have to have a telephone appointment for that".

She had all the empathy and sensitivity of a slap in the face. How anyone thought she was a suitable candidate for the job is beyond me. 

As Mr S-V pointed out, these are our NHS 'superheroes'. Just as well I wasn't bleeding to death... 

We've both had dental appts in the past year and Mr S-V has an appt with a consultant later this month. No problem at all. The only difference is... the dentist and consultant are seen privately - if they don't work, they don't get paid, whereas NHS GPs can make an occasional telephone call then sit around drinking coffee all day on full pay if they so choose. With no proper access to a GP is it any wonder people are turning up at A&E?

So, let me get this straight, I can see a dentist, a medical consultant, an optician, a hairdresser, a beautician... I can even get my ears pierced if I want to, but I can only see an NHS GP if invited to do so? Looks like GPs are delicate little flowers, fragile souls who need to be kept away from the very people they're paid to serve. 

Fine, well I'm glad we've cleared that up. I know where I stand... and it obviously won't be in my GP's office.

When zero isn't low enough

Zero Covid deaths were recorded in the UK yesterday.

Zero. Nil. Nada. Zilch.

Just think about that for a moment and let it sink in.

Think about what we've endured for the last 15 months. 

Think about masks, social distancing, not seeing or hugging your family and friends and why we're still living under some of those restrictions.

Think about the fear that was spread by Govt in order to ensure compliance.

Think about the trashing of the economy, the scale of the National debt, the businesses that have gone under, the livelihoods lost and the resultant unemployment and homelessness.

Think about not being with your dying loved ones in their final moments and saying your last goodbyes via an iPad.

Think about the people still waiting for treatment for anything not Covid related, those who died because they caught Covid in an NHS hospital, the women who had to give birth without their partner beside them, the GPs who still won't see patients face-to-face.

Think about the millions who've been encouraged, almost coerced, by Govt to have a so-called 'vaccine' which hasn't even finished clinical trials yet and for which doctors and scientists have no idea what the long-term side effects may be.

Think about the mental health issues, the suicide rate,  the children who've had their education disrupted.

Think about why we are all still under semi-lockdown and under threat that it may not be lifted on June 21st.

Think about all this. Think really, really hard. 

Now ask yourself who is to blame for the complete disaster that started unfolding in March 2020. 

If you don't answer "The Govt", then I'm afraid you are a lost soul and there is absolutely no hope for you.

Happy Birthday to me!

As of today I am officially a pensioner! 66 Not Out.

At last I'll be able to start drawing my State pension - six years later than promised, after the lying shysters in Govt changed the pensionable age for women, managing rather neatly to short-change me by about £45k in the process...! Finally, they can no longer weasel out of giving back some of the extortionate amounts of tax and National Insurance I've paid over the years.

I'm not quite sure how I managed to get to this age - it seems only yesterday I left school, but there you go. Time flies when you're having fun... so they say.

And I will have fun today... for one thing, it's a Bank Holiday and for another, we'll be seeing our lovely foursome later! There'll be hugs, presents and a cake with candles (both procured from Waitrose by Mr S-V, love him); just for a little while I'll get down off my soapbox and stop raging with fury over bloody Covid and associated Govt ineptitude.

I can't believe this is the second birthday I've had since this debacle started. There'd better not be a third!

Before I get off the aforementioned soapbox, I note the overpaid suits in the NHS and assorted Govt advisers are wittering again about the NHS being "under pressure" and "overwhelmed" if the country opens up and starts behaving normally on June 21st. Strangely, they seem surprised there's a considerable number of non-Covid patients needing treatment. Well, when you slammed the doors on them 15 months ago, matey, what the hell did you expect to happen?

Were all the dodgy hips and knees, the heart conditions, the cancers, diabetes, COPD and all the other illnesses people suffer supposed to just magically get better and go away?? How very inconsiderate of people to still be ill and to expect the NHS slackers to finally do some bloody work for a change!!

This is our "wonderful" NHS, the one for which we all pay handsomely and for which we were all locked up in March 2020, in order to "protect". 

So what was the point of "protecting" our esteemed Health Service if, every time it's needed, it can't cope and comes up short?! Answers on a postcard, please.

*Gets down off soapbox and gets ready to see our lovely Troops*

Anger and resentment

Not a good week. Oh, I know we're all supposed to be grateful for having some of our freedoms restored - freedoms which the lying shysters in Govt had no bloody right to take away - but I don't think I've ever felt less grateful for anything in my life... in fact the resentment and anger at what we're having to go through has been just about choking me.

Just how much longer can these stupid restrictions go on? They're doing their best to keep people terrified by talking in hushed tones about the 'Indian variant', which is allegedly terribly dangerous. It's so dangerous, in fact, that three Covid deaths were reported on Wednesday and six deaths were reported yesterday.

