I have not been an avid follower of the Winter Olympics and, perhaps, for good reason. Every time I have tuned in to watch the curling matches in progress, the GB team seem to be in the process of being beaten – as they were last night by Norway, So last night, I watched a biopic on the life of Kenneth Williams, the amazing comic, who turned out to be a very tortured soul. He is probably best known these days for the many times that he appeared in the ‘Carry On’ films but although he appeared in practically one of them and they thus provided him with a regular source of income, he was nonetheless filled with a degree of self-loathing for the part of himself which is displayed in them. Williams was actually a self taught and very erudite man and desperately wanted to be known as a serious actor in which he was successful on only a few occasions. He died on April 15, 1988, at age 62 from an overdose of barbiturates, with the coroner recording an open verdict rather than suicide. While his final journal entry, ‘- oh – what is the bloody point?’, suggested despair, his death followed chronic health issues and dread of impending surgery. I flitted in my TV watching between watching this and the curling which was rather an exercise in masochism. The day today may turn out to be a fuller one than usual as I shall venture out to the Methodist Centre to show if there is anyone interesting with whom to chat on the ‘chatty table’ and then this afternoon here is a dentist’s hygienist appointment to be attended and the weekly shopping to be done. Although the weather threatens to be quite cold and chilly for the next day or so, some milder weather will follow on all as a result of the jet stream being pushed a little way northwards and of course, March is not too distant now. We were greeted yesterday morning with the welcome news that inflation had recorded quite a sharp fall down to 3% mainly as a result of lower petrol prices, cheaper air fares and food prices drifting a little lower. The one thing that lightens my gloom a little in the months of February and March is that it the months in which the monthly payments of rates to the local authority have ceased until the new rates kick in in April. But at that time we are in for a severe shock as Worcestershire County Council has been given government permission to raise council tax by 9% for the 2026/27 financial year, one of the largest increases in the council’s history. Facing an unprecedented budget crisis, the Reform-led authority is expected to finalise this rise, which adds roughly £145 a year to Band D bills, on February 26. The ‘cap’ on rate increases is generally 5% but Worcestershire have been given 9% to help the (Reform led) council tackle an enormous projected budget deficit, nearly all of it attributed to the enormous cost of social care to which it is committed by statute. In fact, it seems that Reform-led local authorities are increasing the rates at the same rate as other authorities and if they do not, it is only because they have raided the reserve funds held by all local authorities.
Later in the morning, I popped into town by car, picking up my daily newspaper and then making my way to the Methodist Coffee Shop near the centre of town. Here had a brief coffee with one of my ex-Waitrose crowd but after she left, I was left on my own outnumbered by females in the ratio of 8:1 but the other two males were here with their wives, so it was one of those unfortunate days which occur from time to time when social contact was minimal. I decided to visit the nearby store which sells toiletries and household goods of every description. Here I had in mind about five items which I wished to purchase when I was next in the store but found that not one of them was in stock. Stores like this are full of the stuff where manufacturers have evidently excess production and have off-loaded them to the discount stores but if you are looking for specific items, you are destined for disappointment (as I was this morning).
One would have thought that making a journey from the outskirts of Bromsgrove to a neighbouring village where my dentist is located would have been straightforward. But the lane onto which my road opens is cut off half way down where, no doubt, utilities are being installed for the masses of new building going all around us. Soo I had to go through town in a really massive diversion only to discover that the road leading to the dentists was itself completely closed. A diversion was in place for about three miles and it was a minor miracle that I arrived at the dentist only about one minute late. I was due to see the dental hygienist who I would normally see once every six months but who I had not seen for about a year and a half during Meg’s final illness. I was relieved that my teeth and gums seemed to be in pretty good condition despite this year and a half without a hygienist’s attention but I asked for and received some very good advice about a routine of regular flossing. After this I went to my regular supermarket for a weekly shop and it was so quiet that no manned ills were in operation but only self-service tills, which I tend to avoid. So I had to wait until they could find one member of staff to provide a normal service through a manned till. Although it is a bit of a gloomy day and very cold, at least I managed to get home, the shopping unpacked and the wheelie bins located by the kerbside whilst it was still fairly light.
In an important case currently through a court in the USA, Mark Zuckerberg is to appear before jury for first time where he is scheduled to give evidence in a watershed trial. The CEO of Meta, which owns Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, is expected to answer tough questions from lawyers representing 20-year-old plaintiff KGM. Zuckerberg previously tried to argue that an in-person appearance at the trial was unnecessary but Judge Carolyn Kuhl ruled in October that he must testify, saying his evidence is ‘uniquely relevant’ to the case.