I slept for maybe an hour longer than I did last night, but still was wide awake far too early. I gave up trying to sleep at half past four and came downstairs. Sid asked to go out – bearing in mind his track record where anything potty-related is concerned I saw this as a result. He went out – despite the blizzard that was raging. Snow had been forecast, and snowing it was.
I would have had some granola for brekkie, but having forgotten to get milk yesterday, I roughed it with toast and watched an episode of “People Just Do Nothing” in which our hero made himself a sandwich, but didn’t cut the crusts off of the bread because life is too short.
He later regretted that decision.
I then sparked up the lap-top and with a little time on my hands I went through the list of groups I follow on Facebook and left most of them. Dogs, astronomy, sci-fi, painting, Lego, kites, Radio 4, Sparks, 1970s TV adverts, fishing, local travel… no matter what the subject, it is all one big argument and I’m sick of the arguments. You would think that people wouldn’t be so quick to squabble, wouldn’t you?
I’ve also (with a heavy heart) given up on one of the local geocaching groups. Having been such a big part of my life for so long it wasn’t an easy decision. Over the years I’ve organised so much for that group – the rainbow trip to London was just one of many trips to London, the trip to Red Sands fort, the trip to Cornwall, the trip to France, seemingly endless mid-week get-togethers. Over the years there were so many events and activities. But that group isn’t what it once was. Originally it was a group of friends, but more and more the people who made it fun have left and been replaced with people who don’t know the other group members and/or don’t socialise and/or live hundreds of miles away and are seemingly only looking for a fight. (Which is exactly what happened with the snake club and the kite club and the astro club). I’ve heard from several friends who have also left the local geocaching Facebook group since they too have felt they have been forced out. The squabble I had last night (in which a rather petty posting was blown out of all proportion) is all now sorted, but it was the last straw for me.
It has been suggested that I set up a group on Facebook for those who used to make it fun. I’m not keen on the idea… I don’t have the enthusiasm any more. I shall stick to hunting Tupperware with a small group of friends. Perhaps things might perk up again once lockdown is over.
With a much-trimmed selection of stuff to peruse, the Internet was (suddenly) a much better place. I gave it a few minutes, sent out birthday wishes and then opened up today’s window of my Advent Calendar. A yellow lorry – what was I supposed to say about that? Eventually I had an idea.
Remembering the snow I'd seen earlier I thought I might set off to work a tad earlier than usual. It was as well that I did. I got to the motorway to find the slip road closed, and the road back to the A20 was queued right back and at a standstill. I had this brilliant idea that I might head to Challock, turn left and pick up the A20 at Charing. It would have been a more brilliant idea had (seemingly) ten thousand other people not had it too. But despite them (and two sets of traffic lights on the A20) I eventually got where I was going.
As I drove the pundits on the radio were talking all sort of drivel as they do. Having become the first country in the world to agree that the COVID-19 vaccine is suitable for use, some British MP has wound up the European Union by claiming that this is a success story for Brexit and that the European regulators are crap. And to wind it all up further the American Presidential medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has denied that he has cast doubts on the British testing protocols.
Unfortunately all this has done is to encourage the crackpot anti-vax brigade. Fortunately social media is trying to shut them up but it speaks volumes about our society that people believe such dangerous and potentially deadly drivel.
There was also talk about how a no-deal Brexit is looking more and more likely. That wasn't supposed to happen, was it?
And the Bank of England have lost fifty billion quid in cash. From what was being said on the radio I don't know what was the most worrying - that they've lost fifty billion quid, or that no one seems to be bothered about it.
Having taken two hours to do a forty minute journey I got to work and humbly apologised to the poor person who'd been on all night and had had to wait for me.
As I did my bit so my phone beeped from time to time. Sarah (this time) from the power company was messaging me. Apparently Rohit misled me yesterday when she said they'd fixed the broken smart meter. The thing remains broken, but Sarah gave me instructions on how to read it. I pointed out that the whole idea of a smart meter is that I don't have to read it; it gets read remotely. I was told this was the only way to get a reading. I shall send them a reading tomorrow (when I can get to the meter in daylight) and we'll see what happens.
As I worked I also kept looking at the travel news. It seemed that a lorry had jack-knifed earlier (which had closed the motorway) but opinion was divided as to whether the motorway had been opened or not. Eventually I hit on the idea of calling up the webcams and seeing there was traffic on the motorway I decided to chance it.
Looking back I’d seen traffic on the eastbound carriageway, and bearing in mind how I was going east, that was all I cared about. As I drove east, not another vehicle came up the westbound carriageway. That was still closed. I wonder if it will be open tomorrow morning? I hope so.
I got home, made a cuppa for me and "er indoors TM", and put a load of shirts in to wash. Double the amount I was intending – I obviously forgot to do my shirts last week. It is just as well I’ve got loads, isn’t it? "er indoors TM" went shopping whilst I ironed, and when she came home we scoffed dinner whilst watching this week’s Star Trek: Discovery. This is a show which seems to be either very good or very bad; I quite liked this evening’s episode.
I think I shall have an early night – I’m feeling a bit under the weather.
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