31st August, 2021. 535 days since our first lockdown date (15/3/2020).

We are having the new kitchen fitted today. In all the noise of the drilling and hammering, I thought I had better catch up on The Diary, which will be the new title. As before, it will not be a regular entry for now. I still feel a bit lethargic and my current health does not really give me much motivation. The eyesight problem persists and despite having an injection direct into the eyeball, I am still unable to focus properly and am still self imposing a “driving ban”. I do get the car off the drive for Jenny but that is about all. This has been going on for nearly a month now so I hope to speak to the consultant when my next injection takes place on 21st September. I am hoping some progress will have been made so that I can drive. Apparently I am allowed to drive with vision in one eye only but it is impossible to judge distances when seeing in 2 dimensions only. I find the strain of trying to focus very tiring and can sleep very easily during the day.

The injection into the eyeball was surprisingly painless. The anaesthetic drops stung a bit but the injection was more like a very short bit of pressure on the eyeball and over in a second. The staff were wonderful and the consultant explained everything in great detail.

My “magic” copper knee bandage seems to be having some effect. The pain has reduced somewhat and I am able to go up and down the stairs alot easier although I still rely on the banister for stability. I am still slightly sceptical and may be experiencing a placebo effect but a recent 4000 step walk (with a stick) did not result in a stiff knee joint as it normally would have. Other than eye and knee, we are both in reasonably good health.

Ronnie’s football and cricket have about ended for the summer apart from an odd friendly including a “Parents v Children’s” match. The parents just scraped a win but not before the entertainment of Ronnie and his Dad bowling at each other and David launching a massive six into the trees behind the tea room. David is now considering playing next season. The Over 50 team await with baited breath.

There has been much bad news in the world in the last couple of weeks.

Our troops have pulled out of Afghanistan and the Yanks are not far behind. Not everyone who wanted to leave, many with correct papers, were able to get a flight and are stuck there at the mercy of ISIS and the Taliban. Poor sods. They have no chance despite promises made. One suicide bomb has already been deployed and over a dozen Brits and Americans were killed before they could get out. There will be alot more deaths I fear and women can say goodbye to the education they have been able to enjoy over the last few years. As for Biden (who is proving to be weak and ineffective) and Johnson (who we know to be a numpty), both have blood on their hands. This is compounded by their incompetent handling of the Covid crisis.

All the covid infection graphs are trending upwards and we still have to jump through hoops to get on a plane. We are not alone in the UK for mishandling of the pandemic but I think that even with firm instructions from government, the general public (some of them) are as much at fault. The anti vaxx movemeny is not diminishing and may even be diminishing. Although a large proportion of the population have had two jabs and the vaccination is open to more (young) people, the take up is worryingly small. I remember at the beginning, 500,000 people per day were getting vaccinated but now there is a struggle to get the vaccine (1st and 2nd) numbers to 100,000. What is wrong with these people? It is not that they are uneducated although I do wonder, that when they are interviewed they put forward as an excuse “I have too many other things to do”. Or “I am not being told what to do”. For goodness sake. Get a grip of yourselves.You are killing other people. Perhaps even someone close to you!!!

Brexit is till making things difficult for everyone. The HGV driver shortage is not going away. The government are trying to shift the blame onto the pandemic but nobody believes their lies. #JohnsonOut# Johnson is a serial liar and adulterer surrounded by serial liars and sycophants petrified of losing their jobs. Rahb is the worst Foreign Secretary we have ever had and his handling of the Afghanistan evacuation was abysmal and as for Gove, don’t you just want to slap his face?

Sally and Jim came to the UK straight from their holiday in Spain. They first went to Croyden to stay (in a tent) with Jim’s family. They then spent six nights with us. We talked ourselves hoarse and they went visiting all our family And their pals from Tadcaster came to East Yorkshire for a visit. It was such a shame that nowhere was open to go for a meal on a Sunday evening. We had to make do with an Indian takeaway which was actually fabulous.

Most of the new kitchen units are stored in the garage and by the end of day one, the kitchen has been stripped. The electrician, Ryan, came to help Jason, the carpenter, and prepare the new circuits and get all the old tiles off. We now have nowhere to cook or prepare food A skip has been ordered to take away the old kitchen apart from four units which I will put on the wall in the garage. When all is done this will help tidy the garage very nicely. The gasman is coming tomorrow to redirect the gas to the oven and cap the gas supply to the, now obsolete hob.

We went for a great meal to The Duke of Cumberland yesterday with David and the kids. We have not seen that much of them due to David’s shift patterns and the belligerence of his Ex-wife. She is still making things awkward for him but I think she is gradually losing the battles and the kids are becoming more aware of what is going on. All will change, in due course, slowly but surely. Maisie’s arm is at the itchy stage and causing irritation but she has no more pain.