Bleak trees and mendacity

Winter tree trunks in monochrome, Cambridge Botanic Gardens

Wednesday 4th January I was tempted to join J and meet some of her past work colleagues in the Cambridge Botanic Gardens. The sun shone through on what appeared to be walks through a bare scenery with major excavation going on as the lake was drained. Homing in onto detail, there was beauty to be found - as well as warmth in the restaurant for lunch and the greenhouses.

Barely back home and it was time for Huntingdonshire Speakers. With a jaundiced eye on past elections and referendums, my chosen word of the day was 'mendacious' and its sister 'mendacity'. It was woven into speeches by others at least six times that evening.

My sore throat was the harbinger of a major cold front and I left early to get back just in time for the storm of sniffles and teary eyes to break.

One good news snippet of the day - The Finns begin trialing a basic income of €560 every month to 2000 selected individuals from the beginning of this year. Cities in Canada and the Netherlands are also toying with the idea. Preparation for a world were robots and automation drive people out of an increasing number of sectors.