I am struggling just now to find the kind of news I want about Covid-19. I want to know, with examples, how the virus spread, the beginnings of each cluster and how the virus was passed on. Was it through the schools, the shops, the physical contact or simply sharing the same air? Did the UK do contact tracting? Is there a crack team investigating how the virus works, where are the most likely places to come into contact with it? Is it on trains, buses, in taxi cabs, shops, on the paper and plastic bags we collect our food in? Is it on our food, should we disinfect our salad and tins? I want to know the nitty gritty. I want to know the hot spots in my area, I want to know where the contagion originated, where it came from, how it will spread. I want to know how all those people who are staying in are doing? Have any of them caught the virus, even though they have stuck to all the rules?
I looked at carehomes for the elderly as an example. I wanted to know how the virus spreads so rapidly between patients who are, presumably confined within their own rooms. Is it brought in by visitors? Or is it being spread by doctors, nurses and carers who are not being tested and who are not being supplied with PPE? Sadly, it is more likely to be the latter. Those countries that have flattened the curve, have been meticulous in making sure their key workers on the front line have the protection they need.
To be fair, I have not researched these questions too intently, I'm not absolutely sure I want to know the answers. Silly of course, because once you have all the information you can calm your own fears. Information gives you the power to make your own choices, to assess the risks
If I were younger, I would probably be eager for life to return as it was. During my twenties and thirties, I would literally weep when I could not go out. I guess I even enjoyed going to work every day, I mostly worked in the City of London as a temporary secretary for decades, spent nearly two of them in one firm alone! I didn't understand the philosophy behind 'Greed is Good'*, but I was fully onboard with the partying. I worked in an area where the lunchtime pubs were filled with derrivatives traders on manic highs, it was hard to tell their ages as most were burned out by their thirties. Always up for a good party though! Young people must be going demented, at the prime of their life they are stuck indoors. Thank heavens they have social media. They must be suffering far more from the social isolation than their elders. For we elders I think, the staying in will be months rather than weeks.
As my regular readers know, I am obsessed at the moment with US news and the antics of Donald Trump especially. In a world that is becoming increasingly unreal, his being President of the USA is perhaps the most bizarre. I watched his press conference last night, his worst to date, astonished that his wall of enablers didn't bat an eyelid, as he claimed to have absolute power and raged at journalists. I only caught the tail end so didn't see the campaign ad, as fascinating as Trump the Insane is, his rambling off of statistics and tributes to himself are repetitive and boring. I usually just opt for the highlights on twitter. Will Trump ever reach the point where he should clearly be taken away in a straight jacket? And will the people lined up on the Praise Trump wall acknowledge it? Will Ivanka and Jared hold onto an elbow each and prop him up 'Weekend At Bernies' style, when he starts dribbling and talking about the old MAGA days? Has anyone checked to see if he is actually alive? He keeps repeating himself over and over, the tape may be stuck?
But I wandered. My kindest wishes to all who keep popping in, even the grumpy ones. These are strange and surreal times, and it is hard to stay strong when there is so much to fear. But, as every disaster film will tell you, staying strong is the key to survival. Healthy food, daily exercise, reading facts from reliable sources will keep the fears in perspective. Take care.
*Gordon Gecko, Wall Street
Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Saturday, 11 April 2020
LIFE DURING AN APOCOLYPSE - JUST MUSING
Unfortunately, my blog attracts more than it's fair share of raving lunatics and conspiracy theorists. It always has, for obvious reasons, but even after I had dropped the favourite topic, the weirdos, as I call them, have hung on.
Now they believe the coronavirus is a big hoax, a way in which to rush in draconian new laws that will infringe our personal liberties and lead us into a totalitarian Communist state. The 'our' in this case is the United States and the United Kingdom, two countries presently ruled by fat cat billionaires who don't even pretend to want equality, the, err, binary opposite of communism Whilst I agree we will probably lose many freedoms along the way, now is not the time to stir up rebellion, stopping the pandemic must take priority. They assume that the majority of us are stupid and brainwashed because we are taking government guidelines seriously. They mock that we applaud all the front line NHS workers, suggesting our next trick should be to roll over as if we were compliant dogs.
To be fair, I don't have any actual English blood in me, but as a child of the 60's I was raised to be proud of my British home. Proud that we alone stood up to Hitler, proud that our predecessors stood side by side with their neighbours and fellow countrymen to fight the enemy on the beaches and the landing grounds, in the streets, fields and hills. That's what we need right now. The will, and clever organising people, to get the world back on track.
They are this century's equivalent of Lord Haw Haw, not Germany calling, but predatory sharks looking for a financial killing on the deaths of society's most vulnerable. Both the sharks and the vultures are hovering. The Western world looked on the coronavirus as a challenging new way to make billions. Race you to the patents office, say the Kushners to the Trumps. And in the UK, herd immunity - what a great new way to reduce the benefits bill?
Comparing the statistics for coronavirus in China, the Far East and Russia, it would appear that the communist countries have contained the Covid-19 far more effectively than the capitalist countries. Meanwhile, Trump and all those minions propping him up, couldn't care less about the lives of American Citizens and here in the UK, our PM has just awoken from an up close and personal experience with the virus. Hopefully this awakening will force him to do the right thing.
History has shown us that major catastrophes bring about major changes, WWI for example had a huge impact on class divisions - the aristocracy were dying alongside the coalminers in the trenches. The aftermath of WWII saw the launch of the Welfare State and Homes for Heroes, a huge surge in care for the working classes.
At the moment we are in the middle of the pandemic and we don't know how bad it is going to get. We need the spirit of Wartime, another Churchill (Jeremy would have achieved that), that feeling of all pulling together to fight a common enemy. I despair of these malcontents and ingrates, who are so eaten up inside by whatever evil possesses them, that they will gripe and whine about those who are doing their best to help us. Wtf is wrong them? I cannot thank enough all those people who are ready to take care of us and those who are making sure we get food and medicines. The doctors, the nurses, the paramedics, the delivery drivers, the shelf stackers, they are the heroes this time round. If Churchill were alive, they would be the 'few'* we would be thanking.
These are miserable times and we are all scared, but what I find more scary is the way in which all our demeanours have changed. Everyone is tense and grumpy. Even I am supressing my inner urge to spread sweetness and light. I don't want to smile, I don't want to get into conversation, I'm suffocating from my black ninja mask because I tied knots in the ear elastic to shorten it, and now I can't get them out. If I go blue and keel over, it will probably be the mask.
I am now getting bored. I have watched The Tudors and Versailles hundreds of times over and have almost finished every episode of Project Runway. If I had a genie in a bottle I would ask him to take me back to age 15 and get me into couture. Having said that, I will now feel a bit of a phoney asking for 'No Regrets' in my funeral songs.
Much as I don't want to go to the dark side, it's hard not to think of your own mortality at this time. I've never feared death, because I, like William Blake, believe it is a door to another paradise, I also draw in a bit of Buddhism, because I believe if it was shit this time round, you come back as something better. I'm torn between wanting to be an Egyptian Queen or a pampered cat, the couture loving me, would pick Cleopatra, but look how that ended? Totally worth it for a night with Richard Burton (it was the voice!) btw, but a lifetime of tummy tickling and finest smoked salmon.....hmm. In any event, I am very much in the plus side with the karma, it is my nature to be kind, it's why I sleep well.
I suppose at a time like this it would be a good idea to have a proper God, a proper religion. Perhaps I should just sum it up by saying 'faith', faith in something, anything. I had a very unstable mother, so to be fair I have never really had faith in anything. But I kind of envy people who do have faith, they are able to switch all their cares and woes to an unseen entity that is more powerful than them. Sticking with power as the optimum word, I have never in my life been able to hand my power to anyone, certainly not to a mythological being that no-one has ever seen. My stubbornness, as I may have mentioned, led to a very unhappy time in the convent. To be honest, as a kid, having to attend church every fecking day, I would stare at the priests and nuns in all their medieval garb with gormless looks on their faces and their hands clasped. Did they really believe I would ask myself, or were they were putting it on like great big phonies? I always opted for the latter and the inevitable battering.
Now, I am more philosophical. I understand that people have different needs, for some they live more contented lives by belonging to a community or congregation. Some people like to hand over responsibility for their lives to a God or higher power, that is more bearable than taking responsibility for themselves. I once read, many years ago, that the two biggest evils in the world were capitalism and religion. I had not at that time gone into higher education, and thought it a bit harsh on religion. I was a lapsed Catholic, but Catholicism one of the two greatest evils? It puzzled me, I needed to know more. I want to compress all I learned into one or two sentences, suffice to say, my God's bigger than your God. Now the word 'herd' is politically correct, how about herd mentality?
But religion for many provides family values, community spirit, a sense of belonging, I can't knock it. We have gone 2000 plus years and still haven't replaced the life and family guidelines set out in the Old Testament, except now we sacrifice immigrants rather than goats and livestock. The biggest argument religious Christian zealots have is that we wouldn't know how to behave without the rules set down by their God. That is, we would all be killing, stealing, disrespecting our parents and coveting our neighbours wives/partners, if the good Lord hadn't told us not to. I can't say I have ever had inclination to murder, steal or covet, even without guidelines, and frankly find it a bit odd that people need to be told not to do that.
Now I have described myself as a lot of things. First of all a Roman Catholic (no choice), then atheist - be gone you god botherers, anti-theist - anti God worshippers, agnostic - hmm, there might be something.... back to RC, there is something very comforting in lighting a candle and accompanying it with a prayer. Besides, I've always thought of confessing all I can think of as I draw my last breath, just to hedge my bets.
But mostly, I am agnostic. That is I believe there is an afterlife of sorts. During life we have people with whom we have connected, our souls have entwined, we love them more life itself. And I think they are watching over us and I think we will meet again. I should hasten to add, I do not believe in spiritualists, mediums or any other con artist who sets out to deceive people. I think they are very cruel.
We don't need spiritualist and mediums, we can see our loved ones, in the faces of all their descendants, in one way or another. They may have the same facial features, gestures, crooked smiles, sparkly eyes, those lost, live on. Be it nature, or nurture, the genes are there and they carry on from generation to generation.
Well that ended up very deep, but I have annoying habit of speaking out loud when I really shouldn't. Regardless, my kindest wishes to all who still look in. I vowed to carry on writing even if I had only one reader left, and maybe now I should step up to the plate for those who have kindly hung on. Right now, I pray to all the Gods there may be (especially fond of the Greek ones) to take care of all us. Please, please, be kind and thoughtful, and if you can, give a smile to the person who crosses the street to avoid you. For the narcissistic sociopaths out there, it's not personal.
*Never has so much been owed by so many to so few.
Now they believe the coronavirus is a big hoax, a way in which to rush in draconian new laws that will infringe our personal liberties and lead us into a totalitarian Communist state. The 'our' in this case is the United States and the United Kingdom, two countries presently ruled by fat cat billionaires who don't even pretend to want equality, the, err, binary opposite of communism Whilst I agree we will probably lose many freedoms along the way, now is not the time to stir up rebellion, stopping the pandemic must take priority. They assume that the majority of us are stupid and brainwashed because we are taking government guidelines seriously. They mock that we applaud all the front line NHS workers, suggesting our next trick should be to roll over as if we were compliant dogs.
To be fair, I don't have any actual English blood in me, but as a child of the 60's I was raised to be proud of my British home. Proud that we alone stood up to Hitler, proud that our predecessors stood side by side with their neighbours and fellow countrymen to fight the enemy on the beaches and the landing grounds, in the streets, fields and hills. That's what we need right now. The will, and clever organising people, to get the world back on track.
They are this century's equivalent of Lord Haw Haw, not Germany calling, but predatory sharks looking for a financial killing on the deaths of society's most vulnerable. Both the sharks and the vultures are hovering. The Western world looked on the coronavirus as a challenging new way to make billions. Race you to the patents office, say the Kushners to the Trumps. And in the UK, herd immunity - what a great new way to reduce the benefits bill?
Comparing the statistics for coronavirus in China, the Far East and Russia, it would appear that the communist countries have contained the Covid-19 far more effectively than the capitalist countries. Meanwhile, Trump and all those minions propping him up, couldn't care less about the lives of American Citizens and here in the UK, our PM has just awoken from an up close and personal experience with the virus. Hopefully this awakening will force him to do the right thing.
History has shown us that major catastrophes bring about major changes, WWI for example had a huge impact on class divisions - the aristocracy were dying alongside the coalminers in the trenches. The aftermath of WWII saw the launch of the Welfare State and Homes for Heroes, a huge surge in care for the working classes.
