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.

The big news today is that EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tested positive. I’ve also been told that the ex tax office worker, model and actress Linda Lusardi has  succumbed. Guess which one upsets me the most. Spain has had a massive increase in deaths today and I worry for all our friends who still live there.  The restrictions placed on Spanish residents is very difficult but necessary. And another shocker is that the much anticipated reunion of  tv series “Friends” may be delayed. Oh what a shame.

We have been for a walk to our local garden centre and bought marzipan and a rhubarb plant. The air was lovely and fresh and we feel better for it. Neither of us is feeling ill and we had a wonderful meat pie for lunch. So things are ok here. Our hands have never been so clean. We are probably washing them over 30 times a day. I may keep count tomorrow.

Buses are still running but we just saw a bus to Hull, which can carry 70 or more people, with just two passengers. One upstairs and one downstairs. Social distancing at it’s most efficient. We’ve  also checked on the lady next door who has breathing difficulties. She is ok and has her daughter living with her.

Jenny and I spent some time in the gardens this afternoon. It was a lovely day and we made a start on the back and front gardens. We had asked for a quote to landscape both and were quoted over £8000. We may be in our 70s but we are not senile yet. We know a handyman who can help us out with some of the work as and when we need it.

Interest rates have been slashed to 0.1%. The lowest ever. Soon they will be paying us to have an overdraft. Very strange times so we all need to help each other and be sensible. The queues outside some supermarkets are ridiculous, stretching for hundreds of yards with each person within touching/breathing distance of each other.  British people can sometimes be an embarrassment if not a downright danger to others.

UK deaths 144.

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A very quiet day today. Just a visit to our Sister in Law, Carol. We greeted each other with elbows. We are 72, 71 and 70 and needed a couple of hours of company. We are on the edge now of total self quaratine.

Our local shop has run out of toilet paper and bread. I needed some tea and there were only a dozen boxes left. I bought just one. People were ringing the shop about bread and toilet rolls. What is going on?

On the journey to see Carol, we saw very few pedestrians but as we got closer to Asda Supermarket, the traffic increased. So many people are hording goods even though the evidence is that supplies are plentiful. Most schools are open but teachers are now making the decision to self quarantine, causing some classes to be closed. Including that of our eldest grandchild. She won’t mind at all!!

My appointment with my Orthopedic Surgeon tomorrow has been cancelled due to the current situation which is totally understandable. They will contact me in due course with a new date. I would hazard a guess at November time. Quarantine here we come.

We are now habitually washing our hands on a very regular basis. The advice is to wash for two verses of “Happy Birthday”. I’m getting bored with it so will try for a new song that lasts about 20 seconds. Does any one know the words to “Eskimo Nell” (60+ verses).

UK deaths now 104.

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My shifts at the East Riding Theatre this week were cancelled so this morning was very relaxed. A nice cup of tea and a slice of toast before the day’s jobs. These included delivering my Mum’s Mothers Day card. This meant a quick visit to her house to deliver it. I went in just to say hallo and make sure she had her phone nearby so the family could ring her at any time.

I also took my repeat prescription to my doctor’s surgery. I was not allowed past the door and handed the papers to a nurse who seemed to be there to decide who could or could not enter. Fair enough.

When I got home Jenny and I discussed an arrangement we had made for an Indian meal  tonight with friends Mike and Maria. The tv news was full of advice not to go to restaurants generally and certainly not if you were over 70. Relunctantly we cancelled the meal in favour of staying at home. Our friends completely understood.

Further phone calls were made to friends to see how they were and also to check on future concert bookings. All have been cancelled. Fascinating Aida (Hull City Hall), all folk nights at the Processed Pea Folk Club and Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Band have bitten the dust. There is a danger that a show booked at the end of April is also in danger as is our holiday with Val and Nick to Germany in Mid May. A concert by Andy Fairweather Low in October, a holiday in the same month to Austria and our Golden Wedding celebrations in August, may all need to be called off. A great shame but a small sacrifice if we manage to stay healthy.

Jenny and I are both well and showing no signs of the dreaded virus. So a list of tasks in the home is getting longer. We might as well make use of the time. Our young neighbours, Simon and Shareen, put a card through the door offering help with shopping etc. How kind!! Hopefully we will not need any help but if we do, they are going to be our first port of call.

All the news about the virus is bad and we are constantly monitoring developments. The worst is yet to come but at least we have “Catch Up TV”.

The £/€ is £1.10.09. A week ago it had reached £1.20.60. So it has gone down 8.35%. That is really bad for travelling to Europe. Oh, I forgot. We can’t.

I’m pleased we have emigrated back to the UK from Spain. Our home in Spain was in a very small hamlet where our only reliable neighbours were Bill and Irene. They are now back in Scotland and surrounded by family so they will all look after each other. Back in the UK we are kept very well informed about the very fluid situation. We would have had some dificulty in our Spanish home which was 5 miles from the nearest supermarket. Our GP though, was nearby and spoke perfect English so he would have been a great help to us all.

What is it about the panic buying public here. Fighting in supermarket aisles for toilet and kitchen rolls and pasta apparently. Shameful behaviour. People accusing each other of being rude and unfriendly when we should be pleasant and helpful towards each other.

Since our return to the UK, one of the tasks we had set ourselves was to make a new will. We have no Spanish assets any more and so it should be an easier task. It is pure coincidence that our appolntment is just as we need to be extra careful about our health.

One of the things (and there are a few) that we will not miss about Spain and that is the beaurocracy. It was awful. From the buying and selling and taxing of cars to dealing with the town hall about your own property. The problem is that the rules are different in each region and we always needed a proficient translator who not only knew the language (even though our Spanish was not too bad) but also knew the system. We were lucky to have a wonderful chap called Simon who we always took with us when the need arose although he was not always needed when we realised our Spanish was OK or at least passable. It was still good to have Simon as backup.

My little voluntary cleaning job at The East Riding Theatre in Beverley  has been postponed until July as the theatre is closing down until then at least. I have just had a copy email sent to me in which the theatre management (mostly volunteers) have asked as many as can afford to, to donate their ticket money to help keep the building open ready for restarting a some point in the future. I do not think it will be an easy task but I will help if I can, It is a wonderful place and the management hope to help in the community in these difficult tmes. All power  to their elbow.