Yes, it is New Year’s Eve. Time to wish all Battleaxe readers a happier New Year, to look back over the past year, to look ahead and make some resolutions, and to celebrate Hastings Battleaxe’s blog birthday. Last year, I got it wrong – said Battleaxe was nine years old when she was only eight. I started writing this blog on 31 December 2011. so, nine years this year. Still, last year’s is quite a nice post – about the sort of old lady I want to become… Here is the link.
Ah, if I had known then what I know now… oh bore… I’m not looking back at this year, it is too depressing. So, less of that. Let’s look ahead. We learned yesterday that our beloved country has approved another Covid vaccine – the Oxford AstraZeneca one. Given that it is very cheap, doesn’t have to be kept in freezers etc and there are 50 million doses of it, I assume it’s the one most of us will get. It’ll certainly be better for our currently hopeless GP practice. If they’d had the freezer variety to manage, I bet we’d have ended up queuing for hours outside the convenience store opposite the surgery, while harassed nurses rummaged for vaccine phials stored among the frozen peas.
Of course, Battleaxe will be right up there in the queue for the needle, but it hasn’t been tested quite as much as the others. See this link. Uhoh, less of that. Stay positive, it’s gotta be better than the chaos we have now… By the way, anyone see Johnson on telly yesterday – notice the obscene way he kept referring to ‘JVT’ (aka Jonathan Van-Tam). Hang on, Battleaxe may be behind the curve on this one. Seems like JVT is now a popular idol, even featuring on Grazia magazine’s ‘Chart of Lust’. Oh come on, really, people, I know it’s difficult but you need to get out more. Next slide please…
So, what about that chaos? As usual, not much news apart from Covid and Brexit, but with the odd burst of snow, floods and stranded lorry drivers thrown in. Covid cases are rocketing out of control, and more places are going into Tiers 3 and 4. Look you Government fools, why not put the whole country into full lockdown? The Conquest Hospital is currently full, so we’d better not have an accident or get ill. Next, yesterday, the Government passed the Brexit deal. Yes, shat out a great big Brexit turd to rub our faces in for generations to come. That is Battleaxe’s final thought on the issue. See below.
Resolutions.
Only two, but quite enough…
- I will resist bingeing on bad news and getting angry about it. I am starting with the topic of Brexit/Europe. I resolve not to rant about it, discuss it, think about it in the night, read about it, post about it on here or on social media. This includes reading, liking or commenting on the posts of others, however much I may agree or disagree. I need to do this for my mental health. Constant anger is not good.
- I will eat a better diet, and lose weight. During the pandemic, food has been a consolation, a pleasure that punctuates long samey days. I also tend to crave sweet things when I am anxious or unhappy. This combination has led me to put on at least 7lb since March, for my cholesterol to go up, and to look/feel a bit pasty. Yes, I know that the less excess weight you have, the better you are supposed to cope with Covid if you catch it. I do plenty of exercise, that’s not an issue, and don’t get me wrong, I’m not obese, but I need to be thinner. All being well, we could possibly get our holiday in Egypt in May, snorkelling in the Red Sea. I don’t want to send a tsunami rolling down to the Gulf every time my flabby white body flops into the water.
Hastings – get ready. This, as featured last year, is 80 year-old German/American fashionista Beatrix Ost. Just the outfit for popping down to the Ore Co-op. But never forget, this is indeed Hastings. Once, when preparing for a WI jumble sale, I put on some bizarre witchy outfit for a laugh, forgot I had it on and went across the road to the Co-op. Nobody noticed. OK, no sarky comments please.
As so often, I’ll end with photos. Two, this time, as it is New Year’s Eve! First, Philosopher took this photo of a starling in the garden yesterday. We get little flocks of them crowding onto the bird feeders. Seen up close, they are beautiful birds – look at the iridescent colours.
Second, we went down to the Old Town yesterday. Hoped to get a take-away cup of hot chocolate, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea, so we came home without. I like this picture because of the lines, shadows etc. Both these photos will go into my latest photo book ‘A Time of Tiers’, which I have just started working on.
Dear BattleAxe – just to say that I so enjoy your posts. I grew up in East Sussex, and it’s lovely to see your pictures and read your splendid accounts of life in Hastings and beyond. I look forward to reading all your posts, and especially liked hearing about your interesting and colourful past! Happy new year to you and Philosopher, and here’s hoping it will be a MUCH better one!
Author
Hello Frances, thank you so much for your comment. I am so glad you enjoy the blog. Happy New Year to you too, wherever you are!