28th September, 2021. 564 days since our first lockdown day.

Today was the 5th and last day of our visit from Bill and Irene, We covered alot of ground showing them Hull and East Yorkshire at it’s best. We had lovely weather and although evenings were spent at home having a wee dram, we managed to fit in visits to Hornsea, Beverley (where we met our niece, Stephanie), Had meals at The Duke of Cumberland and Pascoe’s in Cottingham, and a wonderful leg of lamb at home on Sunday. We managed to take them to see mum who recognised them and we all had a good chat. We had picked them both up from York and took them back today. All went smoothly and they were picked up at their home railway station. It was really great to see them and we really enjoyed talking about the times in Spain. None of us regret coming back to the UK.

I went to Mum’s today as Catherine was going to cut her hair. She did a cracking job and Mum looked great.While we were there we took the opportunity to harvest some pears from the tree in the garden which are large and potentially juicy. We picked some for Catherine to take.

I had my second eye injection last week. There has been some improvement but I feel I am still unable to drive. Jenny is a star as well as a great chauffeur. We managed to get fuel for the car and should now be OK for a month. WE did not panic buy but the whole country seems to be going mad. Just like the old days with toilet rolls.

The attempts by Boris and his merry men to solve the problem are laughable and going nowhere. Why would any European HGV driver come back here for a couple of months to help us out when we effectively threw them out of he UK. I wouldn’t!! This government really is the pits and unless things change very soon, we will all be in the mire. There is not one person in the cabinet, current and replaced, who has my confidence. Not one of them is up to the job, unless you count feathering their own nests, at which they are all VERY good.

We had a couple of WhatsApp calls with Sally and Jim. Things in Romania are getting worse and our chances of getting together again soon are slim but we live in hope. It is not good news from Jim’s family where his sister is unwell. We wish her well.

Ronnie was away with his school on a residential outdoor activities course last week. They experienced climbing, canoeing, archery and lots of other stuff. He looked like he had a great time and went to bed as soon as he got home. Sadly, it is possible that he brought covid home too. We are awaiting test results.

Maisie had some of her pals around last week. It was nice that she wanted to show David’s house off to her mates.

20th September, 2021. 556 days since our first lockdown day.

The kitchen is not yet finished but it is mainly due to the injuries suffered by Jason the fitter. There are some small adjustments to make. The tiling is still to be arranged.

Jim’s allergy is still causing him problems in Romania. It is ragweed season which is longer this year than normal. Thank goodness I have no such allergies as it must be awful to have to stay indoors simply because of pollen in the air.

Max Verstappen is a bully and should be held to account for the crash with Louis Hamilton last weekend. Whose fault it was is a matter for debate but at the time, Hamilton was still in his car and Verstappen just got out of his car and simply walked away without checking on Hamilton’s condition. A callous and nasty decision. Hopefully he will get more than the pathetic 3 grid position penalty.

It seems that travel rules as regards the UK have been altered to make it easier for us double jabbers to come back home. We will look at going to Romania but will ask Sally to check the rules for us. They are after all, experts. At least we don’t have that problem with travelling back from Scotland, which is just as well as we await the visit of Bill and Irene on Friday. As a result, I will miss the Junior Cottingham Cricket Club presentation night on Friday but at least David will be able to go and take a few photos for us.

We are all still being affected by Brexit. There are already food shortages due to the lack of HGV delivery drivers. These are in turn affected by the return to their home countries of many foreign drivers. Local bus services are being reduced for the same reason. Drivers are going elsewhere and East Yorkshire bus services are 70 drivers short with only 20 trainees to replace them. This is all going to end badly and we are definitely due for a bout of panic buying. It seems daft that there is no food shortage as such. With farmers digging crops back into the earth, next year may in fact produce actual shortages. I can’t wait. Boris and his mates continue to line each other’s pockets whilst reducing the incomes of the poorer Brit by increasing National Insurance payments and withdrawing the Universal Credit. Now I know what a double whammy really is! He has to go but I believe he is getting to like the job and he won’t go until he is rich enough or until Carrie says he can.

Ronnie played football on Friday night at Pocklington under floodlights. We left with 10 minutes to go when they were losing 3-1. David’s Ex was there and posted on Facebook what a great game it was. Well, not the game I was watching. I thought they were poor on this occasion.

