Hopeless
Flat-faced
houses look out
On strangers passing by;
The pavement feet away,
The road beyond.
A bus
trundles past,
Indifferent passengers
Gaze, glassy-eyed,
Noting nothing.
A to B,
B to C;
Endless journey,
Soulless.
Drugs, poverty,
Despair, fear;
No job, no hope,
No life.
No-one is above the law . . .
. . . and so, today, on his 66th birthday, the former Duke of York has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
It’s not
a very pleasant birthday present.
A visit to the hospital
When Jellicoe visited the vet recently for a regular check-up, it transpired that he, too, has a heart murmur, like his brother. Additionally, a biopsy of the cyst that had reappeared on his head indicated that it was malignant and he would have to go to an animal hospital for treatment.
This morning Barry took him to Aura, the animal hospital in Guildford. As we were not sure whether the consultation would lead to an immediate surgical procedure, Jellicoe was only allowed a token breakfast, a quarter of his usual ration, because, as a diabetic cat, he must have insulin injections regularly. He was not happy and kept miaouing and following me for more food.
The outcome was that he has to return tomorrow for an echocardiogram before an operation next week. This is to ensure that he is fit enough for surgery, just as happens with human surgical procedures.
Many pet insurers have raised their cover to £25,000, but ours tops out at £12,000. Veterinary medicine is now so sophisticated that £12,000 is soon swallowed up in tests.
We are looking at alternative providers. Roxy and the cats are probably too old to transfer, although Jellicoe is the only one with pre-conditions, but Gilbert is still a young lad.
Chinese
New Year 2026
Gong Xi
Fa Cai (Mandarin)
Kung Hei Fat Choi (Cantonese)
Both of these salutations and their variations mean ‘Congratulations and may you be prosperous.’
Chinese New Year will be celebrated from February 17th to 3rd March this year. It ushers in the Year of the Horse, specifically the Fire Horse, bidding farewell to the Year of the Wood Snake.
There are twelve animals represented in the Chinese Zodiac in a sequence that is repeated every five years, meaning that sixty years elapse before a repetition of a particular element.
Thanks to Bendigo Joss House Temple for the following information.
The five elements applied to each animal in the zodiac are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The sequence of these elements is important and set. Wood makes fire burn, fire creates earth, earth brings forth metal, metal runs water, and water makes wood grow.
Based on your animal these are considered to be your key traits:
Rat: Intelligent, adaptable, quick-witted, charming, artistic, sociable.
Your associated element contributes the following traits:
Wood: Exceptionally gifted, idealists and planners
Bearing in mind the lucky cat with its waving paw, why is there no cat in the Chinese zodiac?
Cats are native to Egypt and were not known in China when the Chinese Zodiac was devised about four thousand years ago. They only appeared two thousand years later, introduced via the Silk Routes.
Despite this, there are legends about the absence of a cat in the calendar. Two of them mention the Jade Emperor, ruler of Heaven and Earth. He resolved to make life easier for his people by giving them a calendar to organise their lives. He thought he would name the twelve months after animals, but could not think which were the worthiest, so decided to hold a race across the river. The first twelve to arrive at his palace, on the opposite riverbank, would become the animals of the zodiac.
Naturally, all the animals were extremely excited, and longed to win such a great honour from the Emperor. At that time Rat and Cat were great friends, and thought they would enter the race together. When they saw the deep, raging waters of the river, they were distraught, knowing they were not strong enough to swim across without assistance. They were clever little animals and picked out a big strong ox, who would barely notice their slight weight on his broad back. Of course, being polite as well as cunning, they sought his permission and Ox, a pleasant sort of fellow, readily agreed to carry them.
Ox lumbered into the current and started to swim. As he neared the bank, Rat saw the Jade Emperor on the shore and thought, ‘If Cat were not on Ox’s back, Ox could swim faster and then I would reach the palace first, and I really want to be first.’ So, he pushed Cat off into the wild, white water.
As Ox was almost ready to trudge ashore, certain he would be the first animal to grace the zodiac, Rat leapt off his back and ran helter-skelter to the Emperor, who congratulated him roundly and placed him first. Ox was second, but he was just pleased to be there – position meant little to him.
