Another pointless thread

It might be where you are, but here it's grey cloud, cold wind, no birdsong and feels like winter! And I've got to walk the dog . Still, it might help to deal with the nasty smell that's wafting from her direction today...

On a cheerier note, the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas on CD will be arriving today (allegedly...). It should keep me quiet for a long time.

Steve

Didn't mention warmth on that list - it is cold (6C) but I'm just happy to have some sun.

Quite sunny here in the North East as well Gwyn

zonneschijn voor iedereen

No sun here, so the exercise today was a walk to the supermarket for supplies...

... all well except that I left the bread on the packing shelf!

Wonder if I'll be able to collect it tomorrow?

Playing with a K5 and a set of bellows outside this afternoon. From the inside > out: thermal vest, T shirt, woolly pully, fleece gillet, fleece anorak thing. And that wind still managed to cut through it all.

A few days ago John commented, "We can all feel better connected to the rest of humanity with technology to help. This forum included! I'd miss you guys without it!" +1 from me.

But I was wondering if anyone has ever witnessed, in the recent news programmes or newspapers during the last few weeks, any mention of praise and thanks for all those working 24/7 in the power supply, Internet and telecoms industries, to keep all this stuff running smoothly for everyone, as I haven't?

Philip

No because the media loves to churn out doom and gloom and sensationalism ad nauseam. I've stopped listening to the radio, I never read newspapers and don't have TV. but I still manage to get a balanced view of what's going on in the world.

There are lots of unsung heroes out there, the careworkers in the nursing homes coping with no protective gear whilst caring for the old and very vulnerable. The behind the scenes workers on TV radio and Newspapers. The bin men. The shelf fillers. The lorry drivers. The sewage workers. The bus drivers. The teachers and childcare workers looking after the kids of essential workers. Those trying to help the homeless and the addicted. The farmers and their pickers trying to get food to you. Just to name a few.
All deserve recognition.

From the internet?????? (This forum excluded, of course...:wink

Steve

Of course, all those you have included are essential and deserving of recognition, and I have heard each of those groups praised and thanked in the media, but never those I listed above. That is why I wondered whether anyone else had heard them being mentioned.

Philip

Not yet, and you're right to point out how important they are. But why stop there? John Donne got it right: "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; ...". Even bankers and commodity traders are part of the vast network that keeps things going.

Steve

Downhill????

Big difference, the aforementioned don't do anything unless they profit from it. Given the wildly fluctuating stock markets I guess they are revelling in the short term profiteering, its the small investors and pension funds which will feel the pain.

At home we are stuck on the horns of a dilemma, a friend bakes superb cakes and pies and whilst in lockdown has been passing the time with baking far more than she needs. She texted today saying she would leave some outside if we could collect but we don't think the fuzz would accept it's essential travel if stopped.

Copied and pasted from www.gov.uk/coronavirus :
Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do
Stay at home
Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work from home)

You're covered by the first reason for going outside. Take a copy of the webpage to show any passing policeperson. And just for good measure and added protection, don't forget to ask an elderly and vulnerable neighbour if they would like you to collect some pies for them. Good luck!

Steve

I ain't saying they're heroes for what they do or deserve every penny they get, but they're still essential for keeping things running. That's why HMG had to step in when some banks came very close to going bust a few years ago. Didn't like it but had to be done. And how many businesses of any sort do things unless they see a profit (whether they actually make a profit is another matter...)?

Now to more cheerful things. Beethoven has arrived, or at least his complete piano sonatas on CD, so I'm happy, all is right with the world and it's time to get the headphones out and disappear into a corner for 10+ hours. Except that the dog is telling me it's time for a walk...

Steve