Wednesday 20 January 2021

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 A blank mind, a blank canvas this morning.   How to fill it?   Well the weather would be one way.   Horrendous rain is forecast and when this occurs we all worry around here because we are on the edge of an area which floods easily.   The River Ure - the river which flows throughWensleydale (the Dale used to be called Yoredale after the river as most of the Dales are) is very prone to flooding - and is said to rise twenty feet in an hour (and similarly go down the same).  I understand from my Carer that it is well up this morning and she dare not go through to her first call while it was still dark because it was impossible to see the extent of the flooding.   It rained heavily all day yesterday but this morning the sky is very stormy-looking but we must be on the edge of the storm area because at present it doesn't appear to be raining thank goodness.

Covid would be another way.   The rate of daily infections does at last appear to be going down - but we still have a long way to go.   It will soon be a year since I actually went anywhere other than to have my Covid injection a fortnight ago.   As you know I love clothes and I have a wardrobe full of clothes I bought to wear over winter and I fear I shall not wear them before summer comes (apart from the fact that sitting about and eating things like a packet crisps or a slice of Battenburg has done little to keep my weight stable.  ) Thank goodness I am an avid reader and I also enjoy reading The Times from cover to cover and doing all the Mind Games.   In addition if you search on the arts area on iplayer there are lots of really interesting things to watch.   My afternoon 'feet up hour' always coincides with Father Brown, the Hairy Bikers and Escape to the Country (actually a total of 2 hours) and providing I can stay awake through them I enjoy all three.

And then of course there is today's Inauguration of President Biden.  Whether to watch it or not?   There is the intense fear of unrest and worse after the trouble at the Capitol a couple of weeks ago.  How disturbing it must be at the moment to be a US Citizen and to worry about events there as they unfold - and to worry indeed about the future.  Of course events have been in turmoil before.   I remember on a visit to Dallas actually standing on the spot where Lee Harvey Oswald is said to have stood when he shot President JFK - and the terrible outcry of grief after that.   And then I remember going to the National Cemetery and seeing the eternal flame burning on JFK's grave.   And I remember thinking - could anything so appalling happen here - and of course it could happen anywhere.   Let's all hope that today's Inauguration passes off well and bodes well for the future of the great Country.

Looking out of the window I see that the rain has now started so keep your fingers crossed that it doesnt overwhelm us here in the Dales.

19 comments:

Rachel Phillips said...

I suggest an after lunch nap and then a short read of your book or newspaper again and some early viewing of Homes in the Sun or Homes Under the Hammer. I have just put the washing out for the first time in weeks as we have a windy dry day here. Hopefully your will remain unflooded.

Jennyff said...

Fingers crossed for no flooding although sadly I read that the river is already out in ilkley. Cro posted this morning about waiting, that is what we are all doing, for the virus to go, for our freedom to return, for better weather, for spring. It really feels now that life is on hold, I find it best not to think about the situation too much and take each day as it comes, even if it is just the same as the day before. Keep well, keep occupied and keep blogging.

Derek Faulkner said...

Do you not watch the Farmer's Country Showdown at 3.45 - that is very good, although today it will be missing for Biden's Swearing In.

Heather said...

Thinking of you all in those areas threatened by flooding, and hoping the forecast will not be as severe as expected. I can't think of anything worse than being flooded out in winter.
I have been pleasantly occupied doing a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. It was a Christmas present and has taken me at least a fortnight to complete. Quite challenging but totally absorbing and a great antidote to all the current doom and gloom.
Stay warm and safe, and look forward to Spring.

Sue said...

We are a soggy mess here in my little part of Lancashire, but no flooding of homes thank goodness in my neck of the woods, slightly further afield along the same river, I believe there has been some.

I love the read the Radio Times from cover to cover and then do all the puzzles when it is delivered each week, it's a bit expensive now so I am always determined to get my moneys worth.

And I have only recently discovered Father Brown ... how am I SO far behind everyone else? I love all the period details and the strange goings on and murders, more murders than in Midsomer and in a shorter programme, now how could that be even possible!!

Minigranny said...

Do hope the floods don't come to your neck of the woods. It's really wild and windy here in Somerset and I'm determined to get back to some drawing or painting rather than spending too long on the computer! We loved Father Brown but think we've seen all of them - I used to record them to watch in the evening when there was nothing else on that we wanted. Enjoy your day . Sheila

Yellow Shoes said...

I'll be glued to channel 231 here, watching history unfold in Washington.

Marcia LaRue said...

I have been watching Father Brown on our PBS station in Colorado for quite a long time now ... Sundays at 6 p.m. And now, too, we have 2 wonderful Masterpiece Mysteries on PBS ... plus All Things Great and Small on Sunday nights, too!
I shall be watching a lot of the Inauguration ceremonies today ... I did see Trump & Family fly off and hope to God I never see them again!!! Such ugliness and all the corruption they subscribe to is just unbearable for most sane folks!! Good bye and good riddance!!!
Here's hoping you stay high and dry today!!!

The Feminine Energy said...

Oh yes, we've had unrest before.... as in **all summer long** last year. Buildings burned, businesses looted & destroyed, 19 people killed in all. But the media decided not to cover that very much. A group called "Black Lives Matter" decided to wage war against the police this past Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday. 28 people arrested, 11 police officers wounded... but that wasn't covered in the media either. Only when conservatives come up on the wrong side of the law is it ever talked about. I wonder if that's called prejudice? Take good care~ Andrea xoxo

Ellen D. said...

I hope you do not get terrible flooding in your area. I remember you writing about it in previous years and showing all of the damage it can do to the towns near you.
Stay safe!
I am very happy that it is Inauguration day! Here’s to a better future! Wishing all the best to Biden/Harris as they work to heal our country. Peace!

Tom Stephenson said...

I couldn't resist standing in the very box that Hitler used to watch the march-past at the Nuremberg Stadium. I saw a German do the same thing and, like me, he was too conflicted to stay there longer than a couple of seconds.

thelma said...

Well as far as flooding is concerned I am always on tenterhooks, with a river behind that brings the water from Rosedale Moor rushing through. The flooding on the road in the front is due to the drains which seize up. I expect they have sandbagged the pub though.

Debby said...

I've been reading on multiple blogs about the flooding. I hope that your little home remains 'high and dry'. I cannot watch the television, because I have two boys homeschooling right now, but I clicked on the computer at noon. When Connie Schultz posted "Trump is no longer the president of the United States", I was surprised that I was tearing up. What a dreadful 4 years it has been.

If I had my druthers, I'd be curled up with a hot cup of something watching the rain, with a book on my lap, dreaming about better days coming!

The Weaver of Grass said...

Yes Derek I often watch the Showdown programme and enjoy it.

Yes to all of you who feel as I do about things in the US - I do hope they settle down now.

Thanks for calling in.

Bonnie said...

I do hope you don't have too much rain and flooding. Today I am thankful that those of us in America can have hope again.

CharlotteP said...

You watched it! Good decision...

Joanne Noragon said...

Thank you for the good wishes, Pat. It was a beautiful inaguration.

Brenda said...

Great day in America...peace...prayers answered...

Librarian said...

Live broadcast of the inauguration started at 6:00 pm here in Germany, but it took me until 6:45 before I was ready to sit down in front of the telly. The speach and everything else I had missed was being repeated several times throughout the evening, so I caught up with it all. There were some rather touching moments there, and I was so relieved that all went smoothly and with dignity.