The Weekly Dormouse. (aka Bike, est. 2007) Part 3353 by Angharad Copyright© 2022 Angharad

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This is a work of fiction any mention of real people, places or institutions is purely coincidental and does not imply that they are as suggested in the story.
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I was saddened to hear of the death of the Queen who had reigned over us for over 70 years, some job I wonder what the pension is like? Forget it, the jobs they have to do, meet and greet the world's loathsome leaders, at least Covid had stopped them shaking hands. People on the Radio 4 news had met her and said she was something special and they'd felt they had her complete attention, even if probably she was bored stiff, she was polite. Rest in peace Lilibet, your sense of duty was remarkable. It screwed up all your kids but then living in a goldfish bowl can't be easy.

I listened to experts and people who actually knew her or Charles who now becomes Charles the third, we haven't had a King Charles for three hundred years, so things will feel a bit different for a while. We also have a new Prime Minister, so with energy prices rising faster than a Saturn 5 rocket, things will be different. My contempt for that silly little man in the Kremlin grew in the same proportions to my energy bills and although we shall be able to afford them, it is all down to the megalomania of one rather annoying little turd, a pox on all his houses.

Everything was quiet at the university, anything not absolutely necessary was shut down and the flags were at half-mast as we entered however many days of official mourning. I felt a little sad mainly because it was the end of an era and we always miss those, partly because we don't know what's coming. At the moment everything is so uncertain, climate change and weird weather, the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine and more revelations out of America. I looked at the Guardian online and after reading about the court case between Mermaids and another LGB charity, which it claims are trying to prove that gender has nothing to do with sexuality and they accused it of trying to separate transgender people from other sexual minorities to weaken the support they get. I read of a mother's dilemma that by supporting her transgender daughter who has just transitioned, she could lose custody of said daughter as Republican states become a hostile places for transgender children. Apparently, the governor of Texas has created a witch-hunt by having investigators check out families with transgender children with a view to removing them. Before long, these same people will probably make it illegal for trans people to breathe.

I read an article which showed that one of the judges that passed the anti-abortion legislation has a wife who is very much involved with right-wing Christian groups, particularly those looking to damage individual human rights. I also saw that Iran had sentenced two women to death for being lesbian activists and Ayatollah Khomeini described homosexuality as being a crime against the earth. I would think his nastiness was more inclined to beat that category.

It seems we live in world which is run by arseholes, Russia, Republican America, Brazil and the Middle East including Iran, is run by lunatics with dangerous delusions and they hate people who are different because they show there is another way to live. They (the megalomaniacs) are frightened of anyone different so they find the most helpless minority and kick them, especially if they are down while telling lies and crying crocodile tears and selling fear to those who are gullible.

Apparently, the judge named in the above article was now set on undoing same-sex marriages, which he is quite happy to pursue unable to see that marriage should be between to people who love each other and not for any other reason. What sort of Christianity they follow isn't one the founder would recognise as it seems to have hatred as its main component, close followed b by fear, fear that people will see through them perhaps?

Diane brought me a cuppa, "Sad about the Queen," she said plonking down the mug.

"Yeah, the day after she met Liz Truss," I answered.

"That mean she's toxic to old ladies?" she joked.

"I think if we have a cold winter lots of old ladies could die."

"But it's hardly her fault, is it?"

"True, I wonder if we could charge Putin with their murder."

"I gather you don't like him?"

"I have never hated anyone before but I am beginning to make an exception for him. He's a total monster."

"Shall we make that unanimous?" she asked and I nodded.

The rest of the day dragged as much as the first part, everyone seemed to be sad. Daddy came by before lunch and told me we were going for lunch. I accepted his offer because the refectory was probably going to be like a wake.

The restaurant was displaying a photo of Her Majesty and it was a little subdued but generally, it seemed just quieter as people spoke with retrained voices. "I met her, ye ken."

"I didn't know that," I replied.

"Aye, twice."

