Mad Darby Diaries

I am beginning to draw parallels between the behaviour of Trump and Boris Johnson.  Some  of you will say I am a bit slow in coming to this conclusion but politics doesn't move as fast in the UK as it does in the US.  The philosophy of the two leaders is to ignore everything, deny everything, flout the law and, especially in Trump's case, lie about everything.  Dominic Cummings clearly broke the rules of lockdown and Johnson did nothing thus proving to the British public that the laws don't apply to him and his cronies.  So how staggeringly stupid  is he to defend the Housing Minister who has quite rightly been accused of cronyism, and in my book, corruption.  I am not a supporter of any party but I do want to know that our country is being run by honest people. Having said all that, it doesn't matter what I think because as far as the voting system is concerned, I have been disenfranchised.  Under the fifteen year rule (you lose your vote once...

I bought the book, 1984, in the seventies, in New York, but didn't read it until 1984.  I remember it scared the hell out of me.  Now we seem to be living in the book, 1984.  I watched Trump yesterday tell his adoring, and deluded, fans that if you don't test for coronavirus, covid 19 will disappear.  They all cheered as they stood close together, without masks, spreading the disease like wildfires.  As the camera panned round the empty seats at his rally in Tulsa, Trump blamed the low turnout on the violent, bad people, protesting outside preventing his adoring fans from entering.  The camera switched outside where about 20 people were hanging around chatting. Yesterday I went to Saumur market, which was very busy.  There was no social distancing, hardly any masks and people were milling about, the cafes were crowded, and generally everything looked as normal.  Then it happened.  Two women stopped to chat and gave each other the usual kis...

This morning I opened the front door and about a hundred ants walked in, uninvited.  I know I have missed having visitors this year but I do like to choose who comes to stay, not have them just barge in like they own the place.  I'm afraid I didn't welcome them, just reached for the ant spray. On Saturday I finally got to sit in a cafe in Saumur with friends, different nationalities, and have a chat.  It was wet and windy but we didn't care; we were free at last and we sat outside, huddled up in coats in the middle of June,  not even having to pretend to be enjoying ourselves. The death rate from the virus in Europe is practically zero while in the UK it is still pretty high so why has the UK a 2 week quarantine rule for people arriving from Europe?  Shouldn't it be the other way around? Violent protests never solve anything, peaceful ones should but why does it take so long to change the world.  Rome wasn't built in a day, they say, but 400 years to...

Shall we  forget 2020 and pretend it never happened?  Deaths, pandemic,  protests and dictators have all taken control of our world.  And while it falls into chaos, mainly caused by chaotic leaders, Marie Jo, who lives across the road, gets up every morning, fills her bucket with water and washes her garage doors.  I don't have a garage but if I did I am not sure that washing the doors would be my first priority each day.  Is she an obsessive cleaner or is the lockdown causing her to suffer the ultimate boredom? I went to the supermarket today and I went last week.  The only green vegetables were artichokes.  Hundreds of them.  I just wanted broccoli or green beans, even cabbage.  I cannot imagine surviving on artichokes, in fact I have often wondered why anyone would bother even trying, but customers were snapping them up so I must be missing something wondrous. I finally found a mask.  There is a Turkish lady who makes them f...

The other day I received a letter in the mail that wasn't a  bill.  In fact it was handwritten.  I can't remember the last time I received a handwritten letter apart from notes in a Christmas card.  Was someone  feeling sorry for me being in lockdown but everyone is in the same boat so unlikely.  I opened it, intrigued.  It was written in perfect English and it became clear after the first sentence that it was from the Jehovah's Witness who had telephoned a couple of weeks ago to ask if I was depressed because of the lockdown.  She had spoken in French and had said that she didn't speak English.  Interesting.   I had assured her that I was not depressed.   The letter suggested that she come to my house and discuss the bible over a cup of tea! I can't think of anything worse.  I tore the stamp off the envelope for my granddaughter and dropped the letter in the recycling bin.  From now  on I will assume that ...