Month: April 2021

Feest Isolation Days –30 April 2021

It is increasingly feeling like we are nearly at the end of term.  I have my second jab on Saturday and that really will make my world of Covid feel much less scary.

Our hearts go out to those in India who are struggling with the ravages of the virus. The world does seem to be sending help as they can, but the country is huge and the problem enormous.  Let’s hope that the help they receive makes a difference to many. 

Here, life is beginning to really open up again!  After a walk into the Village last week, I went into a shop and bought a new plant stand.  Our old one was about to fall apart and I’ve looked and looked online, but couldn’t find anything.  The first visit to a non food shop since last March!  We picked up the new-to-us plant stand (it’s an old one) on Friday and decided that we would go for our first coffee out  together since last March.  The Village was stuffed with people and there was nowhere to park.  The cafes which can only seat people outside have taken over many of the parking spaces and it seems to have worked…the tables were all full!  We headed to Ashton Court estate instead and ended up having lunch outside at their very well organised café. I went inside to order and was yelled at!  NO!  Wait outside until we call you please was the request.  Excellent provision of safeguards all round and we felt happy to sit in the sun eating our mushrooms and avocado on toast.  Another first!

On Saturday we had an early dinner with friends and arrived at their place outside at 5:30 in an attempt to beat the cold, and we stayed until 10:00!  What a treat!  They  purchased a standalone electric halogen heater and it made the evening possible. We plan to buy one of those as well.  They don’t take a great deal of energy apparently and does make socialising possible. I will have to swallow my concern about the environmental impact of heating outside as there isn’t an option at the moment of seeing people without some warmth.  

Sunday was the final day of wonderful firsts!  We visited the family.  What a treat.  Sitting outside together even though we were all huddled under blankets was a joy.  There were hugs…but don’t tell anybody… We are all vaccinated and the granddaughter who isn’t is getting tested at least twice a week at school.  The family also did a lateral flow test before we arrived. 

These moments of unlocking are the best.  Hope that you too are able to meet with family and friends and that life is beginning to open out.  It does seem such a long time doesn’t it? 

I leave you with some funnies….

Randy Rainbow reminds us of two guys still in the American Senate who really ought to go….

The Best line from Line of Duty to date…who do you reckon said it?

And more from the same person….

And for those of you who have been watching Line of Duty Series Six ends on Sunday.  When asked whether or not there is to be a series seven, the BBC allegedly responded with, “No Comment.” 

Have a great weekend and week and see you next Friday! Whatever you get up to…enjoy!

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –23 April 2021

What a week!  A beginning!  Friends in the garden for lunch, visiting a friend for lunch, walks in the warm spring sunshine, plans being made for family visits!  We are lucky people indeed.  This Sunday we will travel to see grandkids and their parents.  We haven’t seen them since the summer.  Wonderful to look forward to.

I must admit, having friends round felt so normal.  As we are all of an age, and all of us long vaccinated, hugs, though not part of the rules were given out.  There is something about a hug isn’t there?  Shhh!  Don’t tell the Covid police!  When did hugs become such a no no?  If we very careful vaccinated people can’t hug it seems quite wrong. We sat in the garden, and there was plenty of fresh air! Maskless hugs…how divine!!

The garden remains magnificent and as it changes so much at this time of year, another little video seemed in order.  This week, I invited my postman in for a peek, and he didn’t want to leave!  It truly is a magical place to be.  Exquisite is the word I keep hearing myself say.  Thank you to my gardener and his wonderful ability.  And thank you also to the maker of the bulbs. 

It is strange getting out and about. Driving is a weird experience.  Not only am I not used to it ( I have filled my petrol tank no more than two times since last March), but the roads are different.  There are bike lanes everywhere, not to mention bikes, and dozens of potholes.

