It's the New Normal

CV19 The daily record Wednesday April 29^th 2020.

Day 37.

Awake early, well awake most of the night. Ian has been very restless either he is cold or the NUFC takeover is disturbing his sleep, bit of both I think. He spends a lot of time looking at any bit of information or news feed he can. He is going to be massively excited when it happens. However there is a bit of a moral dilemma around it. The national news is not reporting on it and if it were not for him I would not have heard what is going on. No Doubt the press will make something of it when it is finalised which now looks like it will happen any day.

After breakfast and a body booster class, which I finally found how to get on, the silly woman has 2 home pages duh, we walk into Marlow. Ian wants to see if he can get better shots of the Peregrine, someone has posted fab close ups of the bird so now he is on a mission to get similar shots.

The fish man is in the car park so we stop and get some lovely fresh fish; also the veg market is there so we buy some different fresh veggies. Rhiannon is working so we stop off at COOK and say hi to her. They are very busy have packed up 30 bags so far and have another load to do this afternoon. The high street is very quiet; Mr. Peregrine is there on the church spire. I wander down to the river and listen to the water rushing over the weir, waves of fine mist spray up and the morning sun filters through the trees giving the whole place a really peaceful and ethereal feeling well I am sitting in a graveyard. Not one car rumbles over the bridge to disturb the peace and as I wait for David Bailey to finish I sit and look at the Compleat Angler all shut down and empty. It doesn’t make me feel sad but glad to be alive and enjoy this beautiful scene.

Walking home we bump into Coleen who has also been to the market and is waiting for Pauric to pick her up. We have a good catch up from opposite sides of the road they take our shopping home for us to save us lugging it up the hill. We had also nipped into the small Sainsbury’s on the high street not a soul in there. We kind of like this new normal life, except not being able to nip into the pub.

The rain sets in after lunch, my friend Sara comes to collect her plants that ordered for her, and we have a chat. Not for long as its tipping down, very cold and she is standing under the carport about 10 feet away.  It feels very strange to have a friend standing out in the cold and not invite them in or offer a drink, not nice at all. I close the door and she comes up closer to get the plants what a strange life we are leading.

In the afternoon I make a lemon cake and a rhubarb crumble, Ian is reading and checking the football news every 5 seconds. Willow is fast asleep in his bed, Mrs Blue Tit is snuggled down in her cosy nest, I wish I could say all is well with the world buts it is far from that. However in Willow and Mrs BT’s world all is calm.

We had a fabulous dinner tonight. Fresh grilled Sea trout with asparagus and Jersey Royals. It was so good we had to open a bottle of Muscadet to accompany it. Followed by Rhubarb crumble.

Other News.

Boris and Carrie’s baby boy was born this morning.

Big question is how close are we to meeting the 5 points to ease lockdown. Dominic Raab would not be drawn on this and said he needed to get Sage to give the stats.

Boris says he will not relax rules and risk a second wave. Making a point that we are at crucial stage.

Germany has started to see an increase in cases after easing of lockdown earlier and may have to reintroduce lockdown if it continues to rise.

Britain’s death toll jumps to 26, 097 as care homes are now included.

Mail force a new charity dedicated to the battle against the virus has delivered a 20 ton plane load of PPE.

World Stats

Coronavirus Cases:

3,221,617

view by country

Deaths:

228,263

Recovered:

1,005,229

I have no idea how they come up with these figures as every country will have a different way of recording but I put tit here as some sort of record to show the extent of what is occurring.

It's good for the garden.

CV 19 The daily record Tuesday 28^th April 2020.

It is an indoors day as it is raining; cold grey and miserable. However I have a list of things to get on with.

