Mum, I’m hungry

The title of this post is a cry that would often be made by me and my sisters when we were growing up. Of course we weren’t truly hungry. My parents found it difficult at times but we never went hungry in reality. Not the hungry of being in pain, frightened and wondering about where your next meal was coming from and when that might be. It is frankly quite disgusting that in the 21st century in a very prosperous country we can’t feed everyone. There is no excuse. The pandemic has exacerbated an already tragic and vile reality. Our system doesn’t work. It has failed us. Capitalism is flawed. It’s always been flawed. It can’t feed everybody and it can’t house everybody. IT FUCKING WELL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE LIKE THIS. We can change it! 

I’ve been a union member nearly all of my adult life. There is no reason not to be, yet so many people aren’t. I’m retired, yet I’m still a union member. My union is Unite and I’m proud to be a member. Some time ago my union set up something called Unite Community. It gives those who don’t work or are self employed etc a chance to be a union member. It also does what it says on the label ‘Community’. It has been at the forefront of helping with and organising food banks, providing meals to children during school holidays and many other good things. There’s probably a branch near you doing this sort of vital work right now. Check it out and support them if you can. 

I don’t celebrate Christmas as such and as a consequence I don’t buy any presents at all now. I see it as a pointless exercise that achieves nothing apart from perpetuating an oppressive cultural activity and generating a lot of waste. But the thought of people going hungry fills me with such anger and sadness that, at a time when lots of people are consuming to excess, I want to do more than I normally already do. I’ve given to a Norfolk Unite Community appeal and if you live in Norfolk I’d ask you to do the same, if you are able. If you live somewhere else, and are able, I would urge you to donate to a local food bank, please. Can you imagine what it must be like to be hungry and malnourished? Thankfully I can’t but I know enough to know that it must be beyond horrible. It should not be like this but it is. Please give and at the same time get political. Let’s change things for all our sakes. PLEASE. 

Where to go:

Norfolk: https://gf.me/u/y9jrqx

Nationwide: Co-op appeal, Trussel Trust, Unite Appeal.

Dr Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine Show

I've been aware of the poet Martin Figura for a couple of years. I've seen him perform three times before Thursday night's performance of Dr Zeeman’s Catastrophe Machine Show. The show was part of the Norfolk and Norwich festival. I don't think I've ever seen a more absorbing and spellbinding one person performance of poetry and prose. It seems to be a mix of autobiography and poetic licence, which along with some inspiring props and well displayed photos and graphics to support Martin's charming and humorous writing makes for a wondrous evening.

It's a show that will make you smile, laugh, empathise and engender an inner glow. If you get the chance it's a must see!

On the huh

#fullofeasternpromise

This is a phrase that I’ve grown up using and as far as I know is peculiar to Norfolk and Suffolk. It refers to something that is off-centre, wonky, skew-if or out of true. “On the huh”; use it today.

Ratty man

Ted Ellis was the epitome of the 'ratty man'. I don’t use the term in a derogatory sense, it’s more an explanation of his stature and mannerisms. He used to be on local telly in the East when I was younger. His specialist subject was wildlife and nature. A fascinating man that always reminded me of Ratty in The Wind In The Willows.

Ted was highly regarded in the East. There is even a train named in his honour.

Chip butty

Apparently the chip butty has not made it to the more rural parts of Norfolk.           

A work colleague called in to a chip shop in darkest Norfolk the other night and was met with icy stares from the locals queuing up for their fried delights. He asked the person serving if they did ‘chip butties’. The reply was in the negative. He then asked if they did buttered rolls. They did. So he said ‘I’ll have a buttered roll and a portion of chips please, and I’ll build my own’. The locals continued to stand stony-faced. Perhaps they were pondering on this amazing new learning. Perhaps they were trying to work out how to get one inside the other. Perhaps they were terrified by the strange magic of this very forward outsider. Who can say?

Who knows the chip butty might just catch on here in the next twenty years.

Things happen slowly in Norfolk.

New Year's Day

Another great thing about living in Norwich is that it is so close to the coast. This made it easy for us to yesterday pootle down to Horsey in search of baby seals.

Although a grey day it wasn’t too unpleasant weather-wise. We lunched at the Nelson’s Head before heading off to the beach. From the pub I would suggest that it is a good mile/mile and a half walk to where you can view the seals. I hadn’t realised that Horsey was part of the Broads National Park, but apparently it is. The Park authority now rope off the beach on the sand dunes that are set back from water and beach itself so that the seals a relatively undisturbed. This is just as well as there were hordes of people there to witness this amazing event.

There seemed to be quite a mixture of seals at various stages of the reproductive process. Lying around on the beach were mating couples, pregnant females, pups suckling, inquisitive more advanced pups, and bulls swimming and diving in the sea.

Apparently once a pup has first malted they become quite inquisitive and have a tendency to come to have a look at these strange creatures that have in turn come to look at them. They clamber through the dunes in their own lovable and clumsy way coming very close to us humans, sniffing, snorting and passively growling as they do so. The pub below came right up to my feet. I’ve placed a short video on YouTube of this pup as it waddled towards me.

Blickling Hall

The other day we went to Blickling Hall in Norfolk. I can't be arsed to write too much about it so I'll let the pictures tell the story: