An Unexpected Journey

A Conservative Donor waiting for a peerage

 Over the last few weeks I've found it harder and harder to read the paper or watch the news as they've both been full of Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Russia all with an undercurrent of China and Trump. As ever, those that suffer are the innocents and one can only look on and wonder at the bravery of the relief workers and medical teams operating in incredibly difficult situations.

Meanwhile, at home, my country waits with baited breath for an election to be held to remove a government which seems bereft of ideas, and to remove as well, some, if not all, of the 18 MPs of various parties who have had the whip removed due to various misdemeanours. For those who don't understand the terminology of British politics, it basically means they've been sent to the sin bin. They are still MPs but have been, possibly permanently, suspended from the party which they used to represent.

My own MP, Mark Menzies, is the latest of this bunch. For details follow this link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68841840

All of this makes for fairly depressing reading over the cornflakes, so I've done what I find helps me. I've gone back to J.R.R. Tolkien. I'm currently approaching the end of The Hobbit and will then launch into The Lord of the Rings. I don't know how many times I've read these books, but the thought of a story where, ultimately, good triumphs over evil is strangely attractive at present. Heather tells me I should try The New Testament, but I find this works for me.

The other thing which cheered me up hugely this week was my second walk with The Ramblers. Heather joined me and 7 of us walked at Leighton Moss near Silverdale in the sunshine. A lovely day with good company which ended with a chippy tea!

Leighton House with Grange over Sands in the distance

If at some point our illustrious government decide to hold an election (Spoiler: they have to hold an election before January 2025) you will need to register to vote if you haven't already done so.

Register Here: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

You will need photo ID as well. If you don't have any (passport, driving license) you can get a FREE voter ID card at: https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate

If you know anyone who hasn't registered or doesn't have photo ID, please pass on these links. My grandson is bored witless with me telling him to make sure he is registered to vote, but, tough, he'll be more bored in the months to come.