Summer snippets didn't happen. Basically, I've lost interest in writing quite so often. Why this is, I am uncertain.
Possibilities:
1. I'm doing a lot more running and I'm doing it early in the day. I'm spending more time doing puzzles, which time would otherwise have been spent writing on here.
2. The political situation is that we're waiting for an election. Trust in politicians is at, we're told, an all-time low (check, evidence?). As I wrote on the half-year header page (and I notice now that already I should be writing in the later half-year), this government feels like a place-holder. We have, daily it seems, evidence of badly informed spending, appallingly short-term decisions and a legion of public declared decisions that are in direct opposition to those words said while campaigning for Brexit.
For example, there is to be a relaxation of the regulations over water pollution as caused by house-building. At the moment, any increase in polluting effects caused by the building of additional property is to be mitigated by the developer. Which means they buy that mitigation from the new businesses offering that. This is consistent—or at least not in direct opposition to—the declared aim to have eco-virtuous rules of our own, obviously in excess (superior) to those in the EU we have left. Relaxation of this regulation makes house building less expensive (the mitigation doesn't occur and so isn't paid for) but moves the requirement to improve our waterways (for example, but the obvious place where damage occurs to run-off from new build) to somebody else – which we are learning, is quite obviously not the government, but Somebody Else. Who shall be Blamed and Shamed as often as possible; scapegoats may apply for frequent employment.
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Sub-pages
§405.1 Parkrun results. How age-grading is calculated, what SSS scores are.
§405.2 US Democracy Its descent into chaos.
§405.3 available I haven't written this yet.
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Discovery: that parkrun age-grading is based on a single figure per age.
I moved that content to one of those relatively hard-to-find pages. This one.
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I wrote about US Democracy and its descent into versions of untruth and belief – or a lack of that. Here.
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I have been challenged to write the sales blurb for an imaginary residence such as one from a fable, such as the Three Bears' cottage or Eeyore's lean-to. At the moment, none of these appeal because surely one wants to have enough detail available to make the blurb have sufficient content. So the house for a detective such as Vera or Morse or Holmes (who rented, I think) makes sense to me. Maybe a set of three, previously owned by porcines?
We are pleased to announce the addition to the market of a splendid opportunity for the discerning buyer. This is a substantial piece of land which includes an award-winning residence. The beautifully situated house, as detailed below, stands in an expanse of mixed land, including a substantial stand of trees and a small quarry supplying sand. The vendors have been caused to relocate since their building business failed and a quantity of materials suitable for the addition of outhouses are left onsite.
The land—please see the attached site map—covers around 4 hectares. There is around 0.5ha under trees, some of which were felled for use in an experimental timber building. At lakeside there is a shallow broad inlet with a small and attractive beach. This beach is backed by a semi-circle of small cliffs and the amphitheatre formed had a prefabricated building whose foundations failed in Storm Wolff earlier this year. We have been given to understand that outline planning permission has been given but, this being a conservation area, interested parties looking to develop the land are strongly encouraged to discuss building plans with the local Inspectorate in advance of making any offer.
The award-winning house is a substantial two storey building with three good sized bedrooms with views of the grounds in three directions. Sizes are marked on the attached floor plans. There is a large bathroom, complete with the modern answer to all bathing needs, a wallow. On the ground floor there are three reception rooms and a farm-house style kitchen. Interested parties will be provided with the surveyor’s report on the state of the building following Storm Wolff, which indicates remarkably little damage to the roof and exterior surface details. The RIBA award for improved design was granted after the storm, which underlines how reliable this construction is.
Room details, blah blah
Outside there is a small walled garden currently filled with herbs. There is sufficient hardstanding for three vehicles, plus a larger hard area, on the side not overlooked by the upper floors, which the builders used as their yard. A fast fibre internet connection is arranged through B4RN. The EPC rating is B and the council tax band is D.
Interested parties wishing to view should contact us at enquiries@HuffnPuff.com Given the damage caused by storm Wollf, this presents an exciting prospect. We have several other properties that survived Wolff's predations. But of course we would say that.
400 words, maybe exactly. DJS 20230904
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I went for a flu jab on the one day put aside for it at my local medical centre, Saturday 16th. I ran as normal on Sunday, about 16km and on Monday did two, early on and then a club run of 6km, fairly hard and in a good time (all is relative). Tuesday I woke sore and while not dreadfully well, went to band that night, realsiing by the evening that I ws going because i'd promised to, not because it was a wise thing to do. Wednesday morning I wrote an apology to several of the band and explained further that I would be missing Friday's rehearsal, having fallen prey to the same flu as inoculated against. True or not, this is what I thought at the time. On return from band (late Tuesday) I lay in bed shaking with fever, oscillations of arms and legs of amplitude similar to half those limbs' thickness; I've never before had shivers that large. A disturbed night, that my new watch said amounted to 50 minutes of worthwhile sleep, and which also said that resting heart rate had gone up 20-25 points. I spent a lot of Wednesday and some of Thursday in bed, even when dressed.
That pulse elevation continued through to Tuesday to Friday, by which time it was clear that I would not be well enough for the planned Covid jab Saturday afternoon, that I was definitely still not well enough for any running and that driving on Sunday just might be manageable and safe. On returning home late Monday it was clear that I had recovered and I went running Tuesday morning much as I would usually do. Resting heart rate back where I expect, running heart rates back in the usual range, pace much as expected. Better, but lungs and nose not yet clear. A whole week off running.
This week I discover that I've not been the only one, not even the only runner and that one of the local hospitals has had a wave of something similar. Blackpool Gazette reported a doubling of flu cases in Lancashire [here]. One is well aware that the flu jab is aimed at the best guess among the strains known four to six months earlier. It may be the jab itself prompting the illness or it may be simple coincidence. I don't think it was bird flu (seagulls here recently).
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