PMQs and our COVID vaccinations

First of all, family.  We have had our COVID vaccinations today, the kids having their first ones, my wife and me having our third ones.  However, I did get worried when my daughter had a headache later.  It did improve with paracetamol though though did not do away.  My son had wanted to have time off PE due a sore arm, but he asked us this before he had his vaccination and forgot to mention it afterwards.

Anyway, PMQ's.  Angela Rayner put in a spectacular performance, asking Dominic Raab about his comments on British workers being amongst the worst idlers in the world as well as the trade deal our Prime Minister had said we would get with the USA. He gave credit for the USA dropping travel restrictions to the UK to Boris Johnson, even though the USA had decided to do this for Europe and was considering this before PMQ's.  However he did not answer the question posed about British workers.  She referred to the issues that many face about In Work Poverty, missing out on how things are at record levels.  Dominic Raab did list a range of things done which he said was to improve the lot of those who are poorly paid, but he ignored how things are worse under the Conservatives.  I did not get a chance to listen to the rest of it, but the main event was enough.  

Get Out

I am knackered.  This morning my son took Leia out for her walk.  I had intended to cycle to work, but instead started to put our TV together.  My wife and ordered a television and had mentioned the size of it to me, but I had not realised how big it was to be.  Yesterday we realised that what we put the TV on was not big enough for it.  So this morning, after doing some cleaning in the house, I got to putting the TV together.  My wife had been trying to get a new item of furniture for the TV yesterday and after I put the TV together, we went to collect an item that she managed to agree a deal on.  

I took my daughter with me and it was a pleasant drive to Manningtree to get it.  She was of great use helping to put it into the back of my wife's car as well as taking it into the house when we got home.  After that, it was a case of disconnecting the old TV and reconnecting the new one after moving furniture about.

Needless to say, this was quite exhausting which meant that when I did go to work, it was late and I had no energy to cycle into work.

On getting back, my daughter and I watched Get Out on the new huge television.  The picture is amazing.  And I have to say the film is great as well.  I had worked out that I had wanted to watch this before and therefore had done my best not to find out much about it.  My view is that most trailers spoil films.  I have liked Daniel Kaluuya since watching him in The Fades and he was just as good in this film.  It was well worth watching.  And the video is for those who have watched it, or are never going to.

In Work Poverty and PMQs

The government are going to cut Universal Credit. Or rather, not cut it, but instead allow he temporary uplift in it to expire. Over the last few years, we have seen the rise of Child Food Poverty as well as In Work Poverty.

The issue of if this should be cut came up in PMQ’s today.

Needless to say, Boris Johnson did not answer the questions posed to him about how he is to cut help to those who need it most.  And this was a matter that came up on several occasions.

I do think that Keir Starmer would have done better if he had used the personal examples that Jeremy Corbyn did in this role as ignoring reality is so much harder when real people are used.

I hope our MP does not vote for these cuts.  But he is a Conservative and I suspect will toe the government line on this.

13 Reasons Why; The World Closing In

Is redemption possible if true repentance has taken place?  In my view yes.  I think my daughter thought so when watching this before, but my son does not appear to agree, yet.

On a different note, my son was not able to go to school today as he vomited last night, but my daughter returned.  My wife and I spent the morning shopping either on-line or in Waitrose while he looked after Leia (his school said that there was no work for him as him being home was not COVID related).

13 Reasons Why; Always Waiting for the Next Bad News

Drugs screw up the lives of people.  And it can be very hard to kick the habit.  This episode looks at some of he issues involved, but not the deaths that I have seen due to drugs.

Hawkstone Hall & Gardens, Spa & Gym

We are home! Hawkstone Hall was amazing. I did get freaked out as there was very little mask wearing and people must have thought I was mad for wearing mine.  But a colleague caught COVID at a wedding recently and I had no intention of doing the same. It was a good meal after the speeches and later there was dancing and a free bar.  I love dancing but could not do so inside, so on occasion, danced outside with my wife.  

Come the morning, I went for a walk in the grounds.  After that, breakfast and the long journey back.  We dropped off my Mother-In-Law and then to Colchester. My wife felt we should leave Leia for one more day but my daughter and I got her to change her mind.

Anyway, time to rest and rest. 

Church Farm Guest House, Wrockwardine

Our trip continues. Today is the day of the wedding that we have travelled here for.  I am glad that the hotel we are now in was booked as the guest house has been lovely.  The children loved it here, though I am not sure if that is because we booked the place out and they have their own rooms, a novelty for them when we travel, but one we hope to continue, but not for tonight!  Breakfast was lovely, not as amazing as I have had in the past, but filling and it has kept me going so far.  I did go for a walk about the village, a habit that having a dog has made me desire and it allowed me to appreciate the grounds so much more.

The wedding we came for is now over, a sweet Catholic service where we, along with some others, wore face-masks. I am a bit nervous of the mixing considering that a GP at the surgery I work contracted COVID at a wedding she had been to two weeks before and while starting to work, is not back to full speed.

Anyway, I am taking a break from moving the luggage up the stairs in our residence for the night, but more about that tomorrow (or tonight) after the wedding reception.