Covid and the Rancid Butter Man

Hi Everyone

In March 2020, just over a week before the first Covid lockdown, I was in our local Pharmacy together with nearly fifteen staff and customers crowded into a relatively small space. I remember being very uneasy about the situation and being relieved when I was able to leave the shop after about five minutes. At the same time, I was using a local gym three times a week, but after that incident in the pharmacy, we decided to have our own voluntary lockdown, as we knew from the situation in Italy that the future was not good. In that week, thousands gathered at football matches and the horse race meeting at Cheltenham was allowed to go ahead with over 50,000 spectators. This week, the report into the decisions made at that time concluded that if we had shut down a week earlier, then 23,000 lives could have been saved. It is impossible to be sure that our decision prevented us from being one of the statistics, and I am not sure how you arrive at a figure of 23,000, but I am sure that with the benefit of hindsight, we could and should have done things differently. The problem for all the decision makers at that time was how to keep the country running while dealing with a pandemic. It is understandable that those who lost loved ones want answers and decision makers exposed, but in situations like what played out in 2020, there can be no winners.  

This is an old story with a new twist. One day, when the Senior Partner came to visit us, she asked if we had got any torch batteries to spare, so she went home almost happy with two new (free ) torch batteries. Two weeks later, she asked if we had two more to spare. I questioned why the other batteries had only lasted two weeks rather than two months, or in her case, two years. She explained that when they went to bed, no doubt leaving the Junior Partner fumbling in the dark, they used the torch to save electricity. I then explained that it was cheaper and safer to put the lights on, assuming, of course, that she actually bought the batteries herself. Now this week we bought a LED motion light with a USB point and a rechargeable battery. Now when we go upstairs, the light comes on before we get to the bedroom light and then switches itself off one minute later. I hope that you are not thinking that I am as tight with money as the Senior Partner but if we were able to give her one as a present this Christmas, at least she would not have kept it wrapped up to give to someone else next Christmas. That assumes, of course, that she would have been able to cope with the words LED and USB.

Over the years, we have enjoyed many funny, intelligent and witty one liners when watching Hollywood films like “Who’s looking at you kid?” or “I’ll have what she’s having” This week, while watching a film, I heard this one “I may be rancid butter, but I am on your side of the bread”. I hope that the rancid butter man in Washington watched that film, as at the moment, he appears to be on the side of a poo tin rather than a sovereign country illegally attacked. Sadly, they will have to compromise, not sold down the river in pursuit of personal glory.

Just a Thought:

How do you socially distance yourself while around family? A high fibre diet.

My friend persuaded his brother to swallow a torch. It was worth it just to see his little face light up.

When you try to hold onto butter, things tend to get a bit slippery.

Brian