If you haven’t read yesterdays missive scroll down and read that one first! Terry has offered us a lot of information that many of you have commented on and told us how helpful it was. He spent a great deal of time on it and I promise you will definitely learn something that will be helpful to you in these Covid Crazy times!
As I write it is a glorious day and the sun shines! We are pleased that we are in our gorgeous home and not trying to escape the world on an over packed beach somewhere in the UK…or Spain!
We are very, very, sorry to hear that our New Zealand friends in Auckland have been asked to lockdown again! Apparently this is going to be initially for three days. This is because four people in ONE family have the disease. Watch here for more information.
As there will be a bit of indoor time for our kiwi friends, and a need to really stay positive, this missive will be filled with either lovely, funny or unusual bits and pieces. And we can all use some of those any old time can’t we?
First up is lovely and unusual. Beautiful really. See what you think… don’t get bored, watch the entire video. You’ve got plenty of time!
How about a little something to do? Write a letter. A real honest to goodness letter, not an email. Preferably to someone you would like to thank for something in your life that arrived because of them. There aren’t too many people that I know that don’t love receiving mail. Letters may have become a thing of the past but they needn’t be. I have received one or two of these since emails began and you know what? I still have them! They are special. Who would you like to write to? They’d love it if you did. And you will love doing it too.
There always has to be something amusing to watch when you are staring at the same place for ages. This gem from Fawlty Towers still makes me laugh….
Quick music lovers quiz! Which was the Beatles hit that spent the longest on the charts? There are many to pick from…..
Did you get it right?
And this one from I Love Lucy is perfect for all of you chocolate lovers out there.
The weekend began as so many do in England. It got warm, (okay so not SO many of them start with the warmth…) and then it started to spit with rain as the dark clouds gathered. It’s still warm and the garden could use some rain but hey! Where is the sunny gorgeous day we were promised? It did eventually arrive and for the first time in months we had dinner outside! Friends came and we celebrated of course and ate a summer meal that was delicious.
Saturday was hot. Totally blue skies and sunny all day. We visited friends and had dinner with them for the first time at their place since March. Life is beginning to fill up a bit again with some of the things that were there before.
Still. I’m in a mood. I can’t quite decide why. Maybe it’s simply that the weather is changeable and unpredictable, or the kids are heading abroad for a holiday, or people we know are heading off to various destinations and I’m feeling a bit stuck. We also had a bill for our annual travel insurance. We won’t be paying it as we aren’t going to be travelling. One more reminder that when winter comes and it gets dark at four in the afternoon, we will still be here. Sigh. No wonder I’m in a mood. Add to that that our youngest visited and is now gone and who knows when we will see each other once more. Hmm. One thing I know for certain, this ennui won’t last. It never does, and there is absolutely no point in being annoyed with the world as it is. At least I’m in good company, Mrs. Obama says she is currently suffering from a low grade mild depression.
Maybe this article will cheer her up! It certainly made me feel a bit better for a moment or two so I’ll share it with you as it might perk you up as well and I know I am not the only one who needs a lift from time to time…
All I can say is that I certainly hope the writer is correct!
In Bristol, a pair of Gandhi’s glasses are going on sale. Apparently they have been in some Bristolians family for decades. They are expected to fetch more than £15,000 at Auction this week. It does seem a bit odd that someone who gave away all of his possessions is making someone else a great deal of money a long time after he gave them away. Life is a strange old place sometimes.
Meantime, the stats on the virus are looking encouraging here in the UK and not so much in France and Spain. Let’s see what our in house Professor makes of the local stats. I have been finding it increasingly difficult to find information about the virus all in one place so I’ve encouraged Terry to share his thoughts. When he takes off his fishing hat and gardening hat, he’ll put on his thinking cap and we will get some very sound and sensible information about where we are with this virus.
We mosey along the way I’m sure you do and keep finding interest in things that continue to surprise us. We keep moving forward and the sun comes out and then goes away again. This is Britain after all!
See you later. Watch this space. Tomorrow will be a view from my lovely man. As for me, I’ll be looking out for the next bit of life that catches my fancy. Enjoy!
Filled up with a ton of love and spending time with those you love makes life very special. It took longest to get to see our youngest. We’ve seen both of the other kids and their families twice. Now we’ve seen them all. It feels so good. There is little that needs to be said. All is as it should be. And on we can go again. Sometimes you just have to fill up with family and then you can deal with anything and keep going at whatever life tosses in your direction. That family circle of love is strong. Those shared memories are irreplaceable. They stretch back for so long! Love papers over all the cracks when everything else in the world is less than perfect.
And crucially turning to our friends is of equal importance. We’ve lost the travel and the concerts and the theatre and the restaurants and cafes and visits to churches abroad and art galleries. We need to keep in contact with the people we love. Fill up on family and keep topped up with the love and friendship of your pals.
