Corona Virus 114

31st December 2020. 295 days of lockdown/isolation.

So here we are, the last day of 2020. I have mixed feelings about a year we will never forget. It ends with Brexit being a fact fom 11pm tonight and the prospect of vaccines “killing off” the Covid pandemic giving us hope that the number of deaths will virtually disappear.

2020 meant for us

2 cancelled holidays to Germany

1 holiday by car starting in France and ending up in Northern Germany

Several concerts including Andy Fairweather Lowe.

At least one holiday in Romania

Many weekends not booked but planned

Our 50th Wedding Anniversary celebrations with live music…….lost forever

Brexit…merd.

A virus which will not go away.

In 2021 we have already booked a holiday to the Harz Mountains in Germany. We will book for the Munich Beer Festival again.

We will be going to Normandy to see Bernard and Sue and we have an open invitation to go and stay with Petra and Manfred in Kiel. The invitation is reciprocated.

Lots of UK weekend breaks planned and we already have concerts booked including the fabulous Paloma Faith. Will we fit it all in and will we be able to travel?

A happy new year dear reader, Lets hope we ALL have a good one.

Corona Virus 113

29th December 2020. 293 days of lockdown//isolation

The Christmas “celebrations” are all over and it is time to take stock. Christmas Eve had gone without a hitch and we hope the arrangements had kept everyone safe. It is a bit worrying that there is a new variant of the virus which is easier to pass on. We should just keep on doing what we are doing.

Christmas Day was a busy one. Under Government regulations for Christmas Day we were allowed a visit to take our presents to his house for our grandchildren, who were there until 1pm. It was great fun and we got presents too including an Alexa, A canvas print of David and Jo and a 1000 piece jigsaw of David and kids.

Covid has been the big news with thousands more affected in a tidal wave of new infections. The NHS is almost overwhelmed and there is no immediate solution and everyone is pinning Their hopes on the vaccination programme. They have started dismantling the Nightingale hospitals due to lack of staff to bring in. I am very pessimistic and am determined that Jenny and I will not be caught out. We will only go out if absolutely necessary and have food deliveries as we did way back in April. The situation is very serious and I hope someone can come up with policies that will reduce the numbers. I don’t think Boris has it in him and neither do any of his ministers.

Brexit seems very inconsequential at the moment and my guess is that some sort of extension is absolutely necessary. We may have a “deal” but it is by no means signed sealed and delivered. I had intended to list the benefits versus the advantages today but will do that at a later time when things are clearer. The FTSE is at least on the up although the sterling exchange rate is falling. That would however be good for any Brit moving Euros back to the UK.

There will be restrictions on passports and travel in general to Europe. We won’t need visas, it seems but our EHIC cards may be invalid and we will need a UK insurance green card and a Europoean driving certificate which will involve a small charge.

On Christmas day we went to David’s house to watch the grandchildren open our gifts. We kept our distance and went as soon as possible to cook the dinner for which David joined us. I did a plate for Mum which I took in the after noon. Jenna, a carer who I saw later, said she warmed it up for her and she really enjoyed it.

On Boxing day we went to Davids house so I could put up shelves for Ronnie’s new X-Box. He was at Jo’s. The rest of the day we watched TV at home. Great! Apart from Jenny taking her passport to the Post Office, we stayed in and so we can stay safe there will be a lot more of that in the future.

Corona Virus 112

24th December 2020. 288 days of lockdown/isolation.

It’s Christmas Eve and the end of another strange week with lots going on. Today, the whole Clark Clan would descend on Mum’s house each year without fail for the traditional (German) distributing of gifts. Clearly that will not happen in the house today and a rota has been devised with each branch (Angela’s, Christina’s and mine) going at a pre-arranged time, 10am, 1pm and 4pm. All available family will rock up and wish Mum happy Christmas, from outside, with the three siblings (Mum’s bubble) being inside to distribute the gifts. No Santa this year. We won’t be there long as the weather is awful, Cold and wet. No snow. Sally and Jim are stuck in Romania and obviously cannot be there but during our visit they will try to contact us by video call.

Of course, Brexit is big news at the moment with an “agreement” imminent. Apparently there are 2000 pages of it so it needs reading and voting on before ratification. In he meantime there are thousands of lorries stuck outside Dover thanks to a french ban on goods entering France. Yes, it’s them, AGAIN. Next they will be setting our sheep on fire, AGAIN. I think the referendum would have had a different outcome if we had simply been asked to vote on France being excluded from the EU. It would have been a definite “Oui” from me. The buggers still would want our fish though. I think even the rest of the EU are fed up of them. Scotland are also rattling their sabers about independence again. Just GO!! and take your parasite riddled farm salmon with you. And we don’t need your oil. And we’ll find somewhere else for our submarines etc. So there!

