OneGuyFromBarlick

If one of Santa's elves delivers 6 mince pies ration yourself to one a day!

I don’t eat them (too sweet for me), so hubby has two some days...

Don't leave your Xmas shopping too late. The latest developments are going to promote some panic buying, it's in the nature of the great British public.

That wasn't a bad tip, the forecast is 'orrible today!
Today's tip, if you suddenly remember a card you should have posted change it to a Happy New Year greeting, you're too late for Xmas.
Have you slipped the postman his Xmas Box yet?

What do you slip the Postie as a “Christmas Box”, Stanley?

That's between me and my postie Maz. He and his mates think it's a good do!

Remember, you don't suddenly need more nourishment at Xmas. It all has to be paid for both from your purse and your weight afterwards!

I can assure you we won’t go overboard...but our long walk today is in anticipation of our Prawns and Lobster Salad tomorrow. Soup tonight, also in anticipation. One must pay for their sins! Another long walk planned for Boxing Day.

Get your Xmas dinner in the oven early and roast slowly. My pigs in blankets with tomatoes are roasting slowly as I write. That's Xmas dinner!

Ours is cold (Prawns, Lobster, Salads), so nothing to go in the oven, but there have been some lovely smells floating across the neighbourhood, so some are having hot meals.

Margaret tells me she is roasting a “turducken”. Never heard of one of them before but I get the idea....

If it's a bad weather day you don't die if you miss a bit of exercise! Do some housework instead....

Feeling for you...we got our exercise today...trust me! I want to go back and do the other three quarters of the Botanical Gardens, but we must choose our days, as it was bordering on being too hot today with steep uphill climbs. They say these gardens are stunning in Autumn, so we will be back with our packed lunch, when the weather cools and the trees come out in their Autumn shades. Can’t wait.

Today's weather forecast here is a bummer. Tip of the day is don't go out unless you have to!

It's repetition I know but do not drop your guard influenced by reports of more and more vaccinations being available. The virus is still out there and doctors suspect that the variant is even more infectious but not necessarily giving more serious symptoms. We need to maintain all our protective measures and not jump the gun!

Lots of the medics are calling for a full country wide level 4 lock down. They are also warning that lock down alone will not be enough if the schools go back as planned. Top and bottom of it is the government screwed it up last March by being indecisive and have been playing and loosing catch up ever since.

The same variant (Trump probably calls it the England virus) has now been identified in a number of other countries worldwide; but it can't all be blamed on us. In Italy they've tracked down a woman with the variant but they can't trace it to the UK. Her husband has covid but it's the common strain. Another Italian has the variant and hasn't been abroad or had contact with anyone who has been to the UK. These countries are now realising that they could already have large number of the variants in their populations but they' haven't been monitoring for variants as we do meticulously in the UK. Italy has almost the same number of covid deaths as the UK and a similar size of population.

Remember Patton's dictum and hit it fustest with the mostest. The government is acting on what they think will please the electorate and not what the evidence dictates is the best course.

The government is acting on what they think will please the electorate and not what the evidence dictates is the best course.

It must be a very narrow band of electorate. The government is still giving preference to the economy which you can't blame them for that but is still leaning towards protecting their election base which is impossible under the circumstances. Rock and a hard place.
Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies SAGE are still running and still being ignored until it all becomes too late and the damage is done. This appears to be the common theme with all the decisions the government is faced with in today's climate. Not the way to run a country when everybody is trying their best to plan ahead.

Stanley wrote: ↑29 Dec 2020, 03:58 The government is acting on what they think will please the electorate and not what the evidence dictates is the best course.

That's what I've been ranting about since the EU Referendum - populism. It's a problem in now in many countries worldwide. The politicians should be doing what is in the best interest of the country, not what the people demand.

Exactly Peter! But being selfish and most of them mainly concerned with retaining their seat and income they are always electioneering. I have often thought that parliamentary seats should be held for fixed terms and not held as long as the voters allowed. What I am certain of is that something has to change, our present model is broken and the governance we are being guided by now is grotesque!

I like straight edges! If you can manage it try to get a straight edge in your life for New Year's Eve. Go into the New Year with a clean start.
If I could have one wish it would be for everyone to be able to do this. Dream on Stanley!

Pretty much straight edges as far as the eye can see... ...in every possible direction...

Don't jump to conclusions about the New Year. Wait and see but prepare for the worst. I have not seen a hopeful sign lately...

There are few things nicer in this world than slow cooked neck end of mutton!