Category: About Me

3 days until departure and it’s all kicking off again!

The Numbers

The number of infections has risen dramatically since I last wrote. Experts say it is doubling every week and if we don’t do anything to stop it we could have ten’s of thousands of new cases every day by mid October. There were 37 deaths yesterday, and 4,926 new cases.

Globally, there have been almost 32 million cases and almost 1 million deaths.

The News

We’ve officially moved back up to Level 4 and increased restrictions are being put in place. Last week Birmingham and Solihull were placed in a kind of new local lockdown. This essentially banned people from meeting other people from different households in private homes or gardens. The rest of the country were banned from meeting anywhere in groups larger than six.

Yesterday though, Boris addressed the nation again and announced even more restrictions. Masks are going to be compulsory pretty much everywhere indoors, for everyone. Although people can still go to pubs and restaurants, they now have to close at 10pm. People are being asked to work from home again, if they can, and all the steps that have been taken towards easing lockdown, are being cancelled.

Testing has been a shambles, with long queues at walk-in and drive-through testing centres and results taking days to come back. The government has admitted that demand is outstripping supply.

The New Way of Life

I’ve been so tense over the past couple of weeks it been killing me. With regard to my biggest fears:

The UK is deemed “high risk” by Barbados and we have to stay at the airport until we test negative, or go into the quarantine facility when we arrive.

So far, we are still allowed to travel but the rules have been tightened up a bit. Now, before you can board the plane, you must have a negative test, performed by a clinician, within 72 hours of arrival (previously this was departure).

This has meant that we now have to drive to Cirencester tomorrow to have the tests done then, to ensure that they get to the lab in time and avoid paying an extortionate price for a same day tracked courier, we are driving to Cambridge to drop them off ourselves.

It’s a hassle but its worth it for the peace of mind. We will get our test results in time and we can be reasonably confident that everyone else on the plane will not have the virus.

We catch the virus before we leave and are not able/allowed to travel at all.

3 days to go and so far so good. We have been isolating and been very careful so this is becoming much less of a concern now.

We catch the virus en route and are quarantined on arrival.

Still a possibility, but the new rules make catching it on a plane less likely. We have got masks, plastic face shields, gloves, hand sanitiser, santising wipes for the journey and we are hearing that airports are generally very quiet at the moment.

We have also agreed that if the worst happens and we are asked to quarantine on arrival, we will consider the “quarantine hotel” option, if we can afford it. We don’t fancy the government facility at all.

Birmingham goes into lock-down and we can’t hire a car to get us to the airport.

It doesn’t look as if this is going to be problem now. Very little can change between now and Saturday and the car is already booked. We pick it up on Friday.

Phew! The closer we get the less likely anything can go wrong, barring the flight being cancelled or Barbados closing their borders to us.

So, tomorrow is test day, Friday is final packing and picking up the car, then we are up at 4am on Saturday, to leave at 5am and drive down to Heathrow to drop the car and check-in at 7.30. Fingers and toes all crossed!

I thought it might be a good time to give a little update on our Covid-19 journey as we are now entering our 6th month since lock-down began, and the numbers are rising again.

The Numbers

Deaths rates remain low with just 8 yesterday but it was Sunday and the numbers are always low over the weekends. There were 74 on Friday and we will see how many there are today.

When I last wrote we were getting close to “our” magic number of less than 500 new cases per day. Yesterday, there were 743, and this number has been slowly rising over the past week.

Globally, there have been over 18 million cases and almost 700,000 deaths.

A key hot-spot is still the USA, where the virus is raging with around 50,000 new cases and 1000 deaths a day. Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa, Mexico and Peru are still countries that don’t seem to have the virus under control.

Numbers are rising in Spain (who seem to have stopped publishing their numbers over the past few days) Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and Australia.

The highest death rate per million population is still the good old UK though, at 680.

Spain is 608, Italy 582, Sweden 568, USA 478, France 464, Brazil 443. It’s still qualified by differences in testing, case definitions and accuracy of data. Belgium remains an outlying anomaly at 849 per million.

