Oh dear, they cry, why not? First, Battleaxe hates it when the clocks go back – she doesn’t like the dark evenings. Then, I’ve put my back out, which meant I missed the first seal release at Mallydams. Next, I had my Covid jab on Tuesday, which normally heralds days of nasty side-effects… Finally, there is the world situation, which is grim beyond belief. Anyway, here are some photos of the seal release, none taken by me, because I wasn’t there. Thanks to the Mallydams staff and other volunteers who took these pictures. There are lovely videos as well, but have never mastered the art of getting them onto WordPress…
There were four seals ready to go, all of whom I have looked after during my volunteer shifts. They are crated up and driven down to be released on the beach at Pett Level – there are plenty more seals round there for them to chum up with. I felt a bit anxious for our creatures because the sea was very rough – it seemed to take them a while to venture into the water, then to master the waves and get out to sea, but of course they all did in the end – that is what they do. You can see they are all very fat – they should be fine. Of course it is sad to say goodbye to them, knowing that after the last sighting of those four little heads way out in the sea we will probably never see them again, but they need to live their lives as wild animals.
So why the bad back? Well, Sunday was marvellously sunny and warm, even though it was the dreaded clock-change day. We went for a walk in the Country Park, which was looking beautiful – see below, then when we came back I rushed out into the garden all full of enthusiasm to plant bulbs. I had only been out there ten minutes when I attempted to dig a very tough weed out of a trough. It shot out abruptly, I shot upright even more abruptly, and ping…. I felt me back go. So there I am, stuck with pain and stiffness possibly for weeks until it decides to get better. Dammit, I can barely get my clothes on… Such a nuisance.
Then the Covid jab. Battleaxe readers may know that I have always had very bad reactions to the jab, including two bouts of horrible eye-inflammation. Here’s the blog about the last episode, in February this year. So, I set aside a whole day to lie in bed, and few commitments for the remainder of the week. So far, touch wood, for the first time ever I have avoided severe symptoms, apart from feeling incredibly tired. I kept falling asleep during Bake Off on Tuesday night, which is usually one of my favourites. Let’s hope the eye thing can be avoided too, but both times it has appeared a couple of weeks after the jab.
Then, finally, the world situation. Over the years I have said many times on these blog posts that I have never known things as bad, but I can only say it again. Yesterday was Budget Day, I felt sorry for Rachel Reeves, having to stand up and pull together some shreds of respectability for the Labour Party, faced by the ravening jaws of the right-wing media, ready to tear whatever she said apart. I say shreds of respectability advisedly – after all the work the likes of me put in to get that bloody lot elected, they just fall into stupid and squalid own goals… people say they are ‘learning’ how to be in government but give us a break, they have had ages to prepare for this, and most of the dummy things they have done would only require common sense to avoid. Then all this banging on from the media about how we are all crippled by a massive tax burden etc. Well, you fools, if you want any public services, you have to bloody pay for them!
Then on 5 November – so soon now, it is the US election. I have had to resort to praying that Trump won’t be elected- there is nothing else to be done. I doubt that prayer will work though, and woe betide the world then. How anyone could vote for Trump just beats me. I can’t begin to understand. Of course, the Democrats are not perfect, and I can see that Harris is seen as an establishment figure by the dispossessed American masses while Trump is seen as the disruptor, but the man is a dangerous, criminal lunatic, a total narcissist. Oh don’t get Battleaxe started.
Then, you have those Israelis, Gaza and Lebanon. Look, one reason I know prayer won’t work is that if there was any remote possibility of there being a God, he/she would not sit back and allow that Netanyahu and his vile henchmen to get away with what they are doing. Apparently all the rest of us are capable of doing is to sit round wringing our hands – and, of course, supplying them with arms – while they cheerfully commit genocide. I am just fed up of night after night on the News – ‘you may find these scenes distressing’…
Ah well, let’s try and end with something bit more cheerful. Last Saturday we went to the Birthday lunch of our friend Peter Wiles – an excellent meal at the Crown. Not a great pic of Battleaxe, and the man I am sitting next to is Will Wiles, Peter and Jenny’s son, who is a successful published author – here is the page from his agent about his books so far. Battleaxe has trouble when meeting successful writers – I’m pretty sure they don’t want to face another wannabee asking them how they got started, how they got an agent etc – so I end up not asking them anything. Oh and needless to say, I still haven’t heard anything from that agent I met. Am beginning to think nothing good will come out of it. Sigh… and oooh, me back…
