Salt In The Wound

Jim Adams, aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: CINNAMON/MINT/PARSLEY/PEPPER.ROSEMARY/SAGE/SALT/THYME

Well…at work there is a song played far too often. At first I didn’t like it at all, but gradually it has grown on me. But when I googled the lyrics, I was surprised that a song that sounded so peppy was actually so melodramatic. The song is called “Bad Blood” (which of course is the obvious choice for NHS radio – we sometimes wonder who on earth picks the tracks to broadcast) and is from Taylor Swift who you may have heard of.

I have picked a live performance of this track, essentially because the video is bizarrely weirdly terrifying. But in real life this artist is nowhere near as scary as a couple of her videos were. I try to put them out of my mind, because they left me very confused – but I am a very gentle soul. I think they are from an era where she was being attacked left right and center (according to my friend who calls herself a Swiftie) but she still turned around the stress and made something creative out of it – good on her!

My friend also tried to explain to me in detail all the drama which this song is apparently ascribed to. But my eyes glazed over at hearing about something that basically went into one ear and out of the other without registering in my memory (thank goodness). Apparently, whatever sparked the creative flow of emotion that went into this song has all calmed down now.

I have never had “bad blood” (I only learnt what that expression meant a few months ago!) with anyone except Jack. Look what happened with Jack and me! But I do understand the expression “salt in the wound”. When something really hurts and someone keeps provoking that same hurt over and over, it is hard to heal and move on.

Life is so wonderful. I have no time to let anything spoil the joy. No bad blood between me or anyone else. Instead, lots of kindness! Lots of love. Lots of empathy. When I walk around London, I have no idea who may have suffered most during the recent crisis sparked by the …you know. Who may have suffered loss of loved ones, loss of jobs and income, or many other losses. There may be some very fragile people out there with painful wounds. So, I am going to make sure the words that come out of my mouth are seasoned with salt, gracious and kindly to everyone I come across.

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey

Did you have to do this? I was thinking that you could be trusted
Did you have to ruin what was shiny? Now it’s all rusted
Did you have to hit me, where I’m weak? Baby, I couldn’t breathe
And rub it in so deep, salt in the wound like you’re laughing right at me

Oh, it’s so sad to think about the good times, you and I

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey

Did you think we’d be fine? Still got scars on my back from your knife
So don’t think it’s in the past, these kinda wounds they last and they last.
Now did you think it all through? All these things will catch up to you
And time can heal but this won’t, so if you’re coming my way, just don’t

Oh, it’s so sad to think about the good times, you and I

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey

Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes
You say sorry just for show
If you live like that, you live with ghosts (ghosts)
Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes (hey)
You say sorry just for show (hey)
If you live like that, you live with ghosts (hey)
Mhmmm
If you love like that blood runs cold

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love (mad love)
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them (think we can solve them)
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
(Hey)

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done (look what you’ve done)
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey

Written by: Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift

Wild Mountain Thyme Grows Around The Blooming Heather

Jim Adams, aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: CINNAMON/MINT/PARSLEY/PEPPER.ROSEMARY/SAGE/SALT/THYME

I am going to admit, this theme messed with my mind. One half of my brain was totally into anything that sounded like “Scarborough Fair”…(once you have that in your head, it’s hard to see passed!) The other half of my brain was stuck with the sensational Salt & Pepper – I think I have listened to most of their discography this past week! (Whatta man whatta man whatta mighty good man.)

Well…I have decided to give you double trouble this week. But first all I am going with a song that may be very popular this week, “Wild Mountain Thyme”. I could have picked The Byrds, or Ed Sheeran, or a host of other artists who have covered this charming song. I have picked a female singer because I thought it was a very nice version.

It’s a lovely chilled way to start the day…and I need to be chilled at the moment. The tiredness from work is building. My travel agent is ignoring my questions about my £900 ticket for a flight that I am sure the Australian government will not allow me to take. Jack is still keen to stay out in Africa where he can do lots of work and be with people and have an amazing time (I love him for loving life out there, he has been washing himself and his clothes with a bucket of water for months and he is as happy as can be.) He had a bit of trouble when he was supposed to cross a border to sort out his visa, but he seems to have sweet talked himself out of being extradited! Jack!

