A new week is dawning in which I travel up to Yorkshire to see my family but I wonder what else is in store. My American friend is undergoing a bout of illness at the moment so will not be able to accompany me on my journey which is a source of great disappointment to both of us – but then there is never a ‘convenient’ time to be ill. The evening before last, I was not particularly enamoured of the choices before me on the TV although the film on Churchill’s life was very well made but I did not feel in the mood to watch it again. Instead, I trawled through what the BBC iPlayer and YouTube had to offer and came across the ‘Evening with..’ series and discovered a delightful hour with Peer Ustinov, the famous British actor and raconteur. He told some wickedly amusing anecdotes and this was one transmission even though I had seen it before was well worth another look. I had a look ahead to see what the weather might hold for me this week and although the next day or so will be fine and dry, we might look forward to some wet, windy and squally weather towards the end of the week. There is an interesting snippet on Sky News about the fact that UK is not building reservoirs at a period in our history when our need for water is increasing. I was a little shocked to discover that due to planning hurdles and financial constraints, the UK hasn’t completed building one since 1991. Water supply is a major problem facing the UK, with the Environment Agency estimating we will experience a shortfall of 5 billion litres a day by 2050. But the winters have been getting wetter at a time when our summers have been getting dryer and so far, we have just managed to muddle through. As with so many other areas of our national life, we seem to have lost the foresight and the will to invest in long term infrastructure planning as the HS2 disaster shows us, But when the cost of living is so high and national finances are so stretched, then planning and providing for infrastructure seems to be a luxury which we cannot afford but the paradox becomes that these essentials become more expensive the longer a decision is delayed. We in this country always seem to have a very short term view compared with Germany for example. It is sometimes said that the typical British company is up for sale every single day as investors in the UK want to see a return after only two years whereas the German view might be to only expect a return after five years i.e. there is a much longer timescale as part of the national consciousness. Britain struggles with infrastructure due to chronic underinvestment, a slow and litigious planning system, frequent political shifts that disrupt long-term strategy, and exceptionally high delivery costs compared to European peers. Projects frequently face severe delays, scope changes, and budget escalations and the ‘Nimbyism’ (Not in My Back Yard) seems to have taken over a pernicious hold of our national life. One is forced to the sad conclusion that once communities have established a pleasant environment for themselves, they will fight tooth and nail to preserve their advantages in perpetuity and the idea of the common good has disappeared over the horizon. But I am conscious that as I write the house into which I moved some nineteen years ago is now faced with new housebuilding on literally ever side and by every side, I mean that literally and adjacent actually means to the north, south, east and west of the plot of land upon which my house sits.
Late in the morning, I thought I would walk into town although most of the morning had gone. On my way down into town, I reflected upon the fact that in the almost nineteen yeas that I have lived at my current address, a lot of people around me have ‘moved on’ The most extreme form of ‘moving on’ is dying, of course, and I reflected upon the fact that including my wife, Meg, some eight of my near neighbours have actually died and another two have moved out of the area. On my walk down managed to have a chat with one of my church friends who lives down the road, as he was about to contemplate giving his car a wash (although it looked immaculate to me) In Waitrose, I picked up a copy of my daily and then availed myself of a ‘free’ cup of coffee. I asked one pf the staff that I know pretty well by sight at what point they start to either mark down or even throw away the day’s sandwiches (because nobody would want yesterdays) and was given some useful information so in the next day and before I travel down to Yorkshire, I shall equip myself with some sandwiches which may be my main sustenance for the day. On my way back up the hill, I thought I espied my Pilates session member who was wheeling her very poorly dog in a special wheelchair down to the park. The dog itself had experienced a repair to one of its ligaments and could not walk very far but it was a good opportunity for us to discuss her pet’s condition outside a few snatches of conversation in the Pilates class tomorrow. As I got nearer to my own house, I bumped into my Italian friend again as she had been doing some gardening and so we extended our conversations of the day before. After I returned home, I made sure I was well hydrated with a big glass of cold fluid (as the weather was quite warm outside) before I cooked a ham omelette for myself and started watching a BBC programme on the history of AI before I got interrupted by a couple of nuisance telephone calls which I have now discovered how to report and to block in future. Tonight I really must start packing in earnest as tomorrow will be the last day in which I can actually buy anything that I need before I go away. I have tried to think ahead to the things that I might need for a 5 day stay and have already ensured that I have some little presents destined for family members put adjacent to the suitcase so they do not get forgotten. I have also ensured that I have some lightweight rainwear packed away in my rucksack in case I get overtaken by a sudden sharp shower whilst I am on the road.