Thankfully I had a long night's sleep despite being awake for two hours. At least I didn't cough much, but when I did cough, my rib cage hurt as if I had been crushed by a wrestler. I cooked Saturday pancakes, and then spent the rest of the morning recovering from the effort in the armchair.
I watched the last episode of Virdee and looked at the reviews. It's been well received even if it's difficult to watch on times, due to the violence and cruelty portrayed in a complex story of a drug war in Bradford. Alongside this, a moving tale of two Asian families united through an inter-religious marriage, but held apart by the intransigence of an elder who refuses to come to terms with the way his inner world has changed, although he has adapted himself to western ways in other respects. The way in which he's led to a change of heart by the women in the family doesn't happen until the final minutes.
There are several crimmies with corrupt or borderline corrupt cops whose success solving serious crimes and covering their tracks keeps them on the right side of the law. In this story a cop and a drug baron are brothers in law sharing a guilty secret. The cop knows what his brother in law does but won't act against him because of the secret. The drug baron is opposed to those who exploit children in County Lines gangs and wants to take them over and clean up the drugs trade. There's a third party in the mix as well, a former drug baron serving a long sentence in a Pakistani gaol. He escapes and returns seeking vengeance, leaving a trail of murder and kidnap, until he can confront and destroy the cop who brought him to justice. A very sinister character, but this part of the story is to my mind improbable.
In the real world, the sixth exchange of hostages and prisoners has happened in Gaza and Israel without incident, under the cease fire negotiated by middle eastern mediators. A proposed plan for a second round of exchanges leading to a truce is in limbo at the moment as no negotiations have been started, at least officially. Netanyahu's government is under pressure to get all the hostages home and do a lasting peace deal, but there's still strong opposition to this from the extremist factions keeping him in power. If he is forced out, criminal prosecutions for corruption await him at home, and internationally for war crimes in Gaza. Since Trump started meddling, proposing an American takeover of Gaza, dispossessing Palestinians from their ancestral homeland, he has made no more outrageous interventions. He's done enough, however to endorse the wildest dreams of Israeli extremists, and it won't lead to stability or peace.
For the moment, he seems to be making himself busy purging American public institutions of liberal thinking office holders. This is how a dictatorship develops and crushes democracy. Will this turn out to be good for business in the long run? It's how success will be determined in his eyes. We're living through disturbing times, as dramatic in their own way as any crime thriller. A re-run of 1930's Germany.
Clare is battling with the same virus, so I cooked lunch for us. Lentils with stewed veg and millet. Nice and easy. Then I needed a couple of hours rest before going out and walking for an hour and a half, as much as I felt I could do without pushing myself too hard. My head is starting to clear now, thankfully.
After supper, I watched another episode of 'Astrid - Murders in Paris' before bed.
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