THE LAST VESTIGES.

Well, it happened. I wasn’t watching closely enough and it crept up on me. January 18th 2021 Martin Luthor King Day, Blue Monday, Thesaurus Day, and not to forget Winnie the Pooh Day. It was also the day no-one would let me forget that I reached my biblical Three Score and Ten.

As one of my son-in-law’s sisters was kind enough to point out on video, It’s amazing I’ve reached so great an age. I’m trying hard to imagine that she meant I’ve become an elder statesman with the wisdom of the ages settled nicely on my shoulders so that I appear well balanced.

On the other hand knowing that I stayed up all night answering emails, Texts and messages from any of my Linkedin groups my daughter thinks I’ve lost the last vestiges of my common sense. It was a case of should I be allowed to live alone any more or would they come to take me away.

My brother-in-law suggests I should apply for a Thai Bride to rejuvenate me. When daylight broke I clicked on video my daughter had caused to be made and cried like a 7 year old rather than a 69 years and 365 days old adult as family and friends paraded before me with a series of delightful messages reminding me how old I am, interspersed with photographs of me with my grandchildren from birth onwards and pictures of my beautiful wife who never got to meet them. I can promise those of you with shares in a tissue factory that you’ll be getting a big bonus this year.

I wandered through to the lounge my arm going numb from the continuous vibrating of my phone. No messages, I just like the sensation. Joey was awake enough for me not to disturb him as I opened my gifts but he reminded me to open he cage door first. It’s not that he comes out very often but he does like the option of being able to tug at my hair as he flies past. When Mike stays here it’s usually him gets the flight path engraved on his head. All I hear is, Ouch, you little B****. In the furthest chair from the cage I can generally sit quite happy that mayhem ensues elsewhere.

This is not Joey but one of his brighter cousins. Joey is a sullen, brooding monster who sits in his cage eating the honey seed bells we get especially for him, plotting his revenge on mankind for imagined insults.

Anyway, back to the present opening. My brother-in-law had impressed on me just how carefully I was to open my gift from him and my wife’s sister. Taking off the outer layer I was faced with a small gift that felt light but which he’d led me to believe was a blow up doll, even I had worked out it wasn’t Thai bride. The tape said Fragile and was protecting the contents with a grip that even my scissors struggled with. I did get inside eventually and the floor looked like I’d just held a wedding .Inside were six coins, three of which carried the Welsh dragon and three of which he later assured me were real gambling silver dollars from the old Mississippi riverboats. One side carries the American Dollar value and the other side….naked ladies. I blushed. I couldn’t fid the blow up doll though so he must have forgotten to put it in. Still, I’m too old to play with dolls.

So, I have a big question. Am I the Elder Statesman, the eldest of my generation in the family, or am I finally at the age where I can be a little mischievous but carry an air of innocence about me? I’m going back to wearing my waistcoats to lend a air of dignity though the fluorescence of some might lend itself more to rakishness. Mind you, is that so bad? Maybe at 70 I’m in a different world from anyone else.

Peace, Much Love and Virtual Hugs to you all.

David

MOVING ON.

It’s been just a week since one of the most sickening events in American History, some say since my lot were over there kicking ass before having our collective asses kicked. Whenever it was, and whatever it was are irrelevant as nothing in recent history compares to this. It was a definite attempt at a coup and there’s no denying that had the insurrectionists managed to get their filthy hands on certain people like Nancy Pelosi or Mike Pence there may well have been executions.

Whilst I don’t care for Mike Pence I think it ridiculous that he’s being targeted by Trumpites for letting Trump down. Firstly he obeyed the vow he’d made to the country-not to Trump- and secondly he did not have the power to do as he was asked anyway. What does leave me with a sour taste in my mouth and the obvious question, is why Pence refused to set in motion Amendment 25 to remove Trump from office since not only has he not been doing his job but he’s long shown himself to be way out of his depth.