Who knows what is around the next corner? No one! So we thank our lucky stars for what we have and have had and embrace the future with the gusto and verve that we always do. What else is there to do?
We planned a walk and a picnic for the day. The sandwiches are made the flask is filled…and the rain arrived. First for ages. Wouldn’t you just know it! We stall for time and wait awhile and see how we will need to adjust our plans.
While we stall I found an interesting report on the BBC that gives us four top tips that elite athletes use to achieve their goals. They are useful and interesting whatever it is that you are trying to achieve. You CAN …..!
1. When you get anxious tell yourself you’re not nervous, you’re excited! Excitement is an emotion that will help you feel positive. Go for excited over nervous every time. Your body apparently will support that subtle brain change. Better than telling it to calm down…which it won’t do.
2.Don’t do all the work yourself! (listen up ladies…!) Asking for support is a sign of strength. Who can you ask to support you in whatever it is you are trying to achieve? Nobody ever does anything on their own. Elite athletes have teams of people around them helping them constantly.
3. Visualise whatever it is that you have to prepare for. Think about what it will feel like, smell like and what you might see. Think about any challenges you might face so you can run through them before you meet them. Challenges will be less scary when and if they do come up.
4. Talk to yourself! I love this one…I am such a chatterbox and now if anyone hears me chatting to myself I can just tell them I’m preparing…as I probably am for something or the other! Let’s all be more like Mohammad Ali the greatest boxer of all time. He sold himself on being the greatest long before he was! And keep those self talks positive. No getting down on yourself…ever!
We have been marvelling at the little babies we planted in the garden and the amazing plants they have grown into. Another little tip for your continued success perhaps?
The poor people of Beirut have been slammed by an explosion that even seasoned war reporters are finding difficult to take in. Over 4000 people have been injured with a reported hundred deaths and another hundred people missing. Initial reports suggest that the cause was an accident. Massive amounts of explosives were stored at the Port and the building they were in went up in a mushroom like cloud. It sends shivers down the spine. There is too much tragedy about isn’t there?
Not tragic at all but at least of interest to some, the Football Association has decreed any footballer deliberately coughing on someone else on the pitch will be immediately red carded. Is this a thing? Coughing on other players? Why did they feel they needed to bring this rule in? The players are all tested twice a week so they are all thought to be not infectious when they play. Coughing at people should definitely be red carded outside of football. Maybe the FA are helping youngsters to see right from wrong?
Speaking of seeing, the UK, US and Australian Scientists have used satellite technology to trace and count Emperor Penguins. They have discovered that there are nearly twice as many in Antarctica as they had previously thought there were. A good news story! Still its filled with some poo…The scientific data relies on finding Emperor Penguin colonies by locating big brown patches on the pristine ice. These brown patches are guano, poo by another name. The brown spots enable the scientists to work out how many penguins there are!
Another use for poo may be coming a little closer to home. Testing our sewers seems to be a useful way of discovering where patches of covid are lurking. Health authorities can test the sewers and spot hidden clusters of coronavirus even before people have become aware they are infected. When a high incidence of the virus is found in waste water the health authorities can begin testing in a specific area. The Australians are using this approach to supplement other means of tracing the virus.
Some days life is filled with a great deal of poo. Fortunately for us, even poo isn’t always all bad news. Just as well as there does seem to be a lot of it around at the moment.
The New York Times is writing an article about Medical Bills Americans have received during the Coranovirus Pandemic. They have asked members of the public to send in copies of their bills and answer a few questions about them. One of their queries is whether or not you will have difficulties in paying this bill. Another, what hardships will you face in order to pay this bill?
Welcome to America, 2020. People are being charged thousands of pounds sometimes for a Coronavirus test. A test. Not treatment. Treatment can be thousands and thousands! One bill for care was $74,000. I responded to their request and pointed out that they need to tell people what the amount of the same care here in the UK costs. Nothing. Not a penny. Not any money at all changes hands. Routine prescriptions for over sixty fives also cost nothing. Tell the Americans about that I suggested. They really don’t understand. They can’t imagine that. They are not only worried about the possibility of getting the disease, but how they would pay for the treatment. Yet some Americans still think it is their right not to wear masks in public places.
Here there are many problems with the government, leadership is lacking and the sort of statesmanship that we have had in previous years has disappeared. Many of the giants of earlier years now seem to belong to a bygone era. Where are the voices today of those we respect and will listen to when times are tough?
