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Wednesday 16 March 2016

BUDGET THAT SUGAR


Ok its eleven o clock. Hub gone for an early night about an hour ago, Teen was really late back from work he was due in at ten to nine came in at half nine. No text to let me know he was late, so I had started to prepare round two of cooking tonight. All set out on the table at nine, was his soup, hot bread, cup of tea, hot dessert of pear cinnamon and peak and nut crumble. Needless to say it all was spoiled so needed reheating by the time he got in. I am exhausted. Just had to let the dogs out, then go into the dining room to take from the table Hub and Teens dinner dishes. I must say it is unlike teen to leave his dishes on the table. But tonight he did as did Hub. So I filled the dishwasher, finding things all over the place. Washing down the worktops with care in case I sweep something off. Wiped the table and started the washer that has been my day as this morning I came to a dish washer full of crockery that was clean I put that away, then found all teen dishes from brunch in the sink. I asked him why he didn’t put them in the dish washer. Answer it was full of clean dishes. So why not empty the dishwasher and refill it? Didn’t have time. So I have just asked him to set his alarm for five minutes earlier as why should I do all the work? After cleaning the house today and doing what I have to online and so on, I then went to the dog run and cleaned that. It took ages as I took buckets and brush with me and let me tell you not just doggy doodles in there but a teen sock…. Little Fella has a passion for them. Teen is going through socks like Elton John. It is reported that he wears a pair of socks once and bins them. Not quite like that here, Teen wears a pair of socks then LF devours them. Yack with a capital Ya.

 

I bought Hub a couple of years ago a lovely garden seat just like the one he loved when we went to America. It wasn’t cheap either. I have asked all autumn and winter to have it put in the garage so not to spoil. I found it today smashed on the ground just like I found it a few weeks ago. I got it up then, today I just left it. I had put lights on the frame last year; I doubt they will work now.

 

I’m so tired and fed up of just doing all the time for others and the thing is, it’s expected. I don’t go out to work. This is my job. A career. Hmm. Well let me tell you it’s unpaid and there is no sign of promotion. Smile.

 

Gosh LF has been hyper today. If he were a child I would swear someone had given him fruit shoots. Those hyper drinks. Talking of which, it’s budget day in the UK today. They are going to tax sugar. As our children are obese and why are they like that? Because most of them are fed process food which have load of sugar and fattening ingredients in also the kids today don’t blooming move. With the exception of some good parents who make sure their children are kept healthy, but most are happy to know their kids are in their bedroom playing on those computer games rather than getting them to play out or join some kind of afterschool activity.

 

I remember when my Teen was a small boy, from the age of just about two; I took him to the local church group where the children played. I made friends with a lovely lady called Tracey who had two children similar age to my baby. She told me about another group and kindly offered to meet with me to show me the way. I was as very afraid as then I didn’t use a white cane. But my little lamb told me when there were steps and once I was in the vicinity I stayed sitting. As I got friendly with the other Mums, they used to inform me if my little one needed rescuing or if he was looking bored. Bored was mainly what he was as Teen has never been a baby. He was born an old soul. Kids would get toys out of boxes, teen would put them back. Telling the children to be tidy. I was the one at home who used to get the toys out to try to get him to play, but he was always so serious bless him and so sensible.

 

There were no Brum brums or toot toots from my little one that was Mummy’s job. Haha. He used to look at me I’m sure as if to say, Mum, really, you are too old for that kind of talk.

 

Then I took him horse riding well, to lessons. I didn’t have old Dobbin down the bottom of my garden. I was told he was a natural. At three he was playing dead man. This is where they get the children to sit on the horse and go under the horses belly keeping a hold of the horse obviously. And not when the horse was moving. Haha. Mind you, having said that good job I didn’t know at the time or I would have been passed myself with worry.

 

Then he went to dance classes, cub’s scouts swimming tennis football. Oh the list goes on. Everything he disliked. Everything I asked him first if he would like to go he said no. But I made him. If I hadn’t I know he would be a totally different young man now.

 

He is very confident can walk into a job with ease and have no nerves. He was the same at school. When we moved here four years ago, he was just fifteen at the awkward age but he walked the route with Hub and it was a good twenty minute walk each way, as we didn’t know the bus route then. And he was then ready to go to school. He came home late only by ten minutes. When he came in. I breathed. He was safe. When you can’t see, you can’t just go looking for your child. OK he was fifteen but in a new area with lots of roads. I asked him where he had been. He answered talking to Matt. Then announced he was going for a game of tennis with his pals. Pals he didn’t even know that morning. Same when he was eight, we moved house new area new school. Again, making friends. No bother. No trouble mixing or nerves going to the school. I was so pleased and proud.

 

He went to Japan with Hub when he was fifteen for his work experience. He said he had the best week of his life. He stood in front of one hundred business men and gave a talk showing slide shows without any effort or trouble. So yeah, I can’t see but my Son has had the best upbringing I could give him with sight or not. I made him do things that were outside of his comfort zone. It was so stressful. So tiring but I did it for him and it paid off. We can all leave our kids in their bedroom playing screen games, it’s easier for us. We can all let them away with saying yes to their drink request. But if we start off how we mean to carry on, then that is the best thing for our children. Putting tax on sugar drinks isn’t going to make our kids slimmer or fitter.

 

Now for the past three years I have had no control over my Son. He says no, he means no and what can I do? So whilst you young parents have the choice, stick to it or life will be worse as your child gets older. Though I have no say now in how my Son is, he still has a good job he pays his way and his manners are impeccable. He can be so loving just around the house he is hippy lazy.

 

The thing with the tax and drinks, it will mean a bottle of pop will be about 18p more. And? Parents will still buy. And the fact is, to avoid those taxes in time the companies will make an alternative to sugar. And what will that be? Some awful manufactured sugar that may cause all kinds of trouble in the future, we just won’t know until it’s too late. Oh, I know it’s just come to me. Shop cakes. Not the nice ones but the less expensive ones they are so sweet I can’t stand them. As it’s not a sugary sweet I can’t explain what I mean but the taste is so false. I don’t buy them anymore. So our drinks will become like that I’m sure and our kids will remain fat. I know last time something was done to suppose to get our kids slimmer was to make chocolate bars smaller and crisp bags. Really, you should see the size they are now? They are a joke. All that happened was people started to eat two of everything. Just what our health conscious Government wanted. As the goods stayed the same price for half the size. So we ended up paying so much more. Call me cynical.

 

 So what is the answer? Get the children to walk to school. Really, I would love a survey done for parents who are sighted and parents who can’t see. I bet the fitter kids are the ones with the blind parents. We can’t get in our cars and take them places. We have to go for a walk to the bus stop or walk the full distance. If our kids are out, we can’t just pick them up, they have to make their own way back via walking or we collect them by bus. They walk to school. And back then they walk to their afterschool activities. That is the answer; get your kids to move.

 

Petrol staying the same I think, I say think, as it’s so difficult to follow. I know beer whisky and cider are staying the same. Wine though is to go up. Disabled benefits are to be cut as we have to find the money for the immigrants from somewhere.

 

So today in the UK has been budget day. Next biggy for us is will we stay in Europe? And for our American cousins, who will be your next President?

 

 Pull up a chair take a taste come joine us life is so endlessly delicious.

 

 

 

 

Ruth Reichl  

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