Poking the swivel-eyes

Editing at eightish, which took a couple of hours as there was a something wrong with my channel on part of the recording, then sent it back to Robin and wrote the episode show notes. Then off to the Polling Station round the corner to vote. The only local political type lurking by the door wondering if you'd voted was from the Lib Dems. We voted tactically for the Lib Dems as they were much more likely to beat the incumbent Tory.  

Home to write the blurb for the poddy, then made off to Brighton by bus, as there had been some kind of points failure between here and Lewes. Lovely journey, very windy and very sunny, with just a few little clouds and the sea white capped and greenish.  

Went into the jewellers to return Lorraine's ring from which a stone had fallen out, they were very nice about it and will replace the missing stone. Then down to see Stacy to sort out my hair. Brighton lively, and the Pavilion gardens packed out, and parties of foreign school kids filing up North Street.

Back on the 12, and got off and looked from the bus stop down Edinburgh Road to the sea, and it called to me, and I went for a blustery bright walk by the rough sea and felt ambushed by one of those moments of sheer happiness, feeling completely carefree with my only need was to keep on walking. I walked to Splash Point and up a bit of Seaford Head, near the edge were the wind was so strong, it made it hard to stand up properly, and made breathing weird too. 

Lorriane, who had been at Beth's in the afternoon. When I got home, we pottered about a bit. She cooked a beautiful fish and lentil dish that tasted marvellous. 

Then we prepared ourselves to watch the results coming in from the General Election. The exit poll showed a huge majority for Labour. We stayed up for a few hours, and sipped a few drinks in celebration of the end of the despicable Tory government. It should be a time for straightforward rejoicing, but the far right is stirring, with lots of votes for the fascistic Nigel Farrage and his Reform party, and there was a low turnout of the electorate. 

The Tories are in disarray and have an existential crisis ahead of them. All the decent centrist Tories have been under the thrall of swivel-eyed right wing nut jobs. They will either swing further to the right, or consolidate. It's going to be brutal.

I hope Labour can steady the ship of state, and not be swept away by events and a surge to the far right that is gripping France -- they have the next round of their election on Sunday.

Labour has a massive parliamentary majority so they will be hard to budge for the next five years I hope they are lucky as well as competent. 

Below, outside our local polling booth, pre-haircut. The local Tory lost her seat by a mile.