John Hulme died yesterday. Watching the news about his work and hearing people talk about him was a humbling experience. He trained as a priest, and then became a teacher before he moved into politics. It was his work that led to the Good Friday Peace Agreement in Northern Ireland. There were those that likened his life to that of Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. He fittingly won the Nobel Peace Prize, and spent his entire life working for peace. Many of us want peace, and have even marched in solidarity with others in order to show our desire for peace and for equality. John Hume went further. He stood in front of guns, tanks and those who would do him harm and came away with a peace deal that is still in place. His single mindedness of purpose spanned decades. A true hero. Many young people in Northern Ireland still know who he is. They still appreciate his efforts. His adversaries also appreciate his talents and his indefatigable spirit. A man who served us all so well.
In the States, the funeral of another giant took place this week. John Lewis began his work during the 1960s and fought for peace and equality throughout his lifetime. He helped organise the March across the bridge, and Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” March in Washington. He was also one of the Freedom Riders…a black man riding on an interstate bus passing through the Southern States. Interstate buses were federal and the Supreme Court had determined blacks could ride on these buses without the usual (for then) inability to do so. The Freedom Riders were beaten, bombed and jailed, but attention was drawn to the plight of blacks. John Lewis went on to become a Congressman. His funeral was carried on all the Networks in America, including Fox News. Apparently, Fox viewers switched off the station in droves, America has a long, long way to go.
Enjoy what you can safely as the pandemic numbers seem to be rising.
Today is a day like no other since lockdown for us. After eight months, we are finally seeing the youngest son. To be fair, I had a half hour visit in March in London, at a café as I handed over a package and headed off to visit a friend in need. We had big hugs. It was the first time we’d seen each other since our NZ trip. No hugs this time. I don’t trust myself to do the train station pick up as I’m sure I would weaken and hug. I was reminded when we set up the visit that I must not do this. First, he’ll come into the house, shower, change his clothes and put on some freshly washed clean ones. Then we’ll hug. Or should we socially distance for the next few days? He’s worried for us. If he’s asymptomatic he would never forgive himself if he infected us. We take the risk. We think he’s had it even though the antibody test was negative. This is new territory. Adult kids are a joy and a delight and we miss them when we don’t see them don’t we? We have a lifetime of their lives intertwining with ours. We will meet and all the fears of the virus will disappear for a bit. We meet later this afternoon. I’ll let you know how it all goes. Or maybe I shall just savour the next few days and not say another word.
In the meantime, my choir is saying goodbye to the lovely Nicolas Bromilow who has been the choir’s Musical Director for seven years. He is a rising talent. After receiving a scholarship to teach and to complete an advanced degree in conducting in the States, he is on his way. Sadly, the virus has postponed his taking up his place. We have no doubt he will be conducting choirs, and orchestras for years to come once this pandemic ends. Lat evening we gathered and socially distanced outside on the Downs. The weather was kind – cool but dry. It was the first time the choir had met since March. We had to remember not to hug, and not to sing. What a task for a choir!!
Below is a Zoom recording our lovely accompanist put together of our choir members singing our goodbye song. I’ve been in many choirs in my life, but none of them were conducted by someone as able, gifted and loved as our Nick.
That’s it from me today…I have cakes to bake, rooms to ready and hugs to have.
Later.
Have a great day whatever you get up to! Wear your masks, socially distance and be safe!
The lion roared! He sounded as though he was on the street just outside the garden gate. Thankfully he wasn’t. He was in his cage at the zoo. We live very close to Bristol Zoo, and for the first time in years we heard him. What made him roar now after all these years? Was he trying to tell us something? And if so what? That he too is bored? That he is fed up pacing about a cage that is far far too small for his bulk and his wit? The lion’s sound makes me stop in my tracks and wonder.
This morning the gibbons were at it, we hear them more often and they sound playful and full of energy. The lion did not sound either energetic or playful. We were sitting in the garden when we heard him, celebrating having had a glorious summer day and seeing our dear friends for dinner. Then the winds blew and the rain came and we took our glasses and headed inside. The weather turned like the lion in his cage and in we trot. Mizzy rain chased us inside. We had our second dinner party inside the house during covid. When it came time for our friends to leave we threw caution to the wind and hugged. These guys are friends we normally have dinner with several times a month if we or they are in town. Hugs are part of normal. They and we are careful and doing all the right things. We wear masks, socially distance when we go out, don’t go to anywhere that large numbers gather, don’t go to cafes or restaurants. We are not quite normal but we are slightly unlocked and our cage door is not shut. We are not prowling around our home unable to leave anymore. Stuff you virus fears! We left you behind as we begin to carefully go out into the world. There must be a balance to this though.
