We had two carers yesterday morning but they were scheduled for 7.00am at which time scarcely any of the four of us are properly awake. I did get up an hour earlier, though, so that I could get myself washed and dressed and everything put in place for the carers. After breakfast, we made our way down into town about 15 minutes earlier than normal because in our local Salvation Army shop, they had in the shop window one of those electrical heaters that stand quite upright and have a large circular fan rather than the low, horizontal models. I was pretty sure that there was only a 50% chance of it being unsold and only another 50% chance that it actually was a fan heater and not just a cold air fan but I was in luck and snaffled it up. When I got it home, I gave it a test and am pleased that it is very quiet in operation and has two heat settings including a fan only option which means that I can use it as a cool air fan in the summer. It has two heats and a variable heat control which I believe will switch the fan off or moderate its intensity once the room gets up to a particular temperature. Although it is Chinese made, it seems a pretty sturdy piece of kit and evidently has to be tested before it can be sold to the public.I do have a particular reason for wanting this piece of equipment because in the next few days, we are going to be subject to a blast of cold arctic air and snow is even contemplated by the weather forecasters. Our Music Room and my son's in house study are both pretty cold first think in the morning, so I though a quick blast or warming air would not come amiss. We had some quiche for lunch and to accompany this, I peeled some 'wonky' carrots, cut them into batons and parboiled them with a few remaining fine beans. Then I popped them into the oven with a spot of oil and a drizzle of treacle so I trust it will make a good accompaniment to the quiche when it gets served up. I was texted in the late morning to ask whether I could assist a single carer - this happens a lot these days. Actually, I do not mind because I get on very well with this particular carer who just happens to be a fellow catholic to whom I retold the story of the nuns forbidding the girls in their charge to wear black patent leather shoes lest young men in the vicinity would see the reflection of their knickers and be driven wild with lust.
This afternoon, I got a telephone call from our son who has experienced a very bad bout of bronchitis that put in hospital for a day until he managed to discharge himself. His GP had suspected that at the worst, they might be dealing with a case of sepsis so the A&E moved at quite some speed to do some necessary tests to ensure that this was not the case. But after a range of tests and prophylactics my son decided that on the balance of risks he would be better off at home and not exposed to super bugs such as MRSA, all too often found in a hospital environment. So he is recovering at home and I might be able to offer some help in the forthcoming days to keep him warm, comfortable and fed with a view to speeding up his recovery which might take a week or so. Given that my daughter-in-law had an equally bad bout of bronchitis, then there is a particular irony that out of my wife and I, my son and my daughter-in-law, I seem to be the fittest of all of us at the age of 79½.
Some fascinating news is starting to emerge from the world of social media this afternoon. Several days ago, my son had informed me that he intended to delete his 'X' (successor to Twitter) social media account as he was so disgusted with the behaviour of Elan Musk giving massive financial and moral support to Donald Trump in return for goodness what other favours as well. So I followed him in deleting my own 'X' account but it seems that we are not alone. Sky News has asked the question 'The X exodus - could Bluesky spike spark end of Elon Musks social media platform?' Even Google appears to trust X less, with one expert telling Sky News the search engine treats X competitor Bluesky as 10 times more important than Elon Musk's platform. Bluesky claims one million users joined the platform in one day this week. Bluesky claims one million users joined the platform in one day this week after Musk was given a job in Trump's new government. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, The Guardian newspaper, and even the Clifton Suspension Bridge have joined swathes of people deserting Elon Musk's social media site X. Millions have instead joined Bluesky, which has a stronger focus on moderation, set up by former Twitter founder Jack Dorsey - who is now no longer affiliated with the social media platform - in 2019. According to the official Bluesky account, a million people joined the platform in just one day this week, after Musk was given a position in Donald Trump's government. So this is something that I shall certainly investigate myself when I have a moment - probably in the hours after Meg is safely tucked up on bed and fast asleep when I have a bit of time to explore such things. There was also a report on Sky News which sounds so terrible it is quite hard to believe. This is that because of 'hygiene poverty' some 40% teachers admit to washing some of the clothes of the children under their charge, probably in a school bought washing machine as parents cannot afford to wash their children's clothes. The same report indicated that 80% staff within schools knew of hygiene poverty and were aware of the efforts of other school staff to alleviate it. There was yet another shocking report which underlines the level of poverty and deprivation in the UK where real wages have not reason for at least a decade. This is that the so called 'junk food' has costs associated with it that amount to 50% more than the entire budget of the NHS. The UK has been addicted to junk food for decades now and we are second only to America in the amount that is consumed per head (unlike the rest of Europe)
© Mike Hart [2024]