After writing up my diary I try to do an online morning stretch class but can’t get onto the link grrr. After breakfast and a shower Ian has volunteered to wash the kitchen floor so I take to the study to surf the net. My friend emails me the stretch class so I do that, which is a good wake up class in the morning, nice and easy. The instructor also runs an online class on corrective walking techniques so I am doing this as well. It’s not easy and the concentration level is high. I nip outdoors to practice up and down the street, get collared by an elderly neighbour. She should not be out; she is on the vulnerable list. I offer to shop for her but she is adamant that she needs milk and exercise and will insist she is ok. Off she goes down the hill with her walker on wheels. One day this is not going to end well. I think the need for cigarettes is the driving force here not milk. Anyway I can’t help and others have offered too. Back to my walk, well up and down the road a bit. Its freezing cold, a steady rain is falling making it really unpleasant to be out. I give up,

I sort out my wardrobe and put my heavy winter jumpers away and sort out some summer clothes. Ian is rootling around in the loft and finds some Enid Blyton books, which he decides he is going to read. I dig out an old colouring book that I had when I broke my leg, turn on YouTube and listen to Powered up Pop Hot list, it’s quite a good choice. It is very relaxing doing a bit of colouring and listening to music, however I am soon rescued from this by a face time call. Phew.

As I am talking I can see the plant man drive past, well I have had no communication to say that my plants are on their way, anyway he has gone now. Earlier on we went to collect some compost from the local garden centre. You email what you want, they ring you up take the money and within ½ hour you go down and drive into a space. A man mouths at you through the glass what is your name, points to the goods that are under a shelter, you load them into your car and are away. I really like this kind of shopping, no contact, no queues in fact no other people, no impulse shopping and no time wasting. It’s safer than going to the supermarket that’s for sure.

Just as we are sitting down for dinner the doorbell goes. Willow goes mad oh no oh no it’s the doorbell. Quick hide, hide, run, run everybody. He goes upstairs like a streak of lightening and I go outside to find my plants have been delivered. Good they can sit outside in the rain for the next 2 days and decontaminate ready for planting at the weekend or even sooner if the weather gets better.

Mrs BT has been sitting firmly on her nest all day. I just hope her husband is up to the task of feeding her and more importantly finding the right food in this weather.

Ian cooked dinner, roast chicken, courgettes, carrots potatoes and gravy.  A nice hot dinner on a cold day.

As I write this 2 men in full protective gear on quad bikes have just gone along our street on the pavement with sprayers. Not sure what they are spraying it might be the bins as it is bin day. Something to investigate.

Other News.

The 5 points that need to met to ease lockdown are

·        Making sure the NHS can cope

·       Evidence showing a sustained and consistent fall in daily death rates

·       Reliable data showing the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels

·       Being confident in the range of operational challenges, like ensuring testing and the right amount of PPE, are in hand

·       Being confident any adjustments will not risk a second peak

UK deaths yesterday were 586.

BA are making 12.5k staff redundant.

There was a minute’s silence at 11am for key workers whom have lost their lives to Coronavirus.

Virus testing opens up for millions more in UK. Over 65 included if having symptoms.

Kin Jong Un is reportedly dead, ill, missing or something else depending which paper you read.

Deaths in care homes are rising.

There is an inflammatory disease-affecting children being linked to CV19.

The Scottish citizens are told to wear DIY protective equipment when going out.

RSPCA is dealing with an increase in cases of abandoned animals due to the pandemic.

Is madness creeping in?

CV 19 The daily record  Monday 27^th April 2020.

35 days in lockdown.

After breakfast we set off into High Wycombe for the 2 weekly shop. This is something I hate, I get really anxious and worked up about it. Today was different as when we arrived at Aldi there was no one there, no queues and hardly anyone in the shop.  Armed with gardening gloves, mine pink and Ian’s green, some facemasks well actually eye masks we entered the dangerous zone. People are wearing all types of PPE that will probably offer no protection at all, but it makes me feel better. I am also getting better at the cross contamination thing. Ian immediately went wandering off with the trolley but I soon reined him back in. All done and back in the car we went to ASDA for fuel, no one there either. Fuel was £102.7 a litre marvellous. I nearly didn’t fill the car up as we won't need the fuel then realised what a foolish thought to have. Back home within the hour and relax.

