Home life & Tunisia and Egypt Riots

PLEASE NOTE that this is not a diary but an attempt to leave writings intended for future social historians in 2525 and beyond. The 2525 is taken from the song by Zager and Evans,,,,

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find…..

　
I have been hard put to write about anything cheerful in my Windows on the World. So first of all I’ll say something about my personal life not that much has happened there. But this is supposed to be for social history and needs everyday details of life even if they are repeated, which in the way of things have always been.

It may be recalled that I knitted two hats for my friend's young girls and finished two scarves to match. They, with their mother called in to collect the scarves the day before yesterday. They were well behaved on the visit although I know they can be a handful at other times. At first they were fascinated my the multitude of birds in my back garden eating me out of house and home on the winter cold day. Indeed today I spotted all at one time six blackbirds, a robin, five blue tits, a blackcap and a pigeon resting on our fence all puffed up to keep warm. Bad pic taken on my phone. He comes and sits there most days.

                          
They appeared to love the scarves and I heard later one of them wanted to wear it to bed. We chatted on what they wanted to do in life, one a physical education teacher and the other a doctor but they are young yet, plenty of time to change their minds. One liked art so had a look at my computer art. I don’t know if I did right but I took the opportunity to warn them that difficult times were around the corner and they would not be able to have everything they wanted, I tried to make it clear it was not the fault of their mum and dad whom I know are going though difficult times, job loss and so on. I felt it might help if it came from somebody outside of the family. I gained some amazed looks when I told them I had lived through the second world war and knew what it was like to live in austere times. Heavens, I must have looked like something out of the arc to them.

Oh yes, I went back to Slimming Club last Wednesday and had put on more than 8 pounds since before Christmas. Not surprised as I had my operation to contend with, then bitter cold weather and then CHRISTMAS. No chance to stay slim. Now back on ‘The Plan’ and trying to lose it again.
　
Other than that visit life has been quiet and going along as usual. Lots of knitting, I finished the first glove I have ever knitted. I thought it would be difficult so have never tried to knit them. It seems to have come out OK. Had shopping delivered from Tescos via the Internet and today David took me to Teignmouth for things I had forgotten to order or can’t get from Tescos. Watched a bit of TV and listened to the Radio.

Heard a good play on radio this afternoon about the pope in the war time failing to condemn the Germans for the killing of the Jews. It was in 1942 and I had no idea that we knew so much about what was happening that early in the war. Somehow I have always felt some guilt for the Holocaust even though I was only a child and not on that side during the war. Silly I know but perhaps it was because during the war we were close friend of a Jewess who had escaped pre war with her mother. Later I remember finding a book with pictures of Belsen and the piles of bodies. The shock has stayed with me and I could not say anything to my parents as I knew I was not supposed to look at the book and they had been careless and left it out.
　
Window on the World

First riots Tunisia and now Egypt which all the pundits say is more important to the stability of the Middle East. Which North African state next? Will they go down like dominoes? A powder keg and no mistake.

A British tennis player has reached the finals of the Australian Grad Slam. He is Scottish if he does not win and British if he does! So far he has never won a grand slam poor boy.

More horrific was a newsreel about a man and woman being stoned to death for adultery in Taliban held territory in Afghanistan. The worst was not shown but enough to know why such extremism is a terrible thing. It upset me. I’ll say no more.

So the Russian Airport bomber where many were injured and killed was a man not a woman. He was from the North Caucasus which is what I expected in Russia.

The weekend is here and they say there will be some bright sunshine although it will be cold, that is before the rain and wind comes in from the Atlantic. Oh yes they say we didn’t get enough rain in 2010 and there may be drought conditions- does it ever end? Don't know if I can walk as the cold has brought on arthritis badly in my ankle and also in my shoulder. Agony last night , had to take some pain killers.