Took Mums christmas gift and met David and the kids there. Did a video call to Sally and Jim who were waking in the woods. We all went back to ours for a cuppa and to open presents. We’ve got an “Alexa”. What fun! We then went for a walk to see the village lights and ear fish and chips on a park bench. Until the rain and snow came. It was blooming cold. We went home and our visitors went back to Beverley,

I’m hoping Brexit will be clearer tomorrow and that the Corona vaccine gets rolled out quickly to save us all from the mutations. Boris is speaking tonight but I think it will be a poor deal with the EU. One we will come to regret, sadly. In this case I don’t think saying “I told you so”, will give me any satisfaction.

Corona Virus 111

17th December 2020. 278 days of lockdown/isolation.

Is there such a thing as a bad question? There are rhetorical and stupid questions and they are self evident but there seems to be a trend by interviewees/experts who get a question from a journalist or member of the public, to say “Now, that’s a very good question” every time. It’s just a question for goodness sake. Answer it!! You don’t need thinking time. Also, when did ALL politicians become over familiar with interviewers by calling them by their christian names. As in “That’s a good question, Andrew.” Especially when the interviewer is polite enough to refer to them as “Sir David” or “Home secretary” etc. I find it so patronising. Can we blame the pandemic. I need to get out more I think.

The Christmas holidays are still causing confusion with most sensible people abstaining from group gatherings. Quite right too. I switch of (metaphorically) when the numpties are interviewed and suggesting that as it’s only a short period they believe all pubs should be open an parties allowed. Yes, they are amongst us.

My Uncle and Auntie had their vaccinations today and get the second one on the 6th January. An elderly neighbour gets his next week so we now know we will be getting the call shortly.

An ex cleaner tried to visit Mum yesterday but was intercepted by Jenna, a lovely carer who gave her short shrift and sent her packing. Unfortunately she is aware of the “keepsafe” combination and may well have been before. As I said earlier, they are amongst us. The passcode will be changed soon. In fact Angela has changed it to …..

Cousin Pamela called with Aunty Phyllis to deliver Christmas cards. She looked well and reported no after effects of the Covid jab yesterday. Jenny was out posting a parcel. It is unlikely to get to Bucharest before Christmas. Last weeks package should arrive OK.

We had a nice walk to the market today. It was cold and sunny and perfect for a wander round to get my daily steps in. Spoke with Derek, a neighbour and Brexiteer on the way back. He doesn’t see any problem with going to Europe for a holiday. He never answered when I mentioned E111 health cover and he is an Insurance salesman. He did look sheepish though. And don’t talk to me about lamb exports. And the French!

Corona Virus 110

15th December 2020, 276 days of lockdown/isolation.

As usual, there are only two themes of real importance to think about as we are stuck here in Tier 3.

London, and the South think they are special (and immune from infection) and are objecting to all 11,000,000 of them being moved into Tier 3 from tomorrow. They hate the fact that they will not be able to go to pubs and restaurants or visit a theatre. Yes, it is hard but necessary. Poor loves. Typical southern softy reaction. Yes, we can all come up with statistics in some communities, where the figures are low: but you cannot separate them. A blanket solution is all there is. The problem is that the public cannot be trusted to be careful and if the “line” goes down the middle of a road, there will always be some who will cross it. We should have been tougher from the start and wait for the vaccine to come.

The five day Christmas “break” from restrictions, looks set to be cancelled. No surprise there as I always thought it was a stupid idea that would have undone a lot of good work and rendered a lot of sacrifices made by UK citizens, worthless.

A Brexit settlement is still being bickered about and the late John le Carre put it best when he wrote…Brexit is “an act of self-immolation” in which “the British public is being marched over a cliff by a bunch of rich, elitist carpetbaggers posing as men of the people”. I love that. Boris and his team are still dithering about fishing in our waters when we have no trawlers left anyway and fishing in any case, only represents around 1% of UK income, I think.

I went for yet another blood test yesterday and today got a call from the GP to go again for another test in 4 weeks so they can check results about my liver. Not much left to check on now. I hope I am representative of “The Creaking Gate Club”.

Made 20 cheese scones this afternoon and had hoped that I could get some to Maisie who thinks the idea of them is disgusting! I used strong breaded flour instead of self raising flour but they turned out well anyway and we have eaten half of them already. Sorry Maisie!!!

Corona Virus 109

12th December 2020. 273 days of lockdown/isolation.

It’s been a funny 9 days. All sorts has been happening despite hardly moving from my very comfortable sofa. I’ll start with Brexit.

