A few weeks ago, H.I. spotted two youths up on the roof of the city art gallery, their legs dangling over the parapet as they threw things down onto the pedestrians below. I dialled 999 and told the police what was going on. A police van cruised up and went round the corner to where I guess they had climbed up via a scaffold. I heard no more about it.
Last night, H.I. spotted smoke coming from the roof just above the main entrance, so I dialled 999 again, this time asking for fire. Within two minutes, the street was blocked with four engines and dozens of firefighters, two of whom were elevated up to the dome on a gigantic turntable ladder. I went out and owned up to one of them that it was me who called, and no, it was not steam from central heating but definitely smoke. It turned out to be emanating from the flue of a kebab joint, blown across by an unusual wind and backlit by the lights from the rugby ground. Oh well, it gave them something to do and us something to watch, but if I dial 999 again in the near future, they might not turn up to catch the wolf.
I expect the emergency services are getting a lot more calls right now, with bored, nervous, stir-crazy people staring wistfully out of windows, waiting for something to happen. Incidences of domestic abuse have risen by 70% since this time last year. Spring is going to be so welcome.
I expect divorce and birth rates will both go up. People will have more time for sex and find that doing it more often is more likely to result in pregnancy. IVF treatment requests conversely will go down.
ReplyDeleteTakeaways, people drinking coffee on the street and online shopping will continue to thrive. Everything will have shifted slightly forever I think.
DeleteI have been curious to see that First Bus have virtually doubled their services, with double-deckers everywhere carrying one or two people. They have been axing routes which serve one or two elderly people out of town because there is not enough money in it for them. Then I realised they are getting government subsidies, so have all their busses out at once. Things will go back to normal when it all blows over.
DeleteThe subsidies are also being paid to the railways but it is difficult to see what is going on and whether it is because of trade union pressure. I am not sure. I hope that one outcome of the pandemic will be a return to a nationalised railway and an end to the franchises. Things in general will return to a normal, some completely new and some a new version of the old, of what is left of the old.
DeleteYes - to hell with the franchises, and to hell with Boris's vanity projects.
DeleteI can't imagine all those people who have been clogging up supermarket deliveries will suddenly get a taste to going round the shop aain - I fully expect on line shopping will continue.
ReplyDeleteI think so. The high street is in trouble now.
DeleteGood job calling that smoke in, the potential for possible fire is nothing to shrug about.
ReplyDeleteI thought it best to stay safe. There are millions of pounds worth of artworks in there.
DeleteI should think well-meant false alarms come as something of a relief to those involved. Better than struggling round an art gallery in breathing gear.
ReplyDeleteI don't think they minded too much. It makes a change from cutting bodies from motorway car smashes.
DeletePeople’s fuses are short
ReplyDeleteI have noticed men in fast cars driving like maniacs during both lockdowns.
DeleteSo much. Here, people threw themselves at actual shops for the sheer relief of being able to shop in person. But that was after two months. Who knows what will happen after so long?
ReplyDeleteAlso it occurred to me that "youth" is like a euphemism for "little gobshite" as kids only ever seem to be youths when they are being, well, little gobshites!
If you look closely at the photo above, you will see that one of the youths has a Covid face mask round his neck, ready for use. Maybe he was going to rob a corner shop?
DeleteWatching the neighborhood--a break from the TV? Nothing of interest here, not even the snow.
ReplyDeleteIn England, nosy people in the neighbourhood are called 'curtain twitchers'.
DeleteSafety first. Better to call 999.
ReplyDelete