The News

So, people started going on holiday again after “air bridges” were created between different countries. There was uproar when this was “closed” with Spain after just a couple of weeks due to increasing numbers. People returning from Spain were required to go into 2 weeks quarantine on their return causing carnage at this end!

In the North West some restrictions that had been lifted have been re-imposed and people are no longer allowed to meet in each others homes or gardens. Bizarrely, they are still allowed to go the pub, or go to work and shielding has officially ended! It’s all about juggling public safety with the economy. We seem to have moved from a herd immunity, to a stay at home save lives, to stay alert save lives to a work and spend and bugger the consequences strategy.

Masks are now compulsory in shops and public indoor spaces. That caused a massive uproar too. Oh please, just get over yourselves. Yes, there are some people for whom this is difficult (it’s really tough for the hearing impaired in particular), but for the majority it is not. Yes, it’s hot and uncomfortable but really? I love the thing I saw on social media – if you don’t like wearing a mask, you’re going to hate a ventilator!

But I know its tough! Businesses are closing or downsizing and people are losing their jobs in the thousands every day. 

Melbourne and the state of Victoria in Australia have declared a disaster so that the army can enforce strict lock down and curfew rules. Honestly, it still might come to that here. It might have to. Some people are acting as if it’s all over. Going on holiday. Shopping. Drinking in pubs. Eating out in restaurants, Flocking to beaches and beauty spots. Partying.

I know we are technically “allowed to” but for God’s sake! Where is your common sense? Look what is happening to the numbers! IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT YOU!

But, of course, for every one who is behaving like an idiot, there is another poor soul who is still terrified to leave their home. I feel for the previously “shielded”  who have gone from being locked inside their homes to being told they have to go back to work, practically overnight!

The New Ways of Life

So what about us? We’re some where in the middle I suppose. We’ve been seeing a few friends and family in our garden or theirs. When we can we meet outdoors rather than by Zoom, we do. We still get our main groceries delivered weekly, but we’ve been to a couple of shops once or twice for “essentials” (fully masked up of course). We even had a pint outside a country pub we came across on a bike ride. But, generally, we have continued to spend most of our time at home, going out just to exercise and watching movies in the evenings (we’ve burned through virtually every box-set we want to watch).

We are counting the days to our journey to Barbados. It still seems rather precarious. As the numbers go up the airport check-in and the flight feels more risky. I’ve ordered us a couple of plastic visors for the airport, and maybe even the flight.

Barbados have been testing everyone who arrives in the country, and in the past 2 weeks 24 people on incoming flights have tested positive and placed in their quarantine centre. 12 were nurses on a flight from Ghana and the others were returning nationals from the USA and UK.  I would imagine the majority were form the USA but I don’t know. The locals are getting anxious, understandably so. But, what will they do without tourists? The economy depends on it.

Personally, I think everyone should be tested before they get on the plane. At the moment, I don’t think its compulsory and you can be tested on arrival. However, at the moment the test results take 24 to 48 hours to come back and are required 72 hours before travel. It’s still possible to catch it within those 72 hours, especially in a crowded airport! Today, we heard about a new 90 minute test. That could work if everyone had that done before they got on a flight. It would mean longer check-in times but could be more effective?

Anyway, everything seems to be changing on a daily basis at the moment. By the end of September they could be better, but they could just as easily be worse again. We will see …

We are definitely on our way out of this at last. Numbers are going down and lock-down is easing. It’s not “back to normal” but some semblance of normality is being restored.

The Numbers

48 new deaths in the past 24 hours. Total “official” deaths 44,650.

New Cases in the past 24 hours, 512.

So, it’s all getting close to the magic number of under 500 new cases a day. Only then, will we start to feel confident about the level of risk out there.

Globally, there have been over 12 million cases and 500,000 deaths.

The current hot-spots and countries that don’t seem to have the virus under control are the USA and Brazil. Sweden is also seen as a country on the “red” list with travel restricted to other countries, due to their “relaxed” approach.