Instead the Democrats have had to prepare for another impeachment where there’s little chance of seeing a conclusion until Trump is gone. But it’s annoying he’ll finish his term. My friend Jill at Filosofa’s Word has been trying to educate me on American politics and the rules, tells me that to get a conviction will means fully two thirds of the senate have to vote guilty. By my calculation that means at least 17 Republicans out of 50 will have to cross the floor. I have to ask myself “What are the chances?” There’s been talk of wanting to heal the rift between the two parties. I’ve heard one suggestion from Senator Marco Rubio of the Republican side.

when he suggested to Joe Biden that he grant a $2000 stimulus relief. This seems to be an attempt to curry favour with his constituents, and make it look like he’s working on their behalf, because Biden has already committed to this. I was grateful it wasn’t the relief package for businesses so that Trump couldn’t plunder it for his own businesses and those of his son-in-law. But again I’m left with a question in my mind. If anybody on the Republican side really regrets last Wednesday’s attempted insurrection and loss of life, why aren’t they coming up with real plans to heal the great wound in American politics and draw the two sides closer. Why aren’t the Republican politicians telling their people “No More” and convincing them of the lies that Trump told during his one term Presidency.

Picture by New York Times

Before anyone tells me I’m obviously in love with Joe Biden let me assure you I’m not. Had I lived over there he would not have been my choice but at least I’m prepared to give him a chance. And I note that for all the accusations thrown about, concerning either him or his son, I note we never saw any proof. On the other hand there’s proof that Trump has a bank account in China, proof he took stimulus relief money for his businesses ( and my personal belief is that he had some for himself too). I also believe he took a commission for the arms sale agreed with Saudi Arabia. Trump does very little unless there’s something in it for him.

So, Joe and Kamala have a pretty mess to start cleaning up on 20th. First on the agenda will have to be the Trump’s virus. Deaths now heading for 400,000. This has to be brought under control and it’s going to take both ends of the political spectrum to do it. My question would be whether there will be any co-operation from the Republicans. So far their politicians don’t seem to have pressed things with their beloved leader to do anything about it, nor Mike Pence when Trump passed the baton to him. The members on the ground have been just as bad, refusing to wear masks or practice distancing. Those that tell everyone that Trump’s virus is really a Democrat plot seem to miss the point that many thousands of Democrats are also dying from it. It seems a shame that lobotomies can’t be reversed. Another thing that has to be faced is the mess the EPA is in. It shouldn’t need me to point out that the environment is Universal. What does one side good also does the other. All the new rules that came in just to benefit huge companies with an eye to profit at any price will have to change and land ownership reverted to the people. One major thing that I’ve been harping on about for ages so that even Democrat bloggers block me is the Minimum wage. Joe Biden says he wants to make it $15 an hour. That’s just what it should be and the nice thing is that it’s employers who must shoulder the burden and not the Government. In my eyes this will result in the Government getting a bit more taxation and having to pay out less in benefits that Republican’s dislike so much, though they won’t refuse it. This could go towards the whopping National Debt.

Free images.

Now, I’m going to ask a favour and I’ll make it of both sides. To start building the America it should be, the best thing to do is to stop teaching your children that one colour is better than another. Any doctor can tell you it’s just not true. Children will have black friends in the playground and that’s good. All is equal and it would be great to have it stay that way. I don’t suggest you try giving up your own fantasies of Superiority but just don’t pass them on. Allow children to learn and make their own choices. In the great World Wars and in your own Vietnam war plenty of people of colour died for the US. The least you could do is show some respect for fellow citizens who are as much support to the country as you are.

Hugs to all. Have a Great Week.

David.

REBIRTH OF A NATION?

Yesterday, January 6th 2021 will be a day long remembered in the history books. I saw something I never thought to witness outside of a Banana Republic. A Western Nation go to war with itself. There was armed insurrection in the Capital and the home of Democracy in America , The Capitol Building, was attacked by armed civilians carrying every type of weapon. These people had not gone to demand a more Democratic State, they had gone to destroy Democracy itself.

People were forewarned of such an event and it surprised me that there wasn’t a stronger defence of he building though it seems likely that there may have been some collusion between these insurrectionists and members of the current ruling party. The President who has made an almost single handed assault on Government during the last four years, and who has done little to earn his salary for the last 12 months during the worst domestic crisis since 1918 ( The Spanish Flu), has spent his time tweeting or rallying since November bemoaning his lost election. According to him the election was fraudulent and stolen from him. Numerous recounts and checks have proven him wrong and of some 60 court cases, he has lost 59. His one minor victory discounted some votes but not enough to change the outcome.

