Welcome

....to whatever comes next! It's election day in the UK. 

I have never felt less excited about an election in my life. In 2019 the Labour Party had set up an office in a vacant shop and the campaign was buzzing, but this year I voted by post about ten days ago and .. meh. There isn't enough difference between the two main parties now, and yet in our constituency there's no point in voting for a smaller party because we don't have Proportional Representation. 'Nuff said .

Steve got up at 5 because he is in charge of a polling station, and I went back to sleep and overslept, but that was ok because I was only doing a course on Zoom today. That was very good, and when it finished, I ran down to town because the stye on my right eye is now very bad. 

The young pharmacist in Boots said I was requesting an 'obsolete treatment' for styes. I was interested to note that they still stocked it for the dinosaurs. I told him that the heat packs and drops were not working, perhaps making it worse, and that massaging had previously resulted in a black eye, so he agreed to sell me some. The proprietary brand, which he offered me first, was three pounds more than the Boots brand. That's for a 4g tube! Luckily I'd done my homework. 

I had a gelato, because the sun was shining, in the bizarre AstroTurfed area of the revamped Five Valleys shopping centre, which I don't think will ever be finished. The shot above shows the incomplete linkage between two areas. 

Outside Curio Lounge a woman was shouting at several male police officers. She seemed to be agitated and under the influence of something. Later I saw her in the High Street, now attended by four male officers. They seemed to be wiping her down. I had a discussion with the staff in the health food shop about whether a female officer could have been summoned. Maybe there aren't any. It all seemed odd, and I have no solutions. I do hope the woman doesn't turn up on my client list next week, because I've not seen her at her best. Stroud is very small. 

I cooked with aubergines again. I really must try salting them next time before cooking, as the ones I cook end up being too watery and tasteless. 

See you all on the other side of election day!