29th October 2020. 228 days in lock down/isolation.

Well, here we are. The second wave and our area has now been promoted(?) to Tier 3. Oh what fun! I will not be tempted to say  “I told you so”. As luck would have it, David took the girls to Hornsea on what is one of the worst days of the year. Just in time too. But they still had fun, bless ’em. They all went to see mum on the way back home. Nice one.

Now we have to prepare for more restrictions. Panic buying, for surely it will come, and lots of baking. Long periods without seeing our loved ones. Forever watching boxed sets on TV. (We already are). I’m sure I can understand the Scandi languages. Thank goodness the bathroom is finished as is the front of the house, apart from some moderate planting of succulents and alpines.

We (that is, mostly Jenny) will still be able to go to the gym. WE wil still be able to go for walks. Wrapped up in winter woolies of course. We need to be aware of all the Covid symptoms and keep a lookout for them in our daily lives.

Our friend, Wrighty, called for a coffee this afternoon. It was good to  see him but as we are now in Tier 3, It may be some time before we can arrange a night out with him and Maggie. In the same vein, it looks like our trip to Derby next week to see Pete and Donna, will be a non starter.

Donald quiet today. Boris quiet today. Dominic quiet for ages. Something must be happening. I don’t like it.

28th October 2020. 228 days in lock down/isolation.

It has been a funny and confusing 5 days since my last blog. I suggested then, a possible flexible 5+ tier system which Scotland seems to have taken note of. In England, the situation is not so clear although the government seem certain that the higher tiers should be imposed on more and more northern regions. There are even discussions to “elevate” Hull to Tier 2 with it’s accompanying restrictions, which will certainly be ignored by many.

The thing about isolation is that it gives you time to reflect, worry about things like health and general future prospects and age. Every little ache and pain becomes a major worry and a potential serious medical problem.

I’ve been twice to see mum a couple of times and she is well. Each time her meals have been devoured so there is no problem with her appetite. Her teeth don’t look brilliant so I will have a word with Angela at some point. I think a dentist visit is necessary. The gardener was there and I must say. it is all looking lovely.

Brexit gets ever closer and despite the pandemic, we should start to think about it will affect every one of us. Hull’s main hope seems to be making a virtue of the space available to park lorries on Humberside (north and south) whereas in Kent they would be parking on the M2. This is clutching at straws. Even if it were a possibility, it would take years to build the infrastructure. And have you seen the size of the container ships that go into Felixstowe? East Anglia has plenty of land for lorry parks and no wildly tidal waters which would limit the big container ships landing their cargo.

Sally and Jim had a great trip to the Sibiu region of Romania with their friend Maxine. I really envied them. With luck we should be able to plan to go and see them in the new year.

I went with David to watch Ronnie’s march on Sunday. We missed the first couple of minutes but nevertheless saw him score a hat trick in 10 minutes. Brilliant.

23rd October 2020. 223 days in lock down/isolation

It’s been a week of confusion with the new “Tier System” numbers 1,2, and 3. Oddly, the 1st tier,#1 is described as medium risk. To my mind, it’s a bit odd that there is no Low risk and strangely no “Nil” risk to me this shows a distinct lack of confidence by government that a vaccine will dispatch Covid 19 to the history books. I feel that the government Pyramid should have had 5 tiers (for now) starting with “0” equals no risk and the end of the pandemic. “Tier 1” could be very low risk with a vaccination programme in full swing. Tiers 2,3 and 4 would be the current 1,2 and 3. It would be easy then, to add tiers if required culminating in near extinction. Hopefully, mankind would sort it all out by then.

David called to the house the other day with Jo and her daughter. Sadly Jenny missed them.

David and I went to watch Ronnie play football last Sunday. His side were far too good and ran out 9 or 10 – 1 winners. We lost count after a bit. Ronnie played mid field in the 1st half and the second half in goal where he achieved another clean sheet. He seems to be comfortable playing anywhere on the pitch.

