A moss garden. Not to be walked on but a place to contemplate and meditate
Mostly this is family news. How I wish that people all over the world could sit down and write with joy about their family, the heartbreak is almost unbearable. Tensions come and go.
We had raclette for tea last night, the Swiss poor man's cheese and potatoes dish we all love, though Lillie cooked some steak on the top of the raclette oven. Eaten with pickles to breakdown the cheese in your stomach, never forget to do this, and drink wine or tea as well. End of raclette sermon.
My daughter is off to Switzerland over the weekend with Andrew, she will be carrying English extra mature cheddar for her aunt who has requested it. The cheese basket in the fridge was so heavy when I lifted it out yesterday I thought she was going to start a cheese shop. Karen brings back the Fondue and Raclette cheeses and chocolate; chocolate which is so expensive and I am not sure that it is any different to good chocolate you can buy in this country.
Nestles, as I remember, was in Vevey, and there were plenty of British expats around who worked there. And of course 'grandpa's church' where he was church warden.
The only other thing of interest (to me) is that we are due to have elections of mayors. Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester is standing for re-election again. Sure he will get in. I noticed from his last missive that he belongs to The Labour and Co-operative Party which I presume is left of centre and a step down from Kier Starmer's more right wing presence. Also, another mayor to watch is Tracy Brabin, again a member of the above political party. Is this a move away Up North from the stridency of Starmer. We belong to a group of wards and have five candidates to choose from, my choice will be between Tracy Brabin or the Green Party member.
Will we have the old values of the Co-op resurfacing round here in our mixed communities? Devolution maybe, okay I am joking, but Manchester could rival London any day.
Another two members of the family are out in Japan, Tom and Ellie are spending two weeks there, both in Tokyo and Kyoto. I can see their photos on Instagram. Paul said I would never cope in Tokyo with the great rush of people in the city and the packed trains. I get rather panic-stricken in big cities and towns much preferring the little country towns, especially round North Yorkshire.
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| Cloud bushes - Imperial Gardens |
The only 'thing' we have to vote for in the May elections is Police Commissioner. The bloke doing it has been there a while - heavens knows what he actually does. I think turn-out will be Very Small.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how you can judge a police commissioner Sue, but as you say voting upkeep will be low.
DeleteI'm also being asked to turn out to decide who should be police commissioner, even though I don't know who the present one is. There's no chance of any Labour candidate getting elected here, though the Lib Dems got so close at the last general election that the Tories have, for the first time in living memory, started putting leaflets through people's front doors - they are worried.
ReplyDeleteWell it is downhill for the Tories now John but whoever gets in will have a hard job of trying to redeem some sort of future for our country.
ReplyDeleteAs an exiled Warringtonion who also once worked and lived in Manchester, I love your blog; it is a catch up for me and my very fond memories of life in the north west.
ReplyDeleteI live in a very safe Tory constituency and Tory local authority now and the latter were very pleased last year to tell me that they have refunded £25 to residents as the badly needed local infrastructure plans had been shelved. So no pot holes being repaired, no badly needed health clinic built with doctors and dentists available for the huge increase in population we now have due to massive house building. But the “small state” Tories plough on. Christine
Hi and welcome, well we have an enormous health clinic, fairly new as well. Split into two surgeries, one surgery is leaving later on in the year - no doctors of course. It is a large white elephant, someone dreamt up, I don't know if they thought it would be filled by private practices.
DeleteI must say that I do not think of Keir Starmer as a right wing presence. To me he is a unifying presence who has moved to the centre in order to bring the party together. But in his heart, I have no doubt that he is a true socialist. As for your daughter's cheese gift, let's hope she can get it through customs now that we are not in the E.U..
ReplyDeleteWell perhaps Starmer just sits on the fence and will redeem his position when in power Neil. Food seems to go back and forth quite easily for the family but of course don't get stuck at airports with stinky cheese.
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I can at least write with joy about my family - on the rare occasions my brain deems itself fit to work properly. Little Rosie has brought such joy and balances out Keith's ill-health a little. Smiling at the cheese mountain in your fridge. With two families here now, I can hardly see the shelves in mine, and there are always little lurking bowls of leftovers which get overlooked!
ReplyDeleteAs for the local elections for our new Police and Crime Commissioner too. Have no idea who is standing, or leaving, so I wouldn't exactly be an enlightened voter.
'Little lurking bowls of leftover'. Lillie 'I will eat it tomorrow' till the day comes when it is chucked! Cheese seems to be a mainstay when everyone just eats vegetarian, except of course Lillie.
DeleteStarmer strident? I don't hear anything about him and I guess he is is just using the tactic of waiting for a house of cards to collapse.
ReplyDeleteTaking cheese to Switzerland is a bit of a queer thing.
Tokyo is a wonderful city and we never felt crowded in public nor on trains. We never experienced being pushed into a train by platform staff. Japanese people are incredibly polite and quite formal, and very helpful, if you ask. But they will also readily correct you if you make a social grace mistake.
Yes they are very polite, men have business cards which are exchanged with a certain amount of formality. I think I would rather go out into the countryside though Andrew.
DeleteI think what makes Japan seem less crowded is the courtesy they extend to each other in public setting. There is no impatient jostling. At least there wasn't. It would break my heart to discover that this has changed.
ReplyDeleteThat moss garden makes you feel calm just to look down at it. How very lovely.
That is why I put the moss garden up, green is a very soothing colour Debby.
ReplyDeleteTracey has done a good jog. She will get my vote. We know Andrew Cooper well round here, and he has been good on the council.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Cooper has named his Police Commissioner as well which is good Tasker. Also like the engineer who wants to upgrade the travel system.
ReplyDeleteI just love that moss garden Thelma - even looking at the photograph I find it restful.
ReplyDeleteIt is very peaceful Pat, see how the Japanese maples edge the moss, there is a cool tranquility with the water.
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