Despite attending the hospital every month for eye scans and related injections, I've never had an eye test at an optician's. I just use 'off the shelf' reading glasses which, though strong, require me to also use a magnifying glass in tandem with them.
At my last eye clinic session at the hospital, the doctor thought it might be worth trying some prescription glasses, mainly to see if it would improve my distance vision, so I made an appointment with a company called 'Vision Express' and, a couple of days ago, had an eye test. The result showed that any improvement will be minimal but may help a little. So I've ordered spectacles, a pair for distance vision and one for reading. They'll be ready to collect on the 19th of this month. A fair amount of money for what will be only a very slight increase in clarity, but I need to give them a try.
This gradual deterioration of my eyesight does depress me, even though I try not to let it bring me down.
Elle and Elliot came over for dinner on Monday. Emi prepared a lavish Japanese feast but I could only eat a limited number of dishes due to my Diabetes. There's a lot of carbohydrates and sugar in Japanese food. Still, a good time was had by all and we amused ourselves taking the mick out of the two Tory Prime Ministerial candidates.
Today the British ambassador to the US has been forced to resign due to leaked emails that were highly critical of Trump and his administration. The emails were supposed to be secret, a communication between the ambassador and the British Government but someone, probably for political reasons, leaked them to the media.
None of this is the fault of the ambassador, of course, who was simply giving his honest assessment of Trump and his deeply flawed administration. The comments about Trump were extremely damning and, as was expected of such a thin skinned and insecure man, Trump reacted with venom and spite and has made the ambassador's position untenable, hence his resignation.
Trump would dearly like two things at the moment: Boris Johnson as PM and Nigel Farage as British ambassador. Unbelievable! Both would be an utter disaster and only bolster Trump's ego rather than achieve anything decent for the ordinary people of the UK. But in these insane and politically inane times, anything could happen and probably will.
Where will it all end?
On a more positive note, I've completed the recording of the 'Old Haunts' album. Now there are 16 tracks to try and squeeze on the CD. I've still to sort out the actual running order but will attempt to make a start on that later today. Here is a list of the track titles but it's not the running order:
'RANDOM ENCOUNTERS'
'THE DARKNESS WILL REMAIN.'
'BELLS RING SWEET ACROSS THE MEADOW.'
'THERE ARE GHOSTS HERE.'
'ANTIQUE INTERIORS.'
'ONCE UPON A RIVER.'
'HARD TO IMAGINE.'
'RAIN TOWN.'
'THE PHANTOM PALACE OF THE PRINCE OF DREAMS.'
'IN A HAUNTED ARCADE.'
'SOFT LIGHT.'
'THIS GILDED AGE.'
'LOST IN THE COSMOS AGAIN.
'THE NEW EROTIC GUEST.'
'THE STARS BEGAN TO GLOW.'
'WHEN ART SCHOOLS SHAPED TOMORROW.'
My Mac Mini computer is now over at my friend Paul Gilby's house where he has been attempting to download the Cubase recording software into it for me. Paul's internet connection is more reliable and faster than mine and he suggested it might be safer to download the software at his place. However, it's proving problematic and it hasn't yet worked out as it should. Paul will be contacting the software's manufacturers to try and solve the problem which has arisen. Why is it that computer stuff is never straightforward?
Have been listening to as many recent Morrissey interviews I can find on the YouTube — interviews conducted by UK people — and one of the things he said that’d stood out for me was that ‘whatever the opposite of a racist is, that’s me.’ Not an exact quote. When he was interviewed a couple of years ago in the US by Larry King, he was urging us to vote for Hillary Clinton, moderate left, in order for us to achieve something new. For the British, more currently, he’s urging people vote the For Britain party and says Anne Marie Waters is the best hope for something descent. The common denominator of course is not the politics but rather the fact…
Morrissey's far right leanings have been viewed with ridicule for many years in the UK, as the sands of his limited talent run thin, so his attempt to appear relevant are pathetic to observe. A sad individual. It also seems the net on Trump is tightening. Let's hope he isn't allowed to weasel his way out this time. The emperors new clothes are looking decidedly shabby. Kudos Bill, for speaking your mind on all things, regardless of the occasional self righteous indignation of some of your fan base.
Love the artwork. Love the song titles. The spectacles sound promising. 👌🏼✨ The ambassador’s resignation has taken up some of the US news but it’s been slightly overshadowed by Jeffrey Epstein arrest, speculation about Epstein’s big-name friends, like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, sex trafficking of too-young girls and all the spikes of that particular wheel. It doesn’t seem to some of us over here, including me, that Boris Johnson is much of a Trump fan, despite some similarities. Nigel Farage, I’ve noticed, has sometimes appeared at MAGA rallies or at least he used to but it doesn’t seem to me that attendees know who he is (and/or maybe even know what England is?). YouTube sent me an interview with Johnny Marr, guitarist best…