We are the lucky ones

our local industrial estate is ok?

Apparently it’s 20 degrees in Paris and people are wandering around the Tuileries in t-shirts. Beijing has just had it’s first 20 degree February day and that warm patch started in the Black Sea and headed east. Apparently Steve and Bex are going to get it tomorrow. All the while central US is suffering a cold spell so tough, electricity stations have closed down, wind farms have frozen, and they’ve been told to boil their water (with what?). As an aside, you may have seen that the Texan Republican senator, Ted Cruz, flew with his children to Cancun in Mexico just as it started to freeze … which is a bit ironic: US politician crosses border into Mexico for a better life. Apparently he told his friends his hotel room was a bargain at $390 a night. He quickly realised that his trip was abrogation of his duties and flew back … but we all saw him.

Of course, this is all climate change in action. And that got C and I chatting (again) about how lucky we are … our generation. We have had the very best of everything, and now we’re likely to get the best of climate change, before the extremes are so bad the global population picks up its sleeping bag and moves somewhere more sensible. Our kids will start to see the worst of it. And Henry? What legacy are we going to leave for him?

and what for Henry?

Our generation’s luck started with decent final salary pensions, low interest rates (certainly in the last 20 years) and a house price boom when most of us already owned one. Of course, our ageing parents – some of whom are no longer with us – also own property, and we are also benefiting from that. And it seems that as the growth in life-expectancy slows, we have had the best of that, as well.

We are so lucky.

new slippers, mmmm

C and I have started ‘sitting room’ palates. We are still walking/running, but C suggested we give it a go. And so, with some rearranged furniture we just about make enough floor space to give it a go. And, disappointingly, C is better at it than me. She always was better at aerobics, where I have the coordination of a park bench. But, interestingly, when the woman on the TV asks us to do stuff which involved leg muscles, my bum and thighs screamed blue murder. I have no problem with my stomach muscles, and I am a decent runner, but wiggling your legs around when you’re flat on your back and they’re off the ground – well, that’s not cricket. C manages its with the grace of a ballet dancer.

Guitar practice continues. I’ve given myself a year – that is, Christmas Day 2021. I can already sense that I’m making progress (three hours yesterday) although it takes me forever to get a rhythm. Strumming includes down and up strokes with your right hand, and then you can mute the strings with your left hand to create a percussive sound. And sometimes you mute on the up, and sometimes you mute on the down. And now change chord … it’s a struggle. But I am persevering. I’ll let you know how it’s going in December.

Other than that we’re fine. I think we’ve made the decision that, regardless of what His Borisness says, we will not leave the house until we’ve had our first vaccination + two weeks. Whichever way you look at it, we’re talking a couple of months. Well, we’ve waited this long, we might as well see it through to a sensible conclusion.

Our Jen’s gone for portraits now … loving this.

Stay safe everyone. There’s a Finish study which says the N95 masks (we bought some to go to Korea) are super brilliant and anything less is helpful, but not perfect (95% versus 60% apparently). They’re not expensive and last longer than a single shot. So maybe order some for when you’re shopping?

‘Til mid-week.