Instead of accepting the inevitable and preparing for the smooth handover of the presidency, Mr Trump has purposely taken the path of sedition and convinced his followers that his claims are true and on the day when the Electoral College votes are counted in Washington they should take to the streets and force those votes to be overturned giving him back the presidency. In the meantime he called the Secretary of State in Georgia and tried in turn pleading, cajoling and threatening him to get him to produce enough votes from thin air to change the outcome of the election in his favour. He’s been attending rallies in Georgia recently to help the two Republican candidates for the Senate. The whole time of course telling everyone that he couldn’t possibly have lost Georgia proving it must have been a fraudulent election.

As is often the way when people are not used to thinking for themselves his followers were convinced of the truth of his claims. Now came a situation not seen since the nineteenth century, North versus South, a practically civil war situation. This was made much worse by a number of Senators and Representatives who attached themselves to The President and vowed to get the whole election overturned by rejecting the Electoral College count. This is unconstitutional but the lawmakers disregarded that rather inconvenient fact.

President Trump welcomed his followers, various White Supremacy Groups and his favourite Proud Boys to Washington and encouraged the mayhem that resulted. It’s amazing hat only one life was lost. That of a woman shot from within the Capitol. I understand several policemen were injured too. It was violence and damage that should never have happened and has split the Nation in two. North versus South or Republicans versus Democrats. It’s long been the case that Republicans claim to hate Big Government so maybe this was an opportune moment to make that quite clear.

Without the Federal Government many States would have been even more confused last year than they were. Some centralisation helped them get supplies needed to combat the pandemic that they’d been told was likely to be over very quickly as it was only like the flu. Some still believe that Covid 19 was a Democrat plot despite over a quarter of a million deaths from a virus that was indiscriminate as to which political group, geographical group or even religious group it’s victims belonged to. President Trump even assisted the virus to spread by holding rallies at which he wore no mask and encouraged others to do the same. He is as much a killer as the virus itself.

Sedition.

incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government. Any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion.

Insurrection.

an organized attempt by a group of people to defeat their government and take control of their country, usually by violence:

Both of these are serious offences and need to be dealt with. Justice must be seen to be done. There are rumours of another impeachment but with only 13 days to go before Joe Biden becomes President I doubt there’s time but he does need removing from power now, today by whatever method. He should then be arrested along with his enablers from the GOP and his lawyers who carried his ridiculous claims to court and who said the election results should be overturned. Anyone who can be identified as occupying the Capitol Building from his followers must also be dealt with. I’m currently angry enough to think they should be taken out and shot as traitors.

On January20th Joseph Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th President of the U.S. Now comes the best hope for the United States. Since yesterday saw two Democrats being elected in Georgia giving Joe not only control of the Senate, wrested from the grasp of Moscow Mitch McConnell, but he also has the house of Representatives. He will find it a lot easier to pass new bills through undoing all the damage done by Trump to things like the EPA. He needs to bring the two factions together and show he will govern without favour to either side. One thing he could do almost immediately is to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The Republicans claim that Big Government support people with Government handouts at the expense of others. They have singled out black people as the main recipients. I believe that a check will show that just as many white people claim and many will be Republicans. Especially where Obamacare is involved as many people required that help. Raising the minimum wage makes employers liable for the extra costs and will take a lot of people off welfare meaning the Government save more money towards the National Debt. Firms like Walmart will no longer be able to pay starvation wages and have the Government make up the difference with welfare. This is a move for all the people and may start to unite the land. Joe has also promised to reinstate Obamacare properly which will help many. Proper control of the coronavirus could save many lives especially if the wearing of masks is made mandatory. People will have to be considerate of others no matter how they feel their rights are being eroded. It will not last forever and will be done regardless of political allegiance. All must do their bit. Slowly but surely Joe and Kamala Harris can show their worth and their dedication to creating one nation. From the great film the Birth of a Nation we may see the Rebirth of a Nation as one entity.

I wish all my friends across the World a Happy New Year and to my friends in America I wish you peace and success under your new Presidential Team.

Hugs

The Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

There was a time this blog would only contain posts relating to peace in the world and the value of Hugs. Of equality and of reminding the world if we have, we must not stint of sharing. We cannot accept the fate of children starving in Africa, and yet these days we cannot accept of children starving in so called civilised societies.

