Trump's dangerous game

Sun broke through the clouds briefly several times after I woke up. I could have done with another hour's sleep. As I started breakfast, a spectacular shower of hailstones started, lit up by sunlight. My Olympus PEN delivered a few interesting shots.  Hailstones captured at a hundredth of a second looked like white rods ten centimetres long.

The WhatsApp Daily Prayer thread announced that Archdeacon Mark Preece has been appointed as an honorary King's Chaplain. In his former role as Rector of the Canton Team Ministry, three parishes of the present Ministry Area were drawn together into a United Benefice by his quiet relaxed diplomacy. There are diplomatic and pastoral elements attached to this new role in public life that call on him to engage with political, military and civil leaders in hospitality as well as in ministry of the Word. A safe pair of hands.

In the news about the Middle East, more about Putin meddling, providing intelligence support to Iran's retaliation on America and Israel. America is meddling with the global oil market in a crowd pleasing effort to mitigate the impact of the price rise. It's now at a hundred dollars a barrel. 'Temporarily' lifting sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to lower market prices will boost Russia's flagging economy and ability to wage war on Ukraine, as if this was of little concern to anyone else. Whose side is Trump on? The UK and EU have reacted with strong criticism. Britain has refused to lift its embargo on Russian oil. 

Trump's gesture aims to boost his flagging popularity and win votes in mid-term elections that could influence the balance of power between the two main parties in a way that would make it much harder for him to push through his policies. Trump's belligerence from the outset and the violence of the attacks on Iran, in the hope of precipitating regime change have yielded instability and chaos, with Iran and it's allies steeling themselves to resist by disrupting in any way they can not only the Gulf states, but the global economy. Having been told they have everything to lose by not surrendering to America's iron will, Iran will make sure the price to be paid will be high in the long term.  Questions are increasingly being asked of Trump and answered vaguely, causing even more dissatisfaction. How and when this war will end has been unclear from the outset. Has Trump lost his grip on the situation?

Ashley called and we chatted about our ailments and medical treatment regimens for nearly an hour and a half. It took my mind off the brain slowing, concentration impairing impact the meds are having on me. I'm not having a good day today and worried about the effect this is having on my everyday activity.

After lunch, I walked in Thompson's Park. I was pleased to see a moorhen had returned to the pond, having been driven away by the pruning of bushes and vegetation around the pond a few weeks ago. Shoots of the grasses and water lilies emerging from the muddy debris are already a foot tall. It won't be long until there's enough leaf cover to provide hiding places where the moorhens can rebuild their nests. A couple of fellow bird watchers said that a heron had put in an appearance at the water's edge just before I arrived. I could hear but not see a green parakeet perched in a weeping willow covered in a fuzz of pale green leaves nearby. 

I noticed yesterday that I only have a week's supply left of the clot busting meds. Rather than placing  a prescription order using the NHS app, which I'm unsure of doing correctly, I popped into the King's Road pharmacy and made the request in person. It seems the drug in question is not common enough for stocks to be held routinely and has to be ordered. My prescription details are held electronically, and I can phone or ask in person for a new supply. It's cutting it a bit fine, but I can pick up a new supply on Wednesday when I attend the Eucharist at St Catherine's

I walked to Llandaff Fields and did a circuit, returning home at sunset. A cold wind was blowing, and I didn't fancy being out with the threat of rain showers as the sun reached the horizon. Owain phoned while we were having supper to let us know he's coming to stay for this weekend's Mothering Sunday. He may be able to help me with some digital troubleshooting. I'm not alone in having trouble with the Government One Login app, on top of the public annoyance with the imposition of digital i/d for employees needing to access public services. What a shambles!

I fancied watching a new episode of 'Astrid - Murder in Paris' after supper, but I was too tired for entertainment and finished the day an hour earlier than usual. It's happened to me several evenings recently. Somehow the effort to cope with the impact of the meds is draining away my spare energy.

 

NHS on my phone

Another dull overcast day with occasional showers and strong gusts of wind. Kath phoned on her way to work, and we had a chat while I was still in bed. She told me of Rhiannon's tech hassles at University. For some reason, she is obliged to do course work on an Apple Mac using Adobe's 'In Design' app, which is used on campus. It's not easy for her to work at home using her new iPad. She has a Mac Book Air. It needed an operating system update to match the software requirement but it's under-powered in any case. Fortunately, Kath has a Mac Mini from her technical work on the 'Dance in the Dark' show. After an operating system update and 'In design' app installation, all Rhiannon needs is a monitor, keyboard and mouse for a home based work station. The cost of hardware to engage fully in course work must make course participation highly expensive and potentially deter talented students. It's outrageous that education is now so expensive that students are indebted for decades after graduation.