David moved house this weekend. It is a 4 bedroom town house with four bedrooms so he and the kids have one each. There are 4 bathrooms. Perfect. Jenny and me (a bit) have been there a couple of days emptying boxes and doing a few DIY jobs. He and the grandchildren can now live there properly.

12th September, 2021. 548th day since our first lockdown day.

Jason the carpenter, came for his last full day working on our kitchen. There may be some tiny bits to finish after the tiler, Carl and the electrician, Ryan and the worktop team have done their bit. Jenny has already painted the kitchen so it will be about done before Bill and Irene visit. She has also filled most of the drawers and cupboards and the house is looking much smarter.

Went to see Albert Lee with Angela and Paul, last night at the Cottingham Civic Hall. We booked the tickets as we knew that Paul was a big fan. Although Lee was still a very accomplished guitarist, he was really boring and although he had played with so many stars including three albums made with the “Crickets” he had no stories to tell. He did tell us that he was shortly to play on a cruise ship. The holiday makers will want more than “the next song was written by….” Overall, I think brother in law was a bit underwhelmed.

Yesterday I went to Driffield to watch Cottingham 1st Cricket team play and hopefully win to confirm promotion as Champions. This they duly did by bowling Driffield CC out for 105 and knocking the runs off by losing only two wickets. I have enjoyed watching them this season and look forward to watching some games further afield against some quality teams.

It was a sporty day having watched the 1st half of a football friendly involving Ronnies ream. The opposition were a year older and when I left, Tickton Cobras were losing 2-0. The lads will, for the first time, have to get used to the offside laws for the first time. Good luck with that!!

Sally rang today. Covid is taking a hlt again in Romania and she is looking at having a third (booster) jab. So travelling to Romania has become a challenge again and meeting in Germany is back on the agenda. There is good news for Sally and Jim in that there is a massive new take up of children wanting to play instruments. This is particularly good news for Jim. We updated each other on health matters and despite a few minor problems, we are all relatively healthy. I showed Sally the (unfinished ) kitchen and she was really impressed.

Brexit is still a pain, especially with travel in mind. Now Boris has been caught lying about tax etc again. Although some shortages are appearing, we are not really affected as yet. But with liar Boris and a bent chancellor, I fear the worst. We will suffer in due course while the old Etonians and their ilk, prosper.

9th September, 2021. 545th day since our first lockdown date (15th March )

The biggest news of the past week is the increase in National Insurance Contributions. What is not news to me is that Boris is lying again to disguise the amount of the increase.They are publicly conning everyone by promoting the increase as a low 1.25%. This is bollocks. It may be 1.25% of wages but it is a 12.5 % increase of the previous payment. That’s a one eighth hike. Lie number 2 was that the Tories have broken a manifesto pledge NOT to increase Income Tax, VAT or National Insurance. There is a bit of a pledge to cap contributions towards care but many will still see life savings disappear. I am going to make it my business that should the occasion arise, They will get nothing from me. I think they call it “spending the kid’s inheritance”. Bring it on.

Managed to get to watch Ronnie play for Tickton Cobras U.11 and although starting badly and going 2-0 down eventually won 5-2 In a goalmouth melee, Ronnie scored the 5th. He was in midfield looking a bit lost but as soon s he went up front he caused the opposition problems. Helped in no small measure, that he can use both feet. Just like his Granddad. ie me!. His mum was there with an entourage but we ignored her. Her behaviour is getting more erratic with David but he is sorting it. She has now blocked everyone close to the situation on WhatsApp, email, phone calls etc. inlcuding Jenny and me. Why?

Our kitchen fitter who had a broken jaw from an unprovoked attack, has returned after a plate was screwed across two breaks. He is clearly in some discomfort but will work today and tomorrow and longer if necessary. What a star. The worktop people are coming next week followed by the tiler and then that will be it, hopefully. Just in time for the visit of Bill and Irene.

I went to watch Cottingham 1st Cricket team last weekend and was there to see them win the game, get 30 points and thereby ensure promotion. On Saturday next, they play their last game at Driffield and need just 13 points to ensure being league champions. However. Mike Gibson has prooved positive for Covid and will not be going. I have no symptoms (I saw him last Saturday) but will do a swab test today.

We are going to Cottingham Memorial Hall to see Albert Lee in concert. We are going with Angela and Paul, who is a big fan. It should be good.

