The World's Worst Blogger

I suppose the actual worst blogger is someone who doesn't actually have a blog. Plenty of those. 

Anyway, I've just read my blog from 2020 at the beginning of the Corona Wars. They've pretty much ended, as I knew they would. Covid-19 is still out there, just like the truth, but just as hard to find. 

Since 2020, Boris Johnson was ousted as PM and leader of the Tories and replaced by Liz Truss. She lasted a phenomenally short length of time to be replaced by a phenomenally short Rishi Sunak. OK, he's not that short but apparently he's short for a PM. 

Russia invaded Ukraine and blames everyone else for the invasion. 

We have inflation at over 10% and wage increases of very little. Strikes have been going on all across the public sector and the government is hardly budging. 

And life ticks along. 

I've joined a band that we renamed Arphaxad. It's amazing. I've also written several songs. In fact I'll post one below. As a result of the band, I have a new amp (Boss Katana 100 MkII) and a variety of stomp boxes. Just a few things that I didn't know I needed!

We've just had a coronation. Last year, we celebrated Queen Elizabeth II's 70th Jubilee. Then she died and Prince Charles became King Charles III. 

So much has changed and yet, really, everything seems the same.

Enjoy the song.

5 Weeks in... the World is Changed

The CoronaWars continue. The world is changed. Pollution is down. Virtual meetings are keeping the economy afloat. Non-COVID-19 A&E referrals are down. Schools are using more digital media than ever. We can't go back to the way we were. Can we? Surely not.

There are images being released of cities like Mumbai, India, where the difference in pollution is immense. It's a real eye-opener and a more that valid argument for climate change activists to prove that we need to change. Less fossil cars, less aeroplanes, less fossil fuel power stations.

I hope that companies will think twice about sending colleagues abroad when apps such as Zoom are proving to be an excellent substitute. If my daughter can continue dance lessons on the platform (not ideal but its keeps things going) then business can conduct international relations without all the international travel.

I doubt A&E referrals will stay low once lockdown ends and social distancing is reduced/removed. After all, people have accidents. There are less because there are less people on the road and less people taking part in dangerous activities (although a bunch of surfers still carried on, causing the coastguard to spring into action unnecessarily). However, the way people use the medical system must change. That has needed to happen for a long time - particularly people's need for unnecessary antibiotics as one example. Do we always need to see a GP? Do we always need to call 999 when 111 would suffice?

Schools MUST change. I think I'll write more about this soon but for now it is important for all involved in education (not just the usual 'school leaders'). Why all involved? Acceptance and take up of the change that is needed. Aspects of remote learning must be used. Homework can be completed digitally. Work for absent children can be posted and completed digitally. In secondary schools - particularly Year 12 and 13 - online lessons must become normal.

Finally, the NHS must be funded properly. It's probably running as it should be at the moment. This funding must stay where it is. If people can give millions of pounds to Captain Tom or any other fund raising event, surely they can accept a little bit of extra tax to raise the absolutely necessary funds to keep the NHS working at optimum level. We'll see.

Be good. Work hard. Have fun.

Three weeks into 'Lockdown'

The Corona Wars continue...

I've been in self-isolation now for the last three weeks. Lockdown, as we call it, has been going for almost as long. It's not really lockdown thought is it? We're not confined to our houses and we can go out for essentials and exercise. There are of course those that continue to go to work to keep this country going.

What I don't understand is the need to know when it will end. The same people who were clamouring for 'lockdown' are now demanding to know what the timetable is. Do they not realise that COVID-19 has no timetable? Can't reporters simply report the news each day without trying to create headlines? Not only that, can reporters not politicise this situation? When all is said and done and the virus is officially at bay then it will be time to analyse the government's handling of the situation. Until then, we have to support the government, with or without Boris - I hope he gets well soon.

We have to do what the government tells us. Stay at home. I saw a wonderful post on social media recently that announced a lifting of the social distancing rules. But only for certain groups of people. And those groups were not groups that ordinary citizens of the UK would fall into but those who choose to flout the rules. It will be those people that delay the end of the Corona Wars. It will be those people that force the government to enforce an actual lockdown. A situation where you can't leave your home at all. Not something I want to experience.

As the Corona Wars continue I want to reflect on my time at home. Valuable time with my wife and children. We have had fun together. Prayed together. Read together. Had meals together. We've even done school at home. The Easter holidays have been a lovely time to relax and enjoy each others' company. I hope that people are able to do this.

