Archive for January, 2021

The lost star

Posted in around the UK, idiot category, news from around the world, tagged being the lost star, Brexit lies, Brexit reality, politics in the 21st century, the reality of brexit on January 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »

I subscribe to the European Movement and their emails to keep up to date with the impact of Brexit on Britain. It’s not a pretty picture…the lies and falsehoods of the 2016 campaign are now being laid bare for all to see, but the protagonists will continue to obsficate and prevaricate and misrepresent the facts/reality. Of course their leader is REALLY damn good at that, a past master I’d say, and an expert.

Brexit Reality: How’s it looking?

Brexit One Week On

A week ago the UK fully left the EU. The moment we all campaigned against, warned about and feared the consequences of became reality – and it’s every bit as bad as forecast.

Here are just some examples of the impact of Brexit in just its first week:

Several UK companies have paused trading with the EU and some have given up entirely
Many EU businesses have stopped deliveries to UK customers because of Brexit
€6 billion of EU share trading has moved away from the City and is lost for good
The loss of passporting rights on January 1 has put the financial services sector (7% of the UK economy) at risk
The cost of sending a package from the UK to the EU has risen dramatically – up by more than £100!
New customs declarations mean more red tape and higher costs for UK businesses
More costs, paperwork, delays and limits on travel to the EU, including a reduction in free healthcare and the return of roaming charges
The UK on January 1 repealed the EU directive on cross-border tax arrangements, risking more tax avoidance and lower tax revenues
British musicians touring Europe will now face increased costs and paperwork, and more red tape to cover equipment and crew
Not Lovin (Brex)It! Due to supply chains following Brexit, there have already been food shortages, including at McDonald’s

The response of Brexiters to all this has, of course, been to bury their heads in the sand, ignore what’s actually been happening and try to claim some ‘Brexit bonuses’ – claims that, of course, fall apart, as outlined below.

“Brexit Benefit” Claims v The Reality:

‘Benefit’ 1: “Brexit has enabled UK to axe the ‘Tampon Tax’”

Reality: The Free Periods campaign group said it was “misleading” for the UK government to say Brexit was necessary to eliminate VAT on menstrual products. Ireland does not have VAT on sanitary products, and an EU-wide ban will be implemented soon.

‘Benefit’ 2: “Brexit means we can now ban Pulse Fishing”

Reality: France and Belgium have already outlawed the practice in their territorial waters. The UK could have done the same when it was still a member of the EU. An EU-wide ban comes into force on July 1 2021.

‘Benefit’ 3: “After Brexit we can have free ports”

Reality: There are more than 80 special economic zones, or free ports, across the EU, so they could have been done pre-Brexit. And in any case, they are of limited value, and can often be a haven for money laundering and tax evasion.

‘Benefit’ 4: “There will be no non-tariff barriers after Brexit”

Reality: From English fish merchants and Scottish seafood exporters to hauliers crossing the Dover Straits, British businesses are unable to trade as smoothly as before, with new barriers meaning some companies will be unable to export at all and others are being turned away at ports.

‘Benefit’ 5: “Because of Brexit, freed from EU rules, we were able to approve vaccines quicker”

Reality: The Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine approvals took place within the framework of EU rules, while the Moderna vaccine has already been approved by EU regulators – but because of Brexit, its availability in Britain will be delayed until April.

This is a bad deal for Britain

As the realities this week show, this bad deal for Britain leaves us in a worse position than we held as a member of the EU. It is the first ever trade deal to increase barriers to trade. It turns us into rule takers rather than rule makers. And we have lost our precious, life-changing rights to freedom of movement.

If you want to find out more about what we have lost by leaving the EU, the EU has released this handy scorecard outlining the brutal reality of everything we have lost as a result of Brexit.

If you are not already a member, please join, and help us build back our relationships with the EU and get back those rights we have lost:JOIN THE MOVEMENT

Please help us make our collective voice as loud as possible – share our Brexit Realities and ‘Brexit Bonus’ myth-busting blogpost with all your friends, family, and colleagues.

Promoted by Hugo Mann on behalf of European Movement UK, The Cursitor, 38 Chancery Ln, Cursitor St, Holborn, London WC2A 1EN

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I’m still really upset at the miscommunication of my vote. I have to think about that very carefully for the future. Guilt is not any easy bedfellow.