I think I benefited from getting to bed last night an hour earlier, even if I woke up earlier. On taking my blood pressure pill, the light headed sensation and drowsiness weren't as pronounced as usual. Maybe that's something to do with sleep quality. 

After breakfast, I installed the NHS app on my phone for the first time. It offered face recognition as an alternative to an email login, but this refused to work for me, although I now use face recognition to open my phone. The app content is comprehensive. I can order repeat prescriptions, but I found this to be a bit complex. Maybe it's my slowed down brain.

Fears rise about the Middle East War spiralling out of control, as the Iranian choke hold on oil traffic through the Straits of Hormuz, results in price inflation and shortages of domestic fuel gas supplies The rambling inconsistency of Trump's interview commentary on the war is a matter of concern as it could trigger reactions from Iran and its allies that would make things worse than they already are. His tactic of keeping his audience guessing about his war plan is confusing and seems aimless. Is he just making it up as he goes along? Or is he failing to grasp the realistic assessments of his military and economic advisors? One thing is certain - high oil prices will benefit the American oil industry.

I spent the morning working on the Wednesday Morning Prayer video for the week after next, then cooked lunch. It was windy and drizzling rain when I went out for a walk late in the afternoon. As the temperature is a bit warmer too, buds on the trees are swelling. It won't be long before they burst into leaf. Some trees are showing both blossom and leaf a couple of weeks early this year.

We had a long conversation with Rachel after supper. She's in the throes of selling up furniture and other goods and chattels in preparation for moving back home and settling in Wales. She faces much uncertainty about her future and is having a tough time making ends meet and disengaging herself. We'll do whatever needs to be done once her exit plan takes shape. Naturally, nuestra casa es su casa.

NHS SMS Mystery

I woke up early after a poor night's sleep, and posted today's Morning Prayer YouTube link to the Parish WhatsApp prayer thread before 'Thought for the Day' started. This is the first day under the new regimen to miss taking a statin at bed time an alternate days. My head was clear and sharp before taking my blood pressure pill. Then I became light headed. My reactions, thought processing and concentration were much slower. I didn't have the usual 'toxic head' sensation, and retained a clear awareness of my condition. Is it simply a result of sleep loss? I felt as if I floated to St Catherine's for the Eucharist. There were eight of us today. I was steady on my feet, not dizzy, but a bit apprehensive about my concentration failing and leading to an accident. 

After coffee and chat I called into the Coop to buy porridge oats. There was a single packet remaining on the shelf, but when I picked it up, the contents leaked from a small hole in the packaging all over the floor. I had to double back and buy a packet in Tesco's before going home.

I had a text message from the Local Health Board notifying me of a digital letter awaiting my attention on the NHS Mail Portal, with a clickable link to the site. It must be something new. I'd never had a message delivered like this before, and wondered if it was genuine, so I didn't open it. After lunch I went to the GP surgery, showed the staff the message and asked if it was genuine. It was quickly apparent that I'd received other medical SMS notifications from the number displayed. I accepted the reassurance given that it was an authentic message and safe to open. I should have double checked, as it's easy for a number displayed to be false. 

I tried unsuccessfully to open the link on a computer when I got home. I don't know why, as I couldn't make sense of the error message. I opened the link on my phone by accident. It led to a genuine web page that delivered a cardiology appointment letter on the day before my next birthday, and placed a copy of the details into my Google Calendar. Clever stuff. It would have been reassuring to be forewarned of an unsolicited SMS using the new delivery format. It arrived faster than snail mail. It was unexpected and attracted security scrutiny because it was unusual. I mentioned this to the surgery staff when showing them the message. You can't  be careless at a time when cyber attacks are increasingly commonplace.

Mark dropped by for tea and a chat. We went out for a circuit of Llandaff Fields as the sun reached the horizon in a cloudy sky. So much more pleasant than when it was overcast yesterday.

Shipping is coming under attack again in the Straights of Hormuz and in the Gulf States, disrupting traffic not only in oil but in other ship borne commodities, sending shock waves through the global economy. Stocks of oil held in reserve are being released to market in an attempt to curb price rises while the Straits are under attack. The UN reports that 950 missile and 2,500 drone attacks have been launched by Iran and its allies so far. Trump's belligerence and his ill-considered war aims and objectives make him increasingly unpopular and a target for criticism. Israel continues to wage war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, in response to missile attacks against Israel. So far, over six hundred killed and a million people displaced. Israel has turned their home territory into a battlefield.

Early to bed tonight in an effort to counter sleep loss 

A medical fast

Waking up again under an overcast sky today after a fairly good night's sleep, although uneasy, conscious of the need to prepare myself when it would be time to get going for my fasting blood test at St David's Hospital, wondering how to manage taking the morning medication I'm meant to take with food to prevent it distressing my stomach. I drank a pint of water with my blood pressure pill and took a banana and black bread with me to consume after the blood test. It worked out fine thankfully. A 61 bus arrived in Romilly Road as I reached the bus stop, so I reached the phlebotomy clinic shortly after nine, and was fourteenth in a blood taking queue which moved quite quickly. I returned on another 61 bus and got home at ten. 