So I am happy to start the day on a calm and lovely note. Don’t you long to be out rambling over moorland or hilltop ranges? I am looking forward to going hiking again with friends. I sense a camping trip is ahead. But none of us want to be part of a huge wave of tourists that will overwhelm rural communities and put them at risk. We are all trying to be careful. Anyway…we can look forward to the future when a healthy human family and a thriving earth, with thriving creatures and all beat together to the same tune. 

 

Oh the summer time is coming
And the trees are sweetly blooming
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
Would you go, laddie, go?

And we’ll all go together
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
Would you go, laddie, go?

And I will build my love a bower
And yon pure crystal fountain
And around it I will place
All the colours of the mountain
Would you go, laddie, go?

And we’ll all go together
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the blooming heather
Would you go, laddie, go?

And If my true love’s gone
I will surely find another
And to him I will sing
Things that make him know I want him

Would you go, laddie, go?
And we’ll all go together
Where the wild mountain thyme
Grows around blooming heather

Would you go, laddie, go?

Written By: Well, it’s a long story but Francis McPeake

apparently owns the copyright…so we will credit it to him!

 

THE CARAMEL CRUNCH #22

WHEN IT COMES TO THE CRUNCH – WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

You need to do your grocery shopping but when you arrive at the supermarket, it looks as if the whole town have chosen the same time to shop. The social distanced queue (with shoppers 2 metres apart) stretches across the entire car park. You patiently queue for half an hour until you are near the front of the store. Suddenly a young lady with her young child, appears from her car and walks straight towards the front doors ignoring the queue.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

What is THE CARAMEL CRUNCH? Well, it’s all about decisions. When it comes to THE CRUNCH what would you do?

One of the definitions of the word CRUNCH is:

a crucial point or situation

 – generally involving a decision with weighty consequences

• Your response can be a quickie. Please feel free to send a comment to say what you would do, and if you have time or are inclined, please feel free to explain your decision.
• If you would like to create a post with a longer explanation of your decision, please pingback to THE CARAMEL CRUNCH post. (Or copy and paste a link to your post in the comments section – please feel free.)

If you know anything about CRUSHED CARAMEL, you will probably realize I am a gentle soul, so my questions are not supposed to be terrifying! What I am hoping for really is to see a variety of responses. Afterall, it’s pretty obvious that WordPress bloggers are from a huge variety of backgrounds and cultures. It would be fascinating to learn more about how we as individuals make decisions.

Some of the questions I am going to ask are questions I have discussed with friends when we have been having coffee or dinner. I often find there is no clear right or wrong. It can be so much a matter of our individual experiences and outlook. I find it fascinating how very different some of us are when it comes to decision making.

We all have different outlooks, and may make different decisions. I am really looking forward to learning WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

 

 

The Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off Round-Up 2019

This is a reminder of THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF 2019.

Looking at last year’s amazing baking entries might give you some ideas.

Take a look at the posts from the bloggers who entered and it may give inspiration for your baking or posts. Please feel free to ask questions if you are not sure how THE BAKE-OFF will work.

_______________

By now I think everybody will know the results of

THE 2019 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF

Our STAR BAKER  was  Sheree the creator of View from the Back

with her wonderful Gâteau Au Chocolat Framboise Spectaculaire

which you can read more about in Sheree’s post:

https://viewfromtheback.com/2019/03/24/great-bloggers-bake-off/

A huge thanks to all of the bloggers who took on the challenge set in this year’s GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF and to all who cheered our baking bloggers on with your lovely comments and likes.

Thank you to Gary who thought of the idea to begin with and to our special judge Jeanne. It has been an absolute delight to work along with these two on THE BAKE-OFF.

This is the round-up post where you will find the cakes that were baked during our BAKE-OFF and links to their posts on the BAKE-OFF CAKE PARADE  and links to the posts that our bloggers created themselves.

