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Today I have just about caught up with my daily diary entries and my covid site entries. This morning I watched a remarkable film 1:22:27 about the French survivors of the 2004 Tsunami.  For many, the effect of escaping death while others lost their lives will leave an indelible impression on them for the rest of their lives. Some of these survivors decided to stay on and help rebuild the villages as an act of reconciliation, atonement and thankfulness. It is common for people who have had near death experiences to realize that they had grossly underestimated the value of life and give thanks for each day. I recommend this documentary film for everyone.

I had an unexpectedly interesting visit to my coffee morning at All Saints Church in Paulton. We were discussing about ‘people who disagree’ and someone helpfully reminded me that we had to consider it from our point of view, the other person’s point of view, and then the situational point of view. I pointed out that in cases of difficulty that people themselves are not bad people but the situation is not conducive to happen this for example two people living in an apartment that is too small.

One of the ladies who serves, Sue, had made an absolutely delicious chocolate cake with Guinness and I asked her to make an example for me at my birthday celebration which is in June. I think she was surprised to be asked and said she ‘did not know’ whether she could provide such a cake but I said to myself next time I meet her I will offer her 20 quid and see what she says.

We also had a discussion about acid reflux and I found a fellow Gaviscon user who had also suffered from the problem for years. She says that when she has yogurt, she gets all sorts of aches and pains including pains in her legs. I was reminded that we are all different and therefore cannot be treated in an off-the-shelf one size fits all fashion. Gaviscon is the medicine of last resort which coats the stomach but which  clearly does not go to the root of the problem which is the acid alkali balance in the stomach.

As a grand finale, I met an amazing newcomer called Ken who had lived with his wife Sheila in Gloucestershire. They were far from their children and grandchildren and decided therefore to come and move to this area. There was one remarkable thing, that Ken was 93 years of age, fit as a fiddle, and indeed had offered a fellow swimmer a challenge of a race, telling the challenger that he would give them four lengths start. He had a wonderful twinkle in his eye and said he was going to return to the coffee morning the following week. I was so excited I rang up the vicar to tell him of the new arrival.

I am very worried about the continuing cold weather and the price we are going to have to pay because the fields are too wet for farmers to plant crops which should be well into the ground now and also as I speak the temperature is 9 degrees centigrade which is insufficient to encourage growth. On the other hand I noticed that garlic was coming up all over the place.