Tag: covid-19

Global Cases 1,133,767
Global Deaths 60,396
UK Cases 38,168
UK Deaths 684

It’s going to have to be a short post today as I’m now in Round 2 of the NYC Midnight competition! I have three days to wrote a story of up to 2000 words in the Drama genre, with an Injury theme and a character who is a Migrant. I have the idea, so just getting on with the writing now!

We slept in late again! Very unusual for us and especially me!

We finally got the call we wanted from the Respiratory Nurses and the GP and M has his Azithromycin prescription. I picked it up from the local chemist in the afternoon. Such a relief! If he continues with his physio and excersise now it should prevent him from getting another chest infection!

Usual routine, writing and reading in the morning and bike ride in the afternoon.

After the bike ride we took the car out for a short run – just to make sure it was still working! It’s been sitting on the drive for two weeks! It must be feeling very lonely and unloved.

Our daughter, F, left us a surprise package in the back garden when we were out. Donuts for M and pearl barley for me! Very exciting. M loves his donuts and often slips them in to his trolley when he goes shopping. But, they haven’t been on my isolation essentials shopping list. I think he must have been secretly reaching out to her to take pity on him. Ha! Ha!

The main news of the day is that with the death rate increasing we may be approaching the peak. Two young nurses and have died of the virus, leaving behind young families. The PM is still in isolation has he is still unwell.

We had our last mindful Chef meal for dinner, Korean Steak with Rice and Pickled Carrot.  We watched the last two episodes of Season 2 of Kingdom – the ending was a little disappointing – and the latest episode of Our Girl.

We’re running out of good things to watch!

As it was Friday, I allowed myself a lovely bottle of chilled Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc!

Right! Back to writing my short story!

 

 

Global Cases 1,018,920
Global Deaths 53,292
UK Cases 33,718
UK Deaths 569

Today the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 globally crossed the 1 million mark. The real number of infected is almost certainly many, many more.

The USA is seeing the biggest surge in numbers now, with the situation stabilising in Italy and Spain. Absolute numbers are obviously related to population size, and if we look at death rates per million population it gives a more accurate picture of how hard each country has been hit.

Deaths per million population:

Italy 230

Spain 221

Belgium 87

France 83

UK 43

Iran 38

Sweden 30

USA 18

Germany 13

China 2

I’ll just leave that there … lots of questions spring to mind …

We didn’t have a great nights sleep because M’s chest was bad. We’re learning the hard way that he must exercise vigorously every single day. The day before, we didn’t go out for a bike ride. I was resting my knee and M just didn’t get around to it.

As a result of being awake in the night we slept in late.

I rang my Mum, who is anxious about the fact that there is a case in their building. It’s one of those retirement, warden controlled apartment blocks and so it’s full of elderly people. It could be a disaster if the virus took hold in there.

Face-Timed my daughter, who is struggling to entertain a bored toddler. They did some painting yesterday for the new Nightingale emergency hospital in London. A request had gone out on social media for some rainbow paintings to brighten the place up. The rainbow has become the kids symbol of the virus. Painted pictures of rainbows are on display in windows all over the village and beyond (I presume). The local doctor’s surgery even asked for some to display in their windows. It turns out though, that the Nightingale request is some sort of scam and they don’t want them after all. What is wrong with some people ?!?

Also Face-Timed my son in Sweden who was out SHOPPING! How very weird.

Mike did a work-out with James Haskell on You Tube. Lots of moaning and groaning and huffing and puffing.

My excitement about being on the Ocado Priority Access list was short-lived. I got a text about substitutes in my delivery and when I went online to see the details I was told I am no longer on the priority list. I am very confused. I have emailed them again to ask what is going on.

Anyway, our delivery arrived today and we are fine for a couple of weeks now, so hopefully it will be sorted out by the next time we need anything.

I went through a complicated rigmarole to cleanse our shopping, cleaning everything with disinfectant spray and taking anything I could out of its external packaging. Everything I ordered arrived except flour and red wine. Oops sorry M!