We now have scooters to contend with as well. These things have popped up everywhere and their riders seem to think passing bikers and getting in to traffic lanes without looking is totally okay.   Just as well that we have a twenty mile an hour zone in almost all of Bristol! This doesn’t, however, seem to apply to some bikers and most scooterers! These vehicles seem to have become a new urban look.  They take up room on the pavement and it is impossible to go far without running into some. Perhaps they have the makings of a new art installation?

It would be difficult not to discuss the court case in America this week.  The murder of George Floyd by serving policeman Derick Chauvin captured on a mobile phone began the Black Lives Matter movement last year around the world. Mr. Chauvin’s trial, which was difficult to watch, came to its conclusion on Tuesday evening.  The jury of five men and seven women took eleven hours to find Chauvin guilty on all three charges. Following the reading of the verdict, he was handcuffed and taken to prison.  There are many heroes in this story.  The prosecuting team were outstanding.  The jury were outstanding in their swift and unanimous decision.  But the real hero was seventeen-year-old Darnella Frazier who was with her nine year old cousin out at Cup foods buying snacks when Chauvin had Floyd pinned to the ground with his knee on his neck.  Despite Chauvin telling Darnella and the rest of the people who stood across the street telling the policeman to take his leg off of Floyds neck, that if they didn’t stand back he’d mace them.  Darnella stood her ground.  The video was the most powerful evidence offered in court.  The world was watching thanks to Darnella.  She testified, as did her nine year old. It was difficult for both of them.  She still has nightmares and wishes she’d intervened.  She didn’t save George Floyd, but her actions meant that justice was served.  America has a long way to go.  A sixteen year old teenager in Ohio was shot dead by police the same day the Floyd verdict was handed down.  But as President Biden says, “this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America, but we can’t stop here.”  The giant step wouldn’t have happened without a seventeen-year-old, her mobile and her innate humanity.  

A little light relief is always a good thing and this little video made me laugh. Enjoy!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5552666234773787&id=217293018312810

Take care, stay safe and see you next week! 

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –16 April 2021

The first two or three leaves have appeared on the beech tree at the bottom of the garden!  There are about a zillion more to come but seeing those first ones is always special.  Why did those arrive first?  What made them the rugged individualist leaves that would grace the tree days before the next ones popped into life?  Who knows?  They are currently alone as the rest of the buds are still preparing to become leaves. In time those first leaves will merge with the others as the tree fulfils its destiny and they will be lost among all the many others. For now, though, they are it.  Pretty special!

Being first at anything is usually fun!  Somehow or other I was the first person having my hair cut at my Salon this week. The first time since last Autumn.   It felt odd and great at the same time.  Wearing a mask while having one’s hair cut is strange. And it was freezing!  Both front and back doors were open to keep that all important air circulating to keep us all safe.  My hairdresser and I threw caution to the wind and hugged when we saw each other.  It’s been SUCH a long time!  I was first of the day, we both had masks on and there was that circulating air.  To be honest, I didn’t think of any of that, and I suspect he didn’t either, we just greeted each other the way that seemed to come naturally to us both.

The world is gradually, slowly, slowly, unlocking.  We in Britain are doing better than many countries, and here in Bristol the figures are really good. Only one person in 6000 has the virus.  That feels safer and safer.  The vaccine count here is high, too.  Nearly 65% of those over 16 have been jabbed in the Southwest. We also have the lowest hospitalisation from Covid rates in the entire country.  All these measures mean life is returning to something akin to normal.  Not normal, but moving in that direction. 

We still aren’t allowed to go into other people’s houses, I haven’t yet rejoined the gym, so I haven’t started swimming yet, but those second vaccinations as well as the next bit of unlocking are in sight. Terry has his second jab today, and mine is in two weeks. 

It is interesting watching what people are getting up to and what they missed the most.  The shopkeepers are delighted that people were queuing around the block on day one to get into many of the shops. Primark did a rip-roaring trade!  As did every pub and restaurant with an outdoor seating area.  Although it has been cold, people bundled up and sat outside with up to five other friends and enjoyed the camaraderie.

