It was a busy Mirinda day today. Workwise, I mean. Lots of online meetings, phone calls, fire fighting. It meant she had to take breaks when she could. From an early morning walk at Flaten to an afternoon walk around the neighbourhood.
The photo above was taken just after 15:30. The darkness descends quite quickly around these parts. And as soon as it approaches, the lights go on everywhere. Or a blazing fire, like in the top right hand corner.
I didn’t go to Flaten but the afternoon walk was lovely. I enjoy seeing the neighbourhood. In particular the gradual move into Christmas lights. The lights on the left of the photo, lead down to a very high Christmas tree structure entirely made up of lights.
My day was mainly filled with research and housework. Not that there was a lot of housework. This cottage is not very big.
There was a lovely break taken at Norrby’s Cafe where I had the fish soup.
Mirinda had it the other day. I wasn’t that keen. I’m not a fan of fish pie (pastry and seafood?) so was a bit sceptical. My opinion has changed. I have no idea what fish was in it but the soup was excellent.
We were very good and did not have a cardamom bun.
Mirinda had her first, for ages, guitar class with David tonight. He was quite surprised that she was in Sweden.
The class went very well. I was in the lounge with a book. Emma was lulled off to sleep.
Speaking of reading. I just finished Pale Rider by Laura Spinney, an excellent book about the 1918 flu pandemic.
One of the conclusions I found quite surprising. In order to get people to be more compliant with government instructions during a future pandemic, researchers suggested (among other things) that measures such as lockdowns shouldn’t be enforced until about 1% of the population had been affected. In other words, people won’t believe there’s a real problem unless they see it for themselves.
Personally, I think that the world’s media has created such an all-pervading miasma of fear throughout the world, that a compliant population is not a problem. Just look at how easily the British have surrendered their freedom. Look at how Australia and New Zealand have isolated themselves from the rest of the world. Look at the fear in people’s eyes.
The book was published in 2017 and I wonder how Ms Spinney feels about the worldwide response, reaction, results coming from a pandemic, starting just two years later. It’s a very readable, shocking at times, highly recommended book.
Since finishing, I have started reading an odd little biography of Joan of Arc written by Mark Twain as a French orphan who becomes Joan’s companion for her entire life. I’ve only just started, so more on that later.