It was another lovely day and we went out on another bike ride. My knee is still sore but not as bad as it was. It’s so lovely to get out in the fresh air. Never have exercise induced endorphins been more important! We always feel good when we are out there and GREAT when we get back.

There is a house we pass, on the route we have been taking this week, that has a small army of gnomes lined up facing the road. It’s really quite bizarre. I don’t know if they’re always there or whether its just a Covid thing. I have seen gnomes in that garden before but never lined up in rows, facing the road, as they are now! Weird and a little bit wonderful!

I’ve got a slight sore throat and headache. Pretty sure it’s nothing, and is fueled by Covid paranoia and hypochondria!

Still heard nothing from M’s consultant so we rang the GP. They had received a letter, dated the 2nd of March, explaining why his 3rd of March appointment had been cancelled, and that he would not be seen again until June. We should have received a copy but never did. It must have got “lost in the post”. Doesn’t really matter in the great scheme of things. Anyway, the GP has faxed a letter through to the consultant, saying that they would be willing to prescribe the prophylactic Azithromycin if she just gives them the go ahead. We’ve done all we can now. Just need to wait and hope it eventually gets sorted out before he gets another infection.

The daily briefing was delivered by the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, who is back from his Covid isolation. He looks well. No sign of Boris though, maybe he’s not faring so well. The briefing was a litany of excuses and explanations as to why the testing thing has gone so badly wrong and their plans to address this. Talk is cheap, so we will see …

M took some sausages out of the freezer a couple of days ago that needed to be eaten, so we had a very “naughty but nice” dinner of sausages, potato wedges, egg and beans for him, and the same for me minus the sausages – I hate sausages, especially the smooth pale ones when you can’t tell what meat is inside them.

We went out at 8pm again for the “Clap for Carers” event. This time, as the clocks have changed, it was still light and it was lovely to see everybody. Our neighbours on the right came out too this time, loudly banging a couple of pots and pans.

We watched a movie called The Decline and gave in to a couple of tots of rum! It is Thursday after all!

 

Global Cases 787,438
Global Deaths 37,846
UK Cases 22,141
UK Deaths 180

So, they’re saying that the deaths rates are stabilising. We have been on a steady 200’ish for the past few days. Will this stop it though, or just drag it out? I suppose dragging it out is what they are aiming for to prevent overwhelming the NHS.

It’s really proving hard to get an online shopping slot. As the word it that there is wait of a few weeks for a delivery, I thought I’d plan ahead and get one in, well in advance of when we will run out of things. We have already run out of fresh vegetables. I’m going to try and get these from the butchers again. They have been brilliant and they know us too. If I phone between 1 and 3 and place an order, I can collect it the next day.

All the other online delivery services say they are prioritising vulnerable people. How does that work? how do they know you are a vulnerable person? How do you access priority delivery slots?

It seemed like time to find out why M never received a “very vulnerable person” letter. Maybe that’s the key to unlocking all these priority services? I rang the GP and was asked to email the practice manager with the details of his condition etc. 5 minutes later he got a text telling him he is a very vulnerable person and that a letter is in the post. We will wait in anticipation to see what that brings.

Horrible dull, rainy day. Neither of us felt like going out so I did 30 minutes on the exercise bike while watching the Great British Menu.

EasyJet have announced that they have grounded all flights which promoted me to try and get in touch with Ryanair again. Very unhelpful and, frankly, rude interaction.

“Because your flights have left already we can’t help you.”

“But we tried to change them before they left. Because we had checked-in they were locked. The website advised us to contact someone to unlock them. We couldn’t get through to anyone by email, phone or on-line chat.”

“Unfortunately, because your flights have left already, we can’t help you.”

“But that’s not my fault, I did everything I could to contact you before they left. I even submitted an online query/complaint, dated before they left, as evidence that I had tried to contact you.”

“Unfortunately, because your flights have left already, we can’t help you. Is there anything else I can help you with today?”

!!!!

We still have EasyJet flights booked for May. If we want to change them without a fee, we can do so until tomorrow. Trouble is we don’t know when the rugby will take place now, if ever. So when should we re-book them for? I’ll have to make a decision on that tomorrow.