I needn’t go into the fact that there has been an election in the United States. The statement would normally end there and life would go on as normal until the change of one President for another and new people in all the top jobs. Things are hugely different this year since the President would not accept he results of the election claiming massive voter fraud by Joe Biden and his Democrat election team. I have no idea whether the President actually believed his own hype since he’s been predicting this for months and there was enough security to ensure it didn’t happen. But, as is often the case in a society that loves conspiracy theories, a lot of people believed the claims.

In most Western societies there is opposition between the two leading parties though often the views are not as different as they seem. Whatever happens at the elections is accepted by the losers, the transfer of power is quite quick and goes off without a hitch and without too much malice. In the UK the worst I can remember is a member of the losing Labour Government leaving a snide note about there being no money in the pot for the incoming Government. But, in America there is malice aplenty. The President has been to court about 40 times to try to have judges overturn the results. He has lost in all but one case where I think 600 votes were disallowed but which made no difference to the final results. The actions themselves were rather lacklustre and the losses seemed to make little difference to the President. Again I had to wonder just how deeply he felt about whether a fraud really had been committed. Whatever he believed seems to make little difference to the Republican Party and the voters, they would follow him anyway.

In recent days the President has been to Georgia where at the time the votes had not been verified. They soon were and not in his favour. He has asked the Governor as a fellow Republican to cast out the results and appoint some Electors who would give their votes to The President. On January 6th there is an election for two seats which are generally Republican. Scared that they may be turned by their Democratic opponents and taking away the Republican majority in the senate and thus making Mitch McConnell totally ineffective as he’s no longer rule as he has done, The President has asked the Governor to cancel the election ‘as it won’t be needed’ this is presumably in the hope that the current Republicans will automatically be counted as having won. Maybe he was hoping that the Republican faithful, with Mitch ruling the Senate would be there to back him for a 2024 win. The Governor told The President that he doesn’t have the power to do as he was asked and that the results of the main election were honest and correct. He is now the recipient of several nasty tweets. So this is how he treats fellow Republicans when he can’t get his way.

It’s bad enough that President Trump has broken with the protocols surrounding the change of Government but he has not admitted that he has lost, has not congratulated President Elect Joe Biden, and only recently allowed him to start the process of change by letting some departments share information needed for a smooth change of Government. He is establishing many stumbling blocks and rushing though many bills that will take Joe Biden a long time to sort out, if they can be sorted at all. One such is to make it all but impossible for Iran to be brought back into an agreement over their weapons grade nuclear fuel. He of course assisted Israel in the killing of the scientist who heads the nuclear section of the Iranian Government.

Another change to the normal smooth change is that threats made by President Trump have come about with the activities of The Proud Boys who had previously been told to Stand Back and Stand By. Now are told the Stand By order has been rescinded and yet they are on the streets provoking violence every chance they get following the ‘Million MAGA March ‘ on 14th November and it’s attendant violence thee thugs have marched in support of President Trump in North Carolina, Sacramento, California and New York. All the time they claim the election was a fraud and that is the reason they march. President Trump does not condemn their actions.

If President Trump’s actions are allowed to become the norm there will never be another election that one side or the other can’t claim is fraudulent and use it as a tactic to delay things. Possibly even use it as an excuse to overturn the result. In the meantime the Republicans will do what they can to take the vote away from some minority groups so that even though they are the minority they could achieve most votes by cheating. I personally hope that the two seats from Georgia go to the challengers so that the Senate is equal with the deciding vote going to the VP. All this action takes place during a pandemic that is killing off thousands of American citizens but there is no leadership from the President who has very few duties these days but can find time for his beloved golf.

I wish you a very safe and a very Happy Season or Nadolig Llawen as we say in my Country. Stay away from the virus and I hope it stays away from you. Huge Hugs.

The World Turns a mite strangely

A little over two weeks ago the US had elections for President as well as some Senators and representatives. I’m quite sure most of you remember it since TV’s and newspapers the world over covered it along with the usual conspiracy theorists from Facebook. Under normal circumstances the election would have been done and dusted by now. But that doesn’t allow for the capriciousness of the current President Donald J Trump .