At the moment we are in the middle of the pandemic and we don't know how bad it is going to get. We need the spirit of Wartime, another Churchill (Jeremy would have achieved that), that feeling of all pulling together to fight a common enemy. I despair of these malcontents and ingrates, who are so eaten up inside by whatever evil possesses them, that they will gripe and whine about those who are doing their best to help us. Wtf is wrong them? I cannot thank enough all those people who are ready to take care of us and those who are making sure we get food and medicines. The doctors, the nurses, the paramedics, the delivery drivers, the shelf stackers, they are the heroes this time round. If Churchill were alive, they would be the 'few'* we would be thanking.
These are miserable times and we are all scared, but what I find more scary is the way in which all our demeanours have changed. Everyone is tense and grumpy. Even I am supressing my inner urge to spread sweetness and light. I don't want to smile, I don't want to get into conversation, I'm suffocating from my black ninja mask because I tied knots in the ear elastic to shorten it, and now I can't get them out. If I go blue and keel over, it will probably be the mask.
I am now getting bored. I have watched The Tudors and Versailles hundreds of times over and have almost finished every episode of Project Runway. If I had a genie in a bottle I would ask him to take me back to age 15 and get me into couture. Having said that, I will now feel a bit of a phoney asking for 'No Regrets' in my funeral songs.
Much as I don't want to go to the dark side, it's hard not to think of your own mortality at this time. I've never feared death, because I, like William Blake, believe it is a door to another paradise, I also draw in a bit of Buddhism, because I believe if it was shit this time round, you come back as something better. I'm torn between wanting to be an Egyptian Queen or a pampered cat, the couture loving me, would pick Cleopatra, but look how that ended? Totally worth it for a night with Richard Burton (it was the voice!) btw, but a lifetime of tummy tickling and finest smoked salmon.....hmm. In any event, I am very much in the plus side with the karma, it is my nature to be kind, it's why I sleep well.
I suppose at a time like this it would be a good idea to have a proper God, a proper religion. Perhaps I should just sum it up by saying 'faith', faith in something, anything. I had a very unstable mother, so to be fair I have never really had faith in anything. But I kind of envy people who do have faith, they are able to switch all their cares and woes to an unseen entity that is more powerful than them. Sticking with power as the optimum word, I have never in my life been able to hand my power to anyone, certainly not to a mythological being that no-one has ever seen. My stubbornness, as I may have mentioned, led to a very unhappy time in the convent. To be honest, as a kid, having to attend church every fecking day, I would stare at the priests and nuns in all their medieval garb with gormless looks on their faces and their hands clasped. Did they really believe I would ask myself, or were they were putting it on like great big phonies? I always opted for the latter and the inevitable battering.
Now, I am more philosophical. I understand that people have different needs, for some they live more contented lives by belonging to a community or congregation. Some people like to hand over responsibility for their lives to a God or higher power, that is more bearable than taking responsibility for themselves. I once read, many years ago, that the two biggest evils in the world were capitalism and religion. I had not at that time gone into higher education, and thought it a bit harsh on religion. I was a lapsed Catholic, but Catholicism one of the two greatest evils? It puzzled me, I needed to know more. I want to compress all I learned into one or two sentences, suffice to say, my God's bigger than your God. Now the word 'herd' is politically correct, how about herd mentality?
But religion for many provides family values, community spirit, a sense of belonging, I can't knock it. We have gone 2000 plus years and still haven't replaced the life and family guidelines set out in the Old Testament, except now we sacrifice immigrants rather than goats and livestock. The biggest argument religious Christian zealots have is that we wouldn't know how to behave without the rules set down by their God. That is, we would all be killing, stealing, disrespecting our parents and coveting our neighbours wives/partners, if the good Lord hadn't told us not to. I can't say I have ever had inclination to murder, steal or covet, even without guidelines, and frankly find it a bit odd that people need to be told not to do that.
Now I have described myself as a lot of things. First of all a Roman Catholic (no choice), then atheist - be gone you god botherers, anti-theist - anti God worshippers, agnostic - hmm, there might be something.... back to RC, there is something very comforting in lighting a candle and accompanying it with a prayer. Besides, I've always thought of confessing all I can think of as I draw my last breath, just to hedge my bets.
But mostly, I am agnostic. That is I believe there is an afterlife of sorts. During life we have people with whom we have connected, our souls have entwined, we love them more life itself. And I think they are watching over us and I think we will meet again. I should hasten to add, I do not believe in spiritualists, mediums or any other con artist who sets out to deceive people. I think they are very cruel.
We don't need spiritualist and mediums, we can see our loved ones, in the faces of all their descendants, in one way or another. They may have the same facial features, gestures, crooked smiles, sparkly eyes, those lost, live on. Be it nature, or nurture, the genes are there and they carry on from generation to generation.
Well that ended up very deep, but I have annoying habit of speaking out loud when I really shouldn't. Regardless, my kindest wishes to all who still look in. I vowed to carry on writing even if I had only one reader left, and maybe now I should step up to the plate for those who have kindly hung on. Right now, I pray to all the Gods there may be (especially fond of the Greek ones) to take care of all us. Please, please, be kind and thoughtful, and if you can, give a smile to the person who crosses the street to avoid you. For the narcissistic sociopaths out there, it's not personal.
*Never has so much been owed by so many to so few.
Friday, 27 March 2020
QUARANTINE, HAIRY TRIBES, COVID AND CLASS
I'm trying to imagine a picture of what we will all look like once the doors are flung open and we again walk into the light. I'm picturing a nation of ungroomed Neanderthals with mad hair, mad beards and unibrows. I once went on a (blind) date with a guy who had inordinately hairy fingers. Happily, it was only a one hour (lunch) date because I became fixated on them. He was wearing a smart suit and tie, but I couldn't help thinking of the orangutan that lurked beneath. I mention this in the unlikely event that anyone decides to stick with the unkempt lone occupant of an island look or hands covered with hair.
From what I remember, it was a long time ago, I was quite partial to a hairy chest, I come from an age where men wore tight trousers with shirts open to the waist and medallions hanging from their necks! 'Hair' the musical was big on stage, and big on the permed heads of construction workers and footballers. We girls can laugh at the daft things we wore, but it's a lot more fun poking fun at the lads! I remember wearing ridiculously high platform shoes, a smock (prettily embroidered) and bright green velvet bellbottoms! My hair was long, wavy and parted in the middle, I was never, ever, tempted to get a mullet, ha ha.
But I wandered, As I have mentioned several times, I am hooked on US news channels, so not surprisingly I stumbled on a Fox News segment discussing the plight of millions of American women who can't get their hair and nails done. The tragedy behind the headlines. The ladies who cannot now lunch. It is at moments like these that you realise what a great leveller this global pandemic has been. It is not (yet) aiming for the packed inner cities and the tower blocks, it is infecting, at the highest rate, the globetrotters and networkers.
