Oh it’s all gloom and doom for everyone right now, what with petrol price hikes, energy bills going up and dreadfully depressing accounts from Ukraine on our news every day.
After the past two years of the pandemic, we were all looking forward to getting our lives back but now this.
And Covid, of course, hasn’t gone away, so we can’t even think about what will happen if it gets worse again.
We need some good news.
It’s the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year. Maybe a summer of street parties and bunting is going to cheer us up.
Right now I feel dreadfully sorry for people who are struggling to pay their bills and most especially those with children who won’t understand if they have to miss out on things.
It’s just so tough that at a time when so many of us have been harder up because of Covid over the past couple of years, or have even lost jobs, that these increases in all our bills have come at the same time.
Apparently it costs around 12p to boil the kettle, but of course if you only boil enough for one cup at a time you will save yourself money.
The ridiculous thing is that if we go out for a cup of tea or coffee and pay £3 or over, that’s a lot of 12 pences!
When you think of it that way, you can make as many as you like at home!
Having a shower is more like 50p, but while you might have six cups of tea you will only be having one shower. Of course a large family will be spending a couple of pounds every day just on showers.
Petrol is a huge expense right now as well, so everything seems to have hit us at once.
The fashion for huge cars and people carriers might change when folk realise how many more miles they will get to the gallon in a small car.
Those people who have recently changed to electric cars will be feeling that they have timed that just right.
Electricity may be more expensive right now but filling your car up with petrol is going to be a lot dearer than an electric charge.
So what can we all do to help people who are struggling?
Donating to food banks is a wonderful way to help because so many more people are using them right now.
If you look up the website of your local branch you will see what they are in need of. In Bedford they urgently need hot dogs, tinned spaghetti, fruit juice, cup-a-soup, teabags, tinned meat and fruit, washing-up liquid and antibacterial spray
If we can afford to add the odd £5 to our shopping bill to get those things, every little helps as they say, and getting out actually doing something makes us all feel a bit better.
This week I’ve been very sad.
A wonderful friend of our family suddenly passed away.
John Catto was the local farmer’s son in the village of Methlick where I grew up.
Our house faced the Cattos’ fields and John used to drive his little red sports car across the fields to check on his animals.
As a young girl I used to stare out of the window at this. I don’t know if I was more impressed with John or the car but it’s most definitely one of my earliest memories.
Later when John married his beautiful wife Sandra and moved in next door to us, I used to be their regular baby sitter and we laughed as we remembered the red sports car and how impressed I was.
John and Sandra had four daughters. Gillian, Gemma, Sarah and Jane.
John and Sandra eventually took over the farm at Auchencrieve in Methlick from John’s parents and have lived there ever since.
Many of you reading this will have known John and what a character he was.
Always smiling and laughing, incredibly proud of his four girls and his grandchildren and just one of life’s good guys.
The village of Methlick will not be the same without him.
I feel very lucky to have known him.
Sending much love to Sandra and the girls.
Have a good week everyone,
Yvie x