Why are there foodbanks?

sketch-1577233161543.jpgThis might be someone’s meal today, tonight, next week. They may be on a low income, on benefits or state handouts. They might be in a refugee camp trying to flee from famine or oppression.

Coming closer to home, in a land that is the sixth richest in the World and where many more billionaires live than ever before, the number of Foodbanks here over the last few years have soared, from a handful ten years ago to more of them than McDonald’s outlets now! There are around two THOUSAND Foodbanks in this country now. Let that sink in. And people using them are only allowed two or three referrals in a six month period. That referral gives them emergency food for three or four days. They are used when someones benefit has been cancelled or delayed. I know about them because I used to refer people into them. I had to jump through hoops to get a referral for them. Often I came up against the arguments about whether they were deserving enough. I would be talking to a decision maker who would criticise the person’s ability to budget a paltry amount of money that the decision maker could not possibly have lived on themselves.

My question again is why are there Foodbanks? Why are the poorest in society forgotten? Why do the rich think it’s OK to look down on the poor? Remember that it is only by luck that we are born into the lives we have.

 

Merry Christmas x

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You may or may not be celibrating Christmas, but can I wish you a happy  and peaceful Christmas and send seasons greetings. It may not be the best time of the year for many of us. But at least if people take a little time to think about others then things might improve in the world.

Not everyone is religious and the season does not have the same meaning for everyone. That doesn’t mean that anyone should be excluded from good wishes.

It’s difficult to write about this as I am agnostic, I am not sure what I believe, but I think respecting others is what I am getting at. There are too many wars and fighting. Sending love.

 

Christmas Carol re-written

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I’ve just seen the third and final episode of a Christmas Carol, adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens, but with much more details and ‘plot twists’.

Gone is the vaguely cute Scrooge of the original, who is somehow not that nasty, at least compared with this Scrooge. But there is more back story about what caused his intransigence and avarice. There is also much more about what he and Jacob Marley did to his employees, the evil actions that harmed them.

On the whole this was a much more adult adaptation, including swear words and sexual exploitation. Once I got over the fact that it was more of a rewrite than an adaptation I actually enjoyed it. Scrooge does not end up gloriously happy (spoiler alert), but he is changed and his attitude to others is improved. It feels like there might even be a sequel!

What a faff!

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Faff! Not sure what it means but we are faffing about. Staying at a hotel. Breakfast and lunch for Christmas day, but no evening meal. I have asked about room service, they don’t have any. I know I’m faffing, but I have to eat regularly because I have to take tablets with  every meal. (I know I’m very lucky not to live in the majority of the world where one meal is very rare).

I guess I could have worse problems. Its only when you think about them that you realise how very trivial they are!

Squabble over a basket.

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My cats do like play fighting, at the moment they are either squabbling over a basket or trying to be top cat on top of the settee. Seeing them running backwards and forwards is great, or hiding under the coats by the back door and pouncing from underneath them as the other one runs past. It can be very funny. But it is only play fighting. They make little purring noises as they chase. Its like they are talking to each other. Leaping over each other. Flying, skipping, jumping. Fun.

Got to tidy up

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I don’t like to admit it, but my house is a mess. This is one bit of it. It’s not all that bad, but I need to go through things and shred them or burn them. Why? Because I don’t like putting personal documents out in the bin. There are so many people who can take your details and use them. I wonder whether posting on line is safe sometimes although I try not to go into specifics.

Friends keep telling me that creative people are messy. I think I agree with that. But I need to tidy up. Now I’m feeling a bit better I might be able to do it before Christmas.

Help!

Join a choir!

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I pinched this image off my friend on Facebook. I really agree with it.

About 14 years ago I decided to have singing lessons, I’d always wanted to sing, but I had a loud, untrained voice. I could deafen people but not entertain them so I thought learning to control my voice would help.

The lessons were good, they helped, and I went on to get a grade one in singing. But it was expensive. My friend kept saying come to the choir she was in. So I decided to go to the choir one week and the lessons on the following week. It was a great way of getting in to it. I realised I was enjoying learning new songs, and in different languages. Eventually I finished going for lessons because my tutor was going abroad. I stayed with the choir and am still with them. In the meantime I also joined another choir, and have performed with other groups. I have to say it has helped my mental well-being and boosted my confidence.

The choir I joined does not do auditions. You don’t need to be able to read music. You just come along and have a go. So like the picture says, join the choir, you’ll be glad you did!

X

Thai

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I took this photo of Thai figures and Buddha in the Thai restaurant we go to. They looked friendly and warm. The way they are placed in traditional dancing poses must give the owner good memories of where she came from. Dressed in beautiful clothes, with high hats. We need more variety in the world. We should not be scared of what is different, whether it’s skin colour, or sexuality or gender or size or shape or mind. These figures show that life is fascinating and fantastic should we care to share it.

Sky and penguin and reindeer

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This would be moody were it not for the dim outlines of blow up Christmas animals at the bottom of the image. I get the reindeer, but I’m not sure why they had a 🐧 penguin.

Santa was in the warmth of the Apedale mining museum. He seemed to have had a job lot of toy speedboats to hand out. The boys we saw had all got them as presents, I’m not sure whether little girls got the same, as we didn’t see any with presents. I suppose it makes it easier than having to tailor the toys to the child.

The sky was quite moody but it didn’t rain until we were on the way home.

I think everyone had a great time.

Full English breakfast

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We don’t have these very often, but as we had gone out to see the train at Apedale we decided to have a full English breakfast. Apologies to vegetarians, there are alternatives available.

Full English in this case consisted of bacon, eggs, tomato, beans, black pudding, sausages and hash browns with two slices of toast. Sometimes they put in mushrooms instead of black pudding.

It was very tasty… . Washed down with a mug of decaff coffee.