The highest death rate per million population is still the good old UK though, at 658.

Spain is 607, Italy 578, Sweden 547, France 460, USA 413. It’s all related to testing, case definitions and accuracy of data. Belgium remains an outlying anomaly at 844 per million.

The News

Last Saturday, a week ago today, was dubbed “Super Saturday” as all the pubs, bars and restaurants opened again, albeit in a very restricted socially distances way.  Hairdressers and barbers opened too promoting a flood of people rushing to have their lock-down locks trimmed and their roots re-done.

Lots more things are permitted now, to be honest, but we’ve lost track of what’s allowed and what isn’t. People can meet outdoors in larger groups and a couple of households and meet indoors and even stay overnight. I’t a rapidly changing situation and its different in different countries in the UK, so is all got very confusing.

The New Way of Life

For us, its still a very cautious approach. I’m reluctant to do anything that involves being indoors. I’m happy to meet people outside. At the end of the day, current estimates suggest that only 1 in 4000 people currently have the virus in the community, so whatever we do, we know the risk is low.

Last Saturday, I went round to my daughter’s garden for the afternoon and early evening and spent time with her and my granddaughter. Such a precious few hours after so long apart.

I’ve booked a hair appointment for the end of the month. I walked up to one of my fellow writers’ houses yesterday with the other two members of the group and we had a lovely drink and a chat on her patio. Today we’re going round to another friends garden for a drink this afternoon.

The weather is better again at last.

The big news is that we are definitely going to Barbados!

We have booked and paid for the house and booked the flights. We fly out on the 26th of September from Heathrow.

We managed to use our Virgin air miles for the flights and paid less that half price, but the travel insurance was eye-wateringly expensive. It’s down to a combination of Covid-19, the length of the trip and our combined pre-existing medical conditions, including of course, M’s bronchiectasis. Lets just say it was more than three times the cost of the flights! Ouch!

My gallstone hospital appointment was pushed back again until the end of August so I’ve cancelled it altogether. It’ll have to wait until we get home next year. The last thing I needed was to add another £500 quid to the costs of the insurance because I was “waiting for surgery, or the results of tests or investigations”.  I’ve waited for years to get this seen to, so another 6 months wont make any difference.

We just need to book the car to get us to the airport, as we are planning to give our own (leased) car back to the garage. That’s proving problematic too though. Because we changed the car just over a year ago, we are only part-way into the agreement and may have to make a significant payment to get out of the contract. Depending on how much this turns out to be, we may just have to keep it and continue to pay the monthly payments while we are away.

We also have to get Covid-19 tests within 72 hours of when we fly. Not sure how that will happen yet – we’ll have to see what the process is at the time.

We’re such a pair of old crocks now that we’ll need to “stock up” on all our medications. I’m going to try and get another shoulder injection before we travel too. I had one before Christmas and its beginning to wear off now. If I get one before we go it should get me through till we come back.

In Barbados, we think we are going to try and manage without a car. Cars are really expensive out there and there is a good bus service. We are also thinking about buying bikes for local shopping and beach trips etc. We would still hire a car for a few days every month to do a big shop and go a bit further afield for beaches and to eat out. The other option would be to buy a second hand car and sell it back to the dealer when we leave. Hiring even a small car for the whole six months would cost about £4000-5000!

When we get there, M needs to get his Barbados passport processed and pick up his ID card that he sorted out when we were there in January. I’m going to apply for my citizenship by marriage as soon as I get there. We’re also going to open a Barbados bank account.

With regard to the other things I said I needed to check last time:

• Council Tax – no reduction for house being unoccupied
• House and contents insurance when the house is empty for 6 months – costs less as they remove some cover for things like valuables and bikes etc. I’m going to take all our valuables to my sisters in Yorkshire before we leave
• TV Licence – I think I can get a rebate
• Gas, Electric and Water – our payments will reduce after our usage goes down.
• Telephone and Internet – still need to find out about this
• The Car – as discussed above
• Dental Insurance – need to maintain this but try and go to the denist before we leave – Covid-19 permitting.
• Mobile Phone Contracts – we’re going to keep these on at first, to maintain contact with home but maybe buy new sim cards when we get there.

