Events Of The Past 36 Hours

I had meant to go shopping yesterday afternoon, but I had the TV on for Wimbledon- and Federer's opening match against Alejando Falla- instead of being a walkover- went to five sets and was a damn near-run thing so I never did.

BBC 4 had a programme last night in which very old people remembered how lovely their fathers were. It was very moving.

It was noisy on Meldrum Street last night. I went to the bathroom shortly after midnight and someone was shouting hysterically at someone else to "get off my fucking bike". I listened a while and it just went on and on. Thankfully Meldrum Street is entirely inaudible from our bedroom.

There was a butterfly in the bathroom first thing this morning, flapping against the frosted glass. I got my hands round it and helped it through the open window.

My friendjorrocks_j sent me Warren Zevon's "Don't Let Us Get Sick", which I'd never heard before. It's beautiful. I expect to be singing it in my head all day.

The Budget

I want to wash some dishes so I turn the boiler on, when I've finished I turn it off again- otherwise- in its half ruined state it would quickly go into spasm. This is good preparation for the winter of austerity that the chancellor's budget is laying out before us.  Hot water and heating are going to be luxuries;  best get used to it now.

Normally I would be raging at the display of grim looking young faces on the government front bench (afraid to crack a smile for fear of what the media would do with it)  but  right now I haven't the heart. I understand that the economy is thoroughly buggered and they- the grim young things- are doing what they can to put it right. Maybe they're going about it the wrong way- I'm too ignorant of economics to even venture an opinion- but as things are I'm willing to suspend all political passion and give them the benefit of the doubt. Harriet Harman roared at them- and it's her job- but I really didn't want to hear what she had to say.  The Lib-Con coalition is next door to being a government of national unity- which is what the country seems to have voted for- and the noisy point-scoring of politics-as-usual hits the wrong note.  It feels trivialising, self-indulgent.  In another six months- when we know whether the chancellor's measures are working or not- we can shout at one another again- but for the time being- contemplating the fucking awful mess we've got ourselves into- lets keep it quiet and decent -and save our breath to cool our porridge (because we aren't going to be able to afford to use the fans).