We went to Mum’s yesterday to take her step ladders back At the same time we took a few Conference pears of her tree which is absolutely loaded with them. Mum is very well and alert.

1st September, 2021. 536th day since our 1st lockdown date (15th March, 2020).

I have been fascinated by the paralympics which, to me, are the pinnacle of human achievement over adversity. After watching any paralympic sport, you realise that it would be a great achievement to get to their standards. Table tennis. canoeing, running, cycling, botcha are just some of the sports that have enthralled us all. Money is put into the various sports although some events miss out. Most of the funding comes from the National lottery but I think that much more should come from central government.The lift that UK success has given us all in this horrible period in our lives is immeasurable and worth more than the millions spent on vanity projects. For those who have not been immersed in the paralympics, then they have missed something wonderful.

What has been emphasised, more than once, is the commitment of parents and friends to support them, in more ways than one, including taking them to their training facilities, sometimes great distances away. Able bodied athletes get the same support but it must be much more of a challenge for the disabled who will need specialist equipment also. Congratulations to them all who will no doubt share the excitement of winning Olympic Medals.

Some more Karma today as Weatherspoons announce difficulties in getting beer stocks to their pubs. Bud Light, Carling and Coors are actually unavailable in some branches. They will try to deflect the blame to Covid related problems but Covid did not create the HGV driver shortage. Brexit did. The driver shortage arose BEFORE the pandemic. Tim Martin, the Australian owner and fervent Brexiteer, must be dead chuffed. Especially after printing 200,000 beer mats in 2016, urging people to “take back control”. Yeh, right!! In the meantime, McDonald’s have run out of Milkshake, Nando’s are complaining about a lack of chicken and the boss of the Co-op said that shortages are at a worse level than ever seen before. Thank you Brexit!!

Watched Ronnie play football tonight. Not at his best but they won 6-2. Met David there and had a good long chat. Went toThe Fair Maid for a meal but would have had to wait at least 45 minutes. So we went home and had toast.

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.

14th August, 2021. 154th to 157th day of isolation.

Brexit goes from bad to worse. There are still the paper difficulties at borders and shortages in Supermarkets are starting to display empty shelves. The Government are trying to put the blame on shortages onto the pandemic but we all know it is a question of supply. The shortage of HGV drivers is going to force Boris to draft in HGV drivers from the Army. But only 2000 of them. The UK shortfall is 100,000 drivers, so 2% of that is to be covered. Even if it comes off, which I doubt, there will be a shortfall of 98,000 drivers and they are simply not there. Even if you could find drivers to take the HGV test, it would take at least 6/8 months to train them. And they will have to pay for their own training. So expect more lies to come out of this debacle.

UK deaths are on the up again and Hull has the most, new cases in he country with Lincoln a close second. My own experience is that shops are not insisting on mask wearing in their premises and the ignorant, thick public are taking advantage and not bothering with masks at all. I have one in every pair of trousers so will not get caught out. Even on buses now, there is a lack of mask wearing. It seems to me that it is the older generation that are wearing masks and we have just about all had our second jab, weeks ago. There are more cases each day of people in hospital very ill with Covid and also, many are dying. Figures show that most deaths are to people who have not had the vaccine, deliberately. Their much publicised last words seem to be “Take the vaccine”. I suspect many have also said ” You did warn me, more than once”. I still believe anyone who refused the vaccine, sould pay for treatment

I see Lionel Messi has transferred to Paris St Germain on a free transfer. Nobody else could afford his wages apparently. Wouldn’t it be nice if a player like him in his late 30’s thought to himself. “I will go to a smaller team back in Argentina where I learned my trade on lesser wages that were affordable, say £1 million a year instead of half a million a week”. And he may as well pay the correct amount of tax too. He could save on financial advisors’ fees too. He must have earned enough by now?

We had Fish and Chips last night for the visit of David and the kids. All plates were totally clean. They all seemed to like it. They were mostly quiet as they were still tired after a two day trip to London achieving over 30,000 steps each. They had a great time

My eyesight in the right eye is deteriorating and this morning I received my appointment for treatment in about 10 days time to treat Posterior Vitreous Detachment/Retinal Detachment and a Retinal Tear, none of which I fully understand but I will find out soon enough. The hospital stay is estimated to be about three hours.

10th August, 2021. 153rd day of isolation.