The weather today is cooler but there are sunny spells. Rain is forecast for much of the rest of the week, so I am going to potter in the garden. Ian takes himself off to see if the peregrine is around and get some exercise as we wont be able to get a walk in for a couple of days. All the bulbs I pulled up the other week have dried out nicely so I bag them up and label them. This year I had grown Tulips in pots and it worked quite well (Stole the idea from a visit to Amsterdam) so I need to ensure I don’t get the colours mixed up. Then I potted on some seedlings I have been growing. Oh I did enjoy it, potter, potter, potter.  At this juncture I must apologise for one of many typos I am sure, but just to put thing right and assure that I am not waiting for knickers to arrive so I can bury them in the garden, not gone that mad just yet. I meant PLANTS not PANTS. Also apologise for any other spelling or grammatical errors if they offend you but sometimes I can’t be bothered to read it back and have to wait for Ian to correct me.

Ian arrived back after a while (No Peregrine) and he mowed the lawn and trimmed the edges, snipped off some bits that are starting to seed and the mower doesn’t get them These were seen off with a pair of scissors.  Well perhaps we are going mad as when he came home he went to get changed into gardening clothes went to pay a visit and then came out in just his boxers forgetting to put his shorts on. I see a theme of underwear developing here.

I spent late afternoon preparing dinner while Ian read and we waited for the daily briefing.

Dinner prep pre Chicken

We caught up with Van Der Valk in the evening which we both enjoyed.

Dinner was Spanish Chicken and rice. Ian gave it a 10/10. I just made it up onions, peppers, chorizo, garlic and red wine and some left over Chicken.

Other News.

Boris says we are at the maximum danger point, as a second wave cannot be allowed to happen. We must obey the lockdown rules and stay home while they sort out an exit strategy.

They hammer home again that people must use the NHS for other illnesses, this is obviously becoming a problem and people are dying as they won't go to hospital. Either scared that they will get CV19 or to save the NHS.

There will be a pay-out of £60,000 for families of NHS and care workers that have died of CV19.

A short-term life assurance scheme has also been set up for key workers.

Global cases of CV19 reach 3 million as countries ease lockdown.

The reports deaths in the UK were very low yesterday due to the weekend up by 360. The curve is flattening but not decreasing.

Australia has reported very few deaths and lots of people have downloaded a contact tracker.

Sunny Lazy Sunday

CV19 The daily record Sunday 26^th April 2020.

Day 34 of lockdown.

Another fabulous sunny day, the blue sky is still here and no noise from builders, planes or cars. We aim to make the most of it by staying at home in the garden. We don’t venture out at weekends as I have previously mentioned its so busy out there. Donna next-door came home from tending her horse and said the place was full of people out walking. There is a general feeling of things are getting better and the reported death rate is much lower today but then it always is at the weekend due to lack of reporting figures.

Ian perked up a little after he had spoken to a couple of friends, which lifted him a bit.  Hopefully that NUFC buyout will be completed and then he will be ecstatic until the dreaded football resumes.

I did a bit more weeding making space for my plants when they arrive. Rain is forecast for the rest of the week, which is good as the ground will also be soft for planting.

 Ian’s hair got another snip, he said I was not so careful this time but I think he was pleased enough with the result. I am lucky that my hair is very slow growing and is not too bad at the moment.

We watched a natural history programme on Primates last night, which we really enjoyed, the filming was just amazing and the picture clarity was unbelievable. So many different primates, some of which we have had the pleasure to see ourselves in the wild. Ian particularly liked the ones with the fancy blue bottoms.

Nothing new on the B T front. Just checked in on her and she is awake and brooding her 10 specked eggs .

