RANDOM JOTTINGS

I have just realised that no posting has been up since last Sunday when Andy Murray won Wimbledon in such style and brought us all a welcome relief from the goings on in the world at large. Well, the following week seems to have gone on in much the same way and got no better.

In the UK we have a new Prime Minister and, whether you agree with her politics or not, I am delighted to see another woman in charge and to see the back of the Dave and George show. I was particularly happy to see Osborne sacked – his behaviour during the Referendum campaign was particularly obnoxious, threatening older people with losing their bus passes and saying their pensions were in danger. And before anybody says well the Brexit lot were just as bad, I agree but felt that Osborne was, overall, the nastiest in the whole thing.

I have been glued to the television and online over the last few days watching the comings and goings in and out the door of No.10 and will admit to finding it all totally fascinating and rather exciting. A lot of comment on social media and the usual abuse which I do wonder would be voiced if face to face. I think not.

I was supposed to be away this week on a get fit activity type break in Somerset. In the end and at the last minute I cancelled. I have been dealing with a will, as executor, of an aunt who died before Christmas and it has all been pretty stressful. The sale of the property has now gone through and now the final bills and payments are to be sorted and then it is at an end and I can relax.   Anyway, the last few months have been particularly busy and, as per, I have overdone it. I wish there was a little Slow Down Elaine button that would come on automatically to warn me but my own fault, I should know better by now, but probably never will learn. To cut a long story short, panic attacks and sleepless nights over the last week and at 4 am in the morning I thought, Elaine do you really want a fie hour drive along the A12, M25, M3, A303 etc or would you be better off staying at home? Obvious answer so I cancelled. Highly unlikely I will get any money back but that is my fault.

And in the midst of all this upheaval, I have been watching the Test Match between Pakistan and England and it is shaping up beautifully to be a close finish. England need 283 to win and Cook has just been bowled out for 8 (I should not laugh but I did. those of you who follow my rants know how I feel about him and his behaviour and the sucking up of the press…but I had better stop). Anyway, lovely to see him edge a catch to the wicket keeper and my yell of YES probably heard by my neighbours.

I am currently working my way through the works of Robert Barnard who I have mentioned before here.  He has two characters who appear in many of the books, but many of them are stand alone and are not straightforward detective stores by any means. He has written a huge amount so the standard is variable but I am really enjoying them and they have proved to be a great source of relaxation this week. I have also read a couple of Christies, or re-read and am also rediscovering the historical novels of Rosalind Laker, vie the Kindle, which I used to love as a teenager and find them just as good as I remember.

I will be back in a day or two with a round up of my recent reading but for the rest of the day, it is feet up and watching the cricket which provides an oasis of calm amidst all the awful things in the world at the moment.

Au reservoir.