Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Reflections from the sofa

No, Jeana. It didn't work. But I live in hope that tomorrow will be the good day!


I don't think I stopped moving or sat down from 7.45 till 3.30. And I am creaking in places which should not creak. Not pleasant. I look 110. Old crone. That is me. Did I mention that I intend doing the Race for Life?? Well, my number arrived today. The one I will wear when I run. RUN???? Am I INSANE??? In 5 weeks??? Good grief. One thing I do know. I will not be wearing shorts. Of any description. Nope. Not me. In fact, I may just waddle around the course pretending to be a spectator. The slight problem to my cunning plan is that there are 16 others from work doing it too, and they would spot me a mile away. They are also half my age, might I add. What was I thinking??


This weekend is a long weekend. Bliss. Only 2 days till the weekend actually arrives. You may have noticed this. It can't come fast enough. Petrol price? (I feel I need to keep updating you on the ever increasing cost here) 111.9p a litre. That is about $10 a gallon. Food prices? Rising. General mood of the country? Worried and extremely put out. There are local elections taking place all over tomorrow. Not here though. We had ours a year ago I think. And the nation is unimpressed with just about everything the government is doing or not doing, and I am PARTICULARY unimpressed at the raising of the basic tax levels from 10% to 20%. It seems that the nation is too, and the government has just discovered that an angry nation is not a good thing to have on the eve of any election, local or not.


One of the wonderful things about British politics is that it is absolutely fine to disagree with the government. Interviews on TV get very heated, and making Cabinet ministers squirm is absolutely fine. If they have reason to squirm. The government is not the country. Patriotism has nothing to do with the government. And I am not discussing this very intelligently, but that is because my brain is half asleep. Anyway, it is interesting. I know what I mean. Disagreeing with the government does not mean you are unpatriotic. We hold them to account.


I have been to Parliament to lobby MPs before. A good few years ago. And when half of our local ones did not bother to come to their arranged meetings with us, I was incandescent with rage. That was why they called me a warrior. The man in the strange looking outfit, who I gather was quite important, almost hid when I barrelled across the hall in a fury, and suggested he go and look for them in the cupboards of their offices, and not to bother to return if he couldn't find them. Or that the Prime minister would do if all else failed. At the very least. I was there with the MS society, and my friend, who has MS, was very weak at the time, and had made the effort to go and I could not believe the MPs had not bothered to come. Mind you, that strangely dressed man proved to be quite good at running. He also even managed to drag parliamentary chairs outside when I told him my friend was exhausted and needed to sit. Chairs That Should Never Leave The Building. Ever. Hmmmm. Actually, it was really interesting. Maybe I should stand for parliament. Now there's a thought.


I am blethering. I am going to bed.


Night all.

10 comments:

Susie said...

Sounds like another rough day! I need to stop complaining about the price of things here! Yours are much worse.
I hope you rest well tonight.
xo

Joyful Days said...

Wow, amazing about the cost of things. And very interesting to see your view of government vs. patriotism. I think that is really something I need to chew on. Pretty good stuff for half asleep.

Crystal said...

It's getting really hard to live - and then I think about how privileged I am compared to most of the world and I change my tune. Nevertheless one's income is not keeping up to other costs here either. I can imagine you being an MP - I say you go, girl!!!!

Judith said...

Good for you, for standing up for your friend with MS. And ten dollars a gallon for gas!!! I had heard many other countries have high prices too. What do ordinary people do, walk or crawl to work?

Jeana said...

Well, darn. :-)

Anonymous said...

I wonder if they will let you ride a motorized chair and loudly declare "I'm running on the inside!"?

Midlife Mom said...

I had the absolutely insane idea that I was going to do a triathlon last year. I don't know what I had been drinking that morning and seeing as I don't drink someone must have laced my orange juice with something potent! Thankfully I came to my senses before I started the thing and went under in the first phase that was the swim! lol! Even my trainer at the gym had a hard time of it but did finish. Sometimes I think I am nuts!

Needled Mom said...

Bless you for even thinking of running. I'm not sure that I could muster up the energy for that! My poor body would start dropping its limbs if I tried that sort of organized motion with it. :)

Dawn said...

Wow, my brother has not shared with us the latest price of petrol. We are complaining loudly about $3.50, going to $4. Yikes. I am so sorry!

I don't think running would be such a hot idea right now for you. Can you walk those races?

Dawn said...

I forgot - I definitely think you should quit your teaching job and become a member of parliament!! I"d vote for you, for sure.