3rd November 2020. 233 days in lockdown/isolation.

Today started well. I woke up to prizes of a total £100 from ERNIE. It will go straight into our holiday fund. It will be a while before we can spend it.

I went to see mum and everything was as I am now beginning to expect. She had eaten her breakfast and was busy doing her Wordsearch puzzles.

Today and the next couple of days will be really weird as the election in the USA takes place. Despite the polls showing a big lead for Biden, I worry that Trump will force his way to the front. Another 4 years of stupidity on both sides of the Atlantic is more than any law abiding citizen could bear. But if Biden, who is relatively old, gets in, he has at least go the better vice president in Kamala Harris. “Pence ain’t worth a dime” and he strikes me as being a bit of a twit.

Went into the village centre this afternoon to go to the chemist and was struck by the lack of people about. Even Sainsbury’s seems quiet but stories feed back about large Hull supermarkets having long queues and they were bulk buying the usual suspects. Milk, kitchen roll and toilet paper. Barmpots!!

Had a text message from a friend of mine recently confirming that we are all in the same boat emphasising that we should all keep in touch otherwise we will go mad. So even though we can’t go for a pint, we can still catch up with news of each other. Apart from this blog I use email and WhatsApp to their full extent. We speak to our daughter in Romania regularly, using WhatsApp video calls and my cousin Petra and partner Manfred I contact by email. Modern technology eh? It all keeps me sane and I don’t pay for a stamp.

stamp.

2nd November 2020, 232 days in lockdown/isolation.

We are, at the moment (Monday), in Tier 2 but move to total lockdown on the 5th (Thursday). It is too complicated to think about what is allowed and what is not. We feel it is best to hunker down now as if w are already in lockdown. Jenny is making soups for the freezer although finding space will be a challenge as both freezers are quite full. We have enough toilet roll and kitchen roll to last us. For some reason, many people thought we would run out last time and the supermarket shelves were emptied. When the lockdown was announced this time, queues immediately formed outside the major supermarkets. These idiots probably still have toilet rolls from their last panic buying in March.

I will try to do some baking later. I will probably do savoury scones with cheese and maybe some onions. They freeze very well.

Mum should be OK during lockdown and her lifestyle should not be affected too much as long as the carers visits are maintained. She is fully aware of Covid 19 and is happy to stay in her home. She continues to be aware that she should never answer the door and I am confident that she always hangs up the phone on scammers. Nevertheless it is something we all must watch in the future as scamming increases.

I have spoken to Petra in Germany and the situation there is about as bad. Manfred, unfortunately, has lost his job, like thousands of others. I did not ask if he receives any benefits but they are fortunate that Petra has a good job but it is as secure as any job/career can be in these times. Both they and us are itching to visit each other and we will certainly do so as soon as there is a window of opportunity. We miss them alot and we all need cheering up.

Pete and Donna in Spain are also trying to visit the UK to see Pete’s folks and us but have had to keep revising dates. The latest date for us to visit them in the Midlands is 17th December. It is after the 4 week lockdown period but who can tell if that will change? I am very pessimistic and guess that they will not be allowed to come until some time in 2021. It is no consolation to Pete’s parents that 1000s are in the same boat.

Donna is on the verge of selling her business in Spain. I hope it works out and give Donna some peace of mind. It will also release her to help Pete in his insurance business which is really working out for him. Having Donna alongside him will, hopefully take them both from strength to strength. It would be nice to hear of a success story in these troubled times.

The sun is shining today so I have planted the small succulents in the new rockery at the front of the house. If I am OK and it doesn’t rain, I will also lay the anti weed membrane with gravel on the top but it is too windy at the moment. That will complete the front subject to an odd bit of extra planting. Then we can start planning the design of the back garden. Work to start in the spring of 2021.

Wrinkly thought for the day:- “Plenty of exercise and a healthy diet can add years to your life.Unfortunately they are always added on at the end when you are too old to enjoy them”.

31st October 2020. 230 days in lockdown/isolation.

So here we are. Boris announces a full lock down from next Thursday, 5th November to December 2nd. Rather appropriate. What would Guido Fawkes have made of it all? There will be fireworks. Details of what non essential shops, gyms etc are to close, are yet to come. The devil is in the detail. What is certain is that there will be panic buying until then when England will go back to the 3 Tier system. The government, and in particular, Boris, have realised that a medical and moral disaster for the NHS needs to be avoided. And that doesn’t even acknowledge the mental and physical well being of the public. There will be fighting in the aisles of supermarkets and still large groups of people partying without masks and ignoring social distancing. Morons abound in the UK and the rest of the world and they could be the death of us all.

The government have done really badly. In fact it has become embarrassing. They have lost their way and have been found out and many people who supported them have become sceptical and are saying “why do we even bother”. To me it stated with Dominic Cummings, Boris’s own personal narcissist. The episode in the garden at number 10 was proof of Demonic’s controlling power over Boris. He was even half an hour late and didn’t care. And we all saw it!!

We did our own little bit to help the situation when we went for a fish and chip supper last night to celebrate Ronnie’s 10th birthday. There were 10 of us and we shared a table for 4 with Maisie and Thea. It was a lovely night especially as they all came back to ours for a drink and to open Ronnie’s presents. He particularly loved his new Smartphone.With the aforementioned lock down, we may not now see them for a month.

Spent over £90 at Morrison’s yesterday. We haven’t spent that much in months but the freezers are now full. As it turns out, there should now be more than enough to feed a couple of pensioners for a month.

One consequence of the new lock down is that we will not be seeing the Clarkes when they were to visit in November. It’s looking like 2021 now. Like so much else we have had to cancel this year, we need to be philosophical about it all. there are many who are worse off than us!!!

celebrate Ronnie’s 10th birthday