It is still necessary to organise life, the spontaneous visit to a pub or even to a National Trust property is not yet possible.  You can’t casually wander into a coffee shop and sit down and have breakfast.  Yet. We all have to continue to be careful.  The virus is still circulating.  There are variants around. Things are shifting though!

The next big unlocking takes place on the 17^th May.  That’s the date when people from separate households are finally allowed to stay together inside a house. We will be on holiday at a holiday home and friends will join us for a night together. We might even manage to have lunch in a pub by then.  It will be legal and we will just have to wait and see how we will feel about it at the time.   

Some people are moving forward faster than others, and some of us are still maintaining an abundance of caution.  Whatever works for you works.  The roadmap is a plan not a decree that thou must…fill in the blanks. We all need to be careful as we change our behaviours. The last thing we want is to get this unlocking wrong!

On Saturday the funeral of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh will take place. It seems to me that the Duke was a unique and special person.  If he was a leaf, he would no doubt have been the first to be seen on the tree.  To Philip, thank you for your service and may you rest in peace.

Take care, stay safe and see you next week.

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –9 April 2021

I know I shared photos of the garden last week with you, but if you have a resident gardener as good as mine, the garden is a place of ever changing magnificence! Here’s a video this time that shows you the current state of play. If you’re local and fancy a cuppa, give me a call and you will be more than welcome to come see for yourself!

The weather has reverted to cold and wintry days.  Tuesday, it snowed!  It was only fifteen minutes or so and I was in my nice warm study as I watched the flakes swirl around outside. Thankfully, the cold waited to arrive until Easter Monday!  That meant Easter Sunday was a special day for sitting in the garden in the glorious sunshine with our friends. What a difference a day can make! The temperature plummeted on Monday. For once, though, mother nature got it the right way round. 

Speaking of the right way round, the EU has been giving the wrong advice to their citizens regarding the Astra Zeneca vaccine.  According to our Deputy Chief Medical Officer, JVT (Professor Jonathan Van Tam) at a scientific press briefing yesterday, the vaccine is safe for those over thirty.  There are however, indications that younger people might, although the evidence is not yet conclusive, have a small risk of developing a blood clot.  The EU was suggesting earlier that those over the age of 55 or 65 should not have the vaccine.  It certainly seems that waiting for the evidence provided by science is far better than drawing conclusions based on…hmmm on what did they base those assertions? 

It looks like the AZ vaccine might produce in a tiny fraction of people, this unwanted side affect.  However, there are also reports that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are also responsible for the same very rare risk factor. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) report on the 5^th of April that “Blood clotting needs to be watched with All COVID vaccines.  You have to dig to find this information, it isn’t being splashed all over the headlines and on the news. The AAPS refers to an article in one newspaper in the States, the US SUN, which talks about several people who have developed the same  blood disorder that the Astra Zeneca vaccine is researching.

Doctor dies and 36 others ‘develop rare blood disorder after getting Moderna and Pfizer Covid vaccines’ (the-sun.com)

Professor Adam Finn from the University of Bristol who sits on the JCVI, the national Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation has tried to set the record straight on what the new recommendations for the vaccine are in the UK for those under thirty.  He says, “there are some news outlets & politicians incorrectly reporting and criticising respectively MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority) for advising against use of OxAZ in under 30s. Neither MHRA nor EMA (European Medical Agency) have done this. JCVI have expressed a preference for alternative vaccines for healthy under 30s in the UK.” 

He also expressed his dismay that the Astra Zeneca vaccine does seem to be constantly in the firing line.  He points out that it is the only vaccine in the world that is being produced at cost, meaning big pharma are not going to make any money from these jabs.  Perhaps these two issues might be connected?  Vaccinations are a significant contributor to our way out of the pandemic.  Let us all hope that the latest information does not put people off having their jab and the vaccination programme continues apace!  There are nearly 32 million people in the UK who have had their jabs…and the death rate has plummeted.  Another coincidence? 