The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister, and, just now, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock. We are moving weirdly towards the disaster movie genre where all world leaders die and the lunatics take over. I am such a disaster movie fan that I have to categorise them, Independence Day for example, has a hero President who saves the world (from aliens). At the moment, I feel as if I have woken up in a disaster movie and fact and fiction is becoming seriously blurred. I don't ever think I have seen a more eerie sight than the images of the nation clapping for the NHS, such a contrast to the empty streets we have been seeing all over the world. So many real people apart but together, filled with so much goodwill towards the NHS staff and all the key workers supplying food and medicines.
And it was heartening to see that the nation hasn't, as yet, turned into a hairy Neanderthal tribe. For myself I am ecstatically happy that I ditched the dye (a year ago!) so have no white lines to worry about. The eyebrows are another story, now I know why my eyebrows have remained untouched by myself with tweezers for 30 plus years. I'm no bleddy good at it! I have overplucked one eyebrow and now have a permanent startled/quizzical look. I have decided to stick with it because if I start on the other one, I could end up with a full David Bowie no brow circa 1970s.
Now, I know my enemies have reason enough to hate me, bless 'em, but I am going to go right ahead and just say it. There is much pleasure in knowing, that people you hate, the rich ones especially cannot buy any privileges that will keep this pandemic away from them or allow them to wallow in the food, luxury and jet setting they are used to. They have wallets full cash and nothing to spend it on. Which makes me wonder, where does BUPA etc feature in all this? Will private health care patients get priority treatment? Now there's a hot potato. You cannot help but have sympathy for all those who have paid their monthly dues for decades, only to find themselves competing with the feckless for ventilators.
To anyone out there who feels like chatting, I will be watching my blog all day and hopefully will have some interesting comments to publish and reply to. Anyone looking for inspiration, here are some interesting topics to discuss:
1. AMC's The Walking Dead (to be said loudly in gruff, male voice) to set the mood.
2. If not, TWD, what disaster movie are we in?
3. How are we passing our time? Keep it clean(ish)
4. Project Runway (how I'm occupying my time) - there are 18 seasons! I am finding it mesmerizing, not only the fashions, but the bitchiness and that knife's edge between sanity and insanity. The craziness of the artiste, dahlinks.
5. Netflix: What's good, what's bad?
6. The Tudors. Both the real ones and the sumptuous (BBC?) one with Jonathan Rhys-Myers who I would happily sacrifice a head for.
7. Versailles. All of the above, but my love here is the fabulous gowns, the palace itself and the beautiful grounds. I had hoped to go this year, but meanwhile would love to hear from anyone who has been and can give me first hand knowledge of how it felt to be in the presence of such beauty.
8. Did you manage to get your hair, eyebrows, nails done before lockdown?
9. Last words. Mine, 'I still believe in angels'. I'm not religious but I do not scorn those who are. Actually that's not true, I do. I think to myself, wtf are you on? And do you have a number? But I jest, in a way it's a good thing on the basis that it keeps millions law abiding and focused. That they need a mythical God to tell them to honour thy fathers and mothers and not murder people, is questionable. Would they otherwise be arseholes to their parents and murdering willy nilly? Aside from that, whatever gets you through the night say I. Be it sex, drugs and rock an' roll (probably in short supply just now) or down on bended knee in prayer. With all this private time, the self flagellators are probably whipping themselves silly. The real question to ask here is, where would the lunatics go if they weren't going to church? Oops, too harsh, I was envisaging myself doing stand up there.
10. Is this the end of the world?
From what I remember, it was a long time ago, I was quite partial to a hairy chest, I come from an age where men wore tight trousers with shirts open to the waist and medallions hanging from their necks! 'Hair' the musical was big on stage, and big on the permed heads of construction workers and footballers. We girls can laugh at the daft things we wore, but it's a lot more fun poking fun at the lads! I remember wearing ridiculously high platform shoes, a smock (prettily embroidered) and bright green velvet bellbottoms! My hair was long, wavy and parted in the middle, I was never, ever, tempted to get a mullet, ha ha.
But I wandered, As I have mentioned several times, I am hooked on US news channels, so not surprisingly I stumbled on a Fox News segment discussing the plight of millions of American women who can't get their hair and nails done. The tragedy behind the headlines. The ladies who cannot now lunch. It is at moments like these that you realise what a great leveller this global pandemic has been. It is not (yet) aiming for the packed inner cities and the tower blocks, it is infecting, at the highest rate, the globetrotters and networkers.
The Prince of Wales, the Prime Minister, and, just now, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock. We are moving weirdly towards the disaster movie genre where all world leaders die and the lunatics take over. I am such a disaster movie fan that I have to categorise them, Independence Day for example, has a hero President who saves the world (from aliens). At the moment, I feel as if I have woken up in a disaster movie and fact and fiction is becoming seriously blurred. I don't ever think I have seen a more eerie sight than the images of the nation clapping for the NHS, such a contrast to the empty streets we have been seeing all over the world. So many real people apart but together, filled with so much goodwill towards the NHS staff and all the key workers supplying food and medicines.
And it was heartening to see that the nation hasn't, as yet, turned into a hairy Neanderthal tribe. For myself I am ecstatically happy that I ditched the dye (a year ago!) so have no white lines to worry about. The eyebrows are another story, now I know why my eyebrows have remained untouched by myself with tweezers for 30 plus years. I'm no bleddy good at it! I have overplucked one eyebrow and now have a permanent startled/quizzical look. I have decided to stick with it because if I start on the other one, I could end up with a full David Bowie no brow circa 1970s.
Now, I know my enemies have reason enough to hate me, bless 'em, but I am going to go right ahead and just say it. There is much pleasure in knowing, that people you hate, the rich ones especially cannot buy any privileges that will keep this pandemic away from them or allow them to wallow in the food, luxury and jet setting they are used to. They have wallets full cash and nothing to spend it on. Which makes me wonder, where does BUPA etc feature in all this? Will private health care patients get priority treatment? Now there's a hot potato. You cannot help but have sympathy for all those who have paid their monthly dues for decades, only to find themselves competing with the feckless for ventilators.
