12 Monkeys and my son

My son has not been feeling well today.  His symptoms this morning were not those of COVID19 but as the day went on, they evolved and he developed a headache, temperature and a sore throat.

Once this was done, my daughter rowed with me about having to isolate and miss school as she felt she did not have to.  This was in part due to the confusing messages from the Prime Minister about isolation of those with symptoms.  Both she and I felt the other was being unreasonable about the discussion.  Later, while my wife and I were trying to arrange testing, we rowed after she kept telling me to do something she could have done herself.  And after this, I rowed with my son.  In the process of this row, he decided to cough on me.  The row escalated after that.

Anyway, things with my son and wife are now settled.  I however am now feeling unwell with feeling cold and having an earache,  I have not arranged testing as my son is to be tested and as yet, I have no sore throat, headache or a raised temperature.  I am not able to help with our socially distanced flu clinic tomorrow and will have to work from home for Monday morning at least. My wife may have to work on Wednesday as she cannot do the work she normally does from home herself.  That is assuming we do not get worse.  But he did not cough on her, so she may be lucky.

Scary spiders

Yesterday I was on the carpet watching television with my wife and daughter when a huge enormous spider walked across the floor in front of me.  It, being big, was scared we were going to eat it.  I trapped it in a glass and having been drinking beforehand, when I was a bit more sober, and brave slid a card under it and set it free outside.

However, it was amusing that I, the man, despite being scared of the huge spider, had to get rid of it.  My daughter when younger let a tarantula crawl on her, but could not deal with this one.  At work, I work with a man who has had to get the ladies at work deal with any spiders found in his room, so I know that the stereotype of just women not being able to deal with spiders is wrong.  Of course, we also watched an episode of 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown which celebrated female empowerment.  The irony was not lost on me.

We were meant to have been watching Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, but after my son convinced us to watch it, he disappeared with his iPhone upstairs.  So we watched Strike.

I know that many are abandoning JK Rowling in this Cancel Culture Era, but I think that she is amazing and I agree with the views she has posted a while ago.  It is ironic that in an era where we accept that gender is non-binary that any discussion over it is viewed as a binary one.

Anyway, onto Pokémon GO.  I am looking for the following which are missing from my Pokédex;
Kecleon
Relicanth
Pachirisu
Chatot
Garchomp (though I hopefully will be evolving one later this year)
Carnivine
Probopass
Rotom
Uxie
Azelf
Serebii
Manaphy
Victini
Pansage (and possibly Simisage)
Panpour (or Simipour)
Munna
Musharna
Throh
Sandile
Krokorok
Maractus
Sigilyph
Zorua
Vanillite
Deerling
Frillish
Tynamo
Axew
Cryogonal
Mienfoo
Druddigon
Pawniard
Bouffalant
Heatmor
Vullaby
Larvesta
Keldeo
Meloetta

I am aware that not all are available.
I am also interested in high CP Pokémon as a lucky trade;
Burmy
Duskull
Nosepass
Woobat
Yamask

And a normal form Golem.

I am also happy to do a like for like trade on many other Pokémon, especially shiny ones.  I do not have as large a collection as others, but I am willing to consider shiny like to like trades.

A relaxing Sunday in the shade

Had to work on Sunday and I had intended to cycle in, but by daughter asked if she could come in with me as she does her homework better when she is there.  So I drove in, but she was not able to work as well as she wanted as her computer caused her issues which meant that we went back home sooner than I would have done otherwise. On getting back, my wife and I helped my daughter by passing over one of our old iPad's to her.  

My wife has had some issues at work and was feeling a bit stressed, so we went out for lunch.  This lasted quite a bit longer than we had wanted and my son was not able to meet up with some friends (to be fair, I am not sure that this was going to happen anyway).  Lunch was not in the sun, rather in the shade and outside, so reducing the risks of COVID.  It was a nice relaxing lunch, and afterwards I dropped my wife off at a friends so that they would have a socially distanced chat and went out on my bike for some exercise.  Sadly, when weighing myself at work, I had found that I had gained, not lost weight since my last measurement.  