Sally and Jim video called from Sibiu in Romania where thy had gone for a few days. The Air b&b was VERY Rustic but looked great. There were only 6 houses in the village including a hotel and restaurant. Corona restrictions had not affected their trip to a new part of Romania. I would love to jump on a plane to join them but sadly that is not possible. On that note, WIZZAIR have announced that Doncaster Airport is to be their UK hub with 12 or 13 new routes. We must keep an eye on that one!!!

David and the kids came for lunch on Sunday. The pork steaks went down very well but my spicy apple and pork stuffing was a challenge for Maisie. There were no empty plates though. Thea did leave the plate pattern.

The big news for us this week, was the completion of the shower room upstairs. It looks absolutely great and the shower is very good and the addition of a folding seat will be of great benefit to me in the future. Many thanks to Dave Green for a cracking job which came in on budget and was about £3000 less than a couple of estimates we had received. Dave had done the bathroom of Nick, a dear friend of ours, to a very high quality and it goes to show that recommendation is the best way to find a good and trusty workman. Thanks Dave!!

In the news today, Spain announced that it was introducing a nighttime curfew from midnight to 6am. At the moment this only applies on the Costa Blanca, Just up the road from where we used to be. There will be lots of Brits brassed off with that rule. Well get used to it because I know the Spanish and the area for curfew is bound to be extended. Mostly to big tourist areas for British visitors, and residents.

Shame on all the MPs who voted AGAINST the provision of meals to children who during term time, would have got free meals during term time. Would they have voted that way if there was an impending election.

Has Trump finally blown it? I hope so. Boris must follow in due course. Not only is he weak but most of his “generals” are inept. AND, he has fallen out with Andy Burnham. Good luck with your Northern votes at the next election, Boris. Northeners remember!!!!!!!

16th, October2020. 216 days in lockdown/isolation

I have a complaint for the BBC. Angela Ripon using except instead of accept. She would get the right word if she wrote it so why not say it correctly. News readers on the BBC are some of the worst. It would never have happened in the 30s, 40s and 50s with old style news readers

Bathroom furniture has gone in. All tiling finished and grouted. It is looking good and Dave will return on Monday to finish off.

Our new NEXT chair arrived today. There were two in the van but the driver kept it and made a note for head office.After the messing about changing the order, all is now well. They had mistakenly thought we wanted a set of 6. The full amount for them was taken out on VISA. 4 have been re-credited with one to go. It should be sorted out by Monday. There is a bonus though as for each of my two phone calls, they are sending me a £15 voucher. Result!

21st fish and chips from “Frydays” tonight. The 1st debit of £9.10 was on the 30/5 every Friday (with the odd Saturday instead) since. But up until then we had paid cash since lockdown. That’s another 10 visits so that is fish and chips for every Friday since 15th March. 31 in total. What diet?

I have not mentioned the “R” number for a bit but it started to pass the magic number 1 in early September. It is now 1.3 to 1.5 so the infections are growing. Surprise surprise!! Boris gave yet another poor briefing asking questioners to refer to the appropriate web site. Appalling.

15th October, 2020. 215 days since lockdown/isolation

Washed the car today after checking the tyres as warning lights were flashing on the dashboard. One tyre was overinflated and one under. After visiting the air machine in Morrison’s forecourt, the pressures were put right but the warning lights were still on. What now?

Took Mum’s washing back today and paid the window cleaner who visited while I was there. Whilst there, I also took the opportunity to have a shower. We are still unable to shower at home and the plumber estimates we will have the job signed off on Monday.

It is pleasing to see that we have been allocated tier 1 status in our area and although things are a bit clearer for us, it may not be for some others. This is why…….

Can people from different households meet?….No

What about a pub?….Yes

Can you meet in groups over 6? ….No

What about schools?….Yes

Can we go to the theatre if we wear a mask?….No

What about an aeroplane?…Yes

Do you know what you’re doing?….Yes

Really??!!!…No

This may not be entirely correct at the time of publication, but you get my drift. What is also worrying is that Dominic Cummings may be behind some of this mess.

