Another covid casualty, perhaps, I read Debenhams is to shut all its stores. A bit like Woolworths, back in the day, they are, or were, a high street fixture. Like an old tree. Although I'm no great fan of consumerism, it will be a bit sad to see. Debenhams has always had this oddly comforting self contained ecosystem. Regardless of the weather outside, meteorological or otherwise, it felt strangely pleasant being inside. A kind of warmth, not just actual. It also helped, that, given the clown Mayor running Bristol had shut down the public toilets, it was convenient riding the elevators up to floor 4 in order to spend a penny before catching a bus across the road. The alternative of course is to permanently carry a twenty pence piece in order to use the toilets at the bus station, effectively increasing the cost of fares. The only reason they exact this toll at the station is to keep the 'undesirables' out of the station. That's my opinion.
I tried to use Tesco online for the first time today. I thought I'd give their online deliveries a try given that we're not really meant to be catching buses to go to the shops. Unfortunately the local options are both limited and expensive. It's actually cheaper to go to the superstore in town, which also has what I want instead of having to compromise at the 'Express' (i.e. more expensive) local variant. The one that bullied its way into the village a decade ago. Unfortunately, despite having to first create an account (which means they know my name!), I can't get a delivery slot for two weeks. Understandable but it renders the whole thing pointless. I can live with it, I'll just catch that bus and given they are empty now it's probably quite safe. But in terms of optimal lockdown living, it isn't. Oh well.
It's sunny today, which makes the earlier sunrise all the more pleasant and apparent. This is a good thing. One has to drink in the sunshine when one can, right now. Like animals in the dry season (this is anything but) we must replenish ourselves whenever we can, maximising opportunities since we know not when they will return. Another month or so of Winter at least; that's hard enough. But to have endured this woeful January deserves at least some kind of merit badge.
It's been three weeks so far. Only three weeks. Long and painful, but a drop in the temporal ocean. the time taken for a Galapagos turtle to sneeze. If this is going to last until March, the unspoken assumption, then we aren't quite half way through. If this is going to last as long as is required to give half a vaccine to people then we are nowhere near. This is just one giant Hail Mary on the part of a morally and ideologically bankrupt government led by deniers and cranks. They have nothing, they have left us with nothing.
And finally, last year a group of people had the foresight and bravado to throw a statue of a racist into the river. I'm not entirely sure how that constitutes criminal damage, but four of them are being presented before the state so they can be made examples of. It is important that doesn't happen. Not least of all because this is an egregious flexing of muscle that must be resisted; the state wants to reassert dominance like a bad dog. Problem is Edward Colston's reputation, whitewashed by his statue, has been revealed; now everyone know he was a dealer in death and flesh. And he can rot in hell. Solidarity.
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