The triffids are here

I listened once to a broadcast of the Day of the Triffids (John Wyndham) on the BBC World Service, on holiday in France when I had no TV, email or internet connection. It was Triffic!! That techno-scenario was just ten years ago. There's a lot to be said for 'going dark' but being blipless is not something I can easily contemplate now.

Yesterday I made a makeshift net curtain out of a piece of organza I'd bought the day before. Today we decided we only sort-of liked it, so we've sort-of drawn it back. However, the front garden is now so overgrown that privacy really isn't an issue at this time of year!

Hot afternoon for teaching at the rehab. The students don't want to participate in anything, they just want to be taught, ie listen to me talking. It's frustrating, to say the least. Such a contrast to nursery, where enthusiastic children want to do everything, all at once, at the same time!

So here I am at home watching a documentary about people who died on Everest, and wondering why climbers climb. It was a teenage fantasy of mine to see Everest, if not exactly to climb it. I told this to my sister recently. and she replied matter-of-factly,
"And I was going to win Wimbledon!"

Guess we all have a dream. For the families of the Sherpas and the western climbers, and all those who lived in the disaster areas in Nepal, the reality is harsher.

Meanwhile, the news is all about Greece and the possible rescue deal that might prevent exit from the EU. I lived in Northern Greece when it was just joining, almost 30 years ago. My brother is married to a Greek and has lived on Crete for more than 20 years, and he and his family have endured years and years of hardship and scarcity of employment. My niece has had to buy all her schoolbooks, where previously they were provided. I do hope that something can be gained from the latest deal proposals, that will make difference to ordinary people's lives.