Yesterday, we are having our roof checked over by one of the carer's partners and his 'roofer' mate who we have employed before when the garden needed a blitz in the autumn. To complete the 'outdoor' picture some heavy earth moving vehicles have moved into the field at the back of our house and have started making progress on yet more building work which seems to be taking place around us. Gone are the days some seventeen years ago now when we used to wake up to the sights of rabbits and their young grazing on the grass on our back garden lawn (where I imagine the young shoots of grass were more tender than the field beyond, devoted to sheep) In the past, we also had visits from a golden pheasant, several foxes and a green woodpecker but of course had an ancient old apple orchard to one side (lost after three planning appeal to housing) and now building is starting at the rear. Although I used to fight these developments, these days I have given up the unequal fight and let what will be, will be. On the political front, we are waiting to see how developed the trade war will be between the USA and its immediate neighbours to the North (Canada) and the South (Mexico), What has fuelled the Trump anger against trade deficits (which in his mind is a kind of subsidy to countries exporting to the USA) is the following. Where once goods would flow directly from China to the US, there is evidence to suggest many of them are instead flowing, mostly in the form of components, to 'third countries', including Mexico, and then being assembled into finished products and sent into the US, and this process might accelerate in the coming years. But negotiating with Trump has its dangers as the Colombians found to their cost where they tried to refuse a planeload of migrants and immediately were subject to such punitive sanctions that they backtracked almost immediately. One of the basic tenets of politics (or deal making) is not to utter a threat that you do not intend to carry out. But in the case of Donald Trump, it is not just bluster but he does intend to carry out what he threatens, and if this is a case of destabilising the whole of the world's financial and economic foundations, then so be it. In the Trump world view, all international bodies are stacked against the USA preventing his 'Make America Great Again' by which is meant total American dominance in every sphere of activity. Hence the phone calls with Canada where 20% tariff is due to applied in a day or so if not immediately and where in the Trump world view, Canada should be annexed as the 51st American state. When you have a neighbour as rich and powerful as the United States and the neighbour turns on their supposed allies, then where do they turn? The latest draconian Trump move is to close down the whole of $40 billion United States Aid agency with some unimaginable consequences for the poorest in the world. Tromp has tweeted that the agency is 'broken beyond repair' and is staffed by 'radical left lunatics'. Earlier in the day, Elon Musk who is Trumps efficiency tsar asked to access secure files held by senior staff of the Aid agency, When they refused, they were promptly sacked and Musk, an unelected political force, called in US Marshalls to evict the executives denying access to secure files. These tactics are reminiscent of the Nazi bully boys in the 1930's, but who in the world is going to gainsay them. We might ask what has happened to a 'government of laws, not of men' but there is an interesting debate to be had whether and in what context the word 'laws' implies 'legislation'
The two carers came at the scheduled time this morning, including one I had not seen for some time. But as he was attempting to tidy up the hospital bed before leaving, he lifted up one corner of the mattress and the new bed got 'stuck' with the foot of the bed in a raised position. Everything we tried on the control failed to work and so we were resigned to telephone the only number that we had which was the manufacturer's number to explain our predicament. So, I was not a happy bunny this morning, but my son happened to be at work in his office and he crawled under the bed and found a ratchet which had been displaced and managed to correct it manually. As it happens, the engineer is due around for a maintenance visit some time tomorrow so I can take the opportunity to ask him questions about the correct operation of the bed, a reset procedure and, most importantly, a telephone number to ring in case there are emergencies some time in the future.
In view of various comings and goings this morning, I decided not to take Meg for a walk. We lunched on chicken legs which I bought (more cheaply) with skin on and bones in and then discarded these after cooking as I believe you get the flavour but without the fat. Having seared the chicken well, I cooked it in a tin of chicken soup enhanced by a cheese white sauce and then also cooked alongside it some oven chips which I have had in the freezer for ages but not actually consumed for as long as I can remember but the result was suitably tasty. I got about one half of the intended quantity inside Meg but she can pretty difficult to feed if she slumps in the chair and turns her head to one side (away from me) occasionally not even opening her mouth when prompted. All of these latter are sequelae of the dementia which, of course I have read about and know about but it still makes life to deal with. Another irritation of life as that have mislaid the TV remote but fortunately I had spare standing by just in case of emergency because with a remote the TV seems inoperable. I know misplacing the remote is symptom of tiredness but I will have to wait until Meg is asleep before I turn the room upside down later on (although I hunted for it for over an hour last night.
© Mike Hart [2025]