On a cheerier note, M had a go at making bread today with the flour F got us. Brilliant result!

Mindful Chef box arrived with four meals this week, so dinner’s sorted until Friday.

My internet is still playing up! Very slow and dropping out all the time.

The days seem very long when I look back and try to recall what happened, but they also seem to go by very quickly. I’ve not once felt bored or had nothing to do. In fact, sometimes I don’t seem to be able to make the time to do what I said I would do each day. What does that mean?

In the evening, I tried out my first virtual choir session between 8 and 9. I’m in a Pop Choir and we usually meet on Monday evenings. For me, sadly, it just didn’t work and I left after half an hour.

First, my internet kept dropping out and the screen kept freezing. By the time I reconnected I had no idea where we were. So, I switched over to my phone and 4G. Better, but by now I had no idea where we were. Also, getting the phone in the right position was a challenge, especially when the battery ran out and I had to plug it in. Looking down at it, as it lay on my desk under the constraints of the charging lead, was not great for my self-esteem. Seeing my saggy features and droopy neck hanging down over the screen was bad enough, but the thought that this was the view of me that everyone else was seeing was way too much!

It wasn’t just that. It was hard to sing on your own when learning a new part.  Usually there is an element of safety in numbers, when you are surrounded by others singing the same part as you. Having heard my part once I subsequently had no idea if I was singing the right notes or not.

I’ll have a practise in the week and get myself set up better next Monday.

We had salmon and pesto bubble and squeak for dinner. After the failed attempt at virtual singing, we watched the series Ozark on Netflix. It was so gripping we watched all the remaining episodes and stayed up till way after midnight! Wow, dirty, dirty stop-outs!

The news is getting very monotonous now. Nothing really new to say or to hear. There was an interesting story about some of the police being a bit “over-zealous”. Could explain my sister’s experience the other day, which did seem a bit harsh.

The Jack Grealish story has made the national news and he’s issued an apology.

I’ve decided to go alcohol-free Monday to Thursday from now on. Trying to curb some of the unhealthy quarantine behaviours.  Succumbed to a small Bailley’s last night. Does that count? It’s more like a slightly alcoholic dessert in my mind.

My friend is still struggling with the virus. Every time she feels better she gets worse again! Worrying times!

M heard about the first death in our family. His cousins son died last night. His cousin, M, is an elderly lady with dementia, who lives in Barbados with her husband, E. Their children all live in the UK. E reached out to M last night when they heard that their eldest son was dying in hospital form the virus. He passed away during the night. We don’t know the man who died, but we do know his parents. So, so sad to know that they are in such pain on the other side of the Atlantic with none of their family with them.

 

Global Cases 731,446
Global Deaths 34,655
UK Cases 19,522
UK Deaths 1,228

I’m very conscious that these posts are in danger of being even more uninteresting than I imagined they would be when I first started this!

Nevertheless, I’m going to persist because, as I’ve said, this is not so much about writing to entertain, but writing to record.

I’m also having trouble posting because the internet is playing up.

M organised another yoga session by following a supposed beginners class on You Tube. Bloody Hell! It made me feel like a stiff, fat old woman, which is fairly accurate description of me, but I don’t need to be reminded of it in such a painful and humiliating way!

Needless to say, I gave up after five minutes and did some housework instead. Cleaned the spare bathroom and hoovered the second flight of stairs. That got me puffing, panting and perspiring far more than the yoga did!

Spent the day doing the usual COVID things; reading, writing, talking to friends and family, watching the BBC news on TV, cooking, eating and drinking. I’m less and less motivated to do anything worthy or important, like work or household chores.

Highlights of the day were our bike ride, followed by Sunday lunch.

We did a longer circuit today – just over four miles. Building up slowly. It was cold today! Cold fingers and cold wind headache, but still enjoyed it. I really hope they don’t stop us being able to go out an exercise. There is still talk of stricter measures.

Sunday lunch was Roast Pork, Roast Potatoes and Broccoli followed by Delia Smith’s Self-Saucing Citrus Pudding.

Todays TV included lots more Ozark and Race Across the World.

Big news was that this could go on for 6 months.

