Donald Trump's Second Inauguration

 Monday. 7.40 a.m. I have just been reading what I wrote here eight years ago regarding Donald Trump's first inauguration as American President.  Well, they had four years of Biden and he became very unsteady as a President. Frankly, he was too old and frail to have the responsibility of running the largest economy in the world. Half the time he didn't know where he was or what he was talking about. I think he must have early onset Alzheimer's and was not really fit to be President. Kamala Harris, who took over mid-way through the election campaign, wasn't really fit to be president either, so, of the two candidates, love him or loathe him, Trump was the better choice.

7.10 p.m. I have been having problems getting my Panasonic Freeview Play set-top box to connect to my wi-fi router since I moved my broadband to Vodafone fibre around a month and a half ago. On two occasions I have attempted to put the password into the box, but for some reason, it just will not work. It is a very nerve-wracking experience because the password is long and uses upper and lower case numbers and letters and you have to use the remote control. So, I gave up on the last attempt. I then looked on the internet for some answers and one response was to use a cable connection, so I found the relevant cable and then plugged it into the router, and, fortunately, it worked.

I have been reading about Trump's inauguration and the executive orders he is going to sign. He is going to do away with a lot of the 'woke' rubbish that has been in place under Biden, such as gender and similar ideology. No government employee will be allowed to work from home, which seemed to be 'normal' since the pandemic.

Wednesday. 7.20. According to the weather forecast on BBC Breakfast a few minutes ago, Storm Éowyn is about to hit the British Isles. I'm not sure if that means wind, snow or rain, but I'm sure we will know when it eventually happens.

Friday. 7.10 a.m. Storm Éowyn has struck! It's extremely windy out and I didn't stay out long when I took Alfie out a few minutes ago. 

There is a Red warding in place in Northern Ireland and Scotland due to the high winds caused by Storm Éowyn. This means that it is dangerous and could be a threat to life. In Northern Ireland, they have recorded a wind speed of 114 m.p.h.  There is therefore traffic disruption and the message going out that, unless your journey is important, not to travel. On BBC Breakfast this morning, the weather map of the British Isles has a large area of the north of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland covered in yellow which looks like some sort of balloon or rubber device, dare I say, condom. Sorry, but it does have that sort of appearance.

9.35 a.m. It's bright and sunny, but the wind is still blowing a gale.

The workmen doing the work in the community garden have got several layers of what looks to me like gravel or stone on some of the paths. There is a yellow JCB roadroller standing on the path, no doubt to be used to flatten the paths before the final layer goes down, probably tarmac. I suppose it has to be smooth if people are to drive their scooters along the paths.

Saturday. 8.10 a.m. Thank goodness it's a good deal calmer this morning. Having watched BBC Breakfast this morning, there has been a great deal of damage done to buildings across the country, most in Northern Ireland and Scotland, both of which seem to have been hit the hardest by Storm Éowyn. In Northern Ireland the speed of the storm was recorded at 104 m.p.h. in some places.

New Lockdown Restrictions???

 (Tuesday) Not actually sure which day of the week it was. Just goes to show the effect being in lockdown has.

There's the possibility of the measures the government has put in place to slow the virus's transmission might be strengthened. Matt Hancock,  Secretary of State for Health has said it may be necessary for face covering to be required by law when we're outside. But this is crazy, because, surely, viruses are dispersed in the open air. Obviously you need to wear one in enclosed spaces, in supermarkets, for example, but not outside. I don't see the point. I'm not really convinced that they make a lot of difference. As for me, breathing in my own hot breath is unpleasant over a long period. I was in Aldi the other day and I had to wait in a queue at the checkout and I was feeling quite uncomfortable. I think I was liable to pass out, not something I want to do in public. It's just not pleasant. Also, because I wear glasses, they steam up. Also, they make speaking really difficult.

I have been into Sainsbury's to collect the Bisoprolol which was ready for collection from Lloyd's Pharmacy. It's a good time to go grocery shopping because there were very few other shoppers in there. I got a few items which were running out, but I shall do a full shop tomorrow after I get paid.

I'm watching something rather special on the BBC iPlayer (it's also broadcast on BBC1.) It's called 'Staged' and has David Tennant and Michael Sheen in it. They are stuck in lockdown (very current.) and attempting to rehearse a play 'Six Characters In Search of an Author,' by Pirendello. It's what you might call 'meta' meaning it is self referential. These brilliant actors play versions of themselves and at times appear as if they're chatting via something like Zoom. It's very funny (but I warn you because the language can be quite strong. Quite a lot of swear words used, but having worked myself with actors, I know some of them can be a bit raw with their language.) But it's very good and well worth watching. I'm watching the first run of episodes and will eventually get to the second run soon. It's such a simple idea and I only wish I'd had the idea. I have mentioned 'Car Share' on my blog and that's a simple idea and something else I enjoy. It just goes to show that you can create a piece of drama in the most basic of manners and still be quite dramatic or funny.

(Wednesday) I've been back to Sainsbury's to do a proper shop. Enough food for several weeks so I shouldn't have to go out again shopping for a while, except probably to get milk.

It's quite mild this morning, although there was a fog over the city centre as we approached Oldbrook Green.

Later. I'm watching, via YouTube, the American Senate debating the Impeachment of Donald Trump. Last Wednesday there was an assault on the Capitol by a mob of  Trump supporters, attempting to disrupt the legislative process to allow the transition of Donald Trumps presidency to Joe Biden. Absolutely horrifying shots of rioters breaking into the building, the  home of U.S. democracy. Trump  did nothing to condemn the rioters. In fact, he seemed to positively encourage the disruption. He will be the only U.S President to be impeached twice. He will be leaving the White House on 20th January, when Biden is inaugurated as President. The motion of the House is that Trump attempted to an 'Incitement of Insurrection.' As a result of all this, Trump has had his Twitter and Facebook accounts suspended and possibly banned for goodness know how long, possibly permanently. The concern now is that, as America awaits the 20th January Inauguration Day, there is likely to be far more riots and disruption caused by Trump supporters. All this because Trump kept on saying that there was 'election fraud,'and that the Election was 'stolen.'when clearly there was no such thing. More than ever it's clear that the man is delusional and positively dangerous.

So, now Donald Trump is the first U.S. President to be impeached twice. Not a particularly brilliant legacy as he leaves the White House, but he has been whipping up unrest and deserves to be dealt with in this way.