Cat later struggled ashore, half-drowned, and too late to be given a position on the calendar. That is why, to this day, cats and rats are sworn enemies.
A less thrilling story relates that Cat and Rat were good friends, and wanted to race across the river to the Jade Emperor’s palace. Rat agreed to wake Cat in time for the start of the race, but he did not keep his promise, and so Cat missed the race altogether. No wonder cats and rats loathe each other!
Solar power
One day recently Barry was doing something vehicular when he was approached by a young Chinese woman from Hong Kong. She was attempting to persuade people to install solar roof panels. Barry politely declined, explaining his reasons, then continued chatting to her. He has collaborated with Chinese people on many occasions in different countries and told her he admired their work ethic. She replied, ‘Yes, no benefits.’
As she departed to try her luck with others along our road, she handed him a solar-powered ‘Good Luck’ cat ornament. In direct light, it waves its left paw ceaselessly.
In Chinese culture, the left side is perceived as fortunate, associated with honour and higher status, except for left-handedness, which is considered abnormal or weird. Left-handed children were traditionally made to use their right hands for writing, just as they were in many other cultures. UK teachers stopped trying to force left-handers to be right-handed as recently as the 1970s.
The ‘lucky cat’ sits in our conservatory, inanely waving its left paw throughout the daylight hours. Neither of us appreciates its smug expression and endless movement, and we have decided that the first child to express a liking for it can take it home.
Delving a little further, in an unsuccessful attempt to decipher the Chinese characters on the cat, I discovered that the lucky cat’s origins began in Japan in the seventeenth century. The maneki-neko or ‘beckoning cat’ was depicted as a Japanese Calico (black, white, and orange) Bob-tail. Now they come in many colours.
White is for purity and positivity, black is to fend off evil, red is for good health, and yellow or gold for wealth. Any touches of pink are for romance. The gold bell or coin at its neck also symbolises wealth.
I think ‘our’ cat has the lot, though it is principally white!
The Calcutta Cup
The Calcutta Cup is the oldest trophy awarded to the winner of England versus Scotland in the Rugby Six Nations Championship.
The other trophies in the Six Nations Championship are the Millennium Trophy, won by the winner of the match played between England and Ireland, the Giuseppe Garibaldi Trophy for the winner of the France-Italy match, the Doddie Weir cup for Scotland-Wales, the Auld Alliance Trophy, which goes to the victor of the France-Scotland competition, and the Cuttitt Cup for Italy-Scotland. The Centenary Quaich goes to the Ireland-Scotland winners.
A quaich is a Gaelic shallow drinking cup with two handles. It is often called the cup of friendship or loving cup and originated in the Highlands as a drinking cup for whisky or brandy. Originally, they were made from wood, but can now be designed in sterling silver or pewter as well as wood. Some even have glass bottoms so that the drinkers, can see each other, or, in a double glass base, hold a lock of hair from a loved one. The two handles ensure that both hands are used to hold the vessel, thus ensuring that no-one can hold a weapon at the same time, and symbolising trust between the giver and the receiver. They often feature at Scottish wedding ceremonies.
Twenty-eight minutes after the start of the match the score was Scotland 24 to England 10. ‘Flower of Scotland’ rang around the stadium. At this point, I wondered how much more of the match we would be seeing, as complaints and criticism poured forth from the once-upon-a-time rugby player I live with. ‘Schoolboy errors,’ ‘What are they up to?’ ‘I’ve seen better play from clubs,’ and ‘Lack of discipline,’ are some of the politer comments.
Some of the commentators amused me. ‘Get your heads in there, sacrifice your ears.’
Two yellows and a red card for the England team before the end of the first half and the match was turned off. Oh, dear!
We then turned to the Ireland-Italy match. This was adjudged ‘much better.’ Thank goodness for that, though I wish Italy had won. It’s their turn for glory, surely.
Widdershins
Thinking again about anti-clockwise and counter-clockwise, I remembered ‘widdershins, which has the same meaning as anti-clockwise, but with a little magic and mystery mixed in with superstition.
The period in Britain, from about 410 to 1066 used to be called the Dark Ages, not because they were evil or nothing happened, but because there were few written records. Modern historians are more likely now to use terms like Sub-Roman or Early Middle Ages.