13th October, 2020. 213 days since lockdown/isolation

What is it about Americans that permits them to only use half a phrase so that the sentence becomes gobbledegook? Or is it just me? Sadly, it has spread to the UK. The worst thing for me is when they say, for example “as far as the election, voting could be rigged”. What happened to “is concerned” after the word “election”. It does not make sense. I imagine myself living in the USA and criticising them for their bad use of English and their spelling and me thereby, becoming very unpopular. I don’t have a problem with use of different words such as elevator, automobile or sidewalk but changing spelling makes my teeth itch. For example, colour/color, through/thru. Also, listening to them trying to pronounce “mirror” is hilarious. I was once trying to find some instructions in English for an electrical item bought in Spain. There was nothing there but under “American” I found full instructions. On computers, You can choose “English-UK” or ” “English-American”. It seems, therefore, that a separate language is evolving on the other side of the Atlantic and I should accept it. Maybe I should get out more?

Speaking of which, I have started watching Series 3 of “The Bridge”. It is brilliant as before but there is an addition to my “bucket list”. I am determined to drive across “The Bridge” which joins Copenhagen in Denmark with Malmo in Sweden. It is an awe inspiring piece of engineering.

Dave the plumber has continued his work in the bathroom. I guess he will finish in two days maximum.

I went to see Mum today. She was very well. I brought two machine loads of washing back for my hardworking wife to do. I should be able to take them back on Wednesday.

We had an estimate for a new loft ladder today. How can an advert show “from £277 plus VAT” to include steps, flooring and loft door and they wanted to charge over £600 for wooden steps only? It would have been £350 for aluminium steps. The salesman was wearing a Covid mask but should have been wearing a Dick Turpin one. Robbing so and sos. We will be looking elsewhere.

I couldn’t be bothered to listen to Trump today. I am just concentrating on East Yorkshire being awarded “Tier 3” status. That’s the one with the least number of restrictions on our freedom. Hoorah!!!!

12th October, 2020. 212 days since lockdown/isolation.

WE both had our flu jabs on Saturday. The doctors surgery was a hive of activity. They must have done hundreds on the day. And it was totally painless. Let us hope that like Trump we are virus fee of the influenza bug.

Sister in law, Carol, came for lunch yesterday. She is really coping well on her own and takes every opportunity to see her two daughters and their families. The subject of Christmas came up and it is very clear that things will be different this year and, who knows, for many years to come. The usual gathering of the Clark clan at my Mum’s will definitely be a casualty on Christmas Eve.

Our new top soil came today. The quality is superb and Jenny and I emptied the 1 tonne bag in the area for which it was planned, in no time at all. Now to buy rocks and sand and gravel to get it ready for planting. It is beginning to look good.

Our plumber came again today and started the tiling and the installation of the shower tray. Dave (Green) is a fantastic worker and is leaving us with a quality new family shower room. With luck, he may finish tomorrow. I have already paid £1000 and will pay the balance by bank transfer when he gives me the final bill.

I went to watch Ronnie play football for Tickton yesterday. He was brilliant in midfield. That lad can play anywhere. His passing was very precise and was commented on by at least one Tickton spectator. I left immediately at the end so did not see if he won the Man of he Match award. He certainly deserved it.

Hull and East Yorkshire have been classified as tier 3 which means pubs shut at 10pm and we still have the rule of 6. Not bad but the country as a whole is still in a bad state. The second wave is well and truly with us and as long as numpties like Trump continue to refuse to accept that Corona is a reality, I can only see the wave getting worse. Watch this space.

Clearly Trump is a lunatic and I would not put it past him to have fabricated his illness to get the sympathy vote. It has clearly backfired with his popularity ratings at a low. His “discussion” with Jo Biden did him no favours and I hope he does not recover the votes he must have lost. His wife would make a better president. But then, so would I. President Clark has a certain ring to it.

