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At the beginning of 2019 my eldest granddaughter put in a bid for my Spring visit to coincide with her birthday so flights and presents were packed. Then Covid reared its head and flights were cancelled and the birthday celebrations went ahead without Granny after all. Today is her birthday again and I am not there for the second year running, which brought it home to me how long we have been apart from family. Their hopeful e mails about summer visits made me sadder rather than happier as I just don't know if it will happen. Some heavy dental treatment and a silly paperwork error finished me off and I got a real dose of the blues and just kept bursting into tears. I know we are lucky to be living here and I did try to count my blessings. Then my inbred, northern, methodist guilt at being ungrateful kicked in and I shed even more tears.
Up........
A few Facetimes, an impromptu lunch with friends and some sunshine set me back on track. We are all pinning our hopes on the vaccines which are rolling out slowly here in France. Kevin has had his but I am still waiting and not sure how long for, fingers crossed it wont be too long. There is quite an anti vaccine feeling here in France so the powers that be are trying to manage that and to build confidence as well as supplies. I'll let you know when it's my turn.
Down.......
I am increasingly saddened by how quickly people are to condemn often based on very thin information. Where people get their knowledge from interests me. In the run up top Brexit I often entered into discussions with Brexit supporters asking them what evidence they had for many of their claims. They were in the main better at making claims than providing evidence of it. What had fuelled their wrath and their indignation?
Then the latest shock news the Harry/Meghan interview. Let me be honest, I don't get overexcited about the Royal Family and I am not interested in the life of this young couple either. Should they have made the televised interview? Probably not but it is the anger it has enflamed and the personal venom aimed particularly at Meghan Markle is unbelievable. The original muck stirrer Nigel Farage states that he knew on the day of the wedding that Merkel was planning to damage the monarchy. Piers Morgan continues his obsessed verbal abuse. Everyone is certain they know exactly who said what and when and that Markle is just evil. Kate wears pink the day after the interview and the Telegraph tells us that she chose the colour because it is 'the hue is thought to be a symbol of sympathy, compassion and friendship'. If Markle had worn pink who knows what it would have symbolised. Take a moment to look at this article. If you cant' read it all check out the juxtaposition of the Daily Mail's Kate v Meghan reporting and this is just an example about how information is being manipulated
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/opinion/if-you-hate-meghan-markle-this-is-why-256808/
In similar fashion to the Brexit campaign the tabloids have carefully prepared the soil of division and sowed their seeds of doubtful fact daily. These facts are the regurgitated as absolute truth on social media and no one cares that they are totally unsupported by evidence. . The Daily Express can't let a day go by with tweeting that the EU is crumbling. A girl is murdered and even when a suspect is under arrest social media is full of claims that the culprit must be an immigrant who arrived in a dinghy. Volunteers helping with food parcels thoughtfully try to include a taste of home for families on their list that are asylum seekers and the response is horrific.
Meanwhile the prime minister is legally found to have been lying, Matt Hancock's mates seem to be first in line for huge contracts and no one queries how the areas to receive the Town funds announced in the budget were chosen. The virus roll out is successfully rolled out by the NHS while nurses are not to receive their planned pay rise. The trade secretary rolls over existing deals that in no way make up for those that are lost and voted most successful member of the cabinet. We are appalled to see the images of the vigil on Clapham common but don't seem to notice that the home secretary announces a new bill that will limit right to protest. She gives herself the power to fundamentally change the meaning of the law at any time without any real parliamentary scrutiny. See how this is reported differently here:
and by the Daily mail
People wonder why those that chose to benefit from free movement and move to a different country should be interested in or even have the right to comment on the UK. I remain a British national and a british tax payer and I will always care passionately about my birth country. I want to be able to feel proud to be British but at the moment I feel sad and worried.
https://eand.co/how-britain-became-the-dumbest-society-in-the-world-e90431463924
Up........
Flowers for mother's day arrive on the same day that our new permament residency cards arrive.
This week's favourite podcast Sophia Loren on Desert Island Discs was a joy.
Borders start to reopen for travel.
We share meals with friends from our bubble.
Kevin gets a new tractor.
The garden is bursting into life and I start seed sowing.... the cycle goes on