However they are referred to, it was thought unlucky in those times in the west to walk widdershins round a church or a cauldron. Witches were believed to move in this way to strengthen their spells, or to gain entry to the fairy kingdom.
The opposite to widdershins is deosil, or ‘sunwise.’
In some religions it is customary for processions to travel counter-clockwise.
I think it’s an attractive word, which rolls easily off the tongue. There are not many circumstances in which it can be used, however!
Floaters
Small, dark specks in the eyes that slip away before one can focus on them are a common occurrence. Usually, they become less noticeable as one becomes accustomed to them and able to ignore them.
They are caused by the vitreous gel in the eye shrinking and clumping as it ages, throwing shadows on the retina. They do not require treatment, though they can be annoying.
However, if there is a sudden, dramatic increase in the number of floaters, particularly if combined with flashes of light, professional advice should be sought. If a dark ‘curtain’ appears to descend across the eye, urgent help is required, as this may indicate a retinal detachment. If untreated this may lead to blindness.
The Spider in Barry's Eye caused some excitement in 2011.
Co-Enzyme Q10
Knocking on, as we are, we need all the help we can get to maintain our goal of living healthy lives well into our century and a half (but only as long as we are still compos mentis and able to propel ourselves from A to B and possibly C.)
Following the advice of a very helpful young doctor, who said Co-Enzyme Q10 was the only supplement she used and endorsed, (and who was about to leave our benighted practice for greener pastures a couple of miles away) Barry set about ordering the very product from the supplier she had recommended.
All went well, until the order failed to arrive. The supplier insisted it had been dispatched, but the courier denied all knowledge of it. Queries to the supplier went unanswered, and much time and temper was wasted. Eventually, the credit card company was informed, which is never a good outcome for a supplier, the money was reimbursed and the search commenced for another supplier.
Success!
So, what is it and what does it do?
From the British Heart Foundation:
CoQ10 has an important role in helping your cells produce energy. It may also act as an antioxidant, which means it can help reduce inflammation and keep your blood vessels healthy.
Under certain circumstances, such as ageing, statin use and heart failure, it is thought that your body’s production of CoQ10 may slow down, and the amount in a normal diet may not be enough to provide what you need.
Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol your liver makes. They do this by blocking a chain of chemical reactions in your body’s cells which is needed to make cholesterol. This same chain of reactions is also used to produce CoQ10. So, taking statins may lead to lower levels of CoQ10.
Now we
wait to see if we’re suddenly imbued with more energy. The years will drop away!
MOT
It was time for the MOT and annual service of our nineteen-year-old car, so we drove it to the local garage and left it there yesterday. This morning, the garage called to inform us that the car was ready to be picked up so off we trotted to collect it.
As we were about to leave, I was shocked to notice the parlous condition of the large pyracantha bush between the dining room window and the garage door. At least a third of it had dropped its leaves and there was little evidence of new growth on a normally vigorous evergreen shrub.
I don’t know why I didn’t notice it yesterday morning. Possibly the rain concentrated my attention on getting into the dog box out of the driving wetness.
Anyway, there is much work to be done on hacking back what remains of the plant and hoping it recovers its usual glory. We planted it many years ago, and it is possible that it has outlived its span. The birds will have to feast on others of our pyracanthas. Strangely, they never seem to sample the bush by the front door, which is full of fat red berries, or the yellow-berried one at the foot of the drive.
I wonder if exhaust fumes from the car parked by the bush has contributed to its sorry state, though it seems strange that it should suddenly be affected after all these years.
Anti-clockwise tracks
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We haven’t watched all of the Winter Olympics, but did see Lindsey Vonn airlifted off the slopes after her dreadful crash. The delay as she was attended to must have been nerve-racking for competitors waiting to make their bid for Olympic honour. It was mesmerising to watch them visualising the track and making graceful movements with their hands and arms as they rehearsed the downhill course they were to follow.
We watched quite a lot of curling. There’s something very appealing about a sport that is not dynamic, but measured and somehow peaceful.
Ice hockey is fast and furious and something I privately call ‘ice brawling.’