Roast chicken new potatoes and salad for dinner, trying to keep the weight down. (Its not working)

Other News.

Italy outlines lockdown-easing measures. People will be allowed around their own region but not other regions.

Funerals to resume but only 15 people can attend.

Athletes can resume training in their own area.

Bars and restaurants can open for takeaway (not just delivery) food must be consumed at home or work.

Hairdresser set to open from 1^st June.

New Zealand has stopped community transmission of the virus with new cases in single figures for several days. However social distancing and stay at home measures are to remain in place

UK

People reportedly flocking to DIY stores and beaches (nothing new there then)

As I write this on Monday morning Boris is back at work so lets see what happens at todays briefing.

The sky is oh so blue.

CV 19 The daily record 25.04.20.

Days in lockdown 33.

Well here’s a thing last night our dear neighbours once again have shown total disrespect for lockdown, the NHS and even us by having people around to their house. It has really upset Ian we had a conversation with them and they say that they don’t have it  (CV19 and its only a virus) so don’t see why they cant mix with people that also don’t have it. We tried to tell them that nothing has changed but they don’t see it that way.

The Stay Inn was opened yesterday afternoon and drinks were taken in the beer gardens in Weston Super Mare and Marlow. Due to inclement weather the beer garden in Cornwall was shut and fisherman’s jumpers were the dress code (well for one person).

The sky here yesterday was so blue, it was like being abroad. Lack of aircraft and road traffic is having a really positive impact on the environment and air pollution is right down.

I am a bit happier as I have placed an online order for some plants from a nursery  near Burnham beeches. They are delivering to different postcodes in the area every week and this week it's SL7 hurrah. However they have sold out of compost and manure, I can do a click and collect from the local garden centre. You pay online and they dump it in the car park and you collect it. I will wait and see what Boris has to say tomorrow. It’s probably safer than going shopping which we also have to do tomorrow. (The rose wine took a hammering yesterday afternoon.) But I am also aware that we should not go out unless it’s essential.

Mrs BT continues to brood her eggs in her soft snuggly nest. 10 eggs is the final count.

Another thing worthy of documentation is Dexter actually swam in the sea, after years of coaxing he finally did it. However it looks as though it was a one off.

Steak, salad and new potatoes for dinner.

Other news.

CV fatalities went over 20,000 yesterday.

Oxford Scientists have developed an accurate antibody test. Which gives results in 20 minutes.  This is being heralded as a major breakthrough and will help in getting us back to some sort of normality.

Nothing has changed Stay Home!

CV 19 The daily record 24.04.20.

32 days in lockdown.

We decided as we needed to go to the veg man in Bourne End to do a walk from the Spade Oak at Well end and across to Cock Marsh and back along the Thames. Lovely walk but too many people about for our liking. The Thames path gets very narrow in places, fortunately owners have opened up their gardens so people can dodge in and let others get past.

We walked from the National Trust car park by the Spade Oak across the railway line and along the river through the marina. We cross the river at the Railway Bridge and stop for a quick look down towards Marlow. It is very calm and still, a few geese and ducks swim about nothing else is moving on the river. We take the path through Cock marsh trying to avoid the dog walkers of which there are many. Hmm not such a good idea to come here. I don’t think it would have been better earlier either.

As we enter a wooded area the sound of bird song is immense I take a video to capture the perfect stillness and melodious sounds of the birds. Sadly this was an epic fail on my behalf as later I found out that I had videoed the inside of my back pocket as I walked along. Sorry about that.

After the walk we went to the veg man but the queue was too long, it was the same at the local Sainsbury’s so we gave up and went home.

I said I would record what adverts there were on TV. This is quite difficult in our house as we tend to record ITV and the master of the remote control wizzes back and forth through the adverts. Here is what I captured last night.

The Army recruiting

Aldi

Kellogs cereal

Red Cross

Gaming

Exercises/activities to do at home.