___________

 Irene – My Slice of Mexico

The Strawberry Queen

https://mysliceofmexico.ca/2018/06/30/reina-de-fresa-lets-celebrate/

 

 Suze – suziland too or obsolete childhood

Suze’s Failcake

 

 Bee Halton – The Bee Writes…

The Messy Blogger’s Chocolate Cake

https://thebeewritesdownloads.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/baking-cakes-feeling-good-and-a-mystery/

 

 Sophie – Foodzesty

Sophie’s Almond Buttercream Cake

https://foodzesty.com/2019/03/25/almond-buttercream-layer-cake/

 

 Ribana – Popsicle Society

Naked Cake!

https://popsiclesociety.com/2019/03/30/my-naked-cake-recipe/

https://popsiclesociety.com/2019/03/23/my-naked-cake-for-the-great-bloggerss-bake-off/

 

 Carolyn – hawkfeatherstories

The Tiramisu Cake

Great Blogger Bake Off – 2nd Place Winner

 

 Michelle – The Cat Lady’s Kitchen

Ginger Lime Sponge Cake

 

 msjadeli – Tao Talk

The Gorgeous Guinness Cake

https://tao-talk.com/2019/03/23/the-great-bloggers-bake-off-perfect-st-patricks-day-cake/

 

Amanda Cade

They Won’t Forget This Birthday Cake

https://amandacade.com/2019/03/24/the-great-bloggers-bake-off-aka-why-i-will-never-be-top-chef/

 

Thanks to the very talented daughter of

 shellteacup – Teacups and Sugar Lumps

The Lemon Meringue Cake With White Chocolate Ganache Drip

 

 Bob – Lovewillbringustogether’s Weblog

The Mandarin Mocha Chocolate Sponge Cake

https://lovewillbringustogether.wordpress.com/2019/03/24/great-bloggers-bake-off-entry/

 

 Cheryl – rugby843 – The Bag Lady

The Orange Almond Sponge Cake

https://rugby843.blog/2019/03/24/wp-bake-off-entry/

 

 theresaly520 – Culture Shocks

The Strawberry Mango Cake

https://theresaly520.wordpress.com/2019/03/25/the-great-bloggers-bake-off-strawberry-mango-cake/

 

 Gary – bereavedandbeingasingleparent

The Gluten Free Dairy Free Summer Fruits Ginger And Lime Sponge Cake Smothered With Dairy Free Chocolate

https://bereavedsingledad.blog/2019/03/24/great-bloggers-bake-off-not-gone-to-plan/ 

 

 

 Crushed Caramel (Learner at love)

Chococcino – Caramel Style

The Crushed Caramel Cake

I Love Summer Cake

 

__________

And that is the last you will hear from me about

THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF until 2020!

They think it’s all over…

…it is now!

Television Magic

So…if you saw my post last night you will know I felt sad. I had planned to do some work on this course work have asked me to complete. But I did not feel I could face hours of reading.

Instead, I poured myself a glass of wine and flicked on the television and had a very pleasant surprise. It was episode four of the six part BBC Pride & Prejudice. You know…the one with that scene!

It was great! It cheered me up no end!!! If I could pick four minutes of television magic…well that would be it!!!

But then my mind started wondering. Is Jane Austin to blame for the romantic streak I possess? Has she put to many ideas of a Mr Darcy into my head? Is that why I sulk over not knowing when I will see Goldfinch again?

I think Jack is my Captain Wentworth. Goldfinch…he is probably a mix of Mr Wickham and Mr Darcy…the best bits of both rolled into one gorgeous package! Send your questions on a postcard.

Heart Breaking Over Here

I came home from work to find an email which broke my heart.

In some ways, it is good I suppose. I have been wondering for weeks what would happen with the £900 flight to Australia I had booked. Everytime I asked my travel agent, they said it was too early and I would have to wait and see.

