It’s been a funny old day. I don’t know how many times I have said that during lock down, but here it is again. Possibly the weather has had something to do with it – it’s been a very blustery day with squalling showers and I watched it closely all morning. I was watching to see if it looked like it might brighten up. But it didn’t. In the end, I texted the Sutton Sleaths, wondering if they might not make the longed-for trip over to see us this afternoon, as it was inclement and not conducive to sitting in the garden. Sadly, that was the case. We put on our brave faces.
At tea-time, however, Michael called via a video chat, intending just a few minutes’ catch-up, but which turned into a wonderful, three-quarters of an hour play time with William. We were at sea, in a boat with an anchor, a rudder, fishing rods and a steering wheel. We stopped off at various islands to seek out treasure, pacing out where ‘X’ marked the spot, and then carried the loot back to the boat. We caught fish and fought off the crocodiles and huge octopuses and kept ourselves safe. We fell overboard and had to be hauled back in, giggling and relieved that we’d not been eaten by the sea. What a journey; what a ride. No matter that they didn’t visit. William’s imagination and our thrill at being able to join in with him and Michael and Danielle made the physical visit obsolete today.
This morning was also ‘virtual’ activity. I had been puzzled by the fact that friends had been unable to comment on Wednesday’s blog. I fiddled about with it yesterday but was none the wiser. So our dear friend George logged on remotely to my computer this morning to see what he could fathom. It transpired that I had created a ‘page’ rather than a ‘post’. A ‘page’ of course, isn’t interactive, unlike a ‘post’. Ahhh…. I see! Sorted.
Making beds, putting the washing on, sorting the ironing out and prepping food all followed the virtual activity. I’d have loved for those tasks to have been virtual too and completed at the click of a button, but alas, it’s not to be. Mum wondered at tea-time why John and I were rubbing our eyes and holding our heads in our hands. I explained that we are tired, weary, exhausted. “Oh, why’s that?” she asked. “Well,” I explained, with a patience I wasn’t feeling, “we have been travelling a long road, and we’re very tired.” Mum was puzzled. “What road?” Ah…… I told her that we are weary of John’s illness(es); we’re tired of the lock down; we’re missing the family; and I’m particularly tired of keeping house. And, I added, I’m not going to bed very early.
“Oh… yes,” said Mum, triumphantly, “I’d noticed that. Why don’t you go to bed earlier, then?” I couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry. Gently, I reminded her that I waited until she went up to bed, helped her get ready and then switched her light off and tucked her in. And that by the time I’d done all that, it was midnight. “Well, you don’t have to wait up for me.” she replied, a little bit indignantly. Oh, dear.
I did manage to fend off World War Three as John joined in the discussion at that point, though. His deep voice and the odd ‘harrumph’ told her all she needed to know, and she was off into martyrdom. John wasn’t best pleased. After all, in the last few weeks he’s had to really swallow all those feelings he’s had over the years, to accommodate her in his home, and she has absolutely no idea what a sacrifice that is. She came to acknowledge though, that a midnight bedtime was too late, and she determined to go up to bed, by herself, at 10.30 to help me. A bit of a win today, but no doubt by tomorrow, she will have forgotten, and we’ll be back to square one.
John spent some time tinkering in the garage today, having excitedly opened all of the parcels relating to the ‘project’ and planned his next move. The painting of the rods for the headlining in the car had been successful the other day, and they are ready to be fitted. I didn’t understand it, but he fixed some piano wire into something or other this afternoon, in readiness for installing the headlining, and it went well. I love it when a plan comes together……. anyone remember who it was, who said that??
As I say, it’s been a funny old day – not least because Trump said, referring to George Floyd, who was killed while being arrested the other day, “……hopefully George is looking down right now and saying this is a great thing that’s happening….” Gobsmacked. I think that the man is mad. I wonder where it will all end, both here and in America.
I realise that I know very little about racism, #BlackLivesMatter, or how black people live their lives. Yesterday I recognised that I wanted to do ‘my bit’ but didn’t know what it looked like. Today, I have decided it doesn’t look like anything, but I am going to educate myself and read some books. At least I’ll have a better idea then, if nothing else.
We will need to get ready for the second wave of the virus though, I think, in the aftermath of the protests and the hot weather that brought people out recently, compromising the social distancing that is still needed. Today the government announced that there were 1,650 people infected, as of 5.pm. yesterday (4 June 2020), and 357 deaths in all settings. The NHS reported just 19 deaths in hospitals, but the figures for the previous days have been confirmed as 74 (3 June), 92 (2 June) and 81 (1 June).
God bless us now though, that we might all have the courage to share wisdom and truth, so that idiocy and lies are chased away.
It was the A Team that said ‘I love it when a plan comes together’, I believe. Unless someone said it before them?
And it transpires that Black Lives Matter is a Marxist organisation designed, rather like Extinction Rebellion, to catch people who are keen on virtue signalling that they like to be seen to be doing the right thing, whilst being step 2 in the Marxist philosophy of creating maximum civil unrest ahead of a political overthrow; much like was nearly achieved with Brexit. Pity; I thought it was about racism.
Interesting. I may come back to you when I’ve learned more.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Lives_Matter
Thank you George
With respect, there is no way that the founders of Black Lives Matter were and are part of any Marxist conspiracy. It began as a grassroots reaction to the murder of Trayvon Martin in the USA in 2012, and was given added strength by several subsequent events of the same sort. Indeed, for many years I and many other academics in the field of racial equity and diversity awareness have struggled with radical marxist apologists who insisted on reducing everything to class struggle terms and denying the reality of racialisation as a process of social exclusion. We should not be surprised if Marxists are trying to take over other people’s struggles – that is what some high-profile ‘Marxians’ are adept at, but then again, I have also heard many very sincere and devout Christians accused of Marxism for simply citing the words of Jesus without giving them “chapter and verse” …. References can be supplied!
Thank you Mark = also interesting.
With respect, the originators of Black Lives Matter were commemorating the killing of Trayvon Martin in Feb 2012 – a 17 yr old African American boy shot in a “white” suburb in Florida, and given added impetus by subsequent similar killings by unprosecuted White gunmen or police. It was never Marxist … even if subsequently Marxists have tried to jump on a bandwagon and claim some ownership! I and many other academics and activists spent many years arguing with classical Marxists who sought to reduce everything to “the class struggle” and denied the existence or effect of processes of ‘racialisation’ (Making a difference on the grounds of a racial stereotype). There is a right-wing narrative that has sought to portray such grass-roots activism as led by Marxists but in fact the reality is more of a catch-up attempt by the radical left to try and ‘co-opt’ the struggles of real people …. You may find “Socialist Worker” etc at the demonstrations, but they did not originate them. There are many more ordinary people expressing their concerns, and using their right to demonstrate and express their views, than there are Marxists infiltrating the demonstrations. (A similar pattern can be seen in other struggles…). We could also point to accusations that sincere Christian witnesses have been peddling Marxist rhetoric when citing the words of Jesus … the present Archbishop being one!
Sorry, when I checked, my original Post was not there and I thought I had failed to submit it properly, so revised and reposted! However, if it was worth saying once, maybe it bears repeating?
Ah… sorry, it took me until this evening to approve the comment which is why it hadn’t appeared in public!!
Thank you for the updated version of this Mark!!