Barack Obama revisited

Later yesterday, my friend from upstairs phoned to see if I still wanted to go to Church tomorrow if the rain were still as bad; apparently 2 other good friends are calling off – they don’t mind getting wet on the way home, but getting thoroughly wet on the way there is a bridge too far.

J and I sat and had a drink of Fever-tree tonic with gin. It is seriously good. I explained that I didn’t think that tomorrow was a good day to start this experiment as my back is still giving me a lot of trouble.

…and indeed it is still giving me trouble. I moved from the view that I should ring NHS24 for advice or if I should get a taxi to A&E. Then I realised that I would be greeted less than warmly when I disclosed that the accident (a fall) took place on 29December.

As the day wore on, I found that, if I were careful about how I moved, then I could keep the pain at a manageable level.

So, today I got two loads of washing done, my changed bed linen and my white underwear wash. My friend J. came and helped me fold the sheets, which is something I would have had difficulty doing myself.

This afternoon I have finished reading “The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

His first book, “Dreams from my Father” was largely autobiographical, but this one has moved on.

It is a political novel where he effectively nails his colours to the mast (or sets out his stall) depending on which metaphor you prefer.

Effectively this book looks at all the issues that he sees America facing and offers his views of some of the ways forward.

It is not an easy read, but all the more worthwhile for that.

We always reckoned that George W Bush was using Blair as a glove puppet, but I do not think that Obama would operate in that way.

A “must read”.

Barack Obama, "Dreams from my Father"

I bought both books that the President-elect of the USA has written as I considered that it was important to find out about this man who is about to become the Leader of the Western world.

I have now finished "Dreams from my Father", his first book, first published (in hardback, in the USA) in 1995. It is mostly autobiographical, starting in Hawaii where he was born, then his life with his grandparents in Hawaii before moving to Indonesia to be with his mother who had remarried. He then came back to Hawaii before striking out on his own in the USA.

He worked hard with the poor blacks in "sink estates" in Chicago before being offered a place at Harvard to study Law.

Before starting his time at Harvard he went to Kenya to find out more about his family there, after meeeting a sister in the USA and who travelled back with him to help introduce him to a large family. By this time his father had died, (and the story of his father almost deserves another book), but there were many people of several generations to meet.

The writing is beautiful and the book would deserve to be read whatever his position in life.

The Second Sunday in Advent

Fortunately the weather was a bit driech but not slippery, so I managed to make it to Church . Today we had "two for the price of one" as my neighbour said as the choir, the elders an the ministers processed in. As well as our usual minister we also had the associate minister who has just returned from a visit to Israel and a meeting with the Bishop there - the latter has a very large parish, covering several countries - Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. I can't remember if there are any more.

The service today focused on John the Baptist who baptised people in the name of repentance and who foretold the future arrival of Christ.

Back to the ranch and finished the spinach soup for lunch, then prepared my evening meal - potatoes and carrots peeled and chopped and brussels sprouts trimmed and a cross cut into their base.

I have cancelled my order for the Sunday Times as there is so much that I put straight into the paper bin.

Now I am going back to read my book- Dreams from my Father by Barack Obama

The Presidential Election

I have tried not to comment on the election before the results were in as I have no right to a vote, but now I feel I can.

This morning I see that the results for the American Presidential election are in and that Barack Obama has been elected with an astounding majority.

I think that this is an excellent result as it has shown that the USA has managed to throw off its prejudice against black people sufficient to cast their vote for a good man.

Many overseas will be glad that another warmongering man has not been elected President, and also that Sarah Palin (who has shown that it is not only blondes who can be dumb) has not been elected Vice President and thus a heartbeat away from being a President whose idea of foreign policy is to say that she can just about see Russia from her front porch.