Mobile phones

Boo Hoo clothes

Sainsburys with shopping guidelines. 2 metres apart, 1 person 1 trolley, pay by card. No food ads

Halifax – payment holidays.

Information on CV stay home advice

 Car adverts

Bingo

Banks with help and advice

Help your neighbours.

Quite interesting when you make a note of it, very little consumerism

Grilled Salmon, new potatoes and courgettes for dinner.

Other News

Traffic is increasing on the roads. Signs that people are becoming restless and increasing calls for Britain to get back to work.

There is growing concern about the economy, if companies are not allowed back to work in the next few weeks.

Lockdown easing rules revealed today might allow people to socialise with 10 other friends or family.

Demand for home testing kits was high and ran out in just 2 minutes with online booking.

Drones are to be used to deliver medical supplies.

MacDonald’s has reopened in France.

Italy to ease lockdown over the next 4 weeks with bars & restaurants be the last to reopen.

Foreign holidaymakers may have to have movements tracked by an app.

Spain reports lowest number of deaths in one day for a month.

.

Urban Birding. Peregrines in Marlow.

CV 19 The Daily record 23.04.20.

31 days in lockdown.

I need to go down to the age concern garden to water it and also turn on the drip feed system. So we head down into the ghost town that is now Marlow.  The garden is looking a bit sad but still plenty of colour. I need to come and deadhead a few things but all in all it looks ok. We chat to the manager who is awaiting a meal delivery outside. The good news is that all of the guests that come to Age concern are doing very well, with the exception of one who has had a fall and broken something. There is a lady who is 98, she loves the garden and always makes an effort to come and talk to me about when she had a garden and how much they all enjoy the flowers when they visit age concern. This lady was fit and bright as a button when I last saw her but is suffering mentally with the isolation and safeguarding of the very elderly.  They all loved coming to MAC it is a very social thing for them to do. Meeting up playing cards, bingo, chatting. Sitting in the garden and having a nice lunch with a glass of wine. Meals are being delivered to them on their designated days but perhaps are not getting to the right people in the housing complex.

Leaving MAC we walk to All Saints Church where it has been reported Peregrines are nesting. We keep to the back streets, as the top of the High street can get a bit busy with Boots and the supermarkets located there.  Standing on the green outside the George and Dragon its not long before I locate one, having a snooze in the shade of one of the spires. A man has brought his very excited young son to see it and we exchange a few words and tips on where to get the best view. Some people ask what we are looking at and it’s a shame that I cannot lend my binoculars for them to get a look. I have though about taking my scope down but it would attract too much attention and the police would probably tell me off. What an opportunity right on our doorstep, if restrictions are relaxed a little I maybe able to get down again and spend a little more time there. Ian managed to get some good shots but it was quite far away.

There is a lot of building work going on in Marlow; it appears that people are creeping back to work. I know the building industry was allowed to continue if they kept social distancing, but they all stopped for a while. I am wondering what has changed for them that they now feel it is ok to go back to work. I guess the answer to that is they need the money as nothing else has changed. This is worrying me that people are starting to become complacent and think that as its quiet its ok to carry on as normal.

We walk home along the back streets again and up Oak Tree road. A couple of planes fly overhead and the main road is busier than normal but apart from that it’s very quiet.

Not a lot else to report. We faced timed friends and family. Eleanor in London who is coping very well and all the Winnings in Halam.  Tom was due to have gone to South America today for a few months travelling so was feeling a bit down. Lockdown is very well for us retired folk but it must be awful for the younger generation, especially of you are locked down with Mum & Dad, just joking.

A friend of mine had to take her mother to the doctors for an injection. It is a drive through appointment, they drive up, wind down the window, stick her arm out gets the jab and drives off. Hilarious. Just had to make a note of how we and doctors are coping with this type of thing..

NHS clap for carers was very good again tonight in our street. Someone let of fireworks at the end of the road and another had a claxon going. I expect all the parents with babies were pleased about that, however it was a great noisy turnout.