A consultant died of the virus in Leicester. Three doctors have tragically died now. In complete contrast the police had to break up a karaoke party in Derby of 25 people! #COVIDIOTS.

Italy and Spain are still going through the worst of it, with 756 and 821 deaths respectively in the past 24 hours.

Oh, and Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa captain, crashed his gigantic white Discovery into some cars and vans in our village. He was apparently the “worse for wear”. We know on one the guys who’s van was written off. #covidiot!

 

 

 

 

Global Cases 665,985
Global Deaths 30,935
UK Cases 17,089
UK Deaths 1,019

We decided to have a fairly lazy day today, to make it feel more like a Saturday. We stayed in bed late, reading and writing. I made us breakfast in bed.

My daughter dropped off the shopping she picked up for us yesterday. She had added a surprise mango!

I played for a bit on my PS4. My Play Station is my slightly embarrassing, guilty pleasure. I’m easily bored and I find it more absorbing and more interactive than watching TV. I first got into it 20 years ago, when my son introduced me to Tomb Raider, and I still only play this type of game. Big worlds, big stories, missions, puzzles etc. I hate driving games, football-type games, and fighting and shoot ’em up games. My favourites are the Assassins Creed series and anything apocalyptic or zombie related. The Last of Us was my absolute favourite of all time, and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out in May. I’m almost finished Assassins Creed Odyssey.

Very indulgently, we watched a movie in the afternoon. We watched Joker, the DVD my friend dropped round during the week. Very, very good. Very dark but brilliant. Joaquim Phoenix was fantastic. By the end I was feeling as though the Joker and his underclass followers were the “goodies” and batman and the privileged were the “baddies”.

We went for another long walk in late afternoon.

The news is all about Italy and Spain still, where deaths rates are truly terrifying. We are waiting to see if this will be us in a couple of weeks time.

Daily briefing was all about further support for businesses and the relaxation of some competion and insolvency rules and regulations.

My sister was stopped by the police today in Harrogate. She lives 15 minutes outside the town, and was driving in to get my dad’s prescriptions sorted out. Her 22 year old son went with her for the drive. He didn’t get out of the car. On the way home they were pulled over and given a serious reprimand for having more than one person in the car. Apparently, only one person is allowed in a car at a time, unless it is for a valid reason. This does not include shopping!

I didn’t know this. I’ve seen loads of cars locally with two or three people in them. Maybe the police in Yorkshire have got less to do and are dealing with different problems than the police in Birmingham and the West Midlands?

For dinner, I cooked a couple of lamb chops and made some pepperonata with what was in the fridge. Made a couple of delicious mango daiquiris with the mango!

 

Global Cases 598,318
Global Deaths 27,373
UK Cases 14,546
UK Deaths 759

So, today saw an extra 181 deaths in the last 24 hours in the UK. The words just trip off the tongue but the meaning behind them is deeply disturbing. Italy saw 919 deaths in the past 24 hours. 919 in 24 hours! It prompted me to have a dig around in the numbers on a website my sister recommended, worldometer.

USA are leading the way with the number of cases with 104,126 followed by Italy with 86,498.

China sit third at 81,340 followed by Spain with 65,719, Germany with 50,871, France with 32,964, Iran with 32,332 and the UK with 14,543.

In terms of deaths Italy is way ahead with 9,134. There is a serious catastrophe occurring in that country. I can’t imagine what they are going through.

Spain is next with 5,138, then China with 3,292, Iran with 2,378, France with 1,995, the USA with 1,69 and then the UK with 759.

If the deaths in relation to the cases don’t make sense, it’s all about the testing. The UK has been lagging behind the rest of the world in terms of our testing. Rough estimates suggest that if you use the death rate and multiply by 1000 you will get a better estimate of the actual number of cases.

So – I did a little bit of playing around with the numbers:

What this shows is the populations of the countries expressed as millions.

The number of deaths in each country and the death rate per million.

An estimate of actual cases based on death rate x1000

Estimated cases per million population

Reported (tested) cases and reported cases per million.

So, what does it tell us:

Death rates and estimated cases are really high in Italy and Spain.