From Monday we will all be able to do a bit more!  Here at Chez Feest, it means I will be stepping out for a much needed hair cut.  I wonder how many other people will be doing this over the next days and weeks?

What will your first unlocking steps be?  Go for it and whatever it is, enjoy!  You’ve waited long enough for the moment.

Take care, stay safe and see you next week.

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –2 April 2021

This week we began teeny tiny little steps to opening up again!  From Monday, we were able to enjoy the company of either six people or two households in a garden. We visited a friend’s garden for dinner on Tuesday! One of the first meals we haven’t cooked for nearly a year!  Wonderful!  No hugs though…

At the start of the week the weather decided to play ball.  It was sunny and we had one of the warmest March days on record for fifty-three years.  The Downs and every park and seaside resort in the country were inundated with people.  They seemed to be mostly young and non mask wearers.  And why wouldn’t they be?  It’s alright for we oldies with our large houses and big gardens and vaccinations, but most young folks don’t have spacious homes and many don’t have even a patch of green, let alone a sizeable garden.  I just hope that they don’t spread the virus.  We could all do without any more variants that might resist the vaccine.

The garden is spectacular at this time of the year!  We are indeed fortunate and enjoy our sanctuary every day. Here are just some of the flowers that are cheering us up at the moment.

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The vaccine programme continues apace in the UK!  There have now been nearly 30 million first dose vaccinations and as of today, 7.8 per cent of the population has received their second dose.  This equates to many of the first doses jabbed in some European countries!  While they are lagging behind on the doses, they are soaring ahead with the virus numbers.  France is once more locked down, and will remain so for several weeks.  We are hoping the wave in Europe misses these shores this time.

A dear friend came round for lunch in our garden yesterday, and it felt so totally and wonderfully normal…ish.  Nothing feels quite as it was.  We didn’t hug, and sat away from each other at the table. Her quick trip inside to the loo was carefully orchestrated, and the meal was served with social distancing in mind.  Nevertheless, we were together!  Two women having lunch in the sun in the warmth of the lovely garden as though there was no pandemic in sight. Nevertheless, our conversation seemed to circle back to Covid no matter what else we discussed!

Unlocking is going to be tricky as we have to decide what we are prepared to do when we have been given an official go ahead.  Will we hug the kids when they come to visit sometime in May?  Probably!  Will we be happy for them to spend the night?

Today, a person spent two hours in my house!  And it wasn’t Terry!  I had a massage.  My body insisted and I decided it was okay. Dear Theresa has had Covid, and the vaccine, and wore a mask.  She also gave me some top tips on a few exercises to keep my upper back and neck from totally seizing up.  This could become habit forming once again!  Deciding what we will and won’t do is a decision we all must make each time we are presented with a new possibility.  When did something so normal become a challenge?  Since Covid!  Ah well. We aren’t over this yet.  But we are getting there!

A little something to perk you up as you move into the weekend….this remarkable little boy is THREE! If you don’t smile at some point in this go eat some chocolate or whatever you do to cheer yourself up…

This is Easter Weekend and on Sunday we have plans for friends to join us for Easter Sunday lunch.  Typically, the weather is NOT going to play ball!  The cold bitter weather is returning.  If we can’t manage the garden, we might regroup to their place which has an outdoor stove, and a canopy and if it is really grim, we might revert to Plan C…Zoom.  I sincerely hope that isn’t the case. I’ve had enough Zooming for awhile.

Whatever you get up to this Easter, be safe, and don’t forget to eat plenty of  chocolate. It’s part of what we are supposed to do this time of year apparently! Chocolate Easter Eggs have been around in Britain since Cadburys first produced them in 1875.  Before that, people ate hens eggs.  We will be having both.  Why not?

Enjoy it’s Easter! 

With love,

Kathy x