Each day becomes like groundhog day, we relive a potential disaster which has not quite happened yet. I am gobsmacked at the size of the cruise ships, who dreamt them up? Did the greed of how much money you could make from cruising our plastic stricken seas with tourists add to the debacle. Has the feeling of risk gone out of the window as we cosy up in the confined space of a luxury cruise ship, all beyond my understanding. Not even given it a name this virus, everyone knows what it is. I wonder how they coped in the 'Black Death' plague years from 1200 when between 30% and 60% of the population expired.
Alright I won't go on, the weather has been beautiful, sun and no wind, taken Lucy around the long walk through the fields, which she enjoys. The new farmer has put a new gate at the end of the walk, and I am grateful. You have to open three farm gates, and as anyone who has walked out in the country knows, these gates migrate downwards, so apart from having to hold them up as you unlock the catch, there is a third hindrance in the shape of a smaller catch on the hook. Wild garlic thrusts its green spears up and dog mercury with its unobtrusive flowers is also to be found.
Like a bird of spring, Rod was in the church yard mowing the grass, he does ours as well, and is rather worried that it will rain next week, that is why he is starting early, no petrol for my lawn, good thing I got some cash out yesterday for when he eventually comes.
A friend has offered to lend me a new book out by Helen Lewis about feminism, "Difficult Women" a review is here in the Guardian. The argument being that it is only by being difficult that women have managed to gain the ground they have. Helen Lewis worked for the NewStatesman and I miss her weekly articles. But they have fine writers, Harry Lambert's Who's in Charge inside No 10 gives a long run down on the 'mavericks' that are part of the team that run our country at the moment. Not as scary as you might think, Johnson (if he has the balls that is) can always sack Cummings, but theory led government is a bit worrying.
Also a good article on Greta Thunberg and her absolute sincerity in what she says, written by Martin Fletcher, Greta Against the World. She is undermined by some world leaders, no I am not going to write about the clown that is in charge of America. Instead, in the spirit of this blog, I will add a video of Greta in Bristol this week. I note from research, that the Daily Mail has it in for her, could it be that she is young, female and articulate?
A channel 4 news clip of 8 minutes, I record this fact because I think channel 4 news is excellent, but funnily enough, all the newspaper quotes that I heard on Radio 4 this morning (Saturday) were from the Guardian. Is there a revolt going on in this country in the media?
Strong women will save this crazy world.
ReplyDeleteLets hope so Tabor.
DeleteWhen I see pictures of one of these huge cruise ships moored somewhere like Venice Thelma I am absolutely appalled - what have we come to? And what sort of person enjoys being cooped up with four thousand others for two or three weeks? Our Book Group choice this week is about The Black Death ('The Outcasts of Time' Ian Mortimer)
ReplyDeletewhich does rather put things in perspective although I am not enjoying it.
Those cruise ships are going to places like the Scottish Isles now, so they must look as nearly as foolish as the Venice ones Pat. Not sure I would want to read about the 'Black Death', it went on for a long time, did not the burning of timber houses in London have a good effect?
ReplyDeleteI've never understood the appeal of cruises and have long felt that their increasing numbers have contributed to the problems with ocean health. They say they are tough on the little towns where they come into port and turn them into tourist hubs. I doubt they will be less appealing though as soon as a vaccine is out there.
ReplyDeleteI told someone recently that we've grown up in a golden time where antibiotics and vaccines were supposed to take care of everything. Nature has the last laugh-- although in this case, we don't yet know if it was nature or a laboratory that set this on the world.
The cruise ships look really out of place in the small harbours of the Scottish Isles and as Pat says especially Venice. They hardly bring tourism to the places they visit, as they get off and on in a couple of hours.
DeleteNature always has the last laugh, so bent on improving itself that that which is badhas an equal chance of surviving.
Thank you for the newsclip.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Joanne.
DeleteThank you for these links, they were all interesting reads, ones that I would not have found myself, so thank you for taking the time to find them and share them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading articles early in the morning, pay a small subscription to the Guardian for online articles which saves on buying papers.
ReplyDelete