Tuesday 25th January 2022

As I have said many time before, days spent working from home merge into one. Doubly so when the weather is cold and grey, and so I cannot be encouraged to go out for a walk, not even to get to the end of the street.

I tell myself I'll go on Wednesday as its supposed to be brghter.

We shall see.

For Jools, things have quietened down at work now she has Donna, which means not rushing out in the morning an hour before dawn in order to try to catch up. Though I can confirm I did not hear the alarm go off, hear Jools get up, feed the cats, Poppy jump off the bed, Poppy jump back on the bed and go back to sleep on my legs. I wake again with Jools having turned the heating on and going for a shower.

It was six already.

I get up and go down to make coffee, the cats are already making their days beds up and having a wash.

So, time for work. And another day of document reviewing ahead.

I am not really achieving anything, other than confirming how out of control things are. As I get to the end of what I think is the last document there is a reference for another one. Is there no end to this madness, I screamed into the darkness.

I drink coffee, though less now. Just two in the morning before switching to tea. Reduces sugar intake I suppose.

The highlight of the day is the delivery of two ceramic backing trays, as I am to cook cauliflower cheese this week, and our metal pan got ruined in an oven related incident. Don't ask.

That's another excuse not to go out for a walk, waiting in for a delivery.

Next week we're going out to the dining club with Bev and Steve next door, so I go round to confirm their menu choices, and Bev and i chat about music and football. She's the Liverpool fan and so I hear her shout when they score, three seconds ahead of the feed I watch.

Talking of exciting, we had plans for the evening, so I had to have dinner done on time. At one point she called and I checked the traffic radar to guide her via the less jammed way back.

Traffic was dreadful for Jools, it took her until six to get home, by which time I had made the batter for fritters and just about finished cooking.

After eating, Jools got changed and we were out, off to Deal for a gig.

Paul Jones has been a figure on the UK music scene since 1962. He sang with Manfred Mann before going solo and then forming the Blues Band at the end of the 70s. He also hosted a blues show on Radio 2 for decades. He was on tour with the guitarist from the Blue Band, Dave Kelly, for a night of blues and chat about blues.

Dave has a long histroy with the blues, going back to Ken Colyer's Jazz club, where he played. He has also seen most of the blues greats and played with many too.

The Astor is a small theatre, we were in the VIP setas n the balcony, sharing the small table with an older couple, one of whom has a bad BO problem.

So it goes.

The show began at eight, and each song was introduced with stories about the writer or how they came to play it or both. It was all rather lovely, and it struck me this is a last chance to peer back to the birth of what was called beat music, but begat The Beatles and of course, the Rolling Stones. The link with Ken Colyer takes that back to the 1950s and the battle between trad and Dixie jazz, and it was Ken who went to New Orleans, played with the real greats there, and brought back the idea of the breakdown session, that he called "skiffle".

The rest is history and rock and roll.

We left at ten, they'd not quite finished, but Jools was pooped, and we had work in the morning.

We drove home through deserted Deal and Walmer and back to St Maggies, then to bed.

COVID

Here we are, the last day of the mask mandate in England and the rest of Britain, and infections topped 102,000 in the last 24 hours, and there were 346 deaths.

These are huge numbers, and six months ago would have warranted a tightening of restrictions, not the opposite. And yet here we are.

The Government has long since give up the pretence of following any real science, and is now gambling with the nation's health.

And it is in schools where the biggest gamble is taken.

Between 20 and 25% of children are off at any one time, either with infections or isolating. Some children have been infected twice in the last four weeks, and this will only get worse, as the mask madate was removed last Thursday in schools.

We are going out more. We went to a gig last night, going out for two meals next week, but will continue to wear masks and be careful.

Let's hope other will be as careful too.

And one final word on those deaths: some will say they had underlying issues, but that was the whole point of masks and social distancing, to protect those who had low immune systems. Every one of those deaths is someone's personal greed in demanding to be unmasked against someone else's right to life.

he former should not trump the latter, but under this Government, it has.

End of the road?

Quite a day yesterday (Tuesday) with the Government position on the impending Sue Gray report changed on almost hourly basis.

In short, it was reported that the threashhold had been met to report findings to the Police, and at the same time, head of the Met, Cressida Dick, announced to the LOndon Assembly that the Met would, now, be investigating the series of parties in Downing Street.

Government line changed to that as it was now a Police matter, no further comments would be made and the report would not be published.