But now I know…

The email was short and sweet. It informed me that Qatar Airlines had cancelled the flight and I will receive a full refund. I should be relieved that the matter has been resolved without any stress. I should be glad I am going to get every penny back. I should be pleased that it will prevent me from putting my manager and colleagues at work under extra pressure because I am not disappearing during this intense time at work.

But all I feel is heartbreak. I have had my cry. This is me wanting to talk about  how I feel now. I will call a friend. I won’t call Jack. I don’t think he will like how sad I am that I now know for certain I won’t see Goldfinch. I will call another friend. Maybe I will call Goldfinch. Not right now…he will be asleep.

I miss him so much! I have no idea when I am going to see him again. So so sad 😦

How will I get to him? How will I endure until the next time I see him? Sad lump in my throat. Heavy weight on my heart.

I know I keep featuring this song…but it is my Goldfinch song. It says so much of how I feel about him and his being on the opposite side of the planet.

 

SUMMER PICNIC 2020

WordPress bloggers have been a tremendous force for good in recent months encouraging another to STAY AT HOME, STAY SAFE, STAY ALERT and FOLLOW THE DIRECTION FOR EVERYONE’S PROTECTION.

It is a joy to see the blogging community have all been doing their bit in helping each other through these hard times. We are very excited about an event ahead that we hope will help you to build more bonds with fantastic bloggers who make a great contribution to the delightful WordPress blogging community.

In the last BAKE-OFF post, we told you about the BAKING CONTEST. But the second feature of THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF 2020 is:

THE SUMMER PICNIC

Many of us are still having difficulties finding baking essentials at our supermarkets. We don’t want to leave anybody out of THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF, which is why we are also hosting a virtual picnic to coincide with the BAKING CONTEST.

If baking is not an option for you at the moment…or else you are not that keen on baking at all, could you bring along something else to our SUMMER PICNIC? It could be your homemade lemonade or sangria, it could be a dip like hummus or guacamole. Perhaps you make a fabulous coleslaw or potato salad. Indeed salads of every variety would be welcome because it is summer and we are all trying to be healthy.

We would love an international flavour to the SUMMER PICNIC. Do you make spring rolls? Tacos or fajitas? How about pakoras or bhajis? We would love any type of tapas, mezes or canapes. Pickles, chutneys, jams, curds or any other preserve are all welcome.

Undeniably all three of us have a sweet tooth, so we welcome sweet contributions. Do you make trifle or fruit jelly or any other sweet treats?

 

What do we need you to do?

Please send a photo of your picnic creations so it can be featured in The Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off 2020 to:

crushedcaramel@gmail.com

It would be great if you could start making picnic treats now and send the photos in as soon as possible! But the BAKE-OFF and the SUMMER PICNIC will be held in just over seven weeks time. If you want to send us the recipe you followed or a story about what you chose to make, we love all of that. We want to share you as a blogger as well as your bake to the whole of WordPress!

Of course if you would like to create your own post about your picnic creation – please do so, and please mention THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF 2020 SUMMER PICNIC and invite your blogging buddies and followers to get involved.

(If you have any questions at all – please feel free to post your questions in the comments of any of our posts and we will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.)

THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF 2020

18/19th July 2020

I know you are all wondering what is it that we are planning for THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF 2020!!! Well there are two features this year – a double bubble of family fun for the international blogging community to join along with! This is the first of two posts with all the details of this year’s BAKE-OFF!

THE BAKING CONTEST

For those who have been able to find baking essentials on local supermarket shelves, there will be a BAKE-OFF just like last year. Our kitchen guru and baking legend Jeanne, the creator of A Jeanne in the Kitchen will be judging this year’s contest.

Remember: THE BAKE-OFF IS 18/19TH JULY 2020

(But please send your photos in anytime between now and then!)

Last year we gave you a specific challenge, but this year we thought we would lift the restrictions (we are all a bit fed up of restrictions by now) and give you a completely free choice. You can choose savoury or sweet. You can choose healthy or indulgent. Vegan, gluten free, or loaded with calories – all baking entries are welcome! You can bake bread, cake, pastry or any other baking creation. That is going to make judging even tougher for Jeanne who will have your photos and description to assess the skill involved.

