It is Sunday morning and quite a chilly one. It is getting warmer though, at 8 C. I might go out this afternoon and I’ll take my camera. Winter photography isn’t quite as enjoyable as in the summer but I get some interesting pictures.
Finance
The Bank of England’s MPC increased interest rates to 3% on Thursday making the cost of living crisis even worse. They need to do that because of the very loose policy during the pandemic. They printed too much money and wasted much of it on schemes like “eat out to help out”. Is there no alternative? It would have been sensible to have the Autumn Statement and some tax rises before the MPC meeting. An increase in VAT to 22% so it is in one with Europe would be sensible. A small increase in tax on petrol and diesel with a small increase in tax on high alcohol drinks might have been sensible too. Tax the things we want people to consume less of and leave the essentials alone.
Seeing my way clear.
This week is the first of the month and so I saw money flying out of the bank account as bills came in thick and fast. To add to that, I had my eyes tested and ordered two new pairs of glasses. I can read all the books I’ve bought over the last year now! The font on WeChat is very small and using that to talk to my friends in China will become much easier too. We rely on our eyes so much. I will be able to edit my photos more easily now as well.
Planning ahead
I like to plan ahead and so I’ve been stocking up on things for Christmas. I’ve bought the gifts and I will be doing a buffet for my family so I’ve started buying the food. Choosing investments is about planning ahead too and this week I tried another website for buying CFDs but it was hard to use. It might be easier when I get my new glasses. I’m still using eToro which is easy but dollar-denominated. I need one that is denominated in GBP. I have opened an account that allows me to trade virtually but the site offers little information on minimum trades and that sort of thing. I’m interested in the bond market but couldn’t find out what the minimum trade was. Forex confuses me a bit but I really need to learn about it so I can hedge certain investments against a falling pound.
Art takes over
I’m more conscious of my appearance and clothes in the summer. Now I dress in a practical way to keep warm. Art does become important in every part of your life as you become aware of it. I have even taken an artistic interest in my garden trying to make it colourful with wildflowers that will attract the butterflies. I have printed and framed a few photographs and my home is now looking like an art gallery. Even the colour of my car was chosen carefully. Art takes over…
A Zillion Ideas 
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