Both the Met and Sue Gray announced there was no reason the report could not be released.

So the Government line changed agan to say that a redacted version might be released.

Again the Met and Gray announced that there was no reason why the full report should not be released.

Speculation rose that the report might be released that evening, or on Wednesday monring before PMQs.

It is important at this point to point out that the issues outlined here regarding the report are of Johnson's own making. Because if you read Gray's terms of reference, always a good idea, you will see the report was purely for fact finding. If the terms had included making reccommendations, then there would have been a case for delaying publication. But without that, she was asked to find facts. She found facts. And now will report the facts.

As yet, it seems not to have been sent to Johnson.

In the meantime, various Ministers and loyal MPs have been downplaying any offences saying every household in the UK broke rules, or that any offence was going to be like getting points on your licence from speeding.

But there are many offences that are more serious: perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office for two, which could be applied to the (alleged) cover up rather than the offence itself.

And although the BBC are reporting that there is support from Johnson in Government, other sources are talking of pacts being done in relation to who comes after Johnson to avoid a leadership contest.

Today will be interesting. Might end by being a damp squib, or it could signal the end of Johnson's career. Or something inbetween.

Monday 24th January 2022

Monday.

Urggh.

You know I said at weekends we could lay in until lunchtime, and never do? Well, Monday morning I sleep through the alarm, Jools getting up and going down stairs, feeding the cats, Poppy getting off the bed, Poppy getting back on the bed and she going back to sleep.

I wake up at quarter past six with Jools going for a shower.

There is coffee downstairs, so I go hunting for it.

Jools is busy getting ready for work, though not so urgent as before now there is two in purchasing again, so she goes for a quick walk before leaving for work. Turns out she was even late for work, thus clawing back some of the overtime already owed.

I get the work laptop and screen ready, log in for seven, though being a Monday there are updates to install, and half the apps and programs don't work, so reboot the computer.

It is by then half seven, and I have another day reviewing documents.

In a change from the usual, I have crumpets for lunch instead of having to make bread. I bought a pack of nine crumpets planning on having three each day for the week. That was the plan. So, just fruit for breakfast, crumpets for lunch and then dinner with Jools. No toast to have as an extra course for breakfast.

Sadly.

I get to work reviewing documents, and just as I think I am getting to the end of the last, a new one appears. I have no idea when this is ever going to end. Now on my 6th day and there is only so much document management management one person can put up with. That's all I'm saying.

Turns out three crumpets are not enough, so an hour after scoffing them I hit the crackers and have some smothered in butter, because they're healthy are they not? No, Ian, they are not.

Whatevs.

Outside is is even greyer than ever, gloomier than ever and cold. Buggered if I'm going out for a walk.

There. I said it.

So, I begin to panic about the picture of the day, at one point snapping my changing the kitty litter in the downstairs tray.

It wasn't until I was cooking and looked at the colours of the stir fry that I see that would make a better picture, but not that representative of my day. A more suitable shot would be one of boredom. Maybe a freshly painted wall or something?

Fishcakes, stir fry and rice.

Jools arrives home after getting through the traffic, about twenty minutes late, but did OK.

We eat, talk about our days, and once cleared up eat the last of the chocolate from the pantry with the final coffee of the day.

I watch footbal on the tellybox, Jools does beading. The evening passes.

Resignation matter

Yesterday, Lord Agnew (me neither) resigned as Minister for Ant-Fraud stating, it was separate from the wider issues seen in Westminster, neither was it against the Prime Minister.

He called anti fraud measures on pandemic loans “desperately inadequate” - “oversight by both BEIS & British Business Bank ..nothing less than woeful”.. “HMT has no knowledge or little interest in consequences of fraud”

“Schoolboy errors were made, for example allowing over 1000 companies to receive Bounceback loans who were not even trading when Covid struck”

“… simply failed to understand agents hold in stock companies with earlier creation dates…”

“Ive been arguing with Treasury and BEIS officials for two years to get them to lift their game, I have mostly been unsuccessful”

“There’s a penny of income tax waiting to be claimed if we just woke up” but theres a “combination of arrogance, indolence, and ignorance” says minister as he resigns, saying taking fraud seriously would give a sporting chance of some tax cuts… “Thank you & goodbye!”

