The world feels chaotic and unpredictable. Just this week Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham have taken Alleppo and Assad has fled to Moscow; South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, before having to backtrack in the face of parliamentary opposition and mass protests; and United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot dead on the street in Manhattan. The images coming out of Palestine and Lebanon are relentlessly horrifying. I read an article which asserted that indeed the world is getting more violent. One in 6 people live in an area of active conflict. This is not what I expected as I grew up, with the promise of increasing democratisation and peace.
A child of the 80s, I have a certain amount of nostalgia for this decade of Punk, Madonna and E.T. At the time I was too young to understand the huge social and political upheaval of Thatcher, strikes, riots, section 28, the fall of the Soviet Union and AIDS, so it was really interesting to examine this period anew at The Tate Britain exhibition The 80s: Photographing Britain. There are some gems in the exhibition, almost all in the first two rooms, covering protests and pickets at Orgreave and Greenham common, marches against Section 28, and stark social divides of DHSS waiting rooms (Paul Graham), garden parties and gallery openings (Martin Parr). But this is not a comple picture of the 80s, so do visit, but know that your lust for punk, hairspray, acid house and yuppies will not be satisfied.
Our Christmas Tree arrived. This year we have a Fir. It’s a pleasing shape and apparently smells nice, but since I have a blocked nose fighting off a succession of Respiratory viruses I wouldn’t know. There is a lot of rhinovirus, Flu and RSV around and I’m exposed to it a lot. At least I can appreciate the twinkling lights on the tree which make the house instantly cosy.
I gave a webinar Eat Well, Breathe Well, highlighting the benefits of a plant based diet for lung health, and also making the link between animal agriculture and respiratory disease, via air pollution, pandemic risk and antimicrobial resistance. There are so many reasons to leave animals off your plate.
It was a stressful week at work, with conflict and emotionally intense cases. I struggled not to take it home and only really managed to shake it off after spending some time at the weaving studio. I finished another Christmas gift which is good as there are not many weekends to go.
P___ and I had a birthday party. I feel very lucky to be surrounded by lovely friends. I also love the intense social interaction of a party, P___ less so, but I think we both had a good time. Some incredible people made some generous donations to Osama and his family in Khan Younis.
I did not finish upholstering my chairs before the Chrismas break so they will have to wait until 2025 for their finishing touches.
It is dark when I arrive at work and when I leave, my least favourite part of the year. I am making an effort to get out and see what there is of the sun.
drlj 