Please remember, this is not so much about glorifying somebody because of their baking prowess…we hope you saw from last year’s BAKE-OFF that we want you all to have fun, build connections with other bloggers and all be drooling at the baking creations entered.

Just a reminder – if your bake goes terribly wrong…well, we love baking catastrophes (having experienced plenty ourselves) so if you would be happy to send us your photos, they make a special part of the BAKE-OFF event.

What do we need you to?

Please send a photo of your bakes so it can be featured in The Great Bloggers’ Bake-Off 2020 to:

crushedcaramel@gmail.com

It would be great if you could start baking now and send the photos in as soon as possible! But the BAKE-OFF will be held in just over seven weeks time. If you want to send us the recipe you followed or a story about why you chose your bake, we love all of that. We want to share you as a blogger as well as your bake to the whole of WordPress!

Of course if you would like to create your own post about the making of your bake – please do so, and please mention The Great Blogger’s Bake-Off 2020 and invite your blogging buddies and followers to get involved.

(If you have any questions at all – please feel free to post your questions in the comments of any of our posts and we will try to get back to you as quickly as possible.)

 

Why We Need Taylor Swift

Jack said something random to me the other day, which was well motivated but didn’t make sense to me. He suggested that my three books could become a way to raise money for mental health charities. Afterall both of us have been passionate about our work for non-profit charities.

I reminded Jack that the money my books have made so far would make a disappointing donation. (ALTHOUGH EVERY PENNY COUNTS AND THE BACKBONE OF MOST CHARITIES ARE REGULAR SMALL CONTRIBUTIONS.)

He has more of a business mind than I do and more of a creative mind. He said we need to market the books, and get big names involved. My face contorted at the word “celebrities”. Well he whittered on for a while with all these ideas that frankly I was ignoring. But then he said something that did capture my attention.

Jack started talking about how much money could be made if a production company dramatised Annabelle’s story. (You see how he appealed to the part of me that cares so much about my main character and wants people to get to know her.) He thinks (and I think his feelings for me are blinding his judgement) that there is great material in the book, especially the contrast of Dean Mather’s character and the dip into the music industry that is part of the story.

He said that submitting the lyrics of the songs in the books to powerful song writing forces like Taylor Swift and the writers she has worked with (I did point out to him that Dean’s band Mildew are supposed to be a grunge rock band) and seeing if they would be willing to produce a track (or all three tracks) and use it to raise money for mental health charities. Top recording artists can generate enormous sales/streams etc. Although I am not someone who approves of lots of money lining the pockets of individuals, I do approve of lots of money getting into the hands of responsible charities.

We ended the conversation with me laughing at Jack’s ideas. But I think any writer can relate to how much it discombobulated me. For anyone who has written a novel (or a three part series), the thought of seeing the story as a movie or a television production is so exciting.

• I would love to see the town of Blackwood with it’s white picket fences and lovable vintage generation (and of course the nefarious gossipers).
• I would love to see Annabelle and Chris in New York.
• I would love to see bad boy Dean Mathers and Mildew play at Madison Square Gardens.
• I would love to see the Switzerland scenes – they would be breathtaking.
• I would love to see the English countryside scenes in West Berkshire – and the beautiful estate at Inkpen. That whole English wealthy class, tweed jackets, wellington boots, horses, dogs, going for shoots culture that Annabelle is baffled by.
• I would love to see the key events of the book…happy and sad being dramatised.
• I would love to see these amazing minor characters – Ralph Crabbe, Gina Ward (my personal favourite), Burt and Pearl, Dean Mathers, George and Carol Riley, Stephen and Fiona Grainger, Nick and Anna, Angharad and Maggie (even Jenna, Amber and Margo!) on a screen.
• I would love to see a talented actress who could one moment be a beautiful energetic woman become someone who is overwhelmed with guilt and her mistakes and unwilling to communicate with those who care about her.
• I would love to see two great actors play Chris and Robin – and leave the audience split between who they like the most and think is best for Annabelle.

