Covid stories — part 11 (water rockets, frogs, common people)
Sunday June 28.
This one may feel a bit brief. The weather was pretty glorious all week, which always helps although work has felt pretty full on. Except the weather dropped on Friday and yesterday/today has been pretty dreary.
So highlights and lowlights … here we go …
highlights … meeting up in Rowntree Park with Rebecka, Dan, Joe, Tom and Jess for fathers day.
It was so lovely seeing everyone and then Joe was dead keen to show off his water rocket (in essence a 2 litre plastic bottle with water in). I’d seen him doing it earlier in the week and the water bottle goes flying miles up in the air. So he did it and then I had a go … and then
lowlights … Jess had a go … and I video-d it and omg … the bottle went straight up into her face. Knocked off her sunglasses, she was so shocked, crying, her nose swelled up, Dan fortunately had some ice blocks which helped. The video is actually quite traumatic. I suspect Jess still has not watched it. Whilst no permanent damage (thank goodness), I kept thinking how it could have been an absolutely horrendous accident. She could have lost her sight. What if it had have happened to Joe? still kinda makes me go cold. I’d always been someone who thought you shouldn’t be over-cautious and still am I guess — but controlled risks. I’m sure Dan thought it was safe. anyway back to
highlights … discovering our frog. We saw a frog a couple of weeks back and Carol had wanted to put a washing up bowl next to the pond to provide a nice habitat. Jennifer had done this 15 years ago with Laurie and Alvie, and more recently Rebecka and Dan with Joe. I’d always been a bit snobby about it (being honest!) but we did it, dug it out, Carol surrounded it with some broken bits of crockery, a slate and then we saw him … here are a couple of shots and a link to the video of the fella.
I was captivated by the utter beauty of him breathing, as you can see here. Nature was been a big boon during lockdown.
another highlight … playing tennis with Joe as usual, and then we took him on for a bike ride and an ice cream at Robertos and watching the train. It was sooo hot.
we took him back home and caught a coffee at Busk on our way back.
Doesn’t sound as if they will be re-opening on what is being dubbed Super Saturday (4th July) … I suspect the Government have radically underestimated how the economy is intrinsically linked to the health of the nation and the risk of C-19 infection. It feels as if they think they are two separate issues — but it is blindingly obvious that you get the risk of infection right down and the economy will gradually recover. But there will be a LOT of people who won’t go back to the new normality until they feel safe and the experience of restaurants and other entertainments will feel artificial and anxious. Hence, why I have heard so many saying they won’t be reopening. Moreover, it feels quite offensive to open up zoos and restaurants whilst its not ok to open up schools. It is surely all to do with priorities. The education of kids isn’t as important as zoos — wtf. The same could be said about the Covid-19 consumer tracker which was published on Thursday, and picked up by the Guardian. And it surely says everything about priorities when an appropriate response to millions of people going hungry, millions using food banks that the Govt will put ‘up to £16m’ to address it — plus the money announced in response to Marcus Rashford which leads me to
another lowlight … West Ham losing to Tottenham 2–0. Tottenham were there for the taking, but we were so passive. But what angered me so much was the totally disgraceful performance by Felipe Anderson, who was so transparent in showing he didn’t care about playing. He was happy for the team to be relegated. A £40m+ signing earning c£150k per week, knowing when relegated he will be on his way somewhere else for another payday. As I expected, I’ve watched the two West Ham matches but nothing else. I am yet to get any passion back for football, I haven’t missed it over lockdown. And playing the season out with no fans just so they can pick up the £ from the TV companies. I knew years ago that football has sold its soul and even more so West Ham. Makes me sad, makes me angry … the genuine best moment since we moved to that stadium was the #GSBOUT protest before lockdown. It will be back with a vengeance once things have settled down. We may go down and part of me doesn’t care any more cos the players don’t care anymore. But let’s finish with a couple more highlights
Joe, Rebecka and Dan did an AMAZING puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood. All of it made me smile, but particularly Joe’s scary wolf. But the effort that went into it, the expression in acting it out, the puppets themselves. Wow. You can see it here.
Listening to some old sets from Glasto… Courteeners from last year (bring on TRNSMT 2021), Bruce from 2009 (no surrender was incredible), and Pulp 1995. I’m not sure I’ver ever seen it before but that crowd was incredible, caught up in the moment. It was clearly a throw-back to a different Glastonbury (make of that what you will)… as Jarvis said before that song — and feels so apposite with how football is now owned by sovereign wealth funds, TV companies, corporates, plastic fans … football is no longer living with common people (and probably hasn’t since 1995).
‘you can’t buy feelings’ …
