This has been a challenging year. Viruses, social pressure, appalling political abuse of the electorate. I want to find my way back to things which I enjoy. Taking snaps, reading and writing being high on the list.

So I intend to take snaps and show them again. Of the places I see and visit near to home.

A light hearted look at the world as I see it :-)

Reasonable and decent politicians are trying to remain decent – across party divides. They are up against a vicious, targeted, barrage of hate, lies and manipulation which has no decency and gets away with being called “populism”. People are dying and have died in their millions in spite of the massive precautions taken by our governments. Precautions which have led to huge social and economic loss.

The liar-in-chief who peddles hatred has candle-lit goons sing to him in the dark outside a unique faclity to care for him (using drugs for him alone) while those he calls patriots spread further contagion.

He leaves his “facility” to get into a hermetically sealed car and takes no personal risk in the least as he drives past them. He waves. How they wave back with their patriotic flags and cheer him as he does nothing whatsoever and probably infects a few more people in the process.

“What if he becomes too ill to govern” they sob. Who will protect us? Who else will sacrifice our medium income so the richest can gain tax cuts? Who else will campaign as hard as he does to prevent the poor in society getting affordable health care? Who else will … well there is nothing else really. Other than dog-whistles for fascists and neo-nazis.

This is a light-hearted post, however, so I leave on a bright note. I get my Macbook Pro fixed tomorrow by an Apple Genius! Yippee – a working machine!!

And for the tiny sum of £200 to put in a new battery.

It is the end of August and I have scarcely seen a thing of 2020.

I am forever being told by people how much they cycled this year or how they have learnt some hobby to pass the time. I am beginning to resent them. Which is futile, yes, but it is real.

None of that is what I wanted to say. I wanted to say that it is freezing. I still have the drafty old windows, close to falling out and the wind is howling, again. I work endlessly and I am always broke and never get anything done. The rain is pouring, again. We have been soaked to the point of being soggy and the garage path has standing water deeper than in mid winter.

It is cloudy, again.

I don’t care the statistics. This has become the norm for summer here. Spring can be lovely for three weeks but then this.

Now if I was outside and wrapped up then it would matter less. As soon as you are out – whatever the weather – it seems ok. When all of your “outside time” is stolen and measured in minutes it starts to matter. I only have 20 minutes to get out and I need to get boots on, or raincoats out and maybe a fleece. The fact it was sunny for an hour earlier – so what – this is summer and I did not have time at that exact hour to go outside and see that blue sky. In summer it would be nice to be able to see it a bit more often.

I am tired.

Had a long lie today. I have had a sore head for days now. Decided to read some Twitter. It is packed full of Promoted ad’s these days. It is also a depressing place. I need to ration myself. As much as I want to help the environment, no matter how awful I find the situation in Belarus – I need to find some time for me.

It is also stacked with self-interest groups. So many worthy causes demanding empathy and equality and yet criticising and denigrating anyone who does not share their agenda or even their approach.

Too much anger. I am out for the remainder of this weekend.

edit: I failed…