To anyone out there who feels like chatting, I will be watching my blog all day and hopefully will have some interesting comments to publish and reply to. Anyone looking for inspiration, here are some interesting topics to discuss:
1. AMC's The Walking Dead (to be said loudly in gruff, male voice) to set the mood.
2. If not, TWD, what disaster movie are we in?
3. How are we passing our time? Keep it clean(ish)
4. Project Runway (how I'm occupying my time) - there are 18 seasons! I am finding it mesmerizing, not only the fashions, but the bitchiness and that knife's edge between sanity and insanity. The craziness of the artiste, dahlinks.
5. Netflix: What's good, what's bad?
6. The Tudors. Both the real ones and the sumptuous (BBC?) one with Jonathan Rhys-Myers who I would happily sacrifice a head for.
7. Versailles. All of the above, but my love here is the fabulous gowns, the palace itself and the beautiful grounds. I had hoped to go this year, but meanwhile would love to hear from anyone who has been and can give me first hand knowledge of how it felt to be in the presence of such beauty.
8. Did you manage to get your hair, eyebrows, nails done before lockdown?
9. Last words. Mine, 'I still believe in angels'. I'm not religious but I do not scorn those who are. Actually that's not true, I do. I think to myself, wtf are you on? And do you have a number? But I jest, in a way it's a good thing on the basis that it keeps millions law abiding and focused. That they need a mythical God to tell them to honour thy fathers and mothers and not murder people, is questionable. Would they otherwise be arseholes to their parents and murdering willy nilly? Aside from that, whatever gets you through the night say I. Be it sex, drugs and rock an' roll (probably in short supply just now) or down on bended knee in prayer. With all this private time, the self flagellators are probably whipping themselves silly. The real question to ask here is, where would the lunatics go if they weren't going to church? Oops, too harsh, I was envisaging myself doing stand up there.
10. Is this the end of the world?
Wednesday, 18 March 2020
QUARANTINE - WALKING DEAD AND LEARNING SPANISH
For those of you wondering why your posts have not been published, ask yourself a few simple questions. Were your posts enlightening, entertaining or intended to stimulate discussion? Or were they intended to hurt, embarrass and demean? I know some of you have grudges going back many years and I am sorry that I am taking up so much space in your heads, but from hereonin, you will have to get your jollies elsewhere. Call it censorship, call it unjust, call it what you like, but I am no longer giving you a platform for your hate.
But back to now, and back to day 7/8 or 9 of quarantine. I have cabin fever! Not that I am going to the shops, apart from the local one, but I hear the shelves are emptying at a batshit crazy pace. My hope is that they will be eating rotting, unappetizing food for the next few months! This crisis is bringing out the worst in some people's natures, their true selves are being revealed and it aint pretty. Sure, there has been a domino effect, no-one knows where the toilet roll panic buying began, and many are not being greedy, just trying to get some before it runs out. But others are hoarding because they have gone into full blown 'every man for himself' mode. Had they been on the Titanic they would have trampled over the women and children without a second thought. This is society now - Gawd 'elp us.
For myself, I am getting a feeling of wartime, Churchillian morale, thinking up creative new ways to make lentils and dried pulses exciting. Thus far, they are the only 'staples' left on the shop shelves. As our forefathers, and mothers, learned, necessity is the mother of invention. Mostly from having to live on minimum wartime rations - a bag of pearl barley and split peas can make a hearty stew!
I am of course, also heavily influenced by having watched all 10 seasons of The Walking Dead. We, a collective we, are pretty much where they were in Season 1. One of the biggest fears right now is that the excessively greedy, those with toilet rolls from floor to ceiling, will start to form gangs to protect their stash, and take over the black market. Happily, they are not all running to gun stores as they are in the USA, because we don't have them, but there will probably be a high demand for camouflage gear and catapults.
Meanwhile, none of us are technically alone because we have the wonders of the internet. We are still being informed of everything that is going on. As a lifelong fan of disaster films, the catastrophe really kicks in when the information stops. That's the time to hook up with a Rick or a Daryl and learn lethal fighting skills should you have to take on a herd to get hold of the last pack of Andrex.
Of course we could all use this Quarantine time to learn something amazing, a new language, wartime cookery skills, lethal fighting skills. I am presently torn between Spanish and Kung Fu. Maybe I should do both? I feel I am halfway there with the Kung Fu as I watched most of most of the series and have a litany of Grasshopper quotes. Floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee might present problems, with the arthritis, though I feel I could emulate some of Michonne's (Walking Dead) fighting kills if I had a katana. The Spanish I'm struggling with, if I could just say one sentence perfectly, I feel I could get past the wall.
Buen dia mis amigos, or should it be amigas? Doh!
Monday, 16 March 2020
Self- isolating, sounds good to me!
Well I'm now in Day 5 of self isolation, day 1 of not putting on full make up and false eyelashes. I think I have cabin fever. Of course self isolation is not new to me, I am a writer, self isolating is pretty much all we do, think Jack Nicholson in 'As Good As it Gets' every time his neighbour knocks on the door.
Tis true, all my life, all I ever wanted was a 'Room of One's Own'*, a place where I could be left alone with my thoughts and a typewriter and no interruptions. In the old days, the only way I could achieve that was by creeping downstairs in the middle of the night. I totally get Rene Descartes and indeed Nietzsche, their craving for solitude in order to come up with something profound. I come out with profanities all the time, but it's getting me nowhere. Now I just want to look pretty with a knowing smile.
But back to this self isolation. For the first time ever, we can say 'I want to be alone' out loud and without excuses. Yayyyy. Usually when I tell people I'm working, ie. writing, their mouths say 'good for you' but their eyes say 'yeah, she's dossing'. This authorised dossing I kind of like. I haven't hoovered in a week and my spiders are now building condominiums! Enjoy your new homes say I, tis my theory that spiders eat flies who are the real little blood sucking disease carriers. My pantry remains stocked, I have a very small appetite, though my opened pack of day 6 pancakes were a bit ropey - cured by a dollop of maple syrup :).
To all those greedy hoarders out there, I wish you weeks of gone off, unappetizing food. Those of us left to depend upon food parcels from world health agencies, will be creating healthy nutritious meals out of whatever we have. Most of us could last for months just on what we have in our store cupboards and freezers. I know whenever I go food shopping, I'm always thinking about an end of the world situation, and indeed, a what if I can't go out for a few days situation.
Now here I have to confess, my biggest influences on an end of the world scenario, would have to be The Walking Dead, though I have indeed always been a fan of disaster movies. In series 1, the only pockets of survivors, were those who had isolated themselves. Those who had cut themselves off from the 'all will be well' propaganda and taken their own precautions. The schools may still be open but I will not walk into them just now, ergo, my English teaching is presently on hold. A brief glance at twitter, reveals thousands of people have chosen to self isolate without a government directive. And it's the safest way. A map of China, shows how quickly the virus can be contained when people stop mixing.
