Last night, the carers arrived and put Meg to bed quite promptly which was just as well because, after my routine domestic jobs, I was able to spend some time composing a letter to the County Council candidate detailing the direct debit 'mistake' I had to deal with during the week. Now dashing off these emails is never that simple because I needed to ensure hat relevant dates and reference numbers were quoted. Despite the very good promise that was put to me yesterday that this matter would be pursued, I am not holding my breath that anything will come of it. The last time I raised an issue with the County Council about the lack of a pavement to the Kidderminster Road, the complaint was eventually kicked into touch with a promise of resolution perhaps years ahead. On this occasion, I am a smidgeon more hopeful as the sums of money involved are small (compared with alteration of a roadway and provision of a pavement) and I have asked for some 'mitigation' which I think is a better term than compensation. At the end of the day, I expect I shall receive a longish letter with a half apology half way down the 4th page or something similar but- nothing venture, nothing gain. I have promised some volunteering to the councillor if and when she is elected but not in the immediate future, as she well understands as she had to nurse her own mother who suffered from vascular dementia. In the past I had leafleted the whole of Kidderminster Road but that was years ago and would not be capable of doing such a thing again. But I could engage in a task such as addressing of envelopes and a similar sedentary type of activity which is something that my mother did for the Liberal party in Leeds in her declining years as I remember. I have already received an acknowledgment to my email and I have given permission for my details to be shared with her colleagues so that we can make progress in this matter.
The weather is continuing with a somewhat elevated temperature to which I would normally look forward but it is coming at the price of sone squally and rainy weather which might be a contra-indication for our trip down into town. The carers had been scheduled for a time thirty five minutes earlier than usual and so this makes for quite a long morning but the same couple who have known and worked with each for the past sixteen years are due to return for Meg's lunchtime call. The Six Nations competition resumes this weekend, which is always a source of pleasure, other things being equal. This morning, before breakfast, it was pleasant to receive a message from my Asian South African friend who used to be a neighbour but has now moved to Droitwich. She informed me that she is off to South Africa for the next few days to offer care and support to her ailing mother but as soon as she returns, I am hopeful that we can get together for a nice long chat. It was quite a nice, almost Spring-like day yesterday, so I managed to push Meg down the hill in something approximating to pale sunshine. We met up with our friends in our local Wetherspoons and had our normal daily fare before we started back up the hill. Outside our Italian friend's house, I saw her bobbling about in the garden, so we managed to have quite a long chat. Then it was a question of getting home, relatively tired and waiting for the lunch time carers. One or both of them had evidently neglected to remove their shoes, as the vast majority of carers do, so there were streaks of mud all over the bedroom carpet which I had to immediately set to and clean up after them. They claim it was transferred from the wheelchair wheels which I very much doubt as I clean up the wheelchair wheels first outside the house with some brushes I keep for the purpose and then inside the house with a sponge. Judging by the pattern of the muddy smears, it looks as though it came from shoes and not from the wheelchair so I was not a happy bunny as I had to get up early to cope with an earlier than normal getting up time and this was about the last straw. I cooked a lunch in which I parboiled some parsnips and then finished them off in the convection oven part of the microwave. I served up the last of the last weekend's beef in its onion gravy and some petit pois.
In the Six Nations rugby matches this weekend, Wales (the bottom team in the championship) were playing Ireland (the best) But the Welsh team now had a new manager and about one half of the team had changed but they put on a really good show against Ireland. They were leading them at half time and three quarters of the way through the match, the scores were level. You always had the feeling that Ireland would prevail which of course they did and by winning won the 'Triple Crown' of beating England, Scotland and Wales. Another thrilling match is in prospect which is the Calcutta Cup between Scotland and England which I think Scotland have won on the last three or even four occasions. So, the outcome of today's match is a little difficult to predict but playing at Twickenham before a home crowd may give England a slight edge. At half time Scotland had a slight lead but seemed to be playing the more adventurous rugby. But a fortnight ago, England really came good in beating France by one point and it is touch and go whether they might repeat the performance. Scotland scored a try in the last few minutes of the game and, if they had converted, would have gained the extra two points and won the game by one point. Instead England hung on for grim life and they won the match by one point in the most thrilling of contests.
© Mike Hart [2025]