Well after a day yesterday that felt like it had been stolen back from the gods of bad weather, today we have had what my French chums would describe as a truly British day. I was lucky in that I got out to go to the market early (for me at the moment), so there was only a very short queue to get into the market place and my usual stalls didn't have many waiting either. My only limit was that I had little cash, so had to do my bulk purchases where they would take card payments (cheese, fruit and veg). I was out of the square by 10:25am, which was quite good as the rain radar had indicated that the rain would start in la Flèche at 10:30am. Impressively for the forecasters, I felt the first spots at 10:27am. By the time I got home it was properly raining.
It then rained solidly until about half an hour ago, so I've been truly confined to quarters. As my big project is now put to rest for a while, all I have had to do is some bits of electronic tidying up, soI've had time to think.
When I got home from the market this morning, John had the internet radio tuned to Classic FM. We were both fed up with Radio 2 and the false cheery, "we're all in it together", worthy projects and jollification, or fake sincere and practiced choke to the voice, hushed tones and doleful stories of death or loss. Commercial pop and rock radio stations had inane adverts for things we didn't need and couldn't buy anyway, traffic reports for roads we don't use and government exhortations to good behaviour. I had suggested trying Classic FM, and within seconds of tuning in, John was apparently happily conducting an imaginary orchestra through a rousing piece of music.
I'd also seen yesterday on Facebook a rant about orthodoxy in revering the NHS (no problem with that) and saying politicians in the UK were doing their best (don't get me started). I had noticed an increase in people doing things to raise money, and all for the NHS. People - you pay for the NHS every day of your working life - it's called National Insurance contributions and taxation. It is the politicians who decide if what you pay actually goes to the NHS, but unless you are a tax and NI dodger, if you are a normal person, you pay every day for the NHS. If you can't walk up stairs 35 times a day without getting sponsored, find a proper charity.
And here is where I really start to rant. Many of the charities, and organisations you may not think of as charities, that make our "normal" lives so much better or safer are struggling with no revenue, having to pay furloughed staff, little if any government support and are facing huge challenges in keeping going. If you want to benefit from any of the following post-Covid-19, think about donating a few pennies to them, to make sure they are there afterwards:
Wildlife Trusts; RSPB; YMCA; NSPCC; RSPCA; Lifeboat Association; Friends Of your local park, cinema club, library; shelters for the homeless, abused men, women and children; PDSA; festivals; small music venues; groups who look after local heritage including buildings, arboretums, prehistoric sites, meadows, forests; local fauna and flora groups. I could go on, but you get the picture.
The NHS and ALL their staff do a fabulous job, and we owe them gratitude for what they are doing for us now, not least in ensuring that once the pandemic is forgotten, their working terms and conditions are improved significantly (surely the best legacy we can give them). But the world afterwards also needs beauty, kindness, art and culture, and you could do no worse than donate to them too, so they are there for you.
You may also wish to offer a sacrifice of something to the weather gods so that it doesn't rain all day tomorrow, otherwise you risk more of this!
Comments