Moving forward, I hope that families are able to help their children to learn valuable skills whilst they aren't at school. Keeping the house tidy. Making a shopping list. Cooking. Baking. Painting. Being polite. Being helpful. How to deal with emotionally difficult times. And so much more. If the academic things can be covered then even better. For now though, let's not focus on what children are not learning at school but what they can learn at home.

As I type this on Good Friday, I think of the sacrifice of Jesus. Giving His life so that we all may have life. I think of the key workers and the sacrifices that they're making. I think of all at home and the sacrifices that they are making. Jesus rose from the dead bringing us hope. The Corona Wars will end. There is always hope.

Be good, work hard, have fun.

Disney+ arrives in the UK

What a bargain! I signed up for the advance price of £49.99 knowing that lockdown was inevitable. What a great choice I made! That price is 5x DVDs or digital movies in SD. Disney+ has hundreds of movies and programmes to watch! A-ma-zing!

I'm mostly looking forward to introducing the little Rayboulds to come of the classics: Bedknobs & Broomsticks, The Sword in the Stone and (I know!) The Lion King.

Talk about one more thing to keep us sane in this insane time...

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - UPDATE

I haven't seen it yet - shame on me? Nah, I didn't have anyone to go to the flicks with... However, the DVD is on the way. I have a projector and screen to order and an excellent spot in the house to install it. Home cinema like I've never experienced. Especially for Star Wars. So... I've seen it (twice). Excellent. Amazing. Emotional. Unexpected. OK, so there are a few random, ret-conned aspects that don't necessarily correct The Last Jedi but definitely set out to address some of the changes in direction. However, I loved The Last Jedi. I love The Rise of Skywalker. I have spoken.

Self-Isolation - the beginning of the Corona Wars

My last day of work for the academic year wasn't in July as it should have been. I should have been congratulating myself on completing the first year of a new job. Instead, having been thoroughly preparing children for their SATs, school ended for the foreseeable future on Friday 20th March 2020. At which point my self-isolation started.

Due to the coronavirus, COVID-19, outbreak and the fact that I have asthma, I am now in a strange sort of quarantine. I'm not the most sociable of people generally but the prospect of not socialising with my new friends from work or church or seeing anyone from my family fills me with a sense of dread.

I'm trying not to focus on that. I'm trying to focus on giving my own children the best home education experience possible. I'm trying to create a range of activities that children from my class can complete, enjoy and learn from. I'm trying also to be the best husband and father that I can be. I'm trying to stay calm.

I've bought the subscription to Disney+. I've set up the Learning Room to become an excellent place for me and my daughters to work and learn. I'm thinking about the things I need to do to stay sane.

These are very strange times indeed. A war on an invisible terror. I'm naming them the Corona Wars and imagine looking back in 40 years time telling my grandchildren about them. "Back in the war..." What will I tell them? Only time will tell...

Bumble Bee

A lot of this resembles what we have seen on screen so far... so I'm reluctant to get excited. BUT - the transformers look almost exactly like their 1980s animated counterparts! Therefore, with only that in mind, I am looking forward to seeing this and beginning the process of wiping the memories of all the Bayhem that came before. Although I will keep the first one. I liked that. Although Shia the Beef was a bit annoying.

I couldn't leave it 3 years...

Indeed, it is nearly three years since my last post! To be fair, family life and my new career have really taken priority over just about anything really.

However, cycling has continued to play a big part in my life as have TV and movies. I don't get to watch much at the cinema, but, thanks to the wonders of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, I'm pretty much up to date.

Currently, I'm working through Stranger Things 2. I love the 80s setting and the sci-fi nature of the show. I can just imagine my younger self in the exact same positions as Dustin, Mike and co. They're a bit older than I was in 1984, but the overall feel of the environment set up by pulp references sends me right back to the decade of my childhood.

I have had the pleasure of watching Deadpool 2, Avengers Infinity War, Solo and Ready Player One in the last month and am a happy chappy. The Disney films did not disappoint and RPO was a complete and utter surprise/joy to watch (and not the other way around).

So, let's see if I can revive this once thriving blog with further chat on movies, TV, tech... AH! Tech... Plenty to think about with Apple's latest offerings. I can't afford to join the show, but I'm more than happy to wax lyrical about what the XS and XS Max mean to the tech world.

TJR