Clare's study group was arriving at the same time, and I was confined to the kitchen to finish breaking my fast. By then the meds were causing their usual brain slowdown. I finished my letter of complaint to HMRC, and printed a couple of pictures of the account information required to confirm my identity and ownership of my tax account while Clare was cooking lunch after the group departed. I took the letter to the Post Office to send recorded delivery, to be on the safe side.

Clare had booked us both appointments for toenail cutting after lunch at Step Podiatry near the Cowbridge Road Co-op. It's only the second time I've ever had this done to me. Although I can still bend down and cut my own toes. I worry about a blood pressure surge making an effort while bending so low and causing a nose bleed courtesy of the clot dispersal meds. The lesions in my nose are healing but they are fragile. The longer I can go, without subjecting them to unnecessary additional pressure, the better. The first session cost me fifty quid. The touch screen card reader threw an error message first go. I think it may be due to a sensitive touch screen not responding to my aged fingers, less able to transmit heat or relay a microscopic electrostatic charge to the screen. Kath told us how Anto's fingers couldn't be detected by an electronic fingerprint reader at an airport immigration control gate. Digitizing everything possible for the sake of speed and efficiency is a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

As sunset drew near, time to take out the recycling bags, it started to rain, turning a routine chore into an annoying damp one. It rained for the rest of the evening, so I paced up and down indoors to complete my daily step goal after supper. Then I spent the rest of the evening preparing the Daily Office text for the feast of the Annunciation and writing a reflection about the mystery.

No statin to take before bed tonight. After today's blood test I switch to month's regimen of alternate days with a blood test at the end to assess the impact on my blood cholesterol level. Having inadvertently done a practice switch a few weeks ago, I'm hoping that the same alleviation of toxic symptoms will occur again. It's been terrible to live with this 'toxic head' for the past  six months unabated.

Locked out

Another inadequate night's sleep. Another overcast day. Kath was up early, not just getting ready to return to Kenilworth, but contacting the HMRC and waiting half an hour to reach the help line to try and sort out my tax account lock-out. She's a skilful negotiator and advocate, and was able to engage with the official in question after being given the run around by the direct messaging 'bot'. We were unable to reinstate the account however, as we were asked for account history details which are locked into my tax account. 

One stumbling block was the date and amount of a tax rebate for which I received a cheque. I had no means of determining the details from HMRC emails received. I found the email of my first on-line tax submission receipt, but no confirmation of exactly when I registered to pay tax on-line. Nothing in my tax file papers. So no account reinstatement. I felt helpless, out of control of my life, and had a prolonged panic attack. I found the relevant cheque stub for the tax refund a couple of hours later among my pension documents. It left me feeling terrible. I needed an hour's walk before lunch to calm myself and went out again at sunset in another effort to clear my befuddled head.

Owain helped me with a draft letter of complaint to HMRC technical support giving them the information needed to sort out the issue, hopefully. I'll post a printed copy of this to their team tomorrow. It will take a while to resolve, and in the meanwhile I will download a copy of the tax declaration form which I fill in,  print and send. There's another month before the submission due date in case the issue isn't fixed.

I had a phone call just before five from Sil the Clinical Pharmacist, to clarify the procedure for monitoring the statin dosage change with a couple of blood tests. Sil is Greek named after St Silouan a Russian hermit saint who lived on Mount Athos in the early 20th century. I told him that I knew Silouan's famous saying was 'Keep thy soul in hell and despair not.' I think he may have been a bit bemused by that in the middle of a medical scientific conversation. I couldn't resist it.

Clare went out to the Canna Capella choir practice after an early supper. While I had the house to myself, I finished recording and editing audio for next week's Morning Prayer video, and uploaded it to YouTube. Iran has announced that the country's new Supreme Leader will be the son of the assassinated Khameni. The Israelis will target him as they did his father. He is also a hard liner admired by the Revolutionary Guard Corps. 

America's destruction of Iran's military capacity continues unabated. So does retaliation on the Emirates and Saudi Arabia, both of which have settled for defensive action rather than escalating conflict. Iran's allies are striking strategically at desalination plants and oil production facilities Attacks on Cyprus, Turkey and Azerbaijan are an effort to widen the conflict and increase regional chaos. This will affect tourism and expat communities, creating uncertainty. ir will destabilise the Gulf States economically, even if American military action succeeds in keeping the Straights of Hormuz safe from random attacks on shipping. Russia is now supplying military intelligence to Iran. Ukraine's experience and expertise in drone warfare is being recruited to defend Gulf States from attacks. Trump's heavy handedness in waging war with no clear strategy for what it can achieve or how it will end, despite his rambling rhetoric, makes everything more chaotic and risks igniting World War Three. Heaven help us. 