Once the count had been done which took a few days because of votes by mail which are counted last the results appeared Joe Biden. Democrat 290 seats and over 79m votes Donald Trump Republican 232 seats and over 73m votes. This appears to be a decisive victory for Joe Biden. Under normal circumstances, and I repeat this because it’s anything but normal, the President would concede (as gracefully as possible), the President elect, his Vice President Kamala Harris who is blessed by being the only female in the role and the only woman of colour. (By all accounts she is an outstanding person.) and their team would be given access to certain things like the Presidents daily report on intelligence and security. There would be aa certain amount of money to come from the President’s Fund to enable the President Elect to start preparing for the transfer of power on January 20th.

So far none of this has happened. President Trump averred election fraud and demanded recounts. He’s certainly entitled to those but then came his strange demand that certain parts of the count be disregarded like anything hat came in after the date of the election. The rule is that as long as votes are date stamped as received in time, bearing in mind that each State has it’s own rules about that, the President knew that those late arriving votes would probably favour his opponent who because of Covid preferred to postal vote. All the States said no because the count had been done correctly and as per the rules of the States. If proof could be shown then action could be taken. It as said that even if fraudulent claims were added (less than 100) it would not be enough to make a difference to the results. The counts went on as did the complaints. About 250 lawsuits were sent based on wholesale fraud and President Trump had one Governor fall into line. But this being a Republican State and the counters objected to the implication that they were not doing their jobs complained to the Governor who rapidly changed his mind.

Two weeks down the line and President Trump has declined to follow protocol. His voters who have been responding to a plea for more money probably don’t know that his plea for help with a 2024 bid is actually supplying the money to pay off his election debts and these lawsuits. President Elect Biden is being denied the rights of an incoming President that even Trump received with grace from President Obama. The situation is untenable. Currently the President’s own Lawyer Rudy Giuliani is appearing in court to try and have the results voided or he’ll revert to a fall back position. The Presidents team of appointees are trying to hamper President Elect Biden by creating problems with various Countries before he even sets foot through the door of The White House. Iran may be one of hose casualties. Since President Trump withdrew from the agreement over Iran’s nuclear capabilities Iran has produced more than enough material to make bombs but it has chosen not to. If America stirs Iran there’s no saying that choice won’t change. It will be an awful job for Joe Biden to try and reform the Iran agreement with the other Countries that formed it.

I can only say that either this job is such a moneymaker that President Trump doesn’t want to leave it or he’s trying to avoid being arrested when he leaves office or having to avoid his creditors when about 100m is due. He’s such a bad businessman when his empire runs at a loss that maybe he can’t pay. I personally don’t mind a bit of payback to this most offensive man.

Hey, Lovely People… It’s #WorldKindnessDay

A powerful day to remember and act on. Thank you Lemon Shark, you’ve saved me posting.
Hugs Galore

Lemon Shark

It’s Friday. TGIF, right? Also, it’s the 13th. Which means, well, it’s Friday the 13th. So… Spooky, creepy, unlucky, and all that jazz. But here’s a cool thing about today:

It’s World Kindness Day. 

What a lovely thought.

I mean, sure, yeah, every day should be World Kindness Day. Just like every day should be Earth Day. That said, regardless of wishes and whatnot, today, November 13th, is World Kindness Day. 

I’ve always been a fan of RAKs (Random Acts of Kindness). I also sort of like the whole being nice to people on a regular basis thing. And this day is rooted in a desire for more kind acts, random or otherwise. So count me in. Always.

A global celebration of being nice? Yes, please.

I know a lot of people (including me) will say we need this now MORE THAN EVER. Seriously. Look around. With everything going on……

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The Pressure Builds.

In Wales we are under a Firebreak Lockdown. That’s new rules on top of the Lockdown I mentioned in my last post. It was set to last 17 days and if the Gods are smiling it should end on November 9th. That of course is going to depend on how bad the Coronavirus is in the areas that were spiking. one of which would appear to be mine. I certainly don’t mind about these rules for the sake of our health, after all I’m high risk in a high risk area and may not survive a bout with this illness. What both surprises me and annoys me in equal measure is the number of people who are happy to walk around without masks, If they want to infect themselves well and good, it’s their choice, but why take a chance on infecting me.

