CHAOS

My word for today. Johnson remains for the present – he does not own a house or a car as he has been sponging off the public purse for so long. How long people will put up with this farce is debatable. BJBJ is hoping until the autumn at least, by which time some event may rescue him – although I think the number of resignations tells a story.

Meanwhile the workforce in the UK has shrunk by 1.2% since the pandemic – more than population change; UK trade falling behind France and Germany; Taxes rising; Inflation approaching 10%; R&D lagging behind France and Germany; Bottom of G7 economic growth; public freedoms eroded; international status plummeting except in Ukraine; NHS underfunded; public sector workers underfunded; strikes increasing; cost of living rising; bankers bonus payments and directors pay rising; child poverty increasing. WELL DONE THIS TORY GOVERNMENT AND ALL WHO SUPPORTED IT (until some found a conscience to late to really matter – the damage is done.

And all the indicators of climate change are INCREASING whilst BJBJ sweats on his own future – hopefully still housed at Her Majesties Pleasure!

GARDEN – 8 July 2022

First tomato starting to blush – hopefully by Monday the stream should start. Raspberries and Loganberries are also making a break for freedom. Temperatures are above 20C for next week at least so that should help the harvest.

Front garden is a happy chaos. Cornflowers, chicory flowers, marigold, vetch, Californian poppy, evening primrose, night scented stock, nasturtium, fennel, sage flowers, different types of lavender in flower, but few bees, butterflies, etc. All growing alongside the 30 pots of thymes and mints, oregano and verbena and golden verbena. All growing in chaos – no colour co-ordination, many self seeded and growing as nature intended (apart from the pots to keep mints under control.

COOKING

I have just been given a couple of packs of tomatoes (8x big ones), and 12 X limes and 4x oranges by Matt at the shop. Tomatoes are big so I think sauce or ketchup with mint and herbs?. I had started some cookies with dates and lemon. I reckon coconut flour and coconut oil. Then lime icing? Fairly simple? Maybe some nuts on top?

Then the recipe from kitchen garden mag (thanks Holly and Mart) for blueberry and oat scones.

PLANES

So BJ Johnson uses a plane for a short holiday in Cornwall which the public pays for both economically and environmentally. Climate crisis and the planet are of no concern to his ego – with the hot air he spouts he should have gone by balloon.

COVID

Covid has not gone away. Estimated 1 in 30 had Covid in week ending 24 June. Variants BA4 and BA5 seem to be more transmissible and hospitalisations due to Covid are on the rise. When will the Health Secretary announce the governments policy? regarding hospitals – I am sure BJ.Johnson repeated the claim about 40+ new hospitals earlier this year in PMQT? It now appears the number may reach 6. It was never a sensible, planed or realistic number – which is why he cannot plead Covid, Ukraine or Donald Duck as an excuse – so he will continue with the lie.

WEATHER

Looks like we are heading for a dry spell after a wet spell. However the temperature is only creeping up 16C today and 21C by the weekend – hopefully enough for the tomatoes to ripen. A couple of pics of the garden.

RASPBERRIES AND LOGANBERRIES

I just picked 250g and am thinking raspberry yoghurt? it has rained quite a lot overnight again and very cloudy at the moment. Tomatoes rather slow at turning red – maybe I should embarrass them?

SLEAZE CENTRAL

I suspect there is plenty more to come. The glee on Tory front benches as Raab had a go at Rayner regarding Glyndebourne was rather sickening, it was as if they enjoyed an attempt to demean a woman. I suspect this is the culture in Westminster and not totally confined to the Tories (although mainly). With about 20+% voting to ban abortion in NI we should be under no illusions that we have intelligent, educated minds in Parliament. Power corrupts as we see almost daily. And the papers are either frightened or cajoled into keeping quiet on the Private Eye revelation of how the PM, when FS, was given a BJ by his mistress at the time in the FO, and who he then promoted for a £100000+ job she was not qualified for. Also did he make his hairdresser pregnant and then pay her to move to N.America.

The gutter press has kept very quiet, as has the Guardian – are they threatened with injunctions or expensive civil disputes? Well done Private Eye. The fact that Pincher has not resigned is reprehensible as it is the second time he has had to resign as a whip. But maybe he sees BJBJ getting away with a total lack of morality means he thinks he has not been so bad. Why did Johnson not sack him? – because he is a coward. Or maybe he knows too much? There is probably less sleaze in a brothel!

RECIPES

Today salad nicoise with tomato, goat cheese and onion flan. Making yogurt for some flat breads tomorrow with spicy chick peas, salad and tzatziki. I thing I will be largely vegetarian for the summer once the toms come on stream.