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The secrets of Santiago de Compostela

Posted in Camino 2017, European travels, Historical, Interesting articles, long distance walks - solo, news from around the world, project 101, Travel, UNESCO Heritage Sites, tagged cathedral, historical churches in Spain, Interesting articles, secrets of Santiago de Compostela, stone masons carvings, walking the camino de santiago on January 9, 2021| 4 Comments »

I was researching some carvings on the portico if a church I visited a couple of days ago and came across this article. Absolutely love this story. Clever man 😃😃😃

An Art Historian Discovered a Cheeky Self-Portrait That a Stonemason Left as an Easter Egg Inside a Famous Spanish Cathedral 800 Years Ago

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-historian-discovered-secret-stonemason-self-portrait-800-year-old-cathedral-spain-1920189

If you’ve walked to the Cathedral in Santiago you’ll know why this is such a fascinating find….

If you haven’t walked to the Cathedral in Santiago…..why not!!! Start planning 😉😄😄

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Oldest society on earth

Posted in Historical, Interesting articles, news from around the world, tagged aboriginals of Australia, the development of human societies, the oldest society, using science for good on January 7, 2021| 1 Comment »

My daughter sent me this fascinating article about the Aboriginal society of Australia. I love reading this kind of information, and enjoy that science can be used for the good. I thought you might find it interesting.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dna-tests-suggest-aboriginal-australians-have-oldest-society-planet-180960569/

The Smithsonian magazine have some really interesting articles, as well as tv programmes on the Smithsonian channel.

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150 Domesday book mentions

Posted in around the UK, conqueror challenges, Domesday Villages of England, england coast path, Historical, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021, walks around the UK, tagged conqueror virtual challenges 2021, country walking long distance walking, reculver isle of Thanet, roman forts in England, solo walking, walking the English coast on January 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Following on from my recent walk from Margate to Whitstable via Reculver, researching the Roman fort uncovered the information that Reculver too had been mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book. 😃😃👏👏 Roculf: Archbishop of Canterbury. Church, mill, 5 salthouses, fishery.

To say I was delighted would be an understatement. Updating my Project 101 page brought the tally to the grand total of 150!! Hoorah. https://notjustagranny.co.uk/project-101/project-101-domesday-book-towns-villages/

By no means a huge number, and considering that 13,418 (settlements) : cities, towns, villages and hamlets are mentioned….150 is not that many, but it’s way more than most have visited.

It’s still astounding to discover that many English people who have grown up in the country, have no idea of its existence.

1086 is only one of the most significant dates in English history following on from the 1066 Battle of Hastings, and yet…..

My original intention was to visit 101, but it seems that my travels and my job will take me to many more than I anticipated.

I’ve wanted to walk to Reculver from Broadstairs ever since we first visited the place some years ago, but never seemed to find the time, it also did not seem doable. But now with my crazy decision to walk the entire English coast over the next 5 years, it became doable ….😁😁 and in comparison to the distances I’ve since covered on my various walks, it was easy peasy

When I set off from Margate last week I could see the ruins of the church farrrrr away in the mists of time and remember thinking ” oh gosh, it’s so far, will I be able to do it ?” But it was easier than expected, and voila

St Mary’s Church, Reculver, was founded in the 7th century as either a minster or a monastery on the site of a Roman fort at Reculver, which was then at the north-eastern extremity of Kent in south-eastern England. In 669, the site of the fort was given for this purpose by King Ecgberht of Kent to a priest named Bassa, beginning a connection with Kentish kings that led to King Eadberht II of Kent being buried there in the 760s, and the church becoming very wealthy by the beginning of the 9th century. Ref wikipedia

Will this too be eaten by the ever encroaching sea

The remains of the Roman wall, and where the fort once stood

It’s a fascinating place and I’m certainly going to follow up on more of the history and I feel another visit is warranted. I noticed on my way to Reculver that there is a walk along the River Wantsum; which once cut off the Isle of Thanet from the mainland.

I 🔮 another walk in the future 😉😄😄 except it will not be in winter!! And I’m not walking across any mudflats….more of that later 🤪🤪

More about Project 101 https://notjustagranny.co.uk/project-101/

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Working in history

Posted in around the UK, It's my life, Travel, villages of the United Kingdom, tagged travelling for work, villages of england, working during Covid-19 pandemic on January 4, 2021| 9 Comments »

I started a new assignment today and the house…well cottage actually is a 15th century abode.

It’s got a massive fire place, wonky floors that slope down in the middle, low door frames and tricky stairs.

The ceilings are held up by fantastic wooden beams older than methusela, and the walls are held together by more fantastic wooden beams.

There’s a working well in the garden and we’re so remote that I can hear and see absolutely nothing….makes a change from the b&b I was staying at the last 12 days.

The food freezer is in the garage and I have to use a torch to navigate.

As luck would have it the heating has failed in a few of the radiators and its absolutely freezing in some rooms of the house.