Now have a long list of stuff to do including:

• Get the house and garden clean, tidy and organised
• Buy a new Kindle
• Gather all the documentation for my citizenship application
• Get in touch with our clients in Barbados to try and re-arrange the workshops that we postponed due to Covid-19
• Get everyone’s birthday and Christmas presents for all the events we are going to miss while we are away
• and on and on and on …

Better get busy!

 

 

 

The Numbers

176 deaths, 43,906 total.

829 new cases.

Global over 10 million cases and over 500,000 deaths.

The News

The virus is still ripping across other parts of the world. Brazil and South and Central America and India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are all reaching their peaks. The WHO says the worst is still to come.

The UK has been recognised as the most badly affected country in the Western World.

A local outbreak in Leicester has led to the city being the first city to be locked down locally under the Track and Trace schemes. Bradford, Barnsley and Rochdale look set to follow in their footsteps.

As businesses prepare to open, and furlough schemes come to an end, 12,000 job losses have been announced in the past couple of days.

The New Way of Life

No real changes for us. Seeing a few family and friends from time to time in our garden or theirs.

Weather has been pretty awful for the past week.

Other than that, not been anywhere or done anything new or particularly interesting.

Barbados seems to be considering opening up to visitors in August. They are now officially Covid free and are easing their own lockdown.

We’ve started tentatively preparing for a late September departure with Virgin from Heathrow. We sat down and worked out the finances which are ok.

Need to book flights, travel insurance, hire a car to get to the airport, and confirm the house.

In the next week we are going to find out about whether or not we can suspended or reduce the following, and whether we need to notify them:

• Council Tax
• House and contents insurance when the house is empty for 6 months
• TV Licence
• Gas, Electric and Water
• Telephone and Internet
• The Car
• Dental Insurance
• Mobile Phone Contracts

The New Way of Life

I’m fed up trying to think about interesting things to write about life in the Time of Covid now. Let’s face it. Now that the initial drama is over and things are beginning to ease there’s not much to say.

I’m sure you’re as fed up reading about what I did and didn’t do, what I baked, what we had for dinner and what we watched on TV, as I am writing about it. To be honest, I have other writing projects, and other things in general that I’d like to focus on now.  I’m doing a Business Planning session with a client on Saturday, I have my biography to finish, my novel to edit, people I want to invite round to our garden or visit in theirs, bike rides to go on etc. etc!

So, from today, I’m going to take the government’s lead and only post on an ad hoc basis if there is anything interesting to report. Just assume that unless I say so, there is nothing new to tell you.

The purpose of this blog was to record, for posterity and our grandchildren, what happened and what life was like for us all in the Time of Covid. (I love saying in the Time of Covid – it reminds me of the book Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez. If you haven’t read it – do so!

So, if you are one of my grandchildren reading this 20 years later, I wonder what life is like for you now?

Was the Time of Covid just something that people talk about that you can’t even imagine, let alone remember. Like our parents used to talk about “The War”. During the war we didn’t have this, we didn’t have that, we couldn’t do this, we couldn’t do that, we had ration books and powdered eggs but everyone came together and we were all happy despite it all.

Or has the time of Covid left a mark on your lives and you don’t know what life was like before it? Do you wonder what it was like when people kissed and hugged each other when they met, do you wonder what it was like when you could browse around the shops, travel on buses, trains and planes without wearing a mask? Do you wonder what it was like when you weren’t served from behind a perspex screen? Do you wonder what it was like when people didn’t carry hand sanitiser round with them all the time? Do you wonder what it was like when people crowded into bars and clubs and went to concerts and sporting events with thousands of other people, all getting hot and sweaty and really close to each other without any fear or concern?