For me unlimited dossing time includes binge watching historic drama. I have lost count of the number of times I have watched Versailles, I love the costumes and the splendour and the beauty of the surroundings, but also the sense of impending terror. Of course the impending terror we now have in real life. The Tudors I have watched so many times, I know all the lines before they are spoken. I am of course gripped by all the costumes and splendour aforesaid, but also by the charismatic Jonathan Rhys-Myers. The real Henry VIII was a towering man, over 6ft in an age when the average height for a man was 5ft 4ins. And he was obese. JRM with no physical resemblance whatsoever, managed to portray the towering, nonetheless.
But I have wandered. I hope there are some Tudor fans out there. Not just the divine JRM, but geeks who like all the finer details and trivia. I am presently on the look out for good historic drama, so would welcome all and any suggestions. I am sure other European countries have dynasties just as fascinating as our own, and yes I have watched Ekaterina. My kindest wishes to all those self isolating and to those so selflessly persevering in their jobs to keeps the wheels turning. They are the people who will ensure, in two weeks time when normal people run out of toilet roll, it will again be available in our shops. Take care everyone, and do check in, we might find something profound to chat about :)
*Virgina Woolf
Tis true, all my life, all I ever wanted was a 'Room of One's Own'*, a place where I could be left alone with my thoughts and a typewriter and no interruptions. In the old days, the only way I could achieve that was by creeping downstairs in the middle of the night. I totally get Rene Descartes and indeed Nietzsche, their craving for solitude in order to come up with something profound. I come out with profanities all the time, but it's getting me nowhere. Now I just want to look pretty with a knowing smile.
But back to this self isolation. For the first time ever, we can say 'I want to be alone' out loud and without excuses. Yayyyy. Usually when I tell people I'm working, ie. writing, their mouths say 'good for you' but their eyes say 'yeah, she's dossing'. This authorised dossing I kind of like. I haven't hoovered in a week and my spiders are now building condominiums! Enjoy your new homes say I, tis my theory that spiders eat flies who are the real little blood sucking disease carriers. My pantry remains stocked, I have a very small appetite, though my opened pack of day 6 pancakes were a bit ropey - cured by a dollop of maple syrup :).
To all those greedy hoarders out there, I wish you weeks of gone off, unappetizing food. Those of us left to depend upon food parcels from world health agencies, will be creating healthy nutritious meals out of whatever we have. Most of us could last for months just on what we have in our store cupboards and freezers. I know whenever I go food shopping, I'm always thinking about an end of the world situation, and indeed, a what if I can't go out for a few days situation.
Now here I have to confess, my biggest influences on an end of the world scenario, would have to be The Walking Dead, though I have indeed always been a fan of disaster movies. In series 1, the only pockets of survivors, were those who had isolated themselves. Those who had cut themselves off from the 'all will be well' propaganda and taken their own precautions. The schools may still be open but I will not walk into them just now, ergo, my English teaching is presently on hold. A brief glance at twitter, reveals thousands of people have chosen to self isolate without a government directive. And it's the safest way. A map of China, shows how quickly the virus can be contained when people stop mixing.
For me unlimited dossing time includes binge watching historic drama. I have lost count of the number of times I have watched Versailles, I love the costumes and the splendour and the beauty of the surroundings, but also the sense of impending terror. Of course the impending terror we now have in real life. The Tudors I have watched so many times, I know all the lines before they are spoken. I am of course gripped by all the costumes and splendour aforesaid, but also by the charismatic Jonathan Rhys-Myers. The real Henry VIII was a towering man, over 6ft in an age when the average height for a man was 5ft 4ins. And he was obese. JRM with no physical resemblance whatsoever, managed to portray the towering, nonetheless.
But I have wandered. I hope there are some Tudor fans out there. Not just the divine JRM, but geeks who like all the finer details and trivia. I am presently on the look out for good historic drama, so would welcome all and any suggestions. I am sure other European countries have dynasties just as fascinating as our own, and yes I have watched Ekaterina. My kindest wishes to all those self isolating and to those so selflessly persevering in their jobs to keeps the wheels turning. They are the people who will ensure, in two weeks time when normal people run out of toilet roll, it will again be available in our shops. Take care everyone, and do check in, we might find something profound to chat about :)
*Virgina Woolf
Saturday, 7 March 2020
JUST MUSING
Apologies for my absence, I have been having a rather pleasant sojourn from my blog, which judging by my postbox has gone off in all sorts of strange directions, none of which, I'm afraid give me any inspiration. I am wiping the slate clean and starting anew.
The weird veering off is probably my own fault, because I have completely given myself over to hedonism since the trauma of the last General Election. In the nicest possible way of course, hedonism to me is switching off all the worries and having green tea in a china teacup. My present life philosophy is, 'it's beyond my control'. My theory is, you only torment yourself with a problem because you have an innate belief that you can somehow solve it. Accepting that you can't is like having a huge weight taken from your shoulders.
I'm not sure 'it's beyond my control' would have worked when I was younger, because then I believed if I worked hard enough and with ambition and tenacity, I could achieve anything. In fact, people would often say to me, what a shame you don't use your talents for good. A bit harsh, as I always took the side of the underdog, but maybe that's what they meant. I was way too into lost causes.
My present obsession is US politics, their anchors and reporters are way more glamorous than our own, and their villains more blatant and cartoonish. Most particularly Donald J. Trump. As I have said many times over the years, I have been on a lifelong quest to discover the root causes and manifestations of true evil. Now it's as if, Satan himself has put forward a prime example. But what's scarier still, is how many people stand by his crudity, his ignorance and his racist spite, what a cruel, cruel world this is becoming. Our own politics, I can't even look at. I am hoping our Government at least, is going for more honest approach to the coronavirus because our leader is held to account in Parliament once a week. I can't say I understand US politics, but it seems to me their President isn't held accountable to anyone! I'm hoping someone will put me right, but meanwhile, I will hit google!
Normal service, whatever that is, I am hoping will shortly be resumed. My fingers are itching to get back to the keyboard, though not so much my depressing postbag. I have already decided my days are numbered due to coronavirus (watched A Month in Wuhan), but strangely, that, I do not find depressing. I have sort of decided I need to write something meaningful and significant before I'm carted off in a body bag to a mass grave. I once wrote an 80,000 word book in 3 months, so I know I can do it. Nothing like thoughts of dying in a massive pandemic to get the creative juices flowing. Now would be a good time to do the whole Stephen King thing, and go isolate myself in a cabin in the woods with loads of liquor, a trusty old typewriter and one cigarette (seriously?). Better my chances with psychos and Hill people than a ride on the London underground, though I may just kill myself if I have only the one cigarette.
