Tina Foster gives us an insight into the goings on in this month’s Senior Moment
WELL WHO’D have thought it. When I wrote last month that it was all over bar the shouting I had no idea there was going to be so much shouting. One month on we find ourselves with a new Prime Minister, the Opposition party in turmoil and political careers strewn throughout Westminster. We can only hope that we can now have a period of calm and consideration about what we do want rather than what we don’t.
The Silly Season
We are entering what is known as the silly season in the press. This is the time when we report on the trivial and frivolous stories. I, for one, think we have had quite enough silliness and should start getting serious. Do you hear me Boris! The term was coined in an 1861 Saturday Review article, and was listed in the second edition of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1894) and remains in use at the start of the 21st century. The dictionary defines this as “the part of the year when Parliament and the Law Courts are not sitting (about August and September)”. It is also known in some countries as the cucumber season. The only place for a cucumber, for me, is in my gin and tonic.
Heatwave
Well, was the last three days really our summer? According to the Met office the rest of the summer is going to be changeable with temperature in the high teens, low twenties. It was very hot in the few days from 18th July, too hot for many but we could have got used to something that lasted longer. With the poor weather and the effects of Brexit, our clothing retailers are really struggling to make profits and it may be that we lose more of our high street shops as fewer of us are tempted to update our wardrobes or brighten our homes. This year already, we have waved farewell to BHS, Austen Reed and its subsidiaries, Viyella and Country Casuals and many others are struggling. I know that many shop online, but soon there will be nothing in our high streets except phone shops, fast food outlets and charity shops.
Big Sam to lead England Football
Sam Allardyce has been appointed the new manager of England by the FA. Hopefully he will do a better job than the hapless Roy who led the dismal onslaught by England at the recent Euros. I know you aren’t al football fans but to be taken out of Europe twice in one week was somewhat of a surprise. Sam is a big character but he has never won a major trophy as a manager. Still he is in good company as no England manager has won a trophy for his country since Alf Ramsey in 1966: and that was before we joined the EEC.
May the force be with you
I want to wish Theresa good luck. She has taken on a tough job at a really difficult time. On the face of it she is smart, fashionable, and wears elegant shoes. Underneath she must have a steely resolve, endless patience and an eye for detail. She has already been nicknamed the steel lady who has cut a swathe through her detractors with a sharp stiletto. Will she lead us to a satisfactory Brexit and a stronger, safer country – maybe, maybe not!
