Friday 27 November 2020

Covid Chronicles 6

     

Memories! Flowers given to me in Cyprus! Happy days!

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all safe and well as we approach December, the last month of this horrendous year. At the moment it is sun shining and mild for the time of year which is uplifting for the spirit. I popped outside earlier to feed my pesky pigeons and it felt more like spring, no need for a coat. Vaccines are looming on the horizon which brings hope for many. Will you have one? I am still not sure. I think they have been produced quickly in an attempt to eradicate the lurgy but the lurgy is not in a hurry to leave us. Peeps are looking forward to a better 2021, looking on the bright side it cannot be much worse. Remember, my friends, the glass is always half full!


     And the world looks better through rose coloured glasses. Hence my love of rose wine. Okay, I will share with you my postings for last weekend. Please enjoy!

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    Day 242 Friday, 20 November 2020. Lockdown 2/Day16

Good morning and happy 73rd wedding anniversary to our lovely Queen and Prince Philip. Wow! They have been married for my entire lifetime and more. They are spending the day together in isolation at Windsor.

Okay I am off out now. Be back later.

Late afternoon. I am back after an exciting day. I have been shopping, my usual weekly trip out to McColl’s for the essential item, a tv mag plus a few other things. It was drab and drizzly out there. Shops closed. Traffic and empty buses. Park with ease. Hassle. Into the store. Collect items. Pay. Leave.

But before that my morning was really exciting. Life is what you make it even in lockdown. I met friends and colleagues in Bristol. Bristol, a beautiful city with such memories of times gone by, in particular the wine fair. It was somewhere my husband and I enjoyed visiting. It is a two hour drive down the motorway. Lockdown? Who cares? I knew my little car needed a good run and would enjoy the journey. We would have a good ride down and admire the sites, the Clifton Suspension Bridge, the harbour and cathedral, the old city, and its streets. Shops closed. Never mind. So, mush history and so much to enjoy when we get there.

Dreaming! It took me less than a minute to walk into my library and set up Zoom for a Society of Authors Meet-up with eh Bristol area. Yes, once again, my friends I gate-crashed a party. There were only five of us this morning and the others were from Bristol. It was interesting to learn of what others are doing during this trying time and to share experiences. One lady has written astrology books. I wanna know about that.

A friend phoned me today which was nice. Then, hey presto it was after 3.00, time for lunch and return to computer to talk to you lovely peeps. The rest of the day? Ancestry. Play games. Dinner. Soaps and celebs!

What is newsworthy? There is a ‘Wags War’ going on and it has reached the first stage in court in a libel case. This one is between two footballer’s wives, Rebekah Vardy, and Coleen Rooney. This is something to do with Rebekah allegedly leaking info from Coleen’s Instagram account to the press. The press is giving the score as 1-0 to Rebekah at the moment as Coleen must prove it was Rebekah who stole the info from her account. Also, there is an on-going court case with Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex suing the press over publishing a private letter to her father. Haven’t these peeps got better things to do with heir lives? Or too much money? It costs a small fortune for a libel case.

Do you fancy driving an electric car or maybe you already do? It has just been announced that from 2030 all new cars will be electric. This has been put forward by a decade. Memory alert. I remember when I put 2* petrol in my tank. My first Honda Civic ran on low octane fuel which was a bonus as many cars ran on 3 or 4* petrol and that was more expensive. In those days, the 1970’s and 80’s peeps would pay to convert to diesel because it was cheaper. Then, petrol changed to leaded and unleaded…then unleaded and diesel… soon no petrol at all.

President Trump still thinks he will serve another term. What planet is he on?

Finally, today the data. Mexico has passed the 1,000,000-case mark and are eleventh in the global league table. USA has passed 12,000,000. Total is 58,000,000. Here, in the UK, we have seen over 500 deaths most days this week and daily case figures are 20,000+. Grim. All hope lies on vaccine. Apparently, our government has ordered enough for all our population and are expecting to start vaccinating at the end of this month. Will it be mandatory, or do we have the ‘decline’ option? Also, it only has immunity for 6-12 months. What happens next winter?

Enough for one day. Food and tv are calling. Καληνύχτα as they say in Cyprus!

Day 243, Saturday November 21st, Another weekend! Lockdown 2/Day 17

Every day is Christmas Day from now until whenever! I can say that because our government has changed lockdown restrictions enabling Christmas Tree Farms to open from today. They are now essential retail establishments.