Wow, nine deaths over two days. As sorry as I am for those who died, that is not a dangerous variant, it isn't even worth mentioning in the wider scheme of things. It won't stop them inventing another 'variant' as soon as this one looks like it's not having the desired effect, though.

And another thing... I'm sick of people having a go at those who've chosen not to be vaccinated, sick of being called names, sick of their "Look at me, I'm doing the right thing and you're a stupid anti-vaxxer" attitude, sick of hearing about variants dreamt up purely to frighten people into compliance... and sick to bloody death of the incessant lies emanating from Govt so they can keep this nonsense going.

Funny thing is, there isn't really anything particular I want to do but I want to feel normal again. That doesn't seem like much to ask..

I've had enough of Govt intrusion in my life. I'm big enough and ugly enough to take responsibility for my actions - I don't need nannying by people who aren't fit to clean my shoes.

Right, rant over, I'm off to do some exercise. It might help me work off some of this rage - either that or it'll finish me off completely.

Cookies and more Covid

Oh god... here we go again. Boris has been on the telly, yet again, giving another bloody briefing - god knows why, he hasn't said anything particularly useful since all this started 15 months ago. Cue serious faces, serious voices and veiled threats of what might happen. It appears he's trying to talk up the "Indian variant", mostly because he's desperate not to lower the level of restrictions next month and thereby lose his current grip on our lives. 

When this variant has run its course, we'll have the "Afghanistan variant" or maybe the "Caribbean variant" or even the "Cornwall variant" etc. etc... it's never-ending. At this rate we'll still be in some sort of lockdown when I've fallen off my perch and turned to dust. Rinse and repeat ad nauseum.

I think it must be clear to anyone, even the most adoring sheeple, that he never had any intention of opening up the country on June 21st - he's now showing that to be the case.

As well as being sick of all the Covid nonsense, I'm still sick to death of cooking - I don't mind fiddling about and making something frivolous but it's the main meals that are really getting me down; I think I'm just bored. It's been so long since we went out for lunch I won't know what to do when I'm confronted with a menu... there'll be actual choices of dishes I haven't had to make myself! I've almost forgotten what that's like!

Cauliflower and broccoli cheese with glazed carrots and green beans for dinner today - it doesn't require any thought, I can do it almost with my eyes closed. I could try that... it might make cooking a bit less boring!

Despite my ongoing apathy in the kitchen I had a bit of fun and made Nigella's Chocolate Mint Cookies yesterday. My advice is... do not make these, they are dangerously addictive! 

I made the glaze without adding peppermint - Mr S-V isn't keen on minty flavours - but, apart from that, I followed the recipe exactly. They came out perfectly. It occurred to me about a minute after I'd finished drizzling the glaze over them (typical - too late!) that I could have used orange extract instead of peppermint. An idea for next time and there will definitely be a next time!

Hugs... and Baked Peppers

Boris was on TV yesterday, once again telling us what we'll be 'allowed' to do from next Monday when restrictions change. My anger level went up several notches. To be honest the level hasn't really abated for the last 15 months or so... I didn't know it was possible to feel this angry, for this long.

Apparently, we'll be legally 'allowed' to hug again, it'll be our own choice and we should use "personal judgement" BUT we must continue to be cautious. Always the caveat, just to keep the frightened, frightened. I can see straight through them and their lies - they're so transparent.

It's the authoritarian nature of being 'allowed' by the Govt to do something as innocuous as hugging your friends or having your family round for lunch that gets me. How on earth did we become a country where something like that has to be 'allowed'?

Restaurants, pubs and other indoor hospitality venues will open as of next Monday, but there's still an awful lot of "Oooh, it's still very dangerous" and "We must all still be vigilant" and "Meeting outdoors is safer, if you're indoors you must keep the windows open". Jesus wept...!!

Rules on masks stay the same, but they "haven't ruled out" abandoning the mask rule in June... which really means we'll be masked for the foreseeable and certainly past next winter when the next wave of the usual respiratory viruses occurs. They need the rule on masks to keep the populace living in fear (see above!). Mustn't risk people thinking for themselves.

All of this is just another chapter in his "We're in control and you will do as we say" book. He's loosening the reins so reluctantly - you can see how much he's enjoyed having the power to control everything we do, even in our own homes; never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd get people to kowtow to this level of micromanagement. He's been getting off on this for months; he was never going to give it up without a fight... and he isn't.

He now has a stick with which to beat us for years to come. The threat of restrictions.

I'll move onto something infinitely more appealing before I burst into flames of fury... food! I saw this Nigel Slater recipe for Baked Peppers - it looked easy and tasty so I gave it a go for lunch today; he did it with tofu, but also suggested using feta which is what I did. I also scaled it down so that it just served the two of us.

It comes highly recommended by Mr S-V who said "You can definitely do this again"! My version may have been a little more caramelised (charred?) than Nigel's, but I think I just about got away with it.

All you need is a chunk of decent bread for mopping up all the lovely juices.