On a separate note, the 'evil of Donald Trump', I would be interested to hear others' thoughts. He doesn't appear to have come from an abusive home, it is highly unlikely he was abused as a child. A dysfunctional home, yes absolutely, his father was almost certainly absent (making money) as he grew up. He has siblings who are successful, and one sibling who died from alcoholism. He himself was sent away to military school, which sounds like a last ditch attempt by his parents to curb his, err, evil. He was probably the kind of kid who tied fireworks to puppydogs tails.
His constant self praise and need for praise is almost childlike. Like he is constantly shouting 'hey Dad (or mum), did you see me do that?'. More likely Dad, because he was the moneymaker, but also highly likely he has huge 'mummy' issues. Whenever he confronts a formidable woman, he makes sure he has a gang with him. He is always looking towards male 'alphas' eg. Epstein to come in with him on the abuse and the joke. In my experience, a guy, who has to prove how heterosexual he is in front of his mates, usually isn't, he's just in denial. There is a huge difference between men who truly love women and men who don't - one day I will write a blog about it.
On the Trump thing, I once had students of psychology following my blog, and of course people who are just as interested in human behaviour as I and I hope some might comment. My mind is blown, what we are watching now is so far from normal, a world leader of the '1984' and 'Brave New World' variety - he has surely surpassed Hitler?
Once more, I find myself with no-one to discuss, in the kind of depth I want, all these huge scary subjects, which I why I started a blog! I really want to hear the opinions of others. I rarely have the opportunity to be in the company of people who share my interests. My dear old dad tried to tell me, as kindly as he could, that 'normal' people just weren't interested. I had a tendency at the time to recount every detail of every book I ever read to anyone who would listen. In retrospect, it probably was vexing. I remember how excited I was way back in 1999 when I discovered a chat room called 'book chat' - jeez was I naïve!
Did I ever find like minded people on social media? LOL, yeah a few, once I fought my way through the myriad of psychopaths, sociopaths, zealots and altogether unstable lunatics who use social media and anonymity to act out their antisocial fantasies, it truly was like trudging through a swamp battling leeches. But it forced me to create my own blog, something over which I would have total control. Besides which, I was getting pissed off at being censored, suspended and banned from all the 'regulated' facebook pages and chatrooms. But I have waffled, my point was, there have been many interesting and enlightening debates and discussions on here that I have really enjoyed, ergo, yeah, a lot more like minded people than not.
Ps. I went out today and stocked up on longlife milk and toilet roll, the wine is already running low :( The craziness for hand sanitizer I just don't get. Just wash yer fffing hands! Hand washing is one of my OCDs and no, a squidge of a foul smelling, instantly oxidising, alcohol based chemical goo just doesn't compare.
Thursday, 13 February 2020
DOES BEING 60 CHANGE YOU?
UPDATE 16/02/20
I suggest the writers of the poison pen missives sent to me today, go take a look at today's #RIPCarolineFlack hashtag on twitter and ask themselves if their spite towards me is really necessary? Do they feel better for having made me, a complete stranger to them, feel bad? Are they hoping to go full grim reaper and push me over the edge? Does that kind of pain bring them joy?
Well sorry to disappoint you, I get knocked down, I get back up again, and when I get back up again, I'm stronger - and meaner. I won't be publishing your unkind, malevolent posts ever again, no matter how long you have been reading (stalking) my blog. And btw, if your life is so great, why do you spend days and nights trying to torment me?
_______________________________
I remember a time when the age of 60 was so far away I never gave it a thought. Didn't even go so far as to wonder what I might look like or how I might act. Probably because it was a given, within the family, that I would become one of those old glamour puss ladies from Hollywood's golden age, wearing silk turbans, knocking back martinis and chain smoking through a foot long cigarette holder. Nutty as a fruitcake, obviously. And when I say Golden Age of Hollywood, I mean more 'I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille' Norma Desmond than 'I want to order 6 bottles of scotch and 3 bottles of gin' Baby Jane Hudson. Where did I end up? Somewhere between the two.
I jest of course, I still aspire to the first one, but I'm not quite ready to spend my days dressed in silk pyjamas and 3 sheets to the wind -as much fun as it sounds. For one thing the body objects, while the mind is saying another one wouldn't hurt, the body is saying wanna bet? Happily, these two entities have reached a fair and not unreasonable compromise. You will see I have omitted the third entity, free will, because that's gone with the first glass. The body has agreed 2, 3 at a push, glasses of (low alcohol) wine, accompanied by a high speed experience of all the joys of being drunk. Chattering incessantly, having devastatingly brilliant ideas, laughing at my own jokes, crying that the first boy I loved, loved my best friend, singing along to Bridge Over Troubled Water (badly), eating copious amounts of peanut butter on toast and passing out while watching Ted II. Bizarre I know, but a bite sized happy memory of the days when I could get high and party and talk all night.
Strangely, there was no actual transition between 50s to 60, or even much of one between 40s/50s. It kind of creeps up on you and catches you unaware. In your head you still think as you always did, you're wiser, more self assured, but your character is the same as it always was. Stronger, because it is no longer driven by libido, thank you menopause. If you are the kind of person who would always go that extra mile, or push yourself to be the best you can be, that stays, what grandma hasn't served up her best dish, what grandpa hasn't thrown a chess board up in the air? Yeah, old people can be competitive. If you were the kind of person who couldn't bothered, then you probably still are now, but more so.
The can't be bothered, have never really been my cup of tea. They cast a dark, miserable shadow over all and every idea put before them, sadly they come in and out of my life, but now I just avoid them. By contrast, one of my favourite replies ever, is 'yeah, I'll be up for that', especially if the one saying it has no idea what you are suggesting. If you've got a mate who always says that, hang onto them.
So what is 60? or should I say 60 something, lol. What should I be now? The lady who steps back and allows the young to step forward? That was my philosophy, but along came Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi. All in their late 70's and still going strong. I had, it must be said, hung up my boots and bought a couple of kaftans and hairbands. With Elaine Paige singing 'Memory' in the background, my own days in the sun too long ago to remember. I had had my dreams crushed, too long and too painful to go into now, but I had forgotten my own philosophy - the only power I have is over myself, how I react. Facts I cannot change, but I can change how I react to them. No-one can crush my dreams, except myself, and I am ready now to pull them out of the bottom of that forgotten drawer, dust them down, and put them right back where they should be.
