I am beginning this letter having just left our weekly Zoom meeting of Misbourne Matins. We had a fascinating talk from a friend of one of our members who had started life as a good ‘ O' level student, graduated to be an engineer, a scrap metal merchant and finally a Child Nursery owner. It is amazing the variety of work and play that Rotarians get up to!! It was his first time on Zoom but was really interesting and he spoke in a very relaxed manner.
That made me glance out of my window and look with relief at the ground. I have been watering my garden (well a patch of astro turf with feeble plants) for the last month and even had to invest in a new hose pipe! We had a bit of rain yesterday and they promise one or two showers this week. April has been the frostiest in the last 50 years or so - really cold at night which has changed into warm weather during the afternoons.
From Australia that may seem usual but climate change is really beginning to impact on us.
In the UK we are beginning to consider socialisation and although we can only meet outside at the moment it has resulted in much relief for the population as a whole, many of whom have been "confined to quarters” since at least December and many from well before. So, along with NZ and Aust, Israel and one or two other countries there is a general feeling here that the world is beginning to improve. In the UK we are all becoming Statisticians and Virologists. With luck the number of scientists and research will increase and the youngsters will embrace change. The rate of change is huge - too fast for oldsters like me to comprehend properly.
Yesterday evening I joined one of my favourite Family History Societies for a lecture on Scott of the Antarctic. I was amazed as it was not the usual hour’s lecture but a film with an actor revealing the story of Scott via the photographic record that was left. He had added sound into the film which lasted for almost two hours and was never dull. I knew the story as a child but it was well brought to life with moving pictures of the ponies and dogs and men and ships.
I must go to my exercise routine now but I wish all of you a great day and week ahead.
Helen Phillips