The Numbers
The new total number of deaths is now 30,076, an increase of 649. A big number again, so we are not out of the woods yet.
The News
One of the government experts on Covid-19, Professor Neil Ferguson, has resigned after he breached lockdown rules by receiving two visits at his home from his married lover. Ho hum. Covidiot.
Deaths in care homes continue to rise despite an improving picture elsewhere. Kier Starmar has challenged the PM on this and he apparently “bitterly regrets” what has happened in this sector. Oh, that’s alright then!
They are predicting that he will be announcing the start of the easing of lock-down on Monday. I wonder what that will look like. People are nervous. Many don’t want to go back to work and don’t want their kids to go back to school yet. Can they be forced to do so?
The New Way of Life
I’m definitely feeling better today. We actually had to set the alarm and get up early! M had a conference call and I had a virtual local business network meeting.
While I was in a business mindset, I took the opportunity to do some work on Key Ways Consulting. I shared a blog on Linked In and Facebook and sent some new dates for some additional online seminars to our website guy. I started an article on Resilience.
After lunch I finished my homework for Writers Group. I just need to proof-read and edit and polish it up before the meeting. Feeling pretty happy with it now, even if was like getting blood out of a stone at one point.
M had a virtual consultation with an immunologist this morning. His respiratory consultant is concerned that he may have some sort of immune deficiency. He has to have a blood test, but at a special “clean” off-site location. I wonder where that will be?
The weather is much better again and we went for a lovely long walk in the afternoon. We explored the open countryside between our village and the edge of the city.
We spoke about what some of our options might be for the future and some of the things we will be able to do, rather than focusing on what we won’t. We will be able to go to for long walks and bike rides and take picnics. We will be able to drive to lovely places for days out and picnics. We could even have trips away in a camper van if we could borrow or hire one.
We are seriously (well, maybe were just fantasising) considering moving to Barbados. If we can’t be with our friends and families here for months or years, we might as well just go if we can get there. Being away from family and friends has been the one thing that has stopped us going in the past – if that is no longer a reason, then what is stopping us?
We saw a bus go by today and more than half the seats had red bags over them. How can that be a viable option? I heard about a restaurant that had worked out it would have to take £300 per cover just to break even, if they reduced their number of tables to comply with social distancing.
When I was walking up the main street a bike toppled over and fell on me. I had grabbed it before I could stop myself and spent the rest of the walk home feeling anxious that I had TOUCHED SOMEBODY’S BIKE! A lot of handwashing and sanitising followed. How strange our lives have become.
We’ve only just found out that it’s a Bank Holiday on Friday! We thought we’d had one on Monday, but it turns out that it was moved to Friday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of VE Day. We are all being encouraged to have our own individual street/back garden parties with tea and scones. To observe a 1 minute silence at 11am, watch the Churchill speech at 3pm, decorate our homes with Union Jacks and bunting and join together in a communal rendering of “We’ll meet again” at 9pm.
Sorry! No disrespect to our amazing war veterans, and we will be observing the 1 minute’s silence at 11am, but we won’t be taking part in the rest of the celebrations. It’s a shame, but we just can’t stop ourselves from associating this type of thing with the jingoistic, flag-waving, Jerusalem singing, far-right who frequent the likes of the BNP and the EDL. I’m afraid we’ll pass … it all makes us feel very uncomfortable.
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