The Big Night In was on the TV raising money for various charities when we went to bed they had raised 27 million. Wycombe general hospital featured in Peter Kay’s Amarillo sketch.

Donald Trump has finally lost it suggesting perhaps we could get a disinfectant injection or hit the body with a powerful light to kill the virus, and then states he is not a Doctor.

CV News.

Virus testing is being ramped up with the army now doing mobile testing and NHS and carers able to book tests online.

The vaccine has been injected into volunteers in clinical trials.

Nicola Sturgeon has revealed lockdown exit plans for Scotland, but says it will be a long time before life returns to normal.

616 people died yesterday taking the total in the UK to 18738.

There are 2.7 million reported cases worldwide and 191,000 have died.

It's a beautiful day.

CV19 The daily record 22.04.20.

30 days in Lockdown.

Well as predicted yesterday we went for a stunning walk. It was a shortened version of the Cowslip walk, as we walked up the lane and the steep hill to Copy Farm we both felt like we were on holiday. It was just like we had a holiday cottage and were stepping out for an early morning walk. The sunshine was glorious, joggers called out good morning and what a beautiful day it is. Skylarks sang and flew high up into the brilliant blue sky. The air was filled with all kinds of bird song it was really a great lift to our spirits.

Max was just coming out of his house as we passed by so we stopped to have a distance chat with him too.

The afternoon was spent sunbathing and reading. We watered the garden as it was starting to wilt and the ground is rock hard.

I am a bit worried about Willow as he is loosing weight again, also he is acting out of character hard to describe but you know your own pet. Perhaps it’s the heat He is an old man, classified as geriatric by the vet. We can only look after him and give him the best life we can.

BBQ Char sui pork chops, salad and new potatoes for dinner.

10 eggs in the BT nest, both parent are active. Mrs BT is mostly sitting on the nest now.

Mr. F is still up and down about the NUFC take over, but more up these latter days. If it goes ahead he will be euphoric (God help me) if it collapses again he will be in the depths of despair (God help me)

CV News.

Social distancing will be required to be in place until at least Christmas.. Dominic Raab said it would be weeks before they can put together an exit strategy

A 15000 strong contact tracing army is to be put together to play a key role in stopping future outbreaks

B&Q are opening stores with safe distancing practices in place. Not sure how DIY stores are essential needs. I need DIY stuff but its not essential that I have just its just something to do.

Ramadan begins this evening.

763 people died yesterday taking the total to 18100.

NHS are concerned that people are not going to hospital if they feel ill or have symptoms. The reported new cases of cancer have drastically fallen since lockdown as people are too frightened to seek help.

Rate of infections stays steady at around 4400 a day.

Every day is like a Sunday

Cv19 The daily record 21.04.20

Lockdown day 29.

Today I was up early again, I like getting up early doing my diary and watching the early birds passing by the window going out for their once a day exercise.

After breakfast I prepped dinner, cleaned the floor, did the ironing, watered the plants, lit the bbq to burn of any residue from cleaning it (in preparation for later in the week) and a yoga class on You Tube, got lunch ready and it was still only one o’clock. Ian appeared declaring he was bored. So am I, today we are bored bored bored. It's like a Sunday well everyday is like a Sunday.

It was extremely windy and neither of us fancied going out for a walk, we want to go somewhere different. Get in the car and go to a national Trust place or visit friends in WSM or Cornwall. It did not help when Sarah and Nic posted lovely pictures of beach and coastal walks. Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining we love it here and the countryside is beautiful we just fancied a bit of a change. Tomorrow we will get out and have a walk and revel in the fact that we are so lucky to be where we are.

The afternoon is spent reading, I had a snooze and we had a little G&T before dinner. The snooze was a bit difficult as a house down the road is being extended and the builders were cutting tiles, a noisy messy business. However I cannot moan as this time last year we were causing the noise and disruption.