It’s a pottering day for me with nothing particularly exciting to look forward to. In fact, after yesterday’s trip to Bristol it is a bit of an anti-climax. However, I choose to be happy. (Bus alert… empty red bus heading for the station).

I have been outside, fed those pesky pigeons and added some items to the blue recycling bin. Is this as exciting as it gets? I only go outside to feed pigeons and put waste in bins. No Antonio, no ice cream, no warm sunshine, no leaves on the trees. Next, it is washing up and a wash load on before work and play.

 Many peeps have followed my trend. I always said I was a trendsetter. They have put Christmas decorations up early to make the drab days more cheerful. I shall be putting the rest of mine up next weekend and I am looking forward to opening my advent calendars in nine days-time. There is still much talk of what restrictions there will be over the Christmas period. We are told that when we come out of lockdown, which legally must be December 2nd according to the laws which passed it, it may only last for a month, we are returning to the three tier system with more areas in tier 3. So, no change really. Most of the country will be in tier 3 which is just a new name for lockdown. It also tells me that despite what Boris said the number of cases and deaths will not have decreased. SAGE have warned that for every day of easing restrictions over the festive period we will need two of tighter restrictions afterwards.

Vaccine(s) seems to be the ‘in’ word now. Many seem to see it as the panacea for the dreaded lurgy and all will be back to normal in a few months-time. Well, I am all for optimism and positivity, but I am also a realist. I still say look out for a third wave and it will be a new normal when this is over but that will not be in 2021.

Brexit? What is happening on that front? Not a lot. In fact, I think it is panic stations for the UK. We leave finally in 39 days and talks with the EU have ceased due to someone having to self-isolate and it is still stalemate! Chaos. It is 4 and ½ years since the Referendum when we were told that we could save a few thousand pounds each week for the cash-starved NHS. What about the billions of pounds spent in the escape route?

In the States Trump is still trying to get the ‘swing’ States to overturn the outcome in his favour declaring that the election was fraudulent. Georgia and Michigan have checked their results and declared no fraudulent activity could be found. President Trump has lost his lawsuits.

The G20 Summit has gone ahead virtually and is hosted by Saudi Arabia. Where would we be without the virtual world?

At home Priti Patel, our Home Secretary, has been a naughty girl and has broken the Ministerial Code by using bullying tactics with her staff. Boris says she may keep her job. He said that about Dominic Cummings after he had been a naughty boy, but he didn’t last long, did he?

Also, here I feel we are approaching anarchy. There have been anti-lockdown protests in Bournemouth, London, and Liverpool. Peeps are congregating and shouting ‘freedom’ as they march through city centres. So, we have a choice, freedom, or death from the lurgy. All those who want freedom, walk towards the ports and board ships to sail to wherever you wanna go and enjoy your freedom. Personally, I would rather accept a temporary lockdown as opposed to death. The problem is that lockdowns become more extensive as a result of protestors wanting freedom without facing reality. Northern Ireland and Scotland are in tougher lockdowns after short reprieves and the numbers are growing. Covid-19 is in control and our only hope is to obey the restriction rules.

Day 244 Sunday November 22nd, Lockdown 2/Day 18

Morning Peeps,

Temperature? Outside freezing. Mine 35.9̊.

It is “Songs of Praise” day. Very important. Alas, it has been put back by an hour due to a football match. I am sure all fans will be delighted. Football is an institution. Memory alert. My father and grandfather were Nottingham Forest supporters. I remember the year they won the cup, 1959. My father was ecstatic and there was the grand ride of honour through Nottingham. But… but… but… I am appalled that matches are continuing through this pandemic. Football is a contact sport which spells danger. Okay, there are no audiences present, they are played behind closed doors, but it doesn’t stop fans congregating elsewhere and celebrating wins in traditional style of hugging. Have you noticed the teams when they win? They hug each other. What kind of example does that set to the fans? As for Covid-19. It is like an open invitation.

What is the total score on Covid-19 front this weekend? How many more cases in the last seven days? 58,815,000. Last Sunday 54,621,689. An increase of 4,193,311. And people are protesting about restrictions! Okay, let’s be fair it is about 100,000 down on the week before figure but…

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   Wishing you all a safe week ahead. All my love, Lady M💓💓💓   

                                     


                                                                                                                                             

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