Further detail in Lord Agnew’s resignation letter…

“Last week a foolish decision was made to kill off the prospect of an economic crime bill…” which would have helped tackle fraud and save taxpayers money, he says…

On top of that, Lord Agnew recommended six companies to use the "VIP lane" for COVID contracts, some of which the Chancellor was very to write off £4.5 billion this week, while the Government you might remember removed the £20 uplift in Universalt Credit last year.

Cakeism to cake

It cannot be denied now that there is someone either in Downing Street or once worked there who is leaking new partgate information just as Johnson thinks it is over.

The question now is now, therefore, what else is to come?

Just before six yesterday ITV News published information leaked to it that in June 2020 Johnson attend his own surprise birthday in the Cabinet Office in 10 Downing Street arranged by his fiance/wife, Carrie.

There was nibbles (party food) from M&S and a cake.

Weeks before he had written to a child congratulating her for being sensible in cancelling her own celebration because of lockdown. Meanwhile parties were being broken up all round the country, many for children, and attendees were give fixed penalty notices.

Johnson, it seems, did not arrange the party, and his spokesperson said he only stayed ten minutes. But such gatherings were aganst the law then.

You could go to work in an office, if essential, but all meetings had to be remote.

There was and never was any definition in the law or SIs relating to a work bubble. There were just family or support bubbles.

Lawyer, Adam Wagner, who has kept track of all the law and guidance changes since March 202 did so for his own professional use, but has been the "go to" guy for news organisations to explain the laws and regulations at the time and whther any excse is possible. He stated this morning he is getting fed up with the Government trying to falsly represent the laws at the time, and never thought he would be "keeping the receipts" on Government.

Johnson has to go.

He has no moral authority to lead.

He is fighting to keep a job he is unfit to do and is unwilling to put in the hours required to do it.

Sunday 23rd January 2022

Sunday dawned grey and overcast.

No change there, then.

Every weekend we think being the weekend and all we might lay in until it was light or even lunchtime.

We were awake before six, Poppy was asleep on my legs though was very happy when I got up meaning she would be fed.

It would mean we would have a slow start to the day.

We had coffee.

Croissants and coffee.

Fruit and tea.

We really should go out for a walk, didn't really want to, but need to do some phys, really.

We went out.

Before lunch, we went out for a walk, mainly for the phys if nothing else. But was surprised to find the ground really quite firm underfoot, so we went all the way up to Windy Ridge.

By now the tracks and paths should be rivers of mud and really not worth trying to get down, but all bar the usual places have now dried out and are firm ground rather than mud.

The wood itself is usually ankle deep in mud, the wider track was muddy, but passable if you wanted, but the other one was really quite dry.

I got back without getting mud on my trousers, which is quite unusual I believe..

I am armed with just the compact camera, and Jools is armed with a plastic bag and a litter picker tool-thing.

As there is quite a bit of litter, I go ahead, and am soon down the lane at the end of our road, over the fields, past the two Shetland ponies that were clearly hungry. I ask several folks on horses if they knew who owned the ponies, none did.

Then past the former butterfly glade, Fleet House and the pig's copse, down the slope past the farm, where the ground even there was firm underfoot.

Really, for January, this is very unusual. I seem to remember there being a winter drought a few years ago, and that lead to water shortages very quickly in the spring.

Up the long slope towards the wood, stopping at the hidden bench with its views down to Kingsdown. And in ten minutes Jools joins me, so we chat and admire the view.

The wood is passable, just about, so I pick my way through the drying mud, noticing the huge amount of Spurge Laurel growing in one place, and on holly trees I see proof that the plant only produces spiked edged leaves once leaves had been eaten or picked, as one plant had not only spiked and smooth edged leaves, but ones between the two.

Nature is wonderful.

I reach the end of the wood, and head off down towards Collingwood, horses on both side look at us hoping for some food other than the short grass in their fields and endless bales of hay.

We can't help.

We head home, end up talking to a couple walking their young puppy, turns out they're twitches, so we swap news on what's about, not that I twitch, only the really easy stuff.

Back home it's lunchtime, so we have a roll and yet more tea and I find that I am all done in time to watch the afternoon's footy.

Liverpool beat Palace 3-1, though not sure how. And then Cheslea run rings round Spurs to win 2-0. And just like that, there's no Prem for two weeks, three weeks. With a weekend off next weekend and then the Cup.

Dinner is pizza. And beer.

ALl the main food groups there.

Goes down a treat.

And that is the weekend done.