Willow gets prime position

Well my posting yesterday revealed that Mrs BT had laid another egg, this was discovered in the middle of me writing the diary. This morning I can reveal that we now have 10 eggs. OK Mrs BT that is enough now. You do realise that you are going to have to feed all these little beaks in a week or 2 and its very tiny in that there nest. You can notice the 2 newest eggs, as they are much lighter in colour than the others.

When lockdown started I wrote I wonder how the adverts will change on the TV now we are limited in our activities and daily life. Well 2 noticeable things are the Government announcement videos, and the request for nursing staff, retired or trainees to step up to help. Most advert breaks have one of these. There are no adverts for holidays. There are no adverts from supermarkets, or ones like “this is not just steak” this is M&S steak. No adverts for DIY shops. Tonight I will pay more attention to what they are advertising.

Today is the Queens birthday she is 94.

Dinner tonight was grilled cod with creamed leeks, broccoli and parmentier potatoes.

CV News.

The UK figures rose again yesterday, now over 17,000 people have died and 823 the previous day.

Care homes are reporting high numbers of infections and they have not got the right PPE.

The PPE from Turkey has arrived in the UK but allegedly on half of what was promised. PPE is the juicy bone for the press.

 Clinical trials for the vaccine have started and request for volunteers aged between 18-55 have gone out.

They say they could have a vaccine ready by September, they also say they might not find one at all.

Very Egg citing

CV 19 The Daily Record 20.04.20

Lockdown day 28.

Great excitement today as it is revealed that we have 8 eggs in the nest. The female has stopped laying and is now brooding. We are expecting hatching on around the 4^th of May and fledging around the 18^th. As I am writing the male has just popped in to bring her some breakfast.

BREAKING NEWS – 9 eggs.

We went for a short walk, there was a strong easterly wind blowing it was fresh but not cold. Standing at the top of Monday dene looking down into Marlow, we let the wind blow and the sun shine in our faces. It was very therapeutic and in a way cleansing for mind and body. Don’t worry I haven’t gone all hippy and mindful.

We stopped to chat to Max who was mowing his lawn, it was nice for Ian to catch up face to face with someone he knows. He misses his walk group pals badly, and I fear I am a poor substitute although I have improved on the walking front at least.

We take a bit of a detour back and follow a path that takes us by the front of Marlow Poultry farm, alas no eggs were out. This is where the Llamas are but they too were in a different field. But now we know where to get free range eggs on our doorstep.

Later on I moved the Saab to the front, checked the tyres and took it for a spin keep things moving and stop the tyres from perishing. It hadn’t been moved for weeks. We just races up the M40 for 1 junction, it was a scary as “should we be doing this” and driving fast. Whoaaaa.

Ian is in a state of great anxiety as Newcastle United is reportedly being sold. I think The owner will pull out of the deal as he always does, I hope not as I will have to deal with the fallout again. I am hoping that people will realise how ridiculous football has become and it will be banned forever and people will be forced to watch proper sport like cricket and Rugby. (Controversial)

Not much else to report. Finished a paperback so now back onto the kindle thank goodness. I miss my Kindle; I have nothing to read if I wake in the night.

I am reading Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Lamb Ragu for dinner, made from the remains of the tagine.

Other News.

The US oil price has crashed to zero. In January it was $60 a barrel now due to a massive stockpile it is worth zero or less. It was reported that people were paid to take it away. At our local garage it is £108 a litre, it will be much cheaper at ASDA. Don’t need any fuel anyway.

Germany has opened small shops, car dealerships and bicycle stores. Social distancing remains in force.

Germanys mortality rate is significantly lower than other European countries. Efficient testing and tracing of infected persons is seen as a major factor in this.

The UK Furlough scheme was open for registering. More than 140,000 firms have applied.

The UK death rate was down to 449

The PPE is still sat on the tarmac in Turkey.