Speed skating is graceful and powerful, but as the men, with their enormous thighs, glided at speed (can you glide at speed?) round the ice rink, I wondered why racing tracks always run anti-clockwise.
The answer seems to be that it has always been thus. When Roman charioteers raced, they held their swords in their right hands. Most people are right-handed, so to run counter-clockwise means that the stronger right leg can cope more efficiently with curves.
Once standardised, it became impossible – and inconvenient - to change the arrangement. It seems a little unfair to left-handers, though. Question: How many of the great track runners in the world have been left-handed?
The same does not hold true for horse-racing, however, and there are many famous clockwise courses in the UK, including Ascot and Goodwood.
Progress
The amaryllis flowers are going over now, but meanwhile the two bulbs I planted on January 11th are making progress. The one in the sitting room is growing steadily, almost visibly, but the conservatory bulb is sleepy and has barely started, so I’ve moved it to join its friend.
Allowing for six weeks to pass before flowering happens, we can hope for flowers just after St Valentine’s Day, and then, possibly, more in early March from the sleepy bulb.
What an
exciting life I lead!
Air bags
We are all familiar with air bags in cars and how they inflate on impact. It came as news to me that competitive skiers wear inflatable devices beneath their competitors’ bibs. They are also used by cyclists, equestrians, and motor cyclists. They protect head, spine, chest, and hips.
Bearing in mind that the Six Nations Rugby Union Championship is currently taking place – and happily, considering that Italy is hosting the Winter Olympics, Italy beat a dismal Scotland on Saturday – we fell to wondering how rugby players would fare in a normal rugby match, wearing protection on head, neck, spine, legs, arms. We concluded that by the end of a match, most, if not all of the players would be waddling around like Michelin men.
It is possible for ordinary citizens to buy a ‘Wearable Anti-fall Airbag Vest,’ or a hip guard, or a ‘Fall Protection Airbag Vest,’ (for the autumn of your life?) . . . I was amazed to discover just how many variations there are. The question is, once deployed, does the air bag have to be disposed of and replaced?
I looked it up and the answer is that they are reusable, provided they have not been damaged. The C02 or Argon cartridge is easily replaced and the whole system can be reset in minutes.
How long will it be before ‘seniors’ are urged to equip themselves with ‘personal safety apparel’ to accompany their call alarms, grab bars, ‘walk in baths’ and stair lifts?
Herschel visits the vet
Our cats do not like visiting the vet. We have had cats in the past who have relished it, but Herschel and Jellicoe are averse. They make a lot of noise, but don’t follow it with any action.
Anyway, on Thursday it was Herschel’s turn to be checked over. It was raining and the cat basket is made of mesh, allowing the ingress of the nasty wet stuff. We haven’t got a custom-made cover so have to improvise with bin liners.
Herschel yowled all the way to the car and continued making piteous noises until Barry realised the poor cat couldn’t see him and lifted the cover. Herschel then settled in the car.
He was found to have a heart murmur, which is very common in cats, affecting about 40% of them. Herschel’s is quite a soft murmur, but as he is now thirteen years old and so considered elderly, it will be checked regularly to determine whether further steps need to be taken.
The vet said that ticks and fleas are making a much earlier appearance this year. Normally, they are seen from March onwards, but have been seen since January in 2026.
In my
mind’s eye
Now at
all times I can see in the mind’s eye,
In their stiff, painted clothes, the pale unsatisfied ones
Appear and disappear in the blue depth of the sky
With all their ancient faces like rain-beaten stones,
And all their helms of silver hovering side by side,
And all their eyes still fixed, hoping to find once more,
Being by Calvary’s turbulence unsatisfied,
The uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor.
W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)
It might be assumed that the ability to visualise something is a practice everyone can indulge. ‘Counting sheep’ to aid sleep is one form of visualisation. Revisiting a favourite location in one’s mind is a pleasant occupation, but suppose you couldn’t? Some people lack the ability so to do. They may have difficulty recalling faces but will still be able to recognise people when they meet them. Imagining a scene is difficult for them and detailed descriptions will not conjure pictures in their minds, but they may be excellent at abstract problem-solving and code-breaking.