Another little niggle is that what they call non-essential shops have had to close again and some may not reopen. More people unemployed are suffering under enormous strain. Supermarkets have their non-essential goods roped off and you can only buy food. That is a cause of strain for me or it would be if I was able to go to any Supermarkets. I like looking round and if I happen to need a new kettle it means I’d have to heat a pan of water until I could get a delivery from an online shop. Buying Christmas prezzies will virtually be an online job too and if we’re still restricted about the middle of November we’ll need to send out parcels in the post, possibly having a firm like Hermes pick up and deliver for you. For the first time I’ve had to rely on Amazon gift tokens for a few and I always think hat’s a cop out for not using an imagination.

November 3rd brings the election in America. All the signs are that Joe Biden will win, but the speed with which Mr Trump is trying to invest another fanatical Evangelist onto the Supreme court. There was a blanket refusal to wait until after the election and give the Resident President the right to appoint the new justice. The word up is that he wants her on the bench now in case he has reason to appeal the count based on fraudulent votes. No matter how often he’s told by the necessary agencies that it’s not a problem he brings it up in his rallies giving his best ‘Poor Me’ performance for his base. I understand many Republicans are tired of hearing it, especially when they hear from the FBI that it isn’t a problem. For me it’s the elections for the Senate and House that matter. Holding the house would be good but gaining the Senate would be wonderful. No more Moscow Mitch using his power to stop payments going out for those suffering loss of businesses or loss of jobs over there.

Well I paused today with things to do. Before I knew it Amy Barratt, Trump’s third nominee was voted in by a Republican majority. As the bible would say, It passeth all Understanding.For four years everyone has been listening to the lies and the procrastinations from Donald Trump. ACA must go but he has a superb new plan that will be the best plan ever in the World and it will definitely be secure for people with pre-existing conditions. Well he almost got rid of ACA which an awful lot of Republicans rely on. He upset a lot of insurance companies and also lost everything because of course he had nothing but hot air to replace it with. Four years later it’s still there but not for long if he has a choice despite still having no replacement. And yet they still vote for him and for the Senators who have backed him. They will suffer themselves and cause suffering to others who will lose out on health insurance and especially on the pre-existing condition clauses. He continues to make ridiculous claims about Hunter Biden and Joe Biden despite those claims having been debunked before. What has never been debunked is his association with the Russians who have attacked the US election results. Mr Mueller who is a Republican had to have his report redacted because of his conclusions. He was not biased towards the Democrats, only towards the truth and yet the Republican Senators played games at the impeachment showing a complete disregard for the voters. His press secretary Kelly Ann had her work scripted and despite claiming never to lie rarely told the truth. She would come one and claim that President Trump had done things bigger and better or helped a particular group more than any other President had helped them before. There were always more jobs under him and a better economy. We’d have choked to death if we’d actually swallowed and of these porkies.

Just last week Trump had his youngest daughter Tiffany on the stump with him, She’s always avoided doing anything like this before but I get the feeling there was little choice this time. She had to address a crowd of LGBT people and in her words convince them Trump has done more for them than any President before. Tiffany went into an almost cheer leader role to convince these people they had to vote for her father and owed it to him. The truth is of course that no President has ever done something for gay people. He’s just appointed this Conservative to the Supreme court with the aim of ending gay marriage, ending abortions and probably burning gays at the stake. Same sex relationships will no doubt be made illegal. Trump is turning the clocks back by decades. It’s no joke that if he wins a second term he’ll go for a third and before you notice he’ll have pronounced himself King of the type you rid yourself of a few hundred years ago. And like North Kores it will be a family affair. We have to hope that Joe Biden gets such a landslide that no-one can question it. Then we have to hope for a majority in the Senate so he can get something done without being blocked all the time. Maybe after 4 years the Republicans will realise Big Government is not so bad after all and give Joe a second term without throwing the Senate away to Evangelists who have only the fate of the Christians of interest and that won’t be a case of religious freedom. Trump has sacked all the heads of departments of anything that deals with the environment then given the places to people who will continue to treat global warming as a joke. You listen to him saying how he’s made the cleanest water there ever has been but you only need look at Flint, Michigan for the truth of that. He has the best carbon emissions record in the World he says, and I know some countries would argue with that. He is a congenital liar and there are records to prove that. So at least he does have one record over all the other Presidents.

