I am the same age as the State of Israel and the NHS. Last Wednesday, the former celebrated Yom Haatzmaut, Israeli Independence Day. In the ancient land of Canaan, ca 1200 BCE, each of the 12 Israelite tribes settled a different region on either side of the Jordan river. All but 2 tribes were expulsed. This week independence day celebrations took place across Israel. On Mount Herzl, 12 candles were lit, symbolising the 12 tribes of Israel by 12 citizens. As far as the NHS is concerned, on 5th July the NHS will mark its 75th by “showcasing the best of its achievements”. The current NHS strife is caused by two main things: i) an over-large population, which is living longer, coupled with ever-increasing, expensive drugs and technology - meaning that Bevan’s wonderful 1948 idea can no longer cope alongside outdated systems and management; and ii) the shutting-down of the country 2+ years ago, creating such economic mayhem and inflation that unions think it can all be fixed by enormous pay rises. And me? How did I celebrate my significant birthday a few months ago? Not at all. I was ill. No cards/presents and I sat at home.
23rd April 2023
St. George’s Day - when we should be celebrating all that is good about England. Trouble is, the English keep running the country down. I’ve never seen anywhere else with the same attitude. When I was writing An Englishwoman in America (mybook.to/Ed2anenglishwoman), the contrast was enormous. The first thing every US child is taught is allegiance to the flag, the Stars and Stripes freely flying from buildings and homes. So, what’s wrong with the English? There are so many things we should be proud of: our world-class armed services, the NHS, our King, Prince William, our ceremonial excellence, the Red Arrows, Cadbury’s chocolate, our humour, etc. But these days there’s the irrational feeling, especially by those on the political left, that to overtly support England is somehow ‘unpatriotic’ and paradoxically ‘UnBritish’! And yet, in the US, JFK was very patriotic yet centre-left Democrat! So, if Americans on both sides of the political spectrum can love their country, why can’t the English? As JFK used to say: “..ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” So, when the emergency alert sounds at 15.00h today, let it remind ourselves that whatever your politics or faith, be proud of being English.
16th April 2023
I’d searched far and wide for a UK spa treatment to realign my facial muscles after Bell’s Palsy, but didn’t find what I was looking for. All seemed to cater for young people or the super fit, with treadmills, bikes etc. I don’t look good in Lycra! And the advertised prices were for one afternoon, per person. When I multiplied that by 2 people for 7 days, it was so dear that we decided to look further afield. At last, the perfect place, but an inconvenient time. Decision? Our health was more important. A very talented masseuse used warm Indian oils - a practice a thousand years old - concentrating on each side of my face and the back of my head and neck, whilst soothing Indian music lulled me into a trance-like state. (Afterwards, my oiled hair made me look like Ken Dodd!). OH had deep tissue treatment in the same room, with panoramic sea views. So, where did we go to find the perfect spa plus temperatures of 33C? Politically and monetarily it’s in Europe, but not geographically! Answer below. Here are some photos to give you a clue (the 3rd one was the view from our hotel room). And my face? Well, I was never gonna look like Penelope Cruz, but my eyebrows are at last in line - for now at least.
Answer: Lanzarote.
2nd April 2023
Last night huge flames from a neighbour’s garden bonfire were as high as our roof, embers on our fence and trees, but what did our Council/police/firemen do? Nothing. Elsewhere, our suburbs have been narrowed out of existence. Previously thriving shopping streets are now ghost towns, their customers prevented from getting anywhere near. Non-electric vehicles have been outlawed. Parking, even if you can find a spot, is a joke. Meters are being replaced by apps, causing mayhem. Twice now, parking in the same spot and paying by app, we returned to see a yellow penalty notice stating “you haven’t displayed a parking voucher on the windscreen.” The app company had wrongly recorded the street around the corner as our parking position, so the Council parking attendant thought we hadn’t paid! Each blames the other. Electric vehicles too are a problem. Because charging them can take hours, a van driver left his vehicle charging overnight only to find the following morning that he’d been charged(!) with overstaying at the charging point. How are already-overladen power stations going to cope with all the extra demand? You’ll need a second mortgage to replace the battery, and your life’s at risk if you end up in a river. City life today. We’re all in deep water.