"Twice. How come?" I asked.

"Aboot thirty years ago she opened the new laboratory block and aboot twenty years ago I was invited to a garden party. The sun actually shone all day."

"I met the now Prince of Wales at my garden party, he was very nice, but I think your two meetings with HM trump that."

"Aye, she wis very nice on both occasions," he looked quite wistful as he remembered his encounters.

"Are you okay?"

"Aye," he said as our lunches were brought. These days we just have to say, 'The usual,' and they even bring our usual drinks, my cranberry juice and Daddy's Guinness.

We ate them without feeling the usual enjoyment, eating out of need more than pleasure. I was quite glad to be back at my office and the irritating Diane, who had stuck a picture of the recently deceased monarch to the office notice board alongside which was a picture of a relatively youthful queen opening the laboratory block in 1989. "Where did you find that?" I asked.

"In an old file," she replied.

"I came across it a month ago when we were, well, I was sorting stuff. I remembered it when I saw the pictures in the refectory."

"It's quite a good photo of her," I observed.

"That's what I thought, tea?"

"Is the Pope a catholic?" was my response and I resumed trying to finish the report I was supposed to be writing for the bank on further methods we could employ to save energy. It included reducing heating and supplying thermal underwear. By law, we had to provide a background heat of 60 degrees F and it also was necessary for hands to be warm enough to function. I included an option for people to move around every hour to stimulate circulation or hot drinks in offices, I also suggested we check every branch had a microwave to provide hot food for lunches. It was all basic stuff and I made reference to experiments that showed the temperatures were so or the laws stated statutory definitions of minimal temperatures. For the first year, we wouldn't save that much as the thermal underwear would cost a packet as would any microwaves or new kettles. However, I suggested people working in their coats were unlikely to produce the corporate image we would like to present.

I had Diane proof it and we sent a draft to Henry and to Simon, they both approved of it but hoped we wouldn't need to reduce heating that much. At home, I had a meeting with the children and said we would be reducing the house temperature and turning on the heating only when it becomes necessary. They all complained, I told them to sit about in the kitchen which would always be warmer due to the Aga and David cooking for us. I also said that I would buy them extra thermals if they felt it was necessary.

Trish was gleeful saying that she could wear trousers to uni until Meems reminded her that she complained of wearing trousers before and couldn't wait to wear skirts. It wasn't quite true because she'd presented as Trish when Meems first met her and when she came to me she was in a skirt but it did shut her up for a moment. Then Trish looked at me and asked if I was going to wear trousers instead of skirts to work. I hadn't really thought about it and I had some longish skirts where I could almost wear trousers underneath them, but I decided that I would probably wear thicker tights when I had to wear skirts and warmer undies. "I'm gonna wear those too and thicker tights under my trousers."

"Trish, we live on the south coast and you're not exactly volunteering for the Antarctic Survey are you?"

"No, but I feel the cold," she said and I believed her because I did too, despite the layers of subcutaneous fat the hormones had created. It was one of the changes I had noticed when I transitioned and like Trish I had initially eschewed trousers, when the cold wind blew up my knickers, I soon reverted to trousers again although a longish skirt of heavy material, thick tights and a couple of petticoats was almost as warm it was twice as cumbersome, especially going to the loo, but I decided that evening to have check of my wardrobe and especially my woollies. I just wondered if I'd be able to function wearing so many layers as like others, I'd got used to central heating everywhere and most of it gas-fired.

Daddy had brought up the suggestion that a heat exchanger of the sort they make for large gardens, which we have, would be a good idea. As they cost so many thousand to install we decided against it, but then a madman hadn't invaded Ukraine in those days and the chance of getting hold of one and the workmen to fit it was unlikely, but certainly something I'd keep in mind. I was not looking forward to winter although temperatures were in the twenties at present but they were dropping slightly and we had had some rain, often thundery and thus not particularly helpful to the water supplies. Climate change and Putin were not helping anyone.