I will start today by reproducing a copy of a tweet sent to me. The original writer will remain anonymous and I have taken out the naughty words.

2020

The year that the upper and middle classes realise that they are not ******* needed and the supposed “lower classes” are what keep the country going. Dont EVER look down your nose at the shop workers, delivery drivers and healthcare workers ever again. This is where your money means **** all and if you’re at home because your job is counted as non essential. then show some ******* respect!!

Not alot one can say about that. It is fairly self explanetory.

There seems to have been a slight improvement in the figures on Sunday and we are all hoping this continues today. We will see later. The best news is that Italy also seems to have improved figures. Along with many people, I dont believ the figures coming out of Russia or China. In fact there is a reported suspicion that China’s figures could be FOUR times worse than those declared.

Did a small shop at Sainsbury’s yesterday. I only went for some provisions fo my mum and will take them today, avoiding contact, obviously. She didn’t need much but I managed to get toilet paper and bleach. There was one idiot in the shop trying to buy six packs of carrots. The staff soon put him right and he sheepishly put four of them back. Another married couple had been told that shoppers should be in ones and not twos, even if they were married. They rounded on the member of staff who polnted this out. They were already at the till so were let go but was there any need for that behaviour. I went shopping with Jenny but we had made a list so she stayed outside so we could follow the rules. I hope we know nobody like those idiots. On a positive note, almost everything anyone might need, was on the shelves.

Took some essentials to Mum and whilst there I repaired the smoke alarm as it had started beeping and needed a new battery. She wanted to chat as usual but, I had to tell her it was not possble because of the Corona Virus. I think she thinks she is invincible.

The news of a sharp increase in deaths today is a real blow. It looked like a downward trend had commenced but it proved to be a false dawn.  On the way to Mum’s house, it was clear that people were staying in. Although the supermarket carparks were half full, there was very little queueing. Petrol at one filling station was £1.23 a litre and the next nearest, Morrisons only one mile away was £1.02. How can that be jusified? It equates to a difference of about £10 for a 55 litre tank. Ridiculous.

So let us hope for better news soon and a big well done to all those involved in building the temporary hospitals.

UK deaths Sunday, 180

UK deaths Monday 381

 

This has been a terrible weekend for UK deaths. A total of 469. Despite the countries best efforts, we seem to be heading towards what is happening in Italy. All our family are OK but we still need to be vigilant, especially when going to the shops for provisions, especially for my mum. It is my turn to go to the supermarket to deliver anything she needs. As it happens, two of the products needed, we alredy have. Bleach and toilet paper. I am awaiting orders for ready meals and sweet treats. I already have marzipan. We are both missing the grandchildren but realise we should not risk seeing them even thouh they live just 3 miles away.

I am keeping my brain alert by reading and doing crossword puzzles. We are not walking as much as we would like at the moment. It is very cold and windy and although we are eating smaller, balanced meals, the lack of excercise means I am not loosing weight.

Both Jenny and I are in good health and are showing absolutely no symptoms of the Virus. We have had no direct contact with any one for nearly a full week and will do our best to continue on that path. My cousin Petra and partner Manfred are OK in Kiel in Germany and can walk on a cold Baltic coast and get some lovely fresh air. Sadly, the Karl Mai Festival in Kiel has been cancelled this year and the tall ships fesival (Kieler Woche) has been put back to September. Who knows, we may be able to go???

The fan in our oven is broken as is the front door house alarm and together with the broken flush in the upstairs toilet, we are hoping we can get the tradesmen in to repair them but these are not normal times. The plumber and the burlar alarm technician promised to come by this weekend but so far there has been no sign of them. They may have good reason.

UK deaths 260 (Saturday).

UK deaths 209 (Sunday).

Total  death so far, 1228.

 

 

 

 

So, Boris has tested posive as has the health secretary. We need someone at the helm so whatever we may think of Mr Johnson, I have a feeling he may come good in this crisis. Rather him than the numpty he defeated in the last General Election.

One bonus for me while we are stuck in and around our home, is I am able to catch up on my music listening. Either,, cds which I have not listened to yet or those I have not heard for ages. Ry Cooder, Paul McCartney (and Wings), John Lennon, Leonard Cohen, Joanna Newsome and Jeanne Michel Jarre are just some artists on the list. Along with my World Music cds, I am well sorted.