My room is upstairs and all I have between my head and the sky is a thin sloping roof through which I can hear scuttling…I’m guessing its mice. Now and then I hear the thud of a bird landing…

The room is lovely and I have a small sitting room nook with a tv which is a luxury, but the mattress is probably older than Noah’s ark 😝😝 and sinks in the middle. I’m guessing my back is not going to be too happy.

The client has lived in the house for 50+ years and I can’t even imagine what that must be like. The longest I’ve ever lived in one place is 3.5 years.

So tonight our feckless PM put the country into lockdown again and of course it’s the fault of everyone/everything except himself for not listening and acting on the advice of the sciences.

I read in the papers that

“…..even takeaway services are shuttered in an attempt to beat the new Covid variant.

More than 550,000 business will be forced to close in England as of tomorrow, according to real estate adviser Altus Group, which includes 401,690 non-essential shops, 64,537 pubs or restaurants, 20,703 personal care facilities and 7,051 gyms or leisure centres”.

This is going to absolutely devastate commerce. Who knows what sort of country we’re going to be left with after this.

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Mindful walking

Posted in around the UK, book reviews, conqueror challenges, Health, It's my life, long distance walks - solo, seaside towns of Britain, Travel, walk 1000 miles 2021, tagged 101 walks, books I read, conqueror virtual challenges 2021, walk uk, walk1000miles, walking for health, walking the English coast on January 3, 2021| 6 Comments »

I’ve started reading the book my daughter gave me for Christmas; ‘Walking Home – Clare Balding.’

In the very early pages Clare talks about how she was taught to ‘walk mindfully’; to feel her feet hitting the ground, to hear the birds or background sounds, to feel the wind on her face. So today on my daily perambulation, instead of rehashing the same self-talk that goes over and over around my head (mostly coz its unresolved), today I practised mindful walking….

I felt how my feet scrunched on the beach, I observed how my poles felt as they supported me over the rocks or sank in the sand, I really listened to the seagulls, felt how the wind ruffled my hair and sneaked down my collar (I forgot my scarf at the b&b🤨🤨), and in particular I listened to the songs of the sea…it changed my whole mindset. I felt uplifted, invigorated and tingled from the cold icy air, and barely noticed that I was soaked from the softly falling rain. What a difference.

My issues are still unresolved, but I can breathe…and I got in 10.26 kms by the time of the real downpour, which spoilt my plan to sit on the bench in Broadstairs to eat my croissants… instead I ran for the bus (the driver kindly waited for me 😃😃) and took the quick way back.

It was dark when I left the b&b, the streets were quite deserted and I only saw 4 people enroute. I got to the harbour just before 7am.

It had started raining but I barely noticed it until looking at the lights shining on the rain.

By then I was quite wet, so I sat under the shelter at the Royal Victoria Pavilion and watched the sky lighten…

Debating a return to the b&b to dry out, instead, as soon as the rain eased off, I meandered down to the waters edge and collected some more sea glass – found some lovely pieces.

Then turning my head north for Broadstairs watching the sunrise while I listened to the seagulls and the incoming tide I walked…..as I walked the colours of the sky changed and depending on which way I was facing, was either that early morning cold blue or the golden colours of the sun cracking through the clouds…

Passing through Broadstairs I phoned ahead to order my almond croissants from The Old Bakehouse and stopped to photograph the boats in the little harbour – I never tire of seeing them

A few dog walkers and early morning strollers passed me by and suddenly, or so it seemed, I reached my turning point at Stone Bay.

How far I’ve come….

One last photo of Viking Bay

Having phoned ahead earlier, The Old Bakehouse kept 2 almond croissants aside for me 😊😊🥐🥐. As I left, the rain I’d seen crossing the channel reached our shores and the heavens opened…🌧🌧🌧

I drank my coffee, then made my way quickly up the High Street towards the bus stop. Suddenly down the road…the bus approached. I ran – fast!! The driver (bless his heart) waited for me. 😃😃

Then it was back to the b&b for tea.

Brilliant walk: 10.26kms. And thus ends my holiday/Christmas/New Year break. Back to work tomorrow and limited time to walk for the next 2 weeks. 🤔🤔🤔 I’m hoping the area I’ll be working in has some interesting walks. Meanwhile, I’ve reached 20% of the Alps to Ocean NZ virtual challenge and got my 3rd postcard of the route.

I’ve started uploading the Mt. Fuji postcards and information and will post those asap and then I’ll get the Alps to Ocean postcards uploaded and share those too. The organisers have done an outstanding job of creating the postcards and the relevant information. It’s totally impressive

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