On the other hand rates in China are surprisingly low. Is this because they locked down so quickly and prevented spread? Have they underreported? Have they got more to come when it hits the rest of the country?

More importantly, what is coming our way? Italy is at the peak now and the numbers are terrifying.

We are currently converting exhibition centres like the ExCel and the NEC into giant hospitals with thousands of beds and oxygen and ventilators. Birmingham Airport is being set aside for an emergency mortuary!

The big news is that the PM Boris Johnson and the Health Secretary Matt Hancock have tested positive and the CMO Chris Whitty is self-isolating with symptoms.

On a personal note, I had a good night sleep again. Might be calming down about our new normal way of life.

Did a bit of writing and reading. No yoga today as  M had a virtual coaching session for most of the morning. Steady stream of remote social interactions today. FT with son from Sweden. Constant phone calls from my daughter who was doing a shop for me in Waitrose. More about that in a bit. A friend dropped of The Joker DVD for us to watch over the weekend. He dropped it on the doorstep and I disinfected it and washed my hands of course! We had a brief chat 2m apart. I hung a bag of novels on the fence for another friend to collect. She’s desperate for more things to read and I had loads of books that I have finished on the bookshelf. We had a chat 2m apart when she came by to collect them. No bike ride today but we went for a walk in the afternoon. It’s going to be the last sunny day today for a while.

About my shopping list for my daughter. I gave her a list of things that I couldn’t get (or carry home from) at the local shops or on Ocado. Apparently, she and her brother were hysterical when she read it to him.

“Mum’s COVID-19 Essential Shopping List:

San Pellegrino Water

Pearl Barley

Cans of Diet Coke and Sprite

Bread Flour

Rapeseed Oil”

I can’t understand why they found it so funny. Oh well, at least it entertained them for a minute or two.

I have been cooking a lot and baking too. Food has become very important. Might need to calm it down a bit though as my jeans are feeling a bit tight today. I need to wear them more instead of the indoor obligatory loose fitting track suit trousers. I haven’t dared get on the scales. It would be very ironic to survive COVID-19 and die of a stroke or a heart attack!

Talking of food, cooked an amazing Halloumi Tikka Curry last night with spiced cabbage and onion biryani! Yum. We watched the new season of Ozark before bed.

I did feel a bit achy with a slight sore throat before I went to bed – I’m sure its hypochondria though …

 

 

Global Cases 537,017
Global Deaths 24,117
UK Cases 11,811
UK Deaths 578

Woke at 4am again but managed to go straight back to sleep until 7.30am Great! It makes such a difference to how the day pans out if I get a decent nights sleep.

We had another yoga session. I enjoyed it a bit more this time because I was more psychologically prepared.

Spent the morning writing. I worked on this journal and my biography project again.

I did a bit of reading. I’m reading a Dean Koontz at the moment, called Breathless. I haven’t read a book by him for many, many years. I used to love his work when I was young. I’m not sure now. He’s clearly very successful but the writing style is very “best-seller” and not my cup of tea to be honest. The plot is interesting however, and I’m going to persevere.

My friend messaged me in the morning to say that, just as she thought she was over the virus, it seems to have come back with a vengeance. She’s having chills and aches and pains again and has had to go back to her bed. There are lots of accounts like this circulating. People who have had it for a week and seemed to get better before being hit again and again by waves of new symptoms. One guy in our village, who has been sharing his experience in social media, is on day 16. He’s had good days and bad days and now seems to have lost his sense of smell and taste. When people get it badly, it seems to be a really nasty little bugger!

M has still not had a letter saying he is in the “highly vulnerable” group. but, as his nurse said, we shouldn’t put any store on that and carry on doing what we are doing. I’m not sure I’d want him to be “officially” in that group anyway. The guidance is far more stringent than what we are doing. It suggests that we should be living in seperate rooms, using separate bathrooms and cooking separate meals. No way are we going to do that! I’m confident that what we are doing is enough to protect him.