No deal has been agreed yet although it would seem to be imminent. Fishing seems to be one of the sticking points and the fact that the EU, notably the French, want us to abide by rules in force now as if nothing has happened. This is where I get confused. I am a remainer and wanted everything that the EU had to offer.That is benefits and rules, regulations and restrictions. With all that we were not badly off and I thought, oh well, better the devil you know. But we lost! So I assumed, as I am certain all the Brexiteers did, that we were OUT and we would have to start again under our own sovereignty. However, the EU won’t let us go quietly. They want to keep catching fish in UK waters whilst denying us Shengen. They want to impose tariffs on goods into Europe whilst taking away our health benefits whist visiting or living in Europe. I see it as a punishment and now we are talking about having Navy ships to protect our fish. This has of course happened before, with Iceland. but now the shoe is on the other foot. Goodness knows where we go from here. What I do know is that Boris is not the man to do the best for us. How I long for a Margaret Thatcher, and I never thought I would say that. What is going to happen to our holidays in Europe? Will we still be able to there or welcome visitors here? All we can do is hope.

We now have the vaccine against Covid 19 and it will save the world. Or the UK at least. We have not had the “letter” yet but it won’t be long. Uncle Raymond and Auntie Phyllis go to Brough, East Yorkshire next Wednesday for the first part of the dual treatment with the second following on, 14 days later. My mum has yet to hear but her surgery have assured sister Angela that the “letter” is on its way. We should not be to far behind. We are hoping to get the first jab in this month. Fingers crossed. Nobody knows how successful the vaccination will be but we must remain hopeful and positive.

A lot has been said about Amazon (and other parcel) companies but we have had 24 deliveries in the last few weeks and there has been no problems whatsoever. Well done them. Although deliveries of gifts have been useful, I think, we will, in the future revert back to shopping personally. That is if there are any stores left in the high street.

I have been to Hull eye hospital and have had laser treatment on my retina. I haven’t noticed much difference as yet but the told me the spots in front of the right eye should fade away withe time. The procedure was fairly painless although when they fired the “laser gun” each time, it stung a bit. I shall “keep an eye” on progress.

I have tried to keep the walking going but have noted that after 4000/5000 steps, my right knee is shattered and very painful. The GP has told me in a phone call that I must wait for a letter from Castle Hill hospital before I get my bone scan.My blood test results came and I am in the numbers rang for Type 2 diabetes and in the high range for cholesterol . I am also overweight and so must diet, exercise, cut out the high levels of sugar, carbohydrates, eat more fish and pulses with less red meat. Biscuits are a no no. I have to go for follow up blood tests.

Jenny and I are taking supplement Vitamin D tablets to make up for lack of sunlight during the lockdown. I’m not a believer in supplements but this one is necessary and recommended. What can go wrong?

One good thing is that we can now go and watc Ronnie play football on Sunday mornings. He really is ace and it is great to watch the opposition back away from our fear less grandson. I know that the team coach likes to rotate his team but I don’t know why Ronnie get more than his fair share of goalkeeping duties when some lads get none. In his last match I saw him get a 15 minute hat-trick. How can he be in goal? Do I sound like a doting granddad? I hope so.

Corona Virus 108

3rd December 2020. 263 days of lockdown/isolation.

A vaccine has arrived sooner than expected and I expect that Jenny and I will be in one of the earlier tranches of recipients. In theory, we could be done and dusted by the New Year. I am concerned about how mum is going to be included. She is not in a care home as such but with four carers a day attending to her then her own home is the care home and her being 94, there should be no problem. Maybe a call to the care providers (private) might be useful. 

I find it very distasteful that the government is spinning this great development into a victory for them. Hang on a minute! The vaccine is being produced in Belgium having been developed in Germany by the children of Turkish immigrants under the auspices of an American company. No mention of the UK anywhere in the vaccine’s development. Gavin Williamson (Tory Education Secretary) thinks “..we’ve got the best people in this country and we’ve obviously got the best medical regulators. Much better than the French have, much better than the Belgians have, much better than the Americans have. That doesn’t surprise me at all because we’re a much better country than every single one of them aren’t we”. AND THIS LOT ARE IN CHARGE. HELP!!!!!!!!!

Tier 3 is upon us today. It is still cold and damp and we are in lockdown so nothing is changed. Spain has announced that nobody can enter the country without having a certificate of a negative corona test from the previous 72 hours. We won’t be going there any time soon then.

There continues to be debate about visiting Mum on Xmas Eve, With Tier 3, I don’t think any one should go. \that would be unpopular but necessary, I think. Whether or not she has had the vaccination.

I went to the Hull Eye Hospital for some laser work on my retina, yesterday. I was there for three hours which culminated in a part lasering of a split in the retina causing spots and blemishes to my vision. The split is caused by dryness in the retina which can be pulled apart which in itself is not a massive problem but if eye fluid gets behind the retina it can “lift” causing blindness. As it is, even if they can “weld” the split, I can be left with a blind spot. The split itself cannot be repaired. I have to go in again in 14 days for a consultant to finish the job. The procedure is painless except for some stinging eye drops.

We have posted all our Xmas cards to the UK and abroad at a cost in excess of £50. I don/t object to the cost this year as we will not have a chance to see many of our friends and family so we could write a message on a card. When we were in Spain, we sent a “round robin” email card and donated the saved postage cost to charity. If we are out of the pandemic next year, we may revert to doing that.