Socialising

in the distance. Another walk along the beach this evening on the way to the Indian restaurant, which opened just today. First time for ages we've been out after dark.

A few days ago our neighbours B and C told us we could come and use their pool any time. I wouldn't have watched the Cummings car crash interview anyway, but we had a great excuse not to, as for the first time since lockdown we were enjoying a blissful swim in their warm (28C!) pool. C made us tea and we had a socially distanced cuppa which ended up going on for nearly two hours as we chatted about Covid, politics American and British, food, wine, and various other topics, with plenty of humour, especially from B who always has a fund of stories.

Back home I glanced at Twitter and wondered why Cummings had to drive 30 miles to see an optician; surely there must have been one nearer, supposing it was even essential travel in the first place. Then I read on, or back, and discovered exactly how he'd done this "eye test", and, well ... words fail me. I thought this guy was supposed to be brilliant. In 48 hours he couldn't come up with a better story than that? Either he thinks we are all idiots or, more likely, he knows he won't be believed and doesn't actually care because he is invulnerable.

Also puzzling: he has this reputation of being a Rasputin figure that cabinet ministers are terrified of ... terrified enough to line up and fire off identical messages of support. Yet he looked like a schoolboy being told off by the headmaster for not doing his homework. All most odd, and making the UK government look like even more of a laughing stock than it was already. Commiserations to you all.