Father's Day.

Wake to the alarm at seven and open the bedroom window onto a fine morning, it's sunny, but with a fair bit of cloud. Make a full English breakfast with tea and take it into the garden room, where I eat whilst listening to the news. Shower, dress and drive to Saint John's for nine o'clock mass and arrive by quarter to. After communion, drive to Molescroft and collect Leslie for coffee, when I ask him where he would like to go? He replies, "anywhere except the Beverley Arms", It really was that bad last week. Despite the Folk Festival, we decide to risk Caffee Nero, in Saturday Market, and our faith is rewarded as there is ample parking. We discuss a number of things including Neil Ferguson's upcoming Reith Lectures on radio 4, Ferguson's thesis is that the West is in decline because democratic governments appease their electorates by providing benefits that cannot be afforded and thus pass on unsustainable debts to the next generation. A corollary to this is that irresponsible borrowers are the cause of the problem, as much as irresponsible lenders. Leslie buys this, I don't. The Marxist analysis highlights the fact that western governments have been subsidising the owners of capital by using government spending to support workers who are paid below the level necessary to support their families and when even these jobs have been exported to even lower wage economies in the east, the resulting mass unemployed have been placated by welfare. Otherwise the whole system would have erupted in violence years ago. The debts are owned by the whole population, the profits only by the capital owning elite. Leslie and I are never going to agree on this, but nonetheless, we remain friends. After taking him home, I fill the car at Morrisons, and drive back to Tickton. Andrew texts to say he has my Father's day card and a gift and enquiries what I'm doing. I reply and tell him that I'm going with Sarah to the coast and invite him along. Unfortunately he can't make it, so will see me later in the week, perhaps. Sarah arrives, ten minutes late as usual, you could set your watch by it, and tells me she has to go to Asda in Hull as she needs postal orders to send off with her registration as a certified podiatrist, and that's the only post office open on a Sunday. I take Louis to East Park in Hull and Sarah meets up with us after doing her errand. The weather is quite decent, occasional hot bursts of sunshine amidst generally mild and cloudy weather. Louis plays in the paddling pool for an hour and then we dry him and he plays in the recreation area with the other kids for a while. We just manage to visit the small zoo before closing time, and then finish the afternoon in the park cafe. I chat to Sarah whilst he plays, and she tells me that she has to go to University tomorrow and Tuesday, so I'm chauffeuring this week again. The Lake District will have to wait. We part company at five and on my way home I decide to call at the pub at Hull Bridge. I order a pint of Jennings Lake District bitter and a bag of salted peanuts, it's the closest I will get to Cumbria this week! The beer is rather good so have a second before heading home for a tea of roast beef sandwiches. Later I finish my LeCarre novel and then have an early night.