And when I got back, while the children relaxed, I started on my ironing.  Dinner was on me, so I took them to a drive through KFC.  I know that this is not the most healthy, or considering my desire to get fitter, the most sensible of decisions, but I had a lot of ironing to get though!

Anyway, this song is for my wife.  She knows why after our conversation this morning...

Wash hands, Wear a face mask, Make space

Work has been getting busier.  Not just those without infections, but more people with viral infections.  While most are probably not COVID, for now, the problem is that anyone with an infection can spread it, and anyone with a cough, temperature or sore throat will need a test.

In PMQ’s last week, the issue of people not being able to get tests was brought up.  The government blamed people who did not have symptoms for having tests.  But the numbers with COVID have risen, by quite a lot.  Which means that there are a lot of people with COVID a who need tests, and I suspect many who are not getting tests.  Last week, I spoke to a mother of a child with symptoms who was not able to get a test, which meant that her and her husband could not work.  But the advantage of them being trapped at home is that the little one cannot spread any infections.

Basically, if children are catching infections, this means that COVID is spreading.  We need to remember the guidance, which is to wash hands, wear a face-mask and make space.  Not just in public, but with our friends and those family members who do not live with us.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen

 

Watched this with my daughter.  Overall, I did like it, but I do not consider this to be as good as the original.  After an annoying start (the most enjoyable part of which is the similarity to the first film), the film improves once they are on the water.  Once that happens, the balance between being corny and genius which was present in the first film, comes back.  It is absent in the final fight scene and is certainly lacking in the over emotional goodbye scene with the story beforehand.

I am glad I watched it, but while I would watch the original again, I would not watch this again. 

The Babysitter

 

I love this film. I have watched it a while ago, but when I got home from work today, my daughter was watching the sequel.  

The return to school has been interesting.  We have tried to reduce the risk of the kids bringing COVID into the home.  My son though is incapable of following the simple instructions and has ‘forgotten’ to put his blazer away as soon as he gets home.  To be fair, he has only tried to kill us twice and he promises not to do it again.  But he said that after the first time.  

The kids have to help with the washing and they are meant to work together on this.  My daughter takes out the clothes to dry, and my son puts them away.  So this morning, when my clothes were missing was in a bad mood.  My son said he had not been given them when I woke him up, so I woke my daughter up.  She had given them to him, but he had forgotten and she had not left a text trail.  The unhappiness about this continued until I got home and my daughter and I had an interesting argument.  It was only sorted after a delivery driver scared her.  He had rung our doorbell and ran away when he realised he had the wrong house.  She had been watching scary films and this freaked her out.

So we got together downstairs and watched The Babysitter: Killer Queen.  She went to bed a third of the way through and I watched the first film again.  

I consider this to be a classic must watch film.  It is comparable to films like Brain Dead, having a similar sense of humour and the correct balance between gore and comedy.  And being so over the top, it was not as predictable as many films are.  I look forwards to watching the sequel properly.

Breaking The Law (Conservative Values)

I have to admit that the title is unfair.  

The issues with breaking the law relate to this government and I do not think it relates to all Conservatives.

This week, they have stated that the UK will break International Law, in a limited manner.  Our government which has stated that other nations should obey international law and has complained when Russia violated international law to murder someone on UK soil or when it invaded Ukraine.

The reason for breaking international law is to break an agreement that Boris Johnson pushed through Parliament (and purged the party of MP’s who did not back it).  Our nation is to break international law to force the people that the first agreement was agreed with, to negotiate a new deal!  How others in the world will trust this government is beyond me, especially the E.U. as they are the people we are breaking the Brexit agreement that was passed late last year.  

Issues with the law have arisen in the past, this being how Dominic Cummings ignored guidance to drive out of London during lock-down with his ill wife to stay near family, along with the way he drove his wife around her birthday to a beauty spot to test his vision.

Boris Johnson may have found that the law can be ignored in the past when he was part of the Bullingdon Club.  Famed for the trashing restaurants, the get out that he and other members allegedly had was to get someone to buy themselves out of trouble.

For our nation, this means that the cost of him breaking the law is to be felt by subsequent governments.