For the moment, I am still Cristobell Undecided, in that I don't quite know which direction I want to go in. Perhaps |I will do what one of my critics once threw at me 'just type', ha ha, write down every airhead thought I have. To be fair, these days it is mostly airhead, because I am still grieving the terrible surge to the right the entire world seems to be taking. I am glad the older generation, lol, the Jeremys, the Bernies et al are made of sterner stuff than I. I am also mightily impressed by the young 'uns, who seem to have the hearts of warriors.
Now that I have discovered cauliflower perms and polyester trousers from BonMarche are not compulsory on hitting 60, my entire outlook has changed. It seems I can pretty much carry on as I always have, who knew? I can keep going to my trendy stylist, I can keep buying makeup alongside 15 year olds in Superdrug. Not only are the customers to these counters, all ages and ethnicities, some are boys! What joyous times we live in. I still remember when the wearing of make up was looked down on, now it is celebrated and even baked, makeup affectionados will know what I mean. What brave new world is this that has not only the internet but a free pass to wear as much make up as you want. False eyelashes would have looked totally out of place in the 80's and 90's, but now they come in every shape and size and everyone is wearing them. I could write a whole book about the whole false eyelash experience, or just do a blog or vlog if I am brave enough. I may entitle it Philosophy, Politics and Eyelashes - see, undecided.
I suggest the writers of the poison pen missives sent to me today, go take a look at today's #RIPCarolineFlack hashtag on twitter and ask themselves if their spite towards me is really necessary? Do they feel better for having made me, a complete stranger to them, feel bad? Are they hoping to go full grim reaper and push me over the edge? Does that kind of pain bring them joy?
Well sorry to disappoint you, I get knocked down, I get back up again, and when I get back up again, I'm stronger - and meaner. I won't be publishing your unkind, malevolent posts ever again, no matter how long you have been reading (stalking) my blog. And btw, if your life is so great, why do you spend days and nights trying to torment me?
_______________________________
I remember a time when the age of 60 was so far away I never gave it a thought. Didn't even go so far as to wonder what I might look like or how I might act. Probably because it was a given, within the family, that I would become one of those old glamour puss ladies from Hollywood's golden age, wearing silk turbans, knocking back martinis and chain smoking through a foot long cigarette holder. Nutty as a fruitcake, obviously. And when I say Golden Age of Hollywood, I mean more 'I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille' Norma Desmond than 'I want to order 6 bottles of scotch and 3 bottles of gin' Baby Jane Hudson. Where did I end up? Somewhere between the two.
I jest of course, I still aspire to the first one, but I'm not quite ready to spend my days dressed in silk pyjamas and 3 sheets to the wind -as much fun as it sounds. For one thing the body objects, while the mind is saying another one wouldn't hurt, the body is saying wanna bet? Happily, these two entities have reached a fair and not unreasonable compromise. You will see I have omitted the third entity, free will, because that's gone with the first glass. The body has agreed 2, 3 at a push, glasses of (low alcohol) wine, accompanied by a high speed experience of all the joys of being drunk. Chattering incessantly, having devastatingly brilliant ideas, laughing at my own jokes, crying that the first boy I loved, loved my best friend, singing along to Bridge Over Troubled Water (badly), eating copious amounts of peanut butter on toast and passing out while watching Ted II. Bizarre I know, but a bite sized happy memory of the days when I could get high and party and talk all night.
Strangely, there was no actual transition between 50s to 60, or even much of one between 40s/50s. It kind of creeps up on you and catches you unaware. In your head you still think as you always did, you're wiser, more self assured, but your character is the same as it always was. Stronger, because it is no longer driven by libido, thank you menopause. If you are the kind of person who would always go that extra mile, or push yourself to be the best you can be, that stays, what grandma hasn't served up her best dish, what grandpa hasn't thrown a chess board up in the air? Yeah, old people can be competitive. If you were the kind of person who couldn't bothered, then you probably still are now, but more so.
The can't be bothered, have never really been my cup of tea. They cast a dark, miserable shadow over all and every idea put before them, sadly they come in and out of my life, but now I just avoid them. By contrast, one of my favourite replies ever, is 'yeah, I'll be up for that', especially if the one saying it has no idea what you are suggesting. If you've got a mate who always says that, hang onto them.
So what is 60? or should I say 60 something, lol. What should I be now? The lady who steps back and allows the young to step forward? That was my philosophy, but along came Jeremy Corbyn, Bernie Sanders and Nancy Pelosi. All in their late 70's and still going strong. I had, it must be said, hung up my boots and bought a couple of kaftans and hairbands. With Elaine Paige singing 'Memory' in the background, my own days in the sun too long ago to remember. I had had my dreams crushed, too long and too painful to go into now, but I had forgotten my own philosophy - the only power I have is over myself, how I react. Facts I cannot change, but I can change how I react to them. No-one can crush my dreams, except myself, and I am ready now to pull them out of the bottom of that forgotten drawer, dust them down, and put them right back where they should be.
For the moment, I am still Cristobell Undecided, in that I don't quite know which direction I want to go in. Perhaps |I will do what one of my critics once threw at me 'just type', ha ha, write down every airhead thought I have. To be fair, these days it is mostly airhead, because I am still grieving the terrible surge to the right the entire world seems to be taking. I am glad the older generation, lol, the Jeremys, the Bernies et al are made of sterner stuff than I. I am also mightily impressed by the young 'uns, who seem to have the hearts of warriors.
Now that I have discovered cauliflower perms and polyester trousers from BonMarche are not compulsory on hitting 60, my entire outlook has changed. It seems I can pretty much carry on as I always have, who knew? I can keep going to my trendy stylist, I can keep buying makeup alongside 15 year olds in Superdrug. Not only are the customers to these counters, all ages and ethnicities, some are boys! What joyous times we live in. I still remember when the wearing of make up was looked down on, now it is celebrated and even baked, makeup affectionados will know what I mean. What brave new world is this that has not only the internet but a free pass to wear as much make up as you want. False eyelashes would have looked totally out of place in the 80's and 90's, but now they come in every shape and size and everyone is wearing them. I could write a whole book about the whole false eyelash experience, or just do a blog or vlog if I am brave enough. I may entitle it Philosophy, Politics and Eyelashes - see, undecided.
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