Surprise move

The bright Spring weather didn't last long. It's cloudy today, with a cold strong breeze blowing. I didn't sleep so well. I woke up in the night with pins and needles in my arm as I've been clutching the duvet so tightly around my upper body to exclude cold air. My head seems clearer when I wake up, and the meds aren't having as noticeable an impact on me.

Clare went out shopping, and took my jacket to the cleaners, and I cooked lunch when she returned from shopping. I slept for an hour and a half in my armchair after we'd eaten. Jorja came to clean the house so I went out and walked for an hour wearing my tweed jacket. It insulates me from wind chill better than the one that's in the cleaners. After supper I went out  and walked again, though not for long. As the sun was setting, the temperature dropped with the wind chilling the air down to four degrees centigrade, making me shiver.

Israel's escalation of its assault on Hezbollah has been devastating for Lebanon. More than 200 people were killed in Beirut yesterday, 1,700 since Israel's current offensive began. Iran reckons this aggression violates the cease-fire. The continuation of hostilities by Israel is meeting with widespread condemnation. Netanyhu says Israel will hold direct talks with the Lebanese government, with the aim of disarming Hezbollah, something the Lebanese President already said needs to happen. The Lebanese army hasn't been strong enough to contain or control Iranian backed Hezbollah as a military and political presence in the country, but will this surprise initiative open a path to peace? Israel aims to eliminate Hezbollah's exploitation of Lebanon as a power base. This campaign has been costly and damaging to Lebanese civilians and has prompted more attacks by Iran on Israel. 

Key to de-escalating the conflict is re-opening strategic world trade routes for oil tankers and container ships, through the Straight of Hormuz and Bab al Mandab. Britain and the EU are taking the diplomatic initiative in  negotiations, but no progress yet. Trump's use of coercion and force has only made things worse. It'll be interesting to see how Trump's Republican party fares in forthcoming mid-term elections.

I watched the second part of an episode of 'Arctic Circle' about a religious sect, and was not impressed  A shockingly violent melodramatic tale of horror with an improbable narrative, reminiscent of a Grimm Fairy Tale with wooden actors seemingly indifferent to the violence they witness. It's possible they didn't think much of the story they were supposed to tell.