After my fall a week ago, in Scotland, I was too unwell to go to York to see our friends Mike and Chris. After calling 111, the NHS helpline, they prescribed Codeine which, after getting the prescription from the pharmacist, helped tremendously and the pain went after four or five days. So no major damage done. It certainly felt like it but the pain is your brains way of saying “take it easy”

We have started Christmas shopping. We also have Ronnie and Maisie who have birthdays in November. Goodness, where has the year gone. I won’t be upset to see the back of it. Two holidays cancelled and a golden Wedding Celebration impossible. We did manage Scotland for a couple of days and are hoping for a visit to Derby to meet the Clarke family from Spain. So it’s not all bad.

6th October, 2020. 206 days since lockdown/isolation.

Got through to NHS helpline (#111) and my GP rang me shortly afterwords. They suggested my fall had resulted in a muscular injury and prescribed Codein. If the problem worsened I should go back to the GP. I should get lots of rest and do no heavy lifting. Not very satisfactory and I will get the pills from the pharmacy tomorrow. At least the injury is recorded on my medical history.

Boris has spoken to the Conservative Party Conference today, promising much but you have to be aware it is a conference and not the budget. I agree with one thing he said though. “It is not good enough just to return to normal after the pandemic”. We definitely want to be compensated by “better than normal”. He had lots of good ideas but they were all aspirations, short on detail, rather than promises with specifics such as cost. And he referred to Humberside as “Humber”. For his geographic knowledge of the UK, it’s a “C” from me!

The plumber came today and took everything out of the bathroom before lunch. We now have a bath in the front garden. Very handy! He has taken all but the bath to the tip and left the house nice and tidy. Back at 8am tomorrow.

I have always thought that Trump was a loonie. That has been confirmed by his latest “party piece”. Talking on the Whitehouse balcony, he looked distinctly unwell. After his mini trip around the Whitehouse so that his adoring fans could wave to their godlike president, he could hardly breath enough to speak. Many more people will probably be infected because of his reckless behaviour. Why do they go along with this lunatic behaviour? We will never know.

5th October, 2020. 205 days since lockdown/isolation.

It’s hard to believe we have been living through this pandemic for over 200 days now. I always thought there would be a second wave and we are now in the middle of it and it is much worse than before. Even Boris has had it and now, Trump has succumbed. This is the chap who declared Covid 19 as fake news and saw no need to wear a mask. He and many of his cohorts have now tested positive. The interesting thing is that the election is only one month away and who knows what spin they are putting on this situation. It could all be a fairy tale. If not, then his infection is surely KARMA.

In view of the worsening situation, we are socking up the freezer but not in the sense of panic buying. We have only a small freezer capacity left as we have made lots of meals made and frozen them for emergencies and have lots of meat and veg frozen packs, squirrelled away. We are fine for household items such as kitchen roll etc and have loads of tinned food. If we still get water from the tap for drinking and washing, we will be OK.

Tomorrow, the plumber is coming to completely refurbish the bathroom and change the bath to a shower. We are looking forward to it and it should be completed before the weekend.

David came for lunch with the grandchildren yesterday. We had not seen them altogether for two weeks so it was great to see them again. We had shepherd’s pie and it all disappeared. Even Ronnie ate all his even though he doesn’t like mashed potato. Doh!

Because of the “rule of 6” David’s visit had to be after our friends Andy and Lindy had left. We had just had a great few days with them in Scotland at Eyemouth, north of Berwick. We stayed at the Glenerne Hotel. A lovely hotel with a harbour view and beautiful rooms. We had the one with the four poster bed. WE had time in the afternoon for a walk around the harbour and a beer. We saw 5 seals as the tide came in. Then a quick shower and a meal at the Ship Inn. Jenny and I had a steak and ale pie with so much meat in, we could have shared one. Wonderful food.

The next day we walked along the coastal path to St Abbs. About 4 miles. With about one third of the distance left. I don’t know how but it was quite muddy and slippery and I fell forwards with my legs pointing uphill. Jenny and Andy had to swivel me round and lift me to my feet. The top of my pelvis was in constant pain thereafter and three days later I rang 111 and a clinician will call me back. We managed a meal out in the evening which was Italian and not so good. It was a very rainy drive home on the next day, Saturday.

Today was Aldi day. Nothing special about that but they have started selling Xmas sweet so my stock of marzipan has started early. Will it last?