Sid didn’t start yapping until half past six this morning which was something of a minor result. I came downstairs and chivvied him into the garden where he had a piddle, then as I tried to watch “Hardy Bucks” so he went outside another three times.
er indoors TM” emerged from her pit, and (with Sid securely away from any carpet) we took Treacle and Pogo down to Orlestone Woods where we had a good walk. We met the little old lady with the poodle half-way round, and passed the posh lady with the Labrador as we came back to the car park, but again we had a good walk undisturbed by the normal people. Mind you when I say we walk for ages and see no one, there is usually someone or other sitting in their car in the car park. Today when we arrived there was a middle-aged bloke sitting in his car (with the engine running), and after a half-hour walk we came back to the car park to find the same chap sitting in his car (with the engine running). Yesterday it was a young (twenty-something) woman. I wonder who it will be next time.
With walk walked I quickly sparked up the lap-top to send out birthday wishes, got dressed and set off to find where I’d left my car, pointed the car in the general direction of Hastings and set off. As I drove there was some program on the radio about the life and times of Kublai Khan. Eight hundred years ago he was Emperor of the largest (in area) empire the world has ever known, and I know pretty much nothing at all about the chap. This was followed by a mini documentary about the painter Hans Holbein the Younger (who lived at the time of King Henry the Eighth). I didn't know that was an older one.
I learned quite a bit from these two radio shows.
Looking back at my time at the Hastings Academy for Budding Geniuses it has to be said that the history lessons were an utter waste of time. Having us copy out the textbook (word for word) over the course of the year demonstrably taught us nothing at all.
Mind you I am reliably assured that our old history teacher was carried out of the school and taken away in an ambulance (apparently he went completely round the twist big-time), so I think things might have changed in the meantime.
I got to Dad's and had a cuppa with him. He seems to be doing OK. And from there I pointed the car towards Maidstone and work. As I drove there was some utter tripe being broadcast about tomorrow's forthcoming elections. The BBC had spent no expense to wheel on some students who called themselves "political commentators" (aren't we all!) who were offering their expert advice. Personally I felt their "expert advice" was a waste of the licence fee I begrudge paying, but what do I know?
Anyway... in tomorrow's elections...
Firstly look at the opinion polls. Obviously if it is pretty clear who is going to win the election where you live, then no advice was necessary. You vote for the winner - as the presenter said, who *doesn't* want to vote for the winner?
But if it isn't clear who was going to win, then the sage advice was to read the election materials published by all the candidates and vote for the one whose promises appeal to you the most. (A novel concept!)
And if you don't like the sound of any of them, then you should (apparently) vote for the Green or the independent candidate as they will come last anyway (!) and giving them a vote or two means they don't end up utterly disillusioned at the end of the day.
And people wonder why I don't believe in democracy.
As I drove I stopped off twice. Firstly at Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard where I spent twenty quid on one bottle of wine. It was perhaps a bit much, but I felt sorry for the place. The woman behind the counter looked as though she was about to cry. They had a sign-in sheet for customers to sign as they arrived (supposedly a COVID thing) and I was only their second customer of the week.
I also stopped off at a farm shop in Cranbrook in the hope of a half-way decent bottled ale selection and I wasn't disappointed. I would have got some bottled ciders too, but their cider wasn't cheap, and it was the stuff that was so strong that just looking at the bottle makes you fall over, so I passed on that.
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