I popped round to our local Tesco for a few bits. Things had improved considerably since my last visit. A lady at the door was regulating who came in and out and making sure we all kept 2 metres apart. They provided alcohol and tissues to clean basket handles and there was a security guard outside. At the counter, the floor was marked out with tape to ensure the cashier was protected. I put my basket down and stepped back behind the line while she put the stuff through and packed it. Then she stepped away while I paid with contactless and picked it up. It all felt very calm and well-organised. Still no bread so I bought some yeast to go with the flour I got from my Ocado delivery!

When I got back I used some of the yeast and flour to make some cinnamon buns!

It’s yet another sunny spring day! We went out for a bike ride again in the afternoon. I can feel myself getting fitter already! We’ve only been doing a couple of miles or so, down to a nearby pub and back. Next week I’m going to ramp it up to a five mile circuit.

M cooked and after dinner we went outside the front door for the NHS Clap.

At 8pm, the country was encouraged to go outside onto doorsteps, balconies or at open windows and clap and cheer to show our support for the NHS, and all the carers, working so hard and putting themselves at risk for the rest of us.

I was dubious about whether people would do this in our street. Our neighbours on the left, are both hospital doctors with a young family. A divorced GP lives opposite us with his children. They weren’t going to come out an clap for themselves? The couple who live on our right keep themselves to themselves in normal times. He chats to M from time to time and, by all accounts, she has been in lockdown for weeks. She is a diabetic and has had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome over the past few years. She’s very fearful of catching the virus. I haven’t set eyes on her for weeks. Another hospital doctor and his family live further down, and next door to them are a family who only moved in a few days ago.

So, when we opened the door and stepped outside at 8pm on the dot, and the sound of clapping and cheering echoed round the village, my skin tingled with emotion. Windows were opening all down the street. People were hanging out of them, cheering and clapping. As expected, our immediate neighbors didn’t come out, but a lot of people did.

Yes, it was for the NHS and the care workers, but it felt as if it was about more than that. We are all shut up in our houses and generally only speaking to people on the phone or by video call. When we go out shopping and to exercise, other than a smile, we tend to avoid interactions of any other kind. We are all dealing with this situation pretty much in isolation. This felt different. It felt as if we were all in it together somehow, all connecting emotionally for a moment, in the middle of the most bizarre and frightening experience we have ever had, and hopefully will ever have, in our lifetimes.

For me though, clapping for the NHS was a tad ironic from a country that has failed to support the health service and its staff for years, happy to vote in governments time after time,  that underpaid and undervalued its staff and underfunded the service. It’s not enough! Just saying.

The big news of the day was that the government has announced its support package for the self-employed. My basic understanding is that, through HMRC,  people will be paid 80% of their average profits of the last three years, if these profits are under up £50,000 if their income from self-employment is their main income. I probably won’t get anything, as I only set up as self-employed a year ago and my pension (although small) has been my main source of income as I have tried to build up my business. M on the other hand should be eligible for some support.

London hospitals are reported to be experiencing a tsunami of COVID-19 cases. It sounds as though the worst is very much still to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

 

 

Global Cases 472,529
Global Deaths 18,890
UK Cases 9529
UK Deaths 465

Woke at 4am again today. Early, but not as early as 2am!

Went through some emails, to try and distract my mind from COVID-19, and discovered one from Ocado (our online grocery delivery service), saying that they were back in business, but with a few changes and restrictions.

I decided to have a go at placing an order, after hearing about accounts of people breaching social distancing rules in our local Tesco Express.

I was placed in an electronic queue for less than 5 minutes, then I was in! New rules state only one order a week and only one interaction – that is, no facility to go back in and modify your order once it has been placed. I didn’t have a list to hand, in bed at 4am, but placed an order for a few essentials and a few treats that I couldn’t carry from our local shop, such as cans of diet coke. When I came to check out, around 50% of what I had ordered came up as “out of stock” but I was still happy!

The only delivery slot I could find was 9.30 to 10.30 the same night! Exciting!

Got up then and did a bit of writing until around 9am, when M had scheduled an isolation exercise session. He had promised a little circuit training session but had changed his mind and gone for yoga instead. I arrived in the kitchen, sorry yoga studio, to find mats laid out on the floor, gentle music playing in the background, a waterfall image on the TV and glasses of iced water on the counter. You have to love him! But I hate yoga!

