It is the time of year for the clocks to be put forward by one hour as we enter British Summer Time. Although I went to bed at about 10.30 the evening before, I awoke just after midnight and went to alter all of the house clocks starting in the kitchen. Thos all seemed to go very smoothly on this occasion with no hitches. There are some clocks (like radios) that should have reset themselves automatically and had not at the appointed hour but they had updated themselves when I got up early in the morning. I was quite pleased to learn that I had not been using the correct technique to close down the open aps on my iPad but on consulting the web and running off a document, I have discovered that I should swipe my finger from the bottom of the screen but pause it in the centre for half a second, at which all of the then open tabs will appear as thumbnails and can then be swiped up to be closed completely. My daughter-in-law taught me some of this yesterday but the ‘pause in the middle of the screen’ was a new technique as far as I was concerned. Although it does not receive much publicity in the UK, the weekend is marked by masses of anti-Trump demonstrations, popularly called ‘No Kings’ (ever since Trump let an image of himself to be propagated across his own media outlets wearing a crown. Tens of thousands of anti-Trump protesters have been attending ‘No Kings’ rallies on Saturday across the US. More than 3,200 events were planned in all 50 states, and organisers hoped it would be the biggest single-day protest in US history. There were rallies in cities including Washington DC, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as well as further afield in London and Paris, where people demonstrated against the Iran war. Organisers expected nine million people would take part in America this time, after the first two rounds of rallies last June and October attracted five million and seven million respectively. Whether this popular protest will have any real effect is too early to say but when the occasional non-scheduled election does take place, the Democrats seem able to scoop it up. Speaker Mike Johnson is now able to afford just two defections on any party-line vote if all members are present — and in an election year, they seldom are. In the coming weeks, his situation is expected to become worse, whittling down the margin to a single vote. It is the continuation of a dynamic that has plagued House Republicans since President Trump took office in 2025 – a majority so small that it gives outsize power to any one member who wants to buck the party and it makes governing difficult, if not impossible. Over the course of the weekend, whilst I am out doing my Sunday morning activities, my son and daughter-in-law are packing up their things and leaving the family house in which they have been staying whilst their kitchen was refurbished. I am sure it will give them a lot of pleasure and I know that that some of the available space as been planned to the inch to ensure that certain things will fit where they should. The colour scheme is delightfully subtle and, of course things such as concealed lighting and new splash-backs will make the new kitchen a pleasure in which to prepare meals.
After I had attended the church service in the morning, it was Palm Sunday so as is traditional, we all received a piece of palm folded into the shape of a cross. There was to be no after-service tea and biscuits in the parish hall so whilst in the car I got some funds out of a local ATM, gave the car its ration of petrol, picked up a newspaper and came home to have myself a small cooked breakfast. I knew I would probably go out to a small village near Bromsgrove called Tardebigge where the horses charity were holding their annual Spring fair (or is it ‘fayre’) in the community hall. I went onto the internet to check the exact postcode of the Community hall and was glad I did so as the website informed us that SatNav would give the wrong directions so they gave an alternative set of clear instructions to reach the venue. So in practice by following the instructions this Community Hall had wonderfully ample car parking space and I arrived some 20 minutes after proceedings had opened. I was warmly greeted by the proprietor and the two volunteers with whom I had had coffee the preceding Friday so I as made to feel really welcome. I indulged in some coffee and home made cake and then did a tour of the stalls eventually purchasing several items that I knew would make suitable birthday presents in the future. On one of the stalls, a volunteer had brought along some home-grown plants so after consultation with my daughter-in-law, I purchased a ‘spider’ plant for her. The fair was offering baked potatoes with a variety of fillings so eventually I was persuaded to buy one of these, stuffed with a mixture of coleslaw, baked beans and cottage cheese. This was so huge and filling that could not actually finish all of it but in the course of eating this and wandering around the other stalls, I engaged in quite a of conversations with the proprietor and three of the volunteers who I know quite well by now. They were a really friendly and welcoming crowd of people and I was glad that I made the effort to attend and to socialise. When got home, there was no need to have any lunch but the whole house felt pretty chilly and I sat and watched the edition of ‘Question Time‘ from last Thursday night. Later in the afternoon there is a good film to be shown on Film 4 which has been shown quite recently but which I have missed but now is my opportunity to make sure can view it uninterrupted. I have missed all of the politics programmes that are normally shown earlier on Sunday mornings but no doubt, both of these can be viewed later if the spirit moves me. And I have my copy of the ‘Sunday Times‘ which typically offers some in depth analysis of the week’s news.