May the fourth (be with you!)

We've just had a Bank Holiday weekend and our four lovely Troops came here on Sunday. Under the restrictions we were supposed to be outside and socially distanced. Were we? Well, what do you think? I've said it before, I'll say it again... My house, my rules.

The news is full of what we'll be 'allowed' to do when the restrictions change on May 17th. Even after more than a year, I'm still gobsmacked by the notion that a British Govt can tell people what they are 'allowed' to do when they see their friends and family in their own home. It is so far removed from the role of Govt as to be unbelievable. Maybe Boris and his henchmen would be happier in North Korea?

Assorted MPs are laying the ground for some of the restrictions to continue. It doesn't matter how many people have the so-called vaccine, or how low cases and deaths go (just one yesterday and three today), they'll keep us under the State thumb for as long as possible... with dire warnings of what 'could' happen if we behave like normal human beings. I despise him.

Went for a walk yesterday morning; the lotties are a hive of activity as everything is waking up after the winter. Plenty of digging and seed-sowing going on. Weather's still not great but at least we had some much-needed rain later in the day, the garden has been desperate for it. The weather woman on TV said April had been the driest ever recorded, and from the look of our grass I can well believe it!

Wild excitement here - we've booked a table for lunch at our favourite restaurant for the end of June! There's only one caveat... I'm not going if any of the restrictions are still in place. So that's no masks, no social distancing, no taking our temperature before entry and no Track and Trace. That's a lot to ask, but Boris said it would all come to an end on June 21st. Yes, I know he was probably lying but, just in case he wasn't, the table is booked. 

Should I have a bet on whether we actually go...?

Just think... if all restrictions are lifted and we can get back to our old lives, I can stop sitting here talking to myself!

Joyous? Happy? Cheerful?

Or even "Mildly Pleased"? These are all words I don't use very often these days. No real cause to do so, sadly. I just keep on keeping on. Put one foot in front of the other and get through the days until life becomes a bit more normal.

Covid rumbles relentlessly on. The numbers of cases and deaths are both so low now, any self-respecting virus would be embarrassed to call itself a pandemic. Eleven deaths today, apparently. Meanwhile Boris is still trying to keep people frightened in case there's a third 'wave'. Even if there's not so much a wave as a ripple, they'll all go into a frenzy and we'll be in lockdown again.

My money is on an autumn lockdown, regardless of cases and deaths. Of course, there'll be no good reason for it, but reason and logic went out the window long ago. Watch this space.

How on earth can we still be under all the same restrictions... and yet be told on a daily basis how well the 'vaccine' rollout is going? It makes no sense... but then again, nothing has made any sense for the past year or so.

The garden helps to keep us sane, though, and now the weather's a little better it's nice to get out there and potter around a bit. I picked some rhubarb yesterday and made a tub of rhubarb and stem ginger compote to have with porridge. If we get a good enough crop I might make some jam.

Weather has been really weird... bright days but with a cold wind, frosty nights and absolutely no rain for the last few weeks. It's a wonder anything at all is growing at the moment; what happened to April showers? Maybe we'll get them in May? Bank holiday next weekend - that should ensure it rains!

I'm finally managing to get my hair cut next Friday - hooray! - almost five months since it was last done. It's been almost fifty (yes, 50!) years since my hair was this long. Good god, that makes me feel old.

Shopping? No thanks

We both had dental appointments on Monday; the surgery is in the centre of town - it was the first day that non-essential shops had been open since before Christmas and everyone was released into the wild. I knew it'd be busy but I didn't expect to have to queue to get in the car-park! Blimey, you'd have thought they were giving stuff away!

We walked past the entrance to the shopping centre and went straight home after seeing our lovely dentist; as we drove away it occurred to me I may never go shopping again in the way I used to. Funny thing is, I no longer want to... and thinking more widely about going out, to a restaurant maybe, I no longer want to do that either.

I'm not frightened of Covid, it's just that over the past year or so every facet of life has changed... and so have I. I've dug my heels in - with each new rule dreamt up by Govt my resolve has hardened - I will not be pushed around. 

Masks, test and trace apps, potential vaccine passports, temperatures being taken before admittance to a restaurant, social distancing, etc. have sucked every scrap of joy from going out. The only way round that is to stay home unless absolutely necessary - so that's where I am and that's where I'll stay. My once weekly jaunt to M&S Food will continue to be my only shopping outlet.

Will we one day go out for a spot of lunch? Well, it's looking less and less likely unless all the stupid rules and restrictions are abandoned and, of course, I will never have a vaccine passport. It's a modern-day version of apartheid and segregation... how can that possibly be acceptable in this day and age? Hospitality venues will find they need me more than I need them; I can only hope there's an outbreak of sanity at some point and we can once again live normally.

Meanwhile, I can get pretty much everything I need online and, bonus, I don't even have to get dressed to "go" shopping, nor do I have to pay car park charges!