Putting the lid firmly on the can of my swelling negativity, I stood on my mat and awaited my first instruction. It was ok I suppose. I have arthritis in both my shoulders and the left one was replaced about 8 years ago, when I was in my early 50’s, so it was a painful experience, but I gritted my teeth and got on with as best as I could.

I spent the rest of the morning at my desk for the first time in weeks. Today I did some work on a biographical project. On behalf of her mother, I’m writing the story of a girl who was severely brain damaged at birth and is now in her early 30’s. Her mum is a fellow writer but was struggling to write the story herself as she was too emotionally invested in it. It’s a story of love and loss, legal and physical battles and strength and sheer determination. I hope to finish and publish it before the end of the year.

It was another lovely sunny day and the neighbours were out again in their car park. This time, as well as their deck chairs, they had a little table laid out with a picnic to go along with their wine and beer. It does make you think about how hard this must be for people in apartments without a garden or balcony. Good for them for making the best of the situation!

My 4am start eventually caught up with me and I took a nap for the rest of the afternoon.

M went out for a bike ride while I slept.

He cooked tonight. The last of our Mindful Chef meals for the week, stuffed peppers. Yum! I think we’re drinking more than we would usually. Well I am. M has to be careful as if he gets dehydrated it makes his chest worse. I opened a bottle of pink prosecco telling myself that it was lower in alcohol than most of the alternatives in the house.

After dinner we watched some TV until the Ocado order arrived. Whoho!

Receiving a food delivery isn’t without it’s own challenges. The food has been handled by who knows how many people, as well as the delivery driver himself. But, its got to be safer that being jostled by covidiots in Tesco, hasn’t it? It sounds ridiculous, but after I put the shopping away, I wiped down everything I had touched with disinfectant and washed my hands. I also suggested to M that we don’t touch any of it until the following day. Overkill? I just don’t know, but, as they say, better safe than sorry.

The main news today was as follows:

The response to requests for volunteers to help the NHS was amazing. Over 400,000 people have signed up and they are still coming!

Lots of stories and videos of workers crowded into tubes trains sparked a discussion about who should be going to work and who shouldn’t. The construction industry has been the subject of particular scrutiny after videos of building site workers crowding into canteens on their lunch breaks, were posted on social media.

The guidance is to work at home if you can, and only travel if absolutely necessary. Lots of people on zero hours contracts and contractors are in a confusing limbo at the moment. If they don’t work they won’t get paid, and the government still haven’t sorted out a satisfactory way of  helping the self-employed. Apparently that will be announced tomorrow. We will await this with interest, as all of our own work has pretty much stopped dead and we have no income from the business coming in for the foreseeable future. We do have our pensions, so we won’t starve, and we paid off our mortgage a few years ago, so we’ll always have a roof over our heads.

There has been some panic buying of beer and wine and off-licenses have been added to the list of essential retailers! What does that say about us as a society?

Prince Charles has tested positive but only has mild symptoms. This has prompted some outrage around that fact that he got tested when nobody else can! Apparently, they’re working on that too. When they initially went for the “herd immunity” approach they decided not to test anyone unless they were admitted to hospital. However, when they back-tracked on that they failed to increase the testing as well.

The UK is at the bottom of the pile as far as testing is concerned. They say they are increasing the numbers of tests done, but anyone I know who has requested a test has been refused. Key workers are arguing that if they develop symptoms, however mild, they can’t work unless they know for sure whether they have the virus or not. There is also talk about an antibody test that will tell you if you have had the virus and developed some immunity to it – that would be really helpful when we start to descend the other side of the curve. But, we haven’t reached the peak yet!

Finally, a local guy posted on Facebook asking whether, or not, he should organise a retirement do on the village green for one of his employees who is retiring next week. He was proposing that a few people took chairs and drinks down and sat on the green 2 metres apart. When I read it I was sure it was a wind-up. Apparently he was deadly serious. He’s a really nice guy and I’m sure he meant well, but it’s safe to say he was shot down in flames.