Inability to visualise mental images is called aphantasia and was first described in 1880 by Francis Galton (1822-1911). At that time, visualisation was largely disbelieved. It was not extensively studied until 2015, when Adam Zeman (1957-) of the University of Exeter, coined the term aphantasia.
The extreme opposite of aphantasia is hyperphantasia, in which people have the ability to visualise events or places with almost photographic detail. Dreams can be overwhelmingly realistic, and mental images may be intense.
The table
below sets out simplistically the differences between aphantasia and hyperphantasia.
|
Trait |
Aphantasia |
Hyperphantasia |
|
Mental
images |
None |
Extremely
vivid |
|
Thinking
style |
Verbal /
logical |
Visual /
sensory |
|
Memory |
Conceptual |
Image‑based |
|
Emotional
response to imagination |
Lower |
Stronger |
So, for some people, the ‘mind’s eye’ does not function, and they may be astonished at the idea that others can ‘see with their mind.’
Colour blindness
The second, rarer, form is blue-yellow deficiency, which affects the ability to discern blue, green, and yellow.
The rarest form of colour vision deficiency is absolute colour blindness, when an individual sees only shades of grey.
There is no cure for any version of colour blindness, but corrective contact lenses or glasses can help make colour identification easier, though they are unhelpful for blue-yellow deficiency. People can adapt by learning position rather than colour, in traffic lights, for example, or by adjusting contrasts on iPhone or computer screens.
Many years ago, I had in my class of eight-year-olds, a very diligent, painstaking boy. His teachers in the nursery/pre-school class had initially been concerned that all his drawings and colouring were black. They feared that he had significant psychological problems. In fact, he was colour-blind and a much-loved, precious child. He said he wanted to be a pilot or an air traffic controller when he grew up. Obviously, that was not going to be a suitable career path for him.
He was a delightful boy, and I often wondered how his life developed. I really wanted to ask him what colours he could identify in monochrome drawings in books, but resisted the urge. It was not my place to investigate, and it might have distressed him to be questioned, but I have always pondered what version of colour blindness he had.
Ishihara colour plates are used to discern colour vision deficiency. These show numbers or shapes on a dot pattern background. There are more sophisticated versions to identify specifics.
Presentation
A gift handed to a recipient in a paper bag is still an acceptable gift, but how much pleasanter it is to receive it nicely packaged.
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I could make my own biscuits, of course, but I’m pretty sure they would not stand comparison with either of the above products, neither of which are always readily available.
Scaffolding
Shortly after being photographed, the amaryllis fell over. Scaffolding was erected hastily. Earth was added to the pot and it looks much happier now.
Meanwhile, the sitting room bulb continues to push forth its green shoots. The one in the conservatory is far behind.
Birthday
February kicks off the birthday year in my family. There are just two in the second month. Melia, our third great-grand-daughter, will be three at the end of the month. It’s wonderful to see her developing skills and independence.
Barry, who set the whole train in motion, has his birthday at the beginning of the month, and is rather more than three years old. Our children have stopped asking what he’d like for his birthday, as I certainly don’t know. In any case, he has more than enough of everything he could possibly need, apart from youth, and that’s not available. As is so often the case, he decided on something he’d rather like – a miniature DAC (don’t ask!) which has arrived and been declared ‘superb.’ The larger, older DACs are still in service and still pleasing the discerning ear.
I couldn’t let the occasion pass without a gift from me, one which we will both appreciate, I’m sure. After the passing of 2025 during which neither of us drank anything alcoholic, we opened the bottle of ‘6 o’clock sloe gin’ which had been languishing in our dining room for two or three years. It was a smooth and warming liqueur, and one glass slowly sipped was quite sufficient.
In addition to the above Rhubarb and Raspberry gin, Berkshire Botanicals offer Honey and Orange Blossom, Dandelion and Burdock, Sloe, Morello Cherry, Orange and Grapefruit, and Navy Strength gins. They are all created in Berkshire at the Yattendon Estate Distillery.
That gave me an idea, so I looked to see what was available online. I’m no connoisseur, so easily satisfied, and quickly selected three which looked interesting and different. Judging by our usual consumption, they should last us about six years.
