Who can this be at this time of the morning?

The day started in an unusual fashion. We were lounging in bed as one does on a Saturday morning and at about nine o’clock the doorbell rang. I hastily assembled myself in some sort of decent order and peered out of the front door to be greeted with an immaculately dressed nurse coming on a home visit. Was I dreaming? Was this a message from another dimension? No, she had the right house number but the wrong street. She was very apologetic but I brushed this aside saying it was quite funny really. I noticed she had a Volvo of the same make and color to myself which is quite a coincidence.

On the way to the town centre I noticed a new construction on the right which was once an oil tank supplying the whole of the close but now is going to be turned into a garage. I love seeing things in the course of construction so this gave me a particular pleasure to see this in the early stages.

Visiting Lidl

Off to Lidl where I decided to sign up for a card. It is worth it because the card is free of charge and you do make savings every time you visit the shop. You cannot apply for it in the shop itself, you have to do it online and via your mobile phone as seems to be the case with everything today.

Methodist church coffee morning

Today was Saturday morning coffee with some stalls at the local Methodist Church in Midsomer Norton. You cannot miss it because it is halfway down the High Street. I have great affection for the Methodist Church which started its life many moons ago (actually the mid 18th century) in the southwest of England; John Wesley went round on his horse evangelizing the world and the marks are still there a couple of hundred years later.

Methodists are very good at making tea and cakes. They are very good at welcoming people. When we arrived about 10:30 the meeting hall was full of people with barely a chair to be had. They were cooking bacon butties as well. Not good ones but I forgive them.

Everyone chatting away

Small point, I see that the new minister who was installed a year ago did not have her photo on the notice board together with the staff, assistants etc.   I first of all thought that there was no minister in charge but was assured otherwise. Evidently, no one ‘could be bothered’  to make the photograph and I registered my disbelief in their lack of professionalism here.

In my nerdy fashion I’m always looking out for presentation and I very much like these announcement notices (below) that were placed on the tables in the hall. Thought had gone in to the design and I wanted to read it. Had the same information being placed on a piece of A4 paper and left on the table I probably would not have even bothered to glance at it. You could say it is judging by appearance as I suppose we all do but I can spot if extra effort has gone into communicating. If you look back in my diaries you will see numerous advertisement examples in the doctors surgery that I have recognized as being of special commendation

NB This applies to any advert for anything anywhere.

A feature of Methodists is that there are armies of people who make cakes and pastries. I bought a fruit cake for five pounds. I could tell it was full of good things because it was so heavy ( 1kg!)  and I reckon their were about £2.50 of ingredients within, so that was definitely good value and it will keep us going for the week. If there was a local campaign for real food I would join it.

I will give everyone a tip – if you see a lovely lemon drizzle or fruit cake, snap it up because the prices are so good they will be gone before you can turn around.

We met a lovely old lady of 93 who was from Glasgow who for some reason had been bought down by her son. She was expecting the birth of her great grandchild. My goodness, this lady was sharp and had all her faculties about her. She radiated something and it was a pleasure to meet her. Her nephew brought her down for the festiviies to spend time with family and brother in law who had lost his wife last year – The lady’s sister, and waiting for the birth of her great- grandchild, due anytime now.

we never know what burdens people are carrying.

Wetherspoons – a celebration

For some years the Palladium Electric cinema here in Midsomer Norton lay unused partly because one old man was on willing to sell property he owned on the site but finally, in September 2018, Wetherspoons opened in all its glory and has never looked back. From about half past eight in the morning it is almost full. I cannot speak for the evenings as I do not go out in the evening, but I will take a good guess it is the same.

We popped in prior to our departure for our shopping trip. This time my eye chanced on the Wetherspoons news. There are a number of features about it that I really like. They really value their staff and they feature as many people as possible especially those who have been in service for some time with the same pub. They must make very good employers because they do pay bonuses and treat their staff with respect. Next time you visit Wetherspoons I recommend you get hold of and read a copy of the magazine. It is on the tables but normally on a magazine rack by the door as you enter

Because the establishments are unpretentious and welcome everybody with class neutrality.  I can quite easily come in on my own and enjoy a drink. I may or may not talk to other people but that doesn’t matter, I feel comfortable sitting on my own and that for me is a positive marker

From my political point of view they take a great interest in the government particularly with regards to such events as cov-id. The chairman has always campaigned for the truth to come out and complained about the shenanigans and deception that the government has taken part in. From where I sit the situation only makes sense if you realize that the prime minister and the Mayor of London for example have signed away their souls to the corporatists and the globalists.

They regard us as basically ‘useless eaters’ who must be appeased and lied to as suits their purpose. They know it but do not care.  I used to have faith in the government but that has now all evaporated;  I wish it could be otherwise but to clarify – say for example I was in a marriage and my partner was unfaithful to me seven times – or even one time – you would get the feeling that perhaps their commitments are not fully with you.

Sometimes the lies are just hidden in plain sight.

Rishi Sunak’s father-in-law has for example signed a contract for oil and gas rights within Gaza. You might say that this is a bit premature but then he probably knows more than we do. Sunak himself has invested five hundred million pounds in Moderna who themselves bought up a company specialising in vaccines for heart conditions. How can the Prime Minister be considered an impartial decision maker? He has just pledged over the next year 2.5 bn pounds to the Ukraine, without so much as a by-your-leave from Parliament never mind us in the plebiscite.   As if that were not enough the UK have just declared their support for Israel’s plundering of Palestine,  only one of two countries so far as I know to do so. We shall see what the European Court of Human Rights has to say about that.

Anyway, I rant on. On second thoughts, I may be mis describing myself.  ‘ranting’ is defined as speaking or shouting at length in an angry, impassioned way. Here is the dictionary definition and my check list:

I am speaking  – yes
shouting – no
at length – no
angry – yes, righteous anger
impassioned – yes

I could have chosen the following descriptor  ‘holding forth’, ‘fulminate’, ‘pontificate’, ‘declaim’, ‘harangue’, engage in a ‘tirade’,  have a ‘diatribe’, an ‘invective’, give a ‘tongue lashing’ or even a ‘vilification’. NB ‘Rambling’ would indicate a lack of coherence.

I’ll stick with ‘rant’ for the time being.