The way we live our lives now has been marked by significant things that have happened in the past. The fear of terrorism has gradually changed a lot of how we live our lives, without us thinking it is strange or unusual. Concrete barriers at the entrances to roads and bridges to prevent vehicle attacks, metal detectors and bag checks to get into buildings and events, and rigorous rules and procedures about what you can take onto a plane in case you are carrying a liquid bomb disguised as a bottle of mouthwash or a shoe bomb hidden in the sole of your fancy trainers. You’ll never know what it was  like when you could wander about freely wherever you wanted and take anything you wanted into a sporting event or a concert, or onto a plane. But, that has become the norm for us. We don’t even think about it any more. We just know that we can’t take any toiletries in our hand luggage when we travel, we know that we will have to take our shoes and belts off to get through security, we know that we will have our bags searched when we go to a concert, the football or the rugby. We know we have to allow extra time for security checks. That’s just how life is now.

Will the things that we all find so strange and restrictive now, in the Time of Covid,  be just how life is for you? Something that you just accept as normal?

Or is it even worse for you now than we can imagine? Wil the mark of the global economic depression that followed the pandemic have changed the course of your life in some way? Has global warming changed the way you live in way that makes The Time of Covid look like a little blip? Have new and even more deadly viruses ravaged the planet?

I hope not. I hope life has gone “back to normal” for you. I hope that my first scenario is your truth 20 years from now. That the Time of Covid is just something that older people talk about, that happened in the past, that you can’t even imagine and wish that they’d stop talking about.

The News

This is the last time I am going to report the news – again, unless there is something really important to say.

Today, the main story is that the Covid antibody tests might not be reliable.

Several police have been injured trying to control illegal street parties in London.

Royal Mail is cutting 2000 jobs and Swiss Port who supply regional airports with support services are cutting 50% of their workforce. Quantas, the main Australian airline, is cutting 6,000 jobs.

Local councils all over the country are about to go bust due to a combination of lack of income and additional costs associated with the pandemic.

New York has imposed a 14 day quarantine for people coming into the state from other states in the USA. Failure to comply will result in sever fines and people are being asked to self-police it by reporting people they know who have come in from other places and are not isolating.

The Numbers

154 new deaths. Total 43,08.

New cases 652 – lowest for a while. Getting closer to the 500 mark that will give us the confidence to relax a little.

 

 

 

 

The New Way of Life

100 days in self-isolation. Well, it’s not really isolation now. Slowly but surely, we are creeping out and about again.

Today was a big day in many ways. The good weather has returned, the government has announced the easing of the majority of major lockdown measures and we ventured into the city!

In the morning, we drove into Birmingham as M had made an appointment at the Apple shop to get his watch repaired. Our plan was to stay outdoors as much as possible and avoid indoor shopping centres and enclosed spaces. We were armed with a selection of masks and hand sanitisers.

We parked in a car park that we knew was fairly open and airy and walked down the outdoor ramp rather than going through the shops. It was quite busy. Lot’s of people about, even though only a few shops were actually open. Mask wearing outside was about 50%. As ever with this whole thing, some people observing social distancing and some completely oblivious.

The queue to get into Apple was well-organised. Multiple staff and security outside handing out masks to people who didn’t have them, taking temperatures and enforcing social distancing. We waited outside for about 15 minutes, before joining another queue inside. The building was the old Waterstones shop. A huge, open, high ceilinged, air-conditioned space. My only concern was the couple behind us who were closer than I would have preferred and were wearing their masks down so that their noses were exposed. The woman had a horrible cough. One of the assistants asked them to put their masks on properly.

Eventually, we were shown to our own table, manned by a masked and gloved technical assistant. After he had diagnosed the problem and arranged to have the watch sent off for repair or replacement we were directed out the back entrance via taped black arrows on the floor. All very strange. I wonder how long we’ll all have to carry on like this for.

During the interaction, we found out that Apple had closed at the start of the pandemic, before they were forced to by the government, and had paid the full salaries of all their staff ever since, without help from the furlough scheme. They had also provided free mental health support for all their employees during the lockdown.

As there was nowhere to go and we had nothing else to do, we headed straight home after the appointment.