After several visits to the Hull Eye Hospital I have been diagnosed with Macular Edema in my right eye which is a swelling on the retina which is causing a lot of problems at the moment. Indeed I can see only shadows out of that eye now, apart from the blue. white and some red flashing/twinkling lights. The hospital are treating me as an emergency case and will need injections into the eye every 1/3 months. I have to wait for an appointment for the first one in a week or so. I can’t wait. In the meantime, I have given up driving the car.

Our friend Mike Leach was buried in York last week. He was suffering from cancer. His wife Chris died a few months ago. There were only 30 allowed for Chris but no restrictions for Mike. We will miss both our friends alot.

I had a great day in York last weekend watching a 50 overs league match between Yorkshire and Warwickshire. Yorkshire won in a very exciting game. The weather was beautiful until we got home where Mike and Maria stayed for a few beers. A great day indeed. They are now in Reykjavik at the moment, lucky devils.

Our tyre warning light has been on again but Northfield garage topped up the tyres for no charge. I had to get someone else to pump up the tyre as I cannot read the pressure display.

Maisie is making progress and her plaster is now festooned with signatures and drawings. She seems really well. David and the kids visited Mum whilst I was still there.

9th August, 2021.137th to 152nd day of Isolation.

Somehow I have lost the original Diary #58, so this one covers a long period which coincidentally roughly covers the Olympic Games fortnight.

This turned out to be a spectacular event, watched mainly by other competitors, coaches and medical staff. It was a big risk by Japan/Tokyo but with the superb TV coverage, turned into a stunning event. I was glued to the TV and watced everything from skateboarding to boxing. Great Britain were fantastic, coming fourth in the medal table with a total of 65 medals which equalled our London medal haul. Quite an achievement. There were handreds of great stories including the fact that we beat the Russians. They competed under the ROC flag. (Russian Olympic Committee). I don’t understand this as they, the Russians were banned for drug offences sanctioned by the state. There were so many in the squad, it was indistinguishable from what would have been the normal team. And yet, nothing was said about it. I don’t know how many medals could have been gained by GB but it must have been some. Maybe even Gold ones. We will never know as it looks like everything stands. I always thought that if there was drug taking, the country was banned as a whole, including those where drug taking could not be proved. And they may have been guilty anyway. They sent a squad of 355 athletes! It appears that the only real penalty suffered was that the could not have the Russian National Anthem or the Russian flag at Medal ceremonies. Big deal!!!

Our biggest challenge during the last week was he injury to granddaughter, Maisie. Instead of going “round town” with her friends, they collectively decided to go to Beverley Westwood to Play on a rope swing somewhere in the centre of it.Inevitably it was Maisie who fell, badly resulting in unconsiousness , cuts and bruises and suspected broken bones. The Yorkshire Air Ambulance came as access for an ambulance would prove difficult. As it happens, an ambulanc came vary close and the helicopter, having landed, was sent away. The outcomeof all this was a 36 hour stay in Hull Royal Infirmary Accident and Emergency. Several Xrays and scans and examination by a Neuro Surgeon later she was sent home with a broken wrist, cuts bruises and scrapes and probable concussion. Two days rest at home with David who was in the hospital with her the whole time (nobody knows where her mother was. We think abroad) and she was well on the mend. Quite an episode.

We had a lovely afternoon tea with friends and neighbours Dave and Thelma. Their work for the Make a wish charity is inspirational and Jenny hinted she may like to do some voluntary work for them.

We have spoken alot to Sally and Jim who had a great time in Crete and went from there to Sally’s flat in Spain. Interestingly, the drove to Loss Vicentes and had a drive by our old house (and Bill’s). The gardens were full of weeds and looked very sad . Nobody was living there at the moment but they saw our old neighbour Jose. He had had Covid badly but is fully recovered. He looked well and was pleased to find out that we were all OK. I have a mind to send him a card wishing him and Lola well.

Covid 19 continues to feature in our lives. I don’t take much notice of the figures as they can be made to say whatever the government wants. We just stay inside most of the time and if we venture out we are ALWAYS masked. Many are not! Sister in law has still got covid as has her daughters’ family. They are all double jabbed so as the scientists predicted they have a mild form of the disease but still have to isolate. They could have contracted it from Leanne’s children. Or even their dog, Poppy. Who knows? We haven’t seen Carol for three weeks so we are OK. It pays to be careful though. Especially as Sally and Jim are coming here next week for 7 days and we want to have a really good week. Lots of wine will be drunk. It will be great to see them for the first time since February 2020.

