It's oh so quiet.

Friday / Saturday 17^th & 18^th April 2020

Days 25 & 26 of Lockdown

The weather has deteriorated so we are indoors with not a lot to do. We have been mainly baking, cooking and cleaning.

We have started watching The Crown on DVD, which is very good, once we got the Blu Ray player to work and avoided having a fight.

Friday night we had torrential rain, which was much needed for the garden but kept me awake for the best part of the dark hours.

I scrubbed the kitchen floor on my hands and knees with bleach; it was hard work but looks amazing.

Yes this is how exciting life is a present. Oh almost forgot we have cleaned the ovens too. Not sure how much more excitement a person can handle.

The “Stay Inn” was open on Saturday afternoon/evening. It was opening for quite a few hours but the level on conversation is starting to deteriorate. Ha Ha

Friday Night we had Stir-fry for dinner and Saturday night it was a lovely Red Thai Chicken curry with rice, Ian made both meals along with some very nice fruit scones.

The queen has cancelled her birthday gun salute for the first time in 68 years as she deems it inappropriate at this time.

I must mention how quiet it is. At night there is not a sound, there is no noise coming from houses or gardens, no one walking along the road. There certainly is no air traffic noise. The usual hum of traffic from the A404 is non-existent at night, occasionally if the wind is in the right direction we hear the toot and the clickity clack of the Marlow Donkey. Even as I sit here writing this in the early hours of the morning only 1 car has gone past and 3 joggers. No pun intended but it is deathly quiet.

 Notes from Friday’s daily briefing.

Furlough has been extended until June.

A further 847 people died on Thursday and 888 on Friday.

A Specialist vaccine task force centre has been set up. AstraZeneca and the Welcome foundation are part of the task force.

It will take months to find a vaccine, if at all. We can only exit full lockdown with a vaccine.

The Oxford Jenner group and the Imperial group are developing a vaccine and starting clinical trials, there are many stages to go through. There are 100+ vaccine projects underway. Most Pharma companies are trying for a vaccine, it could come from anywhere. We may need more than one vaccine.

The death rate is higher in Men and the Black and Ethnic minority.

Lockdown easing – We must follow the Public health England safe working guidelines and 5 tests have to met before lockdown can be eased.

Government re-looking at face mask wearing, the evidence is variable but at present it is essential only for NHS. More advice to follow.

There is a global shortage of ventilators with one country reported as only having 4.

Thousands of people are reported to be brought home on rescue flights from South Asia.

There is a rise in domestic violence due to the lockdown

Donald Trump questions if China started this deliberately.

There have been protests in many of the States of America against the lockdown.

Chinas Wuhan revises its death toll up by 50%.