By now it was scorching! It felt like the hottest day of the year so far and this is just the start of a hot spell that is predicted to last until Friday. We’re going to try and take the bikes over to Rutland Water on Thursday.

We took a picnic and out beach chairs down to the Village Green and met up with a friend for a few hours. We’d planned to leave at 6 as he wanted to watch the football, but I actually had to come home early as I was too hot. We sat at the edge of the green, under one of only a few shady spots. But it got smaller and smaller as the sun moved around and we were forced to retreat again and again. Eventually, I gave up the fight and retreated all the way home to the cool of the kitchen and a few cold glasses of sparkling water from the fridge.

I’d defrosted some leftover curry in the morning for dinner. We watched  a sweet little Irish movie called Dating Amber, before having a relatively early night.

The News

Lockdown is lifting but scientific experts are warning us to prepare for a second wave.

So from the 4th of July:

• 2 metres is down to 1 metre
• Pubs and restaurants can re-open
• Holiday accommodation can re-open
• Two households can meet outside or inside and can stay over.
• People from different households can meet outdoors in groups of up to 6
• Hairdressers, libraries and churches can open

There is a lot more detail about what can open and what cannot, but it all comes with lots of social distancing and safety requirements and will all be stopped at a moments notice of infections are seen to rise.

In the meantime, infection rates are surging all over the USA. The world believes the virus in out of control over there, along with places like Brazil and India.

Go Outdoors has gone bust, with retailers quarterly rents due tomorrow!

The daily Downing Street press conference on coronavirus has been stopped.
From now on briefings will be on an “ad hoc” basis.

I’m not sure how I’ll find out about numbers of new cases now.

I think I might start doing this blog on an ad hoc basis too now.

The Numbers

280 new deaths, taking the total to 42,927.

921 new cases.

 

 

 

The New Way of Life

The weather is better. I’m not sure I can say the same for my mood. Things between M and I are still a bit frosty. I’m feeling generally a bit fed up with it all.

It’s a confusing and frustrating period for us at the moment. Lockdown is easing. People are getting on with their lives, albeit in a very different way to their pre-Covid lives. I’d still like to see lower daily numbers of infections before we make any significant changes.

Even some family members are saying they think we should just let it run its course now. They think it’s ok for low risk people to get back to normal. When we say that’s too risky for us, it feels as if they are saying, that’s a choice that we have made.  The trouble is, if transmission levels and viral load is high in the community M is still at risk and  we can’t get on with our lives, but, “herd immunity” could enable the virus to run its course quicker and we could get back to some semblance of normality too. Arghhhh!

So, at the moment no significant change for us. Yes, we can see people outside and have people in our garden, but we’re not going to be going into pubs, shops or restaurants any time soon, unless its absolutely necessary. Saying that, were going into the city tomorrow to get M’s Apple watch fixed, I really want to get my hair cut fairly soon (hairdressers are opening from the 4th of July) and I have a hospital appointment towards the end of July.

I’m tired too. My sleep patterns are all over the place again. Partly, due to our “disagreement”, partly due to the fact I’ve had a really bad tension headache for a couple of days and partly ’cause I’ve been playing The Last of Us II a bit too much – maybe they are all related? Ha Ha!

I’m feeling guilty that we’re not doing more again too. Apart from a little bit of writing, housework, exercise, shopping and cooking I’m not really doing much.

In short, I’m just generally not in a great place at the moment.

I worked on my biography project for a bit, and cooked a chilli. I also, took one of the Bajan Rum cakes over to my daughter. I haven’t been on  walk or a bike ride for a couple of days. Just haven’t felt like it but also feel guilty that I haven’t. Eek! Need to pull myself together.

Flights are resuming to Barbados in July on a weekly basis at first; British Airways from Gatwick and Virgin from Heathrow. But, no change on the 14 day quarantine rule in Barbados yet.

The News

Cinemas, pubs and restaurants are set to reopen from 4th July. Cinemas! Really?

Infections are surging in Florida.