Boris is reportedly easing himself back into work. Having had a near death experience he is reluctant to ease lockdown restrictions. (It is reported in a red top so must be true)

Virgin airlines are on the brink of collapse and Hertz car rentals have laid off 100,000 staff.

Kin Jong Un is reported to have had heart surgery and coronavirus. He has not been seen for a while and was missing at the Military Parade earlier on.

Chips anyone?

CV 19 The daily record. April 19^th 2020.

Days in Lockdown. 27.

A cool breeze and sunshine herald a very quiet Sunday morning.  After some bacon eggs and toast, I make some calls to keep in touch with people. Morning Andrea & Colin it was nice to catch up with you yesterday. Then I venture out into the garden. Despite the easterly breeze it is surprisingly warm.

The Pelargoniums I bought the other day are planted up and already the place looks much better. I hope we don’t get a bad frost, but don’t think we will now, they are quite tough plants for an annuals.

The garden is at one of its lull stages; bulbs are just about finished & the perennials not happening just yet. Well it is still early, only mid April feels much later than that. There is quite a bit of colour and some of the Clematis Montana’s are out, however Broughton Star is not just yet.

Here’s a thing, did you know that if it’s your birthday lockdown rules don’t apply? Well neither did I, but next-door had a birthday yesterday and the elderly father and Mother came round and sat in the garden eating cake and chatting for a good couple of hours. No social distancing took place; well either that or they have no idea how far a 2 metres distance is. To crown it all the father said, I don’t understand all these people going out to the beach and things don’t they realise they could infect several other people. I had to go indoors before I yelled at them, “what makes you think that you are special and that this does not apply to you”. There were 6 of them 4 adults and 2 children you think one of them would have had some sense of this is wrong. I was fuming mad, in fact I still am.

Ian spent the morning cooking and catching up with one of his walking pals. The afternoon was spent weeding and reading. Something happened to Ian’s dry oil spray suntan lotion as when I turned round he was glistening like a well oiled Chippendale, I mean the men not the furniture. He was so greasy you could have fried chips on his chest. What the hell have you put on I cried, it’s the same as normal so no idea what happened. Anyway I had to try to scrape it off with kitchen roll before he fried, it was hilarious. 

After dinner we watched the One World Concert which was put together to thank all the key workers. People from all over the world were performing via video link. The UK version was highlights from the USA concert that was shown on Saturday, plus additional UK artists. I was a bit dubious of this whole thing, imagining Mick Jagger pouting and strutting like a cockerel round his kitchen or living room. However the Rolling stones were actually quite good except for Charlie Watts lack of drums. Elton John was playing the piano on his drive way and sounded like he had a bad case of hiccups, Ian commented that Burna Boy still had his prison uniform on. We did enjoy most of it and it must have been a difficult thing to pull together.

They did show all the empty streets across the world Paris, Rome, NY, Amsterdam, Las Vegas it was a very strange sight indeed.

 Blue Tit update.

We got a glimpse of some eggs in the nest but could not see more than 3 as it is still covered up. The female is brooding them a bit more now, and as she flew in and settled down the male popped his head in a presented her with a small grub. Sweet. The photos are not that good but hopefully you get the idea.

Lamb tagine for dinner.

CV News.

Less people died in the UK yesterday fewer than 600. (596)

The papers are starting to make assumptions about lockdown release, which will no doubt cause problems when it doesn’t happen. If they are correct it will be in 3 stages red, amber, green.

Papers say the schools will go back in May, but the briefing says that there are no plans for schools to go back, as they cannot make a commitment until it is safe to do so.

A large delivery of PPE was supposed to have arrived in the UK from Turkey but it was delayed; no reason was given as to why.

Boris might be starting to take on a bit more work, but will wait and see as we all know you cant believe what you read in the papers.

World Stats cases.

Confirmed

2402,249

Recovered

624725

Deaths

165234