The applause for the NHS at 8pm last night was heartwarming but we should not forget them once this madness is over. These heros and heroines should be amply rewarded with better salaries, less hours and more staff  and more hospitals etc, etc. Do not let this opportunity pass us by Boris.

In Germany things are just as bad. The numbers are different but stupidity is international with panic buying and gatherings of  people on the beaches drinking beer, for example. Do people not see the news about Spain and the problems they have there? We are so glad to be back in the UK. We have been so lucky, as have many of our friends to be back in the bosoms of our families. All our friends and family that are out of the UK are in our thoughts.

Todays figures are frightening so be careful out there.

UK deaths 759  (181 in 24 hours)

 

There were alot of announcements today, especially about how the government is going to pay benefits to employees and how everyone who qualifies will get help with mortgage payments, rent and overdrafts. The self employed were not forgotten and our new chancellor outlined the cash which would be made available to them. In the main, this involves calculations based on averages of profits taken from the last three years accounts. This is of little help to those who have recently become self employed or who have not filled in their tax returns or submitted any accounts. One group that may get caught short, are those tax evaders who have supressed their takings showing less profit than they have actually made. There will be thousands of them!!! Well, it serves them right.

David went to see our mum (his nana) and had a conversation through her front window. I was on the phone with her at the same time and she was very cheery and totally positive. She is 94 and a credit to her generation and always has her cup half full unlike many who only see the difficulties. Yes, things are bad but being miserable will not help. We will get through it all, in time.

We have got the huge cactus in the front garden cut down and we now have an uninterupted view.  Now we need to dig up the root. Jenny has done more work at the back which is looking really good. We will not be spending £8000 on landscaping as per the estimate received. We may not be professional but we have time and will plant lots of colourful flowers etc. The estimate did not include a single plant.

UK deaths 578.

 

A very quiet day spent almost entirely inside our house. Made lunch of pork schnitzel, potatoes, onions and a huge red pepper. Very tasty. On the food theme I baked some scones which sadly we cannot share with any one else. Jenny did some planting and had a good chat with the lady next door. There is a 6 foot fence between us so they were perfectly safe.

Lots of contact with friends and family via the internet. What would we do without it?

Still catching up with every series of “Last Tango in Halifax”. Great stuff.

We are down to one toilet. Our main upstaires one is broken and despite phone calls and a text and a promise to fit us in to his schedule, we are still waiting for his call. If he cannot fit us in well, let us know for goodness sake!! Well, he’s lost the chance to quote for a bathroom makeover when this crisis is over.

UK deaths 465

It’s been a day of contrasting events today. We awoke into sunshine and the promise of a warm day. We started by ringing our local farm shop who we had heard had groceries which we could order on the phone and have them delivered for free. We got through quite easily (our 12th redial call) and ordered bread, fruit and vegetables. orange squash, toilet paper and more. Finally I ordered 4 bars of their marzipan bars at which point the young lady said “Now I realize who you are”. I buy alot of marzipan there. Delivery is tomorrow.

Our Burglar alarm system has broken and although the security shop has had to close, I e-mailed them and they rang me back later. A young man took me through the control board to temporarily sort it and it worked. They are coming to instal a new unit, or part of one, on Friday.

I went into the village to collect a prescription from Boots the Chemist. I had to queue outside with about 10 others, two meters apart, as they were letting only three at a time into the shop on the basis of one out one in. My precription was ready for collection but apart from our queue outside, there was hardly anyone around and as for those few that were walking on the pavement, they gave each other a wide berth. Buses that passed us were empty of passengers.

At home Jenny did some gardening and I tried to set up our new laptop. It was not an easy task. We have been receiving lots of messages of support from family and friends and we are reciprocating. Many are circulating videos of our dear leaders giving speeches with dubbed alternative dialogue. If you can find it, my favourite is Nichola Sturgeon. Of course anything by Donald Trump is hilarious without any dubbing necessary.

The news makes for difficult watching. Worldwide, the number of cases is spiraling upwards and is very worrying. India has now gone into a full lockdown. Cities there are becoming ghost towns. Take care everyone!!

UK deaths 422.