What a frightful day it's been. Can't stay awake much longer.

Endangered world

I paid a heavy price for eating a spaghetti bolognaise takeaway supper last night. Four hours sleep lost, not from indigestion, but emptying my bladder. I felt terrible when I got up. Kath helped me to make the on-line payment of my outstanding tax bill, which I had been worrying about while awake in the night. I still have to tackle the problem of logging in to my tax account to make this year's declaration. The whole system is about to change as HMRC is pushing everyone to use a third party accountancy app linked to one's tax account. Part of their 'Make tax digital' campaign. It's going to cost tax payers to use the app and create a lot of problems for small businesses and self employed people. I don't yet know how it will affect pensioners, but I sense trouble ahead.

Clare and Kath went to the St David's Hotel spa after breakfast. I went to church, suffering from such a bad night's sleep. I felt tired and stressed out after the service, skipped the coffee and chat, and returned straight home to recover in bed. As Clare and Kath were still out, having a drink and a snack after their spa session, I thought I should prepare the veg for lunch and lay the table. I got in a muddle about cooking paella for lunch, not realising until they got back that they wanted to have a cooked meal later in the day. I gave up in despair and went back to bed again. I slept for a while, had a snack lunch of mackerel fillets and leftover sweet potato chips from last night's takeaway supper, then went for a walk in Llandaff Fields to clear my head.

Clare made a fish pie for supper. I didn't do much for the rest of the day, feeling drained of energy after last night. We watched the first episode of another series of 'The Capture' after supper, about deep fake video, and the politics of national security, with relentless fast paced sound track reflecting the anxiety of the theme, and a whistle blowing female police whistle blower threatened and endangered by a false evidence conspiracy. I found it contrived, melodramatic, a mix of police action thriller and improbable hi-tec sci-fi. Improbable, but maybe not impossible. 

Meanwhile, in the real world the US and Israel continue to batter Iran, and Iran's allies react in ways that are likely to spread the conflict further. There are protests in America and Europe against the illegality of Trump's declaration of war without clear aims, regardless of consequences. His popularity rating at home has slumped. International leaders are expressing concern about the danger of this developing into World War Three.

More new trees

Overcast and cold again today. I slept well enough, and woke up clear headed and sharp but the combined effect of the meds had their usual ill effect as the morning continued. Clare cooked buckwheat pancakes for breakfast, then I went out and walked in Llandaff Fields for almost an hour to clear my head with no success. I noticed that half a dozen new saplings had been planted along the avenue of chestnut trees since yesterday, identifiable by fresh soil around the base that hadn't yet dried out. Two large old chestnut trees on the avenue have been felled because of storms last autumn. The transition to smaller climate resilient trees continues apace, and will eventually provide more shaded areas to benefit park users.

The Iranian president apologised to neighbouring Gulf States for attacks on them, and says Iran would not attack them unless attacked first. The Shi'a hard line Revolutionary Guard Corps promises to continue to defend itself, determined to go down fighting. Although its frequency of attacks is further reduced, they haven't stopped. Dubai Airport was closed again for a while this morning by a drone attack. The president of Iran is more moderate, implying he is open to negotiating an end to hostilities but may be over-ruled by hard liners among the elite leadership.

Trump is determined to pursue a destructive course with no idea of what the eventual outcome may be, if his variable public utterances are anything to go by.  He demands 'unconditional surrender'. If the regime capitulates, or does collapse and Iran becomes ungovernable, civil war may follow.  Trump seems to think he and his cronies can manage a situation in which America is regarded with hatred not only for its malign influence but also for the deaths of over a thousand people, in addition to the supreme leader and his team. Subjugation of people willing to interpret fighting to the death as a heroic triumph is not a path to peace. 

Military escorts for tankers using the Straights of Hormuz won't necessarily ensure the flow of gas and oil exports will continue. One tanker in transit has been hit by a drone today. Oil production was shut down as storage capacity filled up. The price of oil is rising, and this will have a big impact on the global economy. Putin is in contact with Iranian leaders. Who knows what mischief he is getting up to?  Russia, hit by oil export sanctions depriving its economy of revenue to wage war with, will benefit from oil price rises from the cargoes which get through the blockade.

Kath arrived to spend the weekend with us after lunch. We walked in the park and had a take-away supper from Stefanos. I didn't fancy eating out as it's often noisy with an overlay of Italian muzak combining to make it hard to talk at the table with my concentration impaired by the drugs. The portions were generous, and more enjoyable for sitting in the peace and quiet of home. We spent the rest of the evening chatting until bed time.