My next door neighbour is a fine fellow. I am jealous of his abilities. These (amongst many others) lie in the area of “DIY”. He is very good at “DIY” – I by contrast am useless. As I type he is working on improving his bathroom. I know as I hear the electric drill and the banging of a hammer.
It is a sunny day with a light breeze and a walk is called for after lunch. I checked my Relief from Penury Fund (my bank account) and note with satisfaction that the state pension has arrived therein!
All however is NOT well with the world – this not withstanding the fact that the Almighty’s location appears not to have changed!
Oh Dear! Oh Dear! Oh Dear!
Certain members of the UK’s diverse communities may well regard the above sentence as blasphemous and inter-alia a “hate crime”! Doubtless officers from Devon and Cornwall Police will soon be on their way to arrest me!
Remember, the modern police officer has to have their sense of humour removed completely before joining “the service”!
On this day (it was Tuesday) His Majesty King George V proclaimed a Declaration of War between the British Empire and the German Empire. The reason? Violation by Germany of Belgian territorial integrity and her neutrality. The rest as they say is history…….
At the time (04-08-1914) my late father was 8 years, 2 months and 15 days old and remembered the day. Historians report on a sense of jubilation and jingoism. That was NOT the mood in the Rogers household in Park Villa, Golberdon (a mile out of Callington, Cornwall) or with the family’s neighbours. A sense of gloom is to accurately describe the general feeling in the village.
Today we have a war in Eastern Europe and increasing tension across the Strait of Taiwan. There is a looming energy crisis.
If this were not bad enough we have a President of the United States of America suffering from dementia, a Vice President who may not be confused in terms of her memory, but most certainly is confused about which pronouns to use to describe her gender! Then we have a President of Russia about whom a consultant neurologist employed by the NHS has expressed his professional doubts about his (Putin’s) health – physical and mental.
We appear to have a situation in November where the Republicans will gain a working majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate which has resulted in some commentators suggesting that if he does not retire, President Biden will be removed from office on the grounds of lack of capability and the succeeding President (the current VP) will be impeached. This after a certain Donald J. Trump will be elected as Speaker of the House (of Representatives). This would mean upon the removal of the VP, Mr Trump would become President. Unlike Mrs Harris, Mr Trump appears to have no problems with his pronouns!
Then we have the retirement of Jens Stoltenberg (Prime Minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001, and again from 2005 until 2013) who became NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg on 1st October 2014 and his second four year term comes to an end on Saturday 1st October 2022. It is thought that a certain Boris Johnson is a “shoe in” for this post!
Meanwhile a certain Mrs O’Leary is more than likely to be appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – a lady of whom a former Conservative MP described as, “So wooden you could creosote her!”
What can possibly go wrong?