Finally……….Hurray you cry. I want to wish you all a happy week and offer virtual Hugs to keep you going. I’m going to leave you with a song for no reason other than I like it. Written by Neil Young this version is by a group called Prelude. They were still going in 2020 despite having been performing since 1970. I hope you enjoy it.

Christmas Comes Early.

At the end of last week I received my first Christmas present. It was sent by my wife’s sister and her husband who say our Post Office will be working a four day week at that time and will be under considerable strain. It reminded me of friends in the United States who don’t know if they’ll even have a Post Office at that time. I’m afraid I don’t understand the wanton destruction of the very fabric of society by the current regime unless it’s to privatise the Postal Services for personal profit.

It strikes me that there are more and more repressive regimes in the World at a time when the world should be more free with so much cooperation between the various states. Are free and fair elections to be a thing of the past as more dictators spring into being?

This week brings news of a different sort. The Boroughs of Conwy, Denbighshire and my own Flintshire are under lockdown again which comprises a goodly chunk of North Wales. I shouldn’t use the word Draconian where health issues are concerned but this seems to be worse than last time. Up to £1000 fine for unnecessary travel which means my brother is unable to visit at the weekends. Apart from the aspect of company for us both it means he can’t take me shopping for the bulk of my food and to a lesser extent we can’t enjoy the pleasure of having lunch out. It also means that despite my beautiful daughter (and son in law) living about 15 miles away over the border in England will not be able to travel to see me and therefore will also be unable to do my shopping for me as they so often (kindly) do. Yes, people will point out that I can have certain of the big shopping stores make home deliveries but events in the past indicate that I may not be sure of the end dates of goods brought and how mid boggling some substitutes can be. After recent health scares I have to be very careful with diet.

Anyway, I have now made a start on my Christmas shopping in case our Post Office can’t cope with the pressure at that time. My relatives near and far can now expect parcels well in advance of the time so they have presents to open on Christmas morning and Santa can do a smaller route and dodge the swingeing fines for unnecessary travel if he gets caught crossing our borders. I can only hope that this killer virus is in retreat by then and the world has a vaccine made freely available by all our Governments. You can’t decide who lives and dies according to how much money they have.

I wish Joy of the season to one and all.

Hugs

Pentatonix ~ Mad World

Talent isn’t dead and nor are the old songs.By Hook or by Book brings a special one here/

By Hook Or By Book

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Insulin Rules

Over this last 5 weeks I’ve spent 3 weeks in hospital. I was first admitted full of hallucinations and then released when I seemed to come to myself again. They found an infection which they blamed for the problem.

I may have seemed to be back to normal but I was soon back to confused again sure in my mind that my brother and I were out for drinks. That in itself was strange as neither of us drinks. The place I thought was the bar was was actually the reception at the hospital.For some reason I was carrying about £800 so we could have had a few rounds.

As I came round this time I found my daughter has been asking questions regarding my release and reasons for the illness itself. Though the infection was there and was partly responsible it seems they now blamed Diabetes and were going to change me from a Type 2 diabetic managed by tablets to a Type 2 diabetic managed by Insulin. I manages to get discharged because I’d had promise of discharge for 3 days and been let down twice.In the end I was given an insulin pen and released to give myself injections in the stomach.

I’ve been doing the injections for 5 days having mistakenly thought I’d broken the pen. The major worry at the moment is that my sugar levels are showing very high even though I’m not eating much (great diet, I’ve lost 2 stones). Today I had a glass of milk and a coffee (no sugar), I’d have expected a lower reading before taking the insulin. So, the insulin jabs are OK and though the hospital say the infection is over I don’t think they’re right but that’s for my doctor to sort out. I don’t feel confused at the moment so no doubt they won’t rush. I shall just be expected to keep up with the insulin and keep my head together.Keep my mood together as it’s low and that can have an effect, and look to find my energy level again as so far it’s on the run.

So if you don’t hear from me it’s not because I can’t follow your blog again, I may be back in the hospital or I may be celebrating feeling better. But I’ll be thinking of you.

Hugs

David