Mad Darby Diaries

 The weather is so unpredictable in the UK that the weather forecasters generally add 'a chance of rain' just to cover themselves.   It isn't just rain either, I can leave the house in the morning bathed in warm sunshine only to find myself shivering 3 hours later.  This makes the Queen's funeral even more remarkable in that the weather behaved during all the various comings and goings.  I missed the funeral as I was driving to the ferry but by all accounts it was the pageantry that was impressive.   'Put up or shut up,' Trump has been told by his own choice of special master.  The world has been  saying this for years, every time he came out with one of his absurd lies and hopefully we will soon see him marched off in handcuffs, but I shouldn't hold your breath.  Even by Trump's standards he surpassed himself yesterday when he declared that he declassified all the secret documents just by thinking about it.  Beats divine interventi...

It started with the almost never-ending election of the British Prime Minister, who was voted in by a select few.  When two days later the Queen died, I almost felt sorry for Liz Truss.  Her promise to 'hit the ground running', ran into the buffers before she could get off the starting blocks, leaving her with a list of postponed problems but probably with more sympathy and understanding than otherwise she may have received.   While she struggles with her situation it seems the world responded to the loss of 'the Queen', even Putin had some kind  words to say.  This view wasn't unanimous  though as the news of her death brought up past imperialism, inequality and possible racism.  While these points are all valid it probably isn't the best time to complain about them.  I don't know who said, 'don't blame me for the sins of my father' but it is true.  I am  sure the Queen did not purposely allow these practices to continue, it was ju...

 People watching is a fascinating pastime and in  France most of us enjoy just sitting in a café watching the world go by and observing the antics of passers-by but you don't have to be in a café.  For years I have watched numerous shoppers fill their trolleys to the brim then at the checkout they put it all on the counter.  Ok you are thinking, don't we all do that?  Correct, but I for one then put all my shopping in the bags that I have brought with me, pay for my goods and lift the bags into my car.  However there are people who, as their things pass through checkout, put them,  not  into bags, but loose back in the trolley.  Fascinated I have followed them to their cars (stalking) where they then empty the trolley either into bags in their car or more bizarrely, straight into the trunk without bagging them at all.  I am not really a stalker so I haven't actually followed them home to see how long it takes to empty  a trunk full ...

 I hate talking about my personal life, especially to comparative strangers.  A group of us were having lunch yesterday when one of us suddenly demanded that the 2 women present tell him everything about ourselves.  Why are you on your own?  Were you married?  Why aren't you married now?  It continued in this vain while we ignored him.  This appeared to annoy him as he turned to me and demanded to know what I knew about him.  'I know you are Dutch and that you have a granddaughter,' I replied.  He had just shown us a photo of her.    'What don't you know about my personal life?' he asked.  I sighed, 'I don't need to know anything about you and frankly I am not interested in knowing more about your personal life, unless you have lived somewhere interesting or had an interesting job.  Your opinion  on world affairs would make conversation, or a good  book you have read or almost anything apart from your marital sta...

The long, hot summer continues with major rivers looking more like dust bowls and wild fires devastating forests, homes and wildlife.  On top of that the Antarctic is melting, and yet little is being done to tackle climate change when you look at the major powers.  Ok Biden passing his latest efforts will help but when looked at through the lens of the wider picture, it is very little and far too late. Someone who is definitely feeling the heat is Trump but in his usual fashion he lies, exaggerates and raises a fortune in contributions from all the suckers who listen to his tosh. Nothing much in the political  world can shock me these days but I was close to it when I read an article on the BBC website that said anyone in the world can become a member of the conservative party, even if they are not British, are not eligible to vote in UK elections and have never lived in Britain.  Yet here we are having the next British Prime Minister being chosen by people totally u...

 When you have family staying the time passes in a flash but it is so enjoyable while it  lasts.  This year the heat has meant that most things have had  to be done early doors in order to avoid the afternoon heat.  I don't mind how hot it is but I struggle with scorching sun shining down on me; I am definitely a shade person.  Now my family have left I had time to meet up with friends in a café this morning.  The temperature was better, helped by a gentle breeze, and I could have stayed there all day chatting away in French to my friend on the right and in English to Ann  on my left.  The group is a moveable feast, different nationalities turn up and stay as long as they like and it makes  for a relaxing way of passing the time.  Ann said she was concerned that she wasn't using her brain enough so I asked my French friend what she did all day.  Apparently she spends the morning preparing and cooking a three course lunch for he...

 The air conditioning has broken in my car so it was some relief when the temperature dropped  back to the 30 degree mark.  This gave my neighbours fresh enthusiasm to clear up overgrown vegetation.  At my request my American neighbour climbed down to a flat bit of ground where a tree had grown about 6 feet in as many weeks, to lop it.  My job was to clear all the debris when it fell and drag it to a parking space in the courtyard.  The system was working well with another neighbour and her granddaughter joining in to help me clear the debris.  Meanwhile. up above us the American was in full swing, not stopping at 'lopping' the tree but cutting it right back to its roots.  Soon great big branches were hurtling down and that is when it happened.  One branch, instead of coming straight down to the ground decided to take a detour onto his garage roof, creating a big hole right above where his precious car, a Tesla, was being kept safe and sound....