Brexit outcomes get steadily worse. It is not, as thought, a question of shortages due to new border controls but a shortage of 100,000 truck drivers. All the Europeans have gone home and Boris’s solution is to draft in 2000 military to make up the shortfall That’s 2% of the missing drivers and therefore a hopeless con by Boris. Soon, if things don’t improve, we may even need ration books for food. The actions of our leaders is criminal and in years to come we may wish that the likes of Johnson, Cummings and Gove should have been banged up in jail. I am not really a political animal but if Kier Starmer said that the labour party is going to fight to rejoin the single market, he would get my vote! He won’t do it though.

25th July, 2021. 126th to 135th day of isolation.

A lot has happened since my last entry.

Not least with Covid and the Tory government. Freedom day came and went and there were crowds everywhere. Without masks mostly. The “bad” figures are still on the rise although hospital admissions are down.So it is not all bad although the deaths and hospital admissions will take 3 or 4 weeks to filter through. I noticed that on public transport masks were still being worn but in our local mini market, it was about 50%. Those without masks did not look like the type of man (they were all male) that you would chose to argue with. You know for an absolute certainty that they would respond negatively, possibly starting every excuse/reason with ” I was only….”. Numpties. We shall certainly not change our approach to the pandemic, wherever we need to. I thought I might go and see Hull City’s first home game with Ronnie. I shall not bother going to the stadium as yet. Also Ronnie was sent home this week and has to isolate for 10 days so will not be available for this week’s under 11 cricket cup final where he would certainly have been picked to play. A real shame.

Last Saturday I managed a couple of hours, and a couple of pints, watching the !st team beat Beverley by 8 wickets. I stayed long enough to see Dom Rhodes score 30 odd runs with ease including a huge 6 off his first ball. My neighbour, Jame Braithwaite, opens the batting and scored a really useful 40. It was a great afternoon, chatting with some old friends.

Sadly, a couple of days ago, we lost our friend Mike from York, to Cancer. We will be going to the funeral. His wife, Chris died a few weeks ago so a doubly sad occasion except that this time, there are no restrictions on numbers and we will go back to the house for the “wake”.

Sally and Jim are home from Crete and are now planning a flight to Spain from where they may also fly to Ireland. Depending on the rules at the time we may even go also. The rules about the red green and orange countries are changing all the time so it@s anyone’s guess at the moment.

However, we are planning a long weekend in Sutton in Derwent to see Andy and Lindy and we are also going soon to Louth to have dinner at Jan’s. There is a lot to catch up on.

Coincidentally, a 51 year old man from Lincolnshire, who was an antivaxxer has died this week. He appeard on Look North on TV and it was reported that his last words to his family were, “I wish I’d had the vaccination” That bit of film should have been show to all antivaxxers. Such a tragedy and a lesson for everyone.

England lost the European Cup Final to Italy, on Penalties. Nothing more to say. The twitter aftermath against the three England players who missed their penalties, was awful and followed the pattern we have got used to with a certain type of England fan who booed he Italian national anthem and shone laser pens into the eyes of the Danish goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeikel. Pathetic.

Our friend in Spain, Peter Clarke lost his dad, Tony, last weekend after a fall in hospital. A brain bleed would not stop and he passed away. Peter was forewarned so at least he was there. There is to be an inquest so Peter managed to get a flight to Spain and will return when the inquest is over.

I kept an appointment at the eye hospital on Friday. No treatment was give but I had an eye test and photso taken of the inner eye and retina. I now have to wait until the consultant examines the pictures. Meanwhile, as the right eye is so bad, I cannot focus properly which means I have great difficulty reading, writing or typing. if I close the bad right eye, I can “see” better but only in 2D and have no depth of field. I think I may have to provisionally stop driving and more importantly, peeling potatoes with a knife.

The Wren kitchen instalment carpenter came for a final measure on Friday. He confirmed that the new units would be delivered on 30th August. Work would start on the next day.

After all the football, we now have the Olympics to keep us entertained. Japan is 8 hours ahead of us so proceedings commence at 3am. Too early for me. To date we have a Silver and a Bronze. No Gold medal yet and my favourite, Jade Jones is out. Our target is 65 medals. I think we will fall short. Like we do in a lot of things.