New outbreaks in Germany taking their R back up to near 3! Several outbreaks in meat processing plants in several countries. Apparently the conditions are ripe for virus transmission. In Germany, workers are refusing to self-isolate and this is having to be enforced!

Shielding is set to end from the 1st of August. We will see.

The Numbers

15 new deaths. Total 42,647.

958 new cases.

Low, but reflective of post-weekend numbers throughout.

The New Way of Life

I’m a bit cross with M today. Well, not a bit, very actually.

After almost 100 days of shielding and sacrifices, all for his protection, his rugby mate rang up and invited himself round for a coffee this morning, as he was playing golf in the area. Without hesitation and with no discussion with me, M said yes!

Oh, ok! So no-one has been in our garden or house for months. No family. No friends. Not even the window cleaner! Now, at the drop of a hat, because of some misplaced male macho nonsense that makes him unable to say the word no, or admit that he is shielding, someone who we don’t know anything about in terms of whether they have been “following the rules” is coming round for coffee. He’s a nice guy, but the casual way he invited himself round, suggests to me that we’re not the first people he has visited during lockdown. Just saying.

I am livid!

To add insult to injury, because I wasn’t expecting anyone, the house wasn’t very clean and tidy. I had to get up and spend a couple of hours cleaning while M sat in bed watching TV, saying he didn’t know why I was doing it because it didn’t need doing, and he didn’t know why I was cross. Apparently, he hasn’t done anything wrong.

I kept out of the way when his friend was here. He came into the house to use the bathroom.

I’ve been fuming all day.

I’m so upset I can’t write about anything else today.

The News

There was a dreadful  terrorist stabbing incident in Reading on Saturday night. Three people have been killed and 11 injured (3 seriously) when a Libyan man ran around attacking people who were drinking and socialising in a park.

The Numbers

As usual the Sunday numbers are low.

43 new deaths. Total 42,632.

New Cases 1,121

The New Way of Life

The weather is picking up slightly now and the forecast is good for next week. M had a long virtual coaching session in the morning so I did a bit of baking. I’ve always wanted to have a go at making a Bajan Rum cake so I bought the ingredients in the last online shop and made them today. Yesterday, I cooked the fruit (prunes, raisins, currants and cherries) in a bottle of port. It was supposed to have mixed peel in it too but I couldn’t get that. It could either be steeped in the port for weeks or simmered for 20 minutes. I opted for the simmering. To impatient to steep for weeks. After simmering I steeped for 24 hours then blitzed with the best part of a bottle of dark rum!

The quantities in the recipe were enough to make two large cakes and I still have enough fruit left for at least two more! I’ve stuck it in a couple of Kilner jars. Then it was a matter of mixing flour with spices and baking powder, whisking eggs with vanilla and almond essence, creaming butter and sugar an mixing it all together with some treacle to darken the mixture.

They are best left for a couple of days before eating so, after they were cold, I wrapped them in clingfilm. I’m going to give one to my daughter.

After that, I took my library books back. We had a call on social media to take them back in time for libraries to open soon. I’ve had them since the beginning of March.

We had a quick and dirty dinner of pie chips and beans, so that we were ready for the family quiz. A couple of teams dropped out but we had a good time. It ended with a tie breaker between us and my son and his partner in Sweden. They eventually won! The funniest question was a unanimous choice. My daughter and M’s granddaughter (who lives in Greece) had the Politics category. They asked how long Hugh Grant had been Prime Minster for?

The News

The 2 metre rule is to be reviewed next week, almost certainly for business reasons  and not scientific ones – if it ever was scientific of course. Its about pubs and schools etc., not being able to function if they have to observe the 2 metre social distance.

Spain are going to allow tourists from the UK without quarantine. Crazy fools! I really hope they don’t live to regret this. Again, based on economic desperation rather than science , but at the same time, understandable.

Florida is being battered by the virus. They had 4000 new cases today, the largest daily number anywhere in the world. Their population is about 20 million. Just under the third of our population. They opened bars and restaurants last week but have had to close them all again. Oops!

The Numbers

128 deaths. Total 42,589.

New cases 1,295.