 

 

 

 

We both slept a very long time last night, waking up at 09.30. No sign of any symptoms of Corona Virus for either of us so we did a bit of work in the garden. Jenny dug up a patch in the back garden and I continued trimming the cactus out in the front until our brown bin was full. We then went for an 8000 step walk which equates to about 5 kilometers.

We ran out of potatoes today so will be hunting for some more tomorrow. It’s not a big deal.

The stupidity of the public continues to irritate everyone who is playing by the rules and inevitably, King Boris came on the TV later and banned people from gatherings of more than 2 people and lots of other restrictions including the closing down of all non food shops. No surprises there.

Our holiday with Val and Nick to the German Harz Mountains, has been postponed to May 31st, 2021. Or Money back. We took the holiday which will be at the same price.

UK deaths 335.

We have been watching the Andrew Marr Programme on the BBC this morning and is clear that day by day te situation is getting worse. Front line NHS workers are falling ill as sufficient personal protection (PP) is not yet available and we are not testing enough people. Otherwise those death rates will continue to rise.

All other public servants who are working on our behalf, Police and many others, should be applauded for their bravery and committment. We are statistically, about 2 weeks behind Italy and it is to be hoped we do not get to where they are today.

Handwashing is something most of us take for granted but I have read that this is due in no small part to Dr Ignatz Semmelweis who, in 1847 ordered doctors to wash their hands after autopsies. Consequently, the death rate in Vienna General’s maternity ward plummeted. Most other doctors in the world ignored his findings suggesting that it would be impossible for them to be the root of the problem. Doctors were a smug lot in those days. In fact they ridiculed the good doctor so much that he eventually went mad. Eventually he was vindicated by Louis Pasteur and after that, doctors, and particularly surgeons and other support staff, routinely washed their hands before treating patients. Nowadays, Doctors don’t even wear neckties any more. This is not really for comfort but, as the UK Department of Health has noted, ties are rarely laundered and are of no benefit to the care of patients. Dirty ties have been shown to be full of pathogens. Computer keyboards and mice are also full of nasties and the next time you want to pick up the tv remote control, disinfect the hell out of it first. (Bits of this paragraph were gleaned from the book “Super Freakonomics” published by Penguin and available on Amazon)

UK deaths 281

 

On Saturday we spent most of the day watching catchup tv. The house is spick and span and Jenny did manage to launder the bedding, now being done more often than before. We also managed a walk in the fresh air and avoided all people. This may be the last time we do that but we need more guidance as to what is safe.

We are well stocked, without any panic buying, with food and other household goods. We have resolved to order takeaway meals to be delivered to our door. One restaurant here, is also selling fresh bread and pasta along with it’s takeaway meals.

We, as a nation, seem to be better off than some countries but alot worse than most. Our death toll is rising alarmingly but are we doing enough about it? It may be difficult but we should not be allowing, say, queueing outside supermarkets. Some of the pictures are frightening and maybe now is the time for government to IMPOSE a 24 hour curfew for an extended period. For us, we have realised we can be adventurous, creative and experimental with our meals. For example, yesterday we found a tin of meatballs in the cupboard which mixed with a tin of tomatoes, two onions and some fried potato and chilli meat balls, made a lovely lunch. Honestly!

UK deaths 233.

 

 

Another slow day where we left the house a couple of times. Once, for delicious fish and chips. From now on we will be living from the freezer and getting deliveries, We need to take isolation more seriously. Our son has quite rightly put us right and our daughter rang us from Romania with a similasr message. How many other kids are wisely putting their parents right.

There are even more shortages today and the old folk seem to be suffering. Those idiot hoarders are still at it despite all the bad publicity they are getting. They are absolutely shameless. There are however some good stories coming out. Volunteers are coming out eveywhere to do shopping, and more, for the over 70s and other vulnerable people. Good for them.

Overall, things are not good in the UK and we have to accept that things will get worse before they get better. Even East Yorkshire which is relatively low in infection, is starting to show significant increases. Hopefully we will not follow the pattern in Spain or Italy where it must be almost impossible to sleep at night. In Spain you can only walk alone and only if you are going shopping or are walking a dog. I say “a” dog as people  (Brits) are lending or hiring their own dogs to others so they have a reason/excuse to go to the pub. Typical.

UK deaths 177.