Understanding the British

As a nation we are a funny lot. We get through the worries of life with humour. Not always good taste humour and the words ‘too soon’ are often mentioned! Now, this is not unique to us, many other countries adopt humour to get them through.

I am going to show some ideas of humour here, don’t shoot me, we’re just musing this topic.

Moment of silence for the people who agreed to live with shitty roommates because they “wouldn’t be spending much time at home anyway”

There is going to be a lot of pressure over the next few days to talk to friends and family. Fight it. Stay positive

Quarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes-Memes

Quarantine-Coronavirus-JokesQuarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes
Quarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes
Quarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes-Memes
Quarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes-Memes
Quarantine-Coronavirus-JokesQuarantine-Coronavirus-Jokes-Memes

Anyway, you get the picture. Actually, most of those came from the USA.

It’s terribly British for one person to cough and a whole host of others stare and one person shouts, ‘we’re all dead now, he’s got the virus’.

Obviously it’s not a joking matter but, without keeping our sense of the ridiculous we would go quite potty.

Estimates currently floating around show that the UK is likely to have around 20000 deaths. It’s a huge amount and yet, not so much. Check out this link to see the stats of what we’ve lived with before. The 1918 flu pandemic killed around 225,000 some 10x more than is predicted this time around .. unless current projections are wrong. The Black Death most of us have heard about back in the 14th century took out 3.5 million people in the UK and to put this into greater perspective, the entire population at best estimates after that plague were 7 million, it could have been much lower. In percentage terms, 20,000 is getting off light.

More typical humour you may see, pandemics aside are … orderly queues for everything, we don’t need to be told to queue, we just do. When that system doesn’t form properly we then have a flurry of people saying “No, you first” followed by “no, you, I insist”. This exchange could go on for an age only broken by someone dropping a pile of plates and everyone within earshot clapping and cheering totally instinctively.

We are a weird bunch and, if you are not from here, we likely think how your lot does things is really weird too!

In this country no one likes a whinger, no one wants to hear constant doom and gloom no matter how much there may be,

The reality is, despite our international and local differences, this is now one thing we all have in common. Just try to be kind and smile. Do not say that there is bound to be someone worse off then you when you just emptied the shelves at the supermarket. Just because ‘everyone’ is doing something does not give you that right because we know in so many other aspects of your life you can use common sense. Others doing something is their issue, don’t make it yours.

Struggling

  • I did a favour and ended up parking in the wrong place and got a £100 fine
  • I used part of my inheritance to get the garden done. Got ripped off, they were cowboys and dumped all my rubbish in a country lane after having charged me extra for it, the garden is already falling apart and needs repairs, the plants which were meant to be killed are thriving, the shed needs fixing and I had Peterborough Council write to me about the fly tipping incident so I have had to send them all sort of evidence.
  • Northamptonshire Council contacted me today asking for over £1000 in council tax for Dad’s flat. This despite them telling me there was no charge on an empty property of a deceased person. Their man there, Dimitri was quite horrible, he asked me 4 times what day died and he made it sound like he didn’t believe me! So I have that on the go as well.

I won a profit amount of about £15 on the lottery, yay, life changer!

Our trip to the Philippines is in the balance because of the virus. If they add Philippines to the list of ‘don’t go there’ countries we have to cancel it and it isn’t even fully booked up yet. I don’t know whether to book the rest or not as this is getting worse, not better.

Health has been very bad for a while now, so many aches and pain, I mean, really bad ones. I almost dropped a cup earlier. Grabbed out with my other hand, somehow caught it but ended up crying in pain, not good.

With what money was left now invested long term the purse strings have tightened.

I am in the process of claiming both PiP and New Style ESA, both are very stressful.

Had a doctors appointment booked … and cancelled on me! Just checked, none available for next two weeks at least.

On the plus side, the scooter is doing very well. Managed over 11 miles on it the other day and it was still more than half full so I feel that has been a good investment. Even using that I have to stop and rest though. If the seat only reclined I’d have a power nap!

Being a fat bugger is getting me down but eating comforts me and I am nervous letting go of the things I like.

The other day I went up the loft which was stupid on so many levels. I got stuck up there for way too long unable to move. I had to push through the pain to eventually get myself out. I couldn’t do anything useful after that though and I didn’t even find what I was looking for … not least because I forgot what I was looking for.

I seem to keep forgetting meds. The other day I filled my dosette box up, got some pain killers out the cabinet and forgot to take my main meds!

I also, a few days ago, forgot to get a cup to do myself a drink so had to go to the kitchen to get it. Started the coffee machine off and realised the cup was still on the table! Mess to clear up.

This evening I put on the rice for dinner … forgot the chicken so poor Dennis had dry rice and had to wait over an hour for his dinner.

I’m not depressed, this is just frustration and a little anger. I wish I had the luxury of going out to work, have someone ask how my day has been but, well, let’s just say that only one person I know actually asks me how my day has been. I so rarely feel special and I am very special sometimes!  😉

Am going to go find something funny to watch now and eat something fruity.

Hey Robin, this is that picture I was trying to find the other day that, for some reason I couldn’t see for looking, no great surprise there.
Wow, me just 4 years ago. I need to look like that again!

Waterworks

I just watched a TV programme. It’s called, ‘999, what’s the emergency’ and usually I love things like this, totally fascinating stuff.

This one, not so much.

It was all about death, end of life. Several people died, not horrible road traffic deaths just fairly quiet deaths I guess. Many needed CPR but it didn’t work of course. This was upsetting enough in itself, despite having experienced death as a Carer. It then went on to the lady who had three children with a mega rare condition. Effectively they have about 10 years to live if they are lucky and it is the epilepsy attached to it which kills them. She’s already lost one daughter, her son was about to die and the second daughter (13) won’t have long to go either. That lady was totally broken.

I don’t want to go through that, I know I likely will with of my kids but, I don’t want to, it’s got to be a feeling of loss unlike any other to lose a child, maybe at any age but especially once they are adults or perhaps I feel like that because they’re adults, I don’t honestly know.

Anyway, I was a blubbering mess. It’s still not that long since Dad went and I have lost friends too and of course mum back in 1986 when I was just 23 and she was 52, that’ll never feel right. I envy those people who have parents when they themselves are grandparents. With Dad’s dementia we lost him actually years ago and last year was more of a release for him because he would not have chosen to be like that.

Honestly, I don’t know where I am going with this, just emotional I guess.