Yes Jack knew just how to pull on my heart strings. But by myself I have no power and no resources to turn a story I wrote into a tool that could generate money for charities. I would love to sign it all over to those who knew how to produce entertainment. It would be immensely satisfying (as any other writer would agree) to see what started on the dashboard in my head and became Annabelle’s story, jump from page to screen. I would love someone like Taylor Swift to take the three songs and make them something that could make money for charities. It would be sooooooooo exciting to see those words become real music.

Jack dreams big. He dreams big on my behalf. I have no head for money making at all. I chose the minimum charge when pricing my paperback book, which means every time someone buys a paperback, Amazon make some money but I do not make a single penny. I make $1 each time someone downloads a Kindle copy.

If I thought the LEARNERS AT LOVE series could be a fund-raising tool for charities, I would be totally stoked. But I don’t have the expectations Jack has for my writing. It is very sweet of him though. In a way, that’s what Annabelle did for Dean. She believed in him. She saw the teenager who played the guitar in a basement with his pals, become an international rock star.

I am still going over every page, every paragraph, every punctuation mark editing my books to perfection – and I feel as if I may be doing that for weeks to come. I also think the cover for Book Three needs to be more similar in colour to the first two books.

Meanwhile there are new characters in my head that want to have their own story told. They will have to wait though. I want to do Annabelle Riley justice and give her my full attention.

If Annabelle ended up becoming a fundraiser for mental health charities (which is what Jack wants her to be) then that would be the absolute dream ending for the character I am so proud of.

But I will say this…it is very touching to have someone who believes in you. Jack and I may have different dreams. But it is inspiring to hear him come up with all these ideas. I am someone who enjoys writing. I have worked thousands of unpaid hours for charities and I don’t have a business or money making mind. I try to avoid owning anything other than the contents of one suitcase. I wrote a dramatic story set in exciting locations, but I don’t know how to take a decent photograph (and have to use Pixabay images for all my blogging posts). I wrote song lyrics for each of the three books but I don’t have a musical bone in my body – that’s why we need Taylor Swift.

I would love to hand over the books to people who know how to make money, make screen productions and make music – and for them to become a fundraising tool. I would love any profit generated to end up in the hands of mental health charities who help people in times of crisis. That is something I am sure Annabelle Riley would feel passionately about. That is something I feel passionately about.

Buy Now Pay Later

I became fascinated by a BBC news report last week about food banks that have been set up in some American states where people have not received paychecks in several months.

The strange thing as the reporter highlighted was that the cars queuing for hand outs of food and grocery items were all SUVs. He showed a Mercedes Benz, a Porsche and so on.

Which left him and I scratching our heads with puzzlement. I had a sickening feeling and wondered how many of those drivers had fallen for the old trap: BUY NOW PAY LATER!

Like many other western lands, tyrants have been free to roam and enslave others to debts. I am still wondering why some want things to go back to the way they were before.

Is it right to allow a system based on marketing and advertising products beyond what we might need, appealing to desires in us, enslaving us to debt to bounce back so easily? These cars that contribute so much to the spoiling of our air and our climate. People who think they are free…yet are slaves to debt. It is very scary that the drivers of these SUVs cannot afford to buy food for their families.

Even sadder was that almost every family in those SUVs did not look anywhere the recommended weight for their age/height. There were children, youths and young adults who seemed to be well over a healthy weight. That only added to the strangeness of the news report.

They were some of the strangest scenes I have seen in a news report. Overweight families driving luxury fuel guzzling vehicles queued up because they cannot afford to buy food. It left me quite baffled.

This world’s economic system is grossly inadequate.

A billion people live on not much more than a dollar a day.

Jack is happier washing himself and his clothes in water from a bucket than he would be over here. He said to me on Sunday that he loves being with such happy hospitable people who love working together and looking after each other. I am envious. If it were not for feeling I can be useful within the NHS, I do wish I had caught a flight with him back in March and could stay and work with him out in Africa.

I read another article a while back, with some sage advice from Britney Spears on how to handle the absurdities in this tyrannical economic set-up.