The scenes at the country’s beaches this weekend were once more a scary sight. Police were turning people away and yet the thousands who found a place to park stayed. Meantime, the virus is beginning to creep up. Slowly, not as rapidly as it did in March, but nevertheless numbers are rising. This process of unlocking has to be slowed. Boris Johnson told us at the start of the weekend that we needed to pump the brakes. He blew it awhile back though. Apparently, according to a recent survey, numbers of people social distancing has fallen dramatically. Especially amongst the young. The Dominic Cummings effect together with the fed up doing all the social distancing and mask wearing effect means many have stopped bothering. Bothering? The easing of social distancing and the reopening of society means the numbers are climbing. We really do need to be careful! Some people either have given up or are just not taking any notice.
At the local market this weekend, I went to the plant stall to buy a few replacement plants and some lush looking plums. When I got my credit card out, the non mask wearing stall holder said, “cash only”. I was annoyed. “I haven’t had any cash for months” I replied. “There’s a cash machine just over there at Tesco.” As I was wearing a mask he probably couldn’t see the full force of my annoyance. “I don’t think that’s wise.” I left the plants and the plums. I was stood about ten feet away from this chap, and had no intention of picking up the plants he had placed in two plastic bags as though nothing was changed, everything was normal.
Getting away on an airplane however has finally become something we can do! Insurance provision is being supplied by one of our favourite airlines. New Zealanders look out, we might get there! Emirates is providing travel insurance to customers. The airline will pay medical treatment, hotel quarantine and funeral costs for passengers who catch covid-19 while travelling. Oh. Maybe not. Funeral costs paid? Hmmm. Maybe we will stay in our lovely home and garden for awhile longer. The lion sleeps tonight. But the silent virus does not.
It makes such a difference to life when there is a little sunshine and blue sky. Even if it doesn’t last all day, a bit in the morning and life is generally sunnier for the rest of the day. I understand wanting to head to the sun! For the past nine years we have left the cold and wet and dark winters behind to find summer in another part of the world. I do understand. What I find more difficult to understand is how in these covid times, people are still booking holidays abroad and then annoyed when they are not going to plan! I understand I really do. People want things to be as they once were. Who doesn’t? But they just aren’t I’m sorry to say. Not yet. Not for awhile.
Our garden was filled with babies awhile back…of the green variety. We weren’t sure back in March and April if we would manage to get any plants at all as the garden centres were closed. In fact, we have some of the best plants we ever had. The on line suppliers that we found only had the smallest plants and tubers available. The little babies are now either teenagers or fully fledged adult plants throwing up the most splendid flowers. Begonias, cosmos, sweet peas, fuscias. Our dear friend in New Zealand, Bernie sent us a lovely reminder from Ralph Waldo Emmerson. “The earth laughs in flowers”. Well I have to say in that case our garden has tears running down its green face from laughter! Here are a few current photos. Our “babies” have grown haven’t they? Lessons learned from covid…start with babies and bring them on.
We had a “matinee” this week. We never watch television during the day. Unless of course it’s a rugby match! Or Terry might possibly watch some cricket…but because we were Zooming with friends in New Zealand in the evening we decided to watch the last of a series we’ve been watching. It seemed appropriate. If we were in pre Covid times, we would most likely have been at the Theatre for a matinee. Going to the Theatre Royal in Bath always started by getting on a train (don’t do that now) having some lunch out (don’t do that now) sitting in the theatre (don’t do that now) and then heading home on the train (still don’t do that now!) Our matinee experience was repeated at least a couple of times a month most months. Our living room had to make do for this matinee day. At least we managed to have our lunch outside as the weather has held up. (and breakfast and dinner – life isn’t so bad!)
We went for a walk not far from home yesterday and were surprised by the number of young people that were out and about. We didn’t see anyone over about twenty five! The students apparently are back. What they normally do is come in July, dump their stuff and then return at the end of September for University. This year, they seem to be staying. They have nowhere to go! Europe is not offering the usual diversions, and all of the large music gatherings and festivals that they head to this time of the year have been cancelled. Bored with being at home with their parents, they have stayed in their student digs. When they head out in threes and fours on our sidewalks, they don’t move to socially distance. They hardly notice anyone else exists. They are in their own bubble. Trying to grow into the next stage of your life with coronavirus around can’t be easy. They mostly haven’t lived outside of either their parents or a dorm. There aren’t any seasonal jobs around for them either. Good luck to them. And us.
Seeing all these young people around reminded me of one of the songs we listened to in our youth. See if it is one you remember! Bet you do….
Be safe. Have a great weekend and enjoy whatever it is you get up to. Life moseys along in its own sweet way. Coronavirus changes things for sure, but while you can, make the most of what you have. The virus needn’t change us. The UK isn’t a bad place to be. (and for those of you in New Zealand…you really are in paradise!) Click those heels together like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz told us all to do all those years ago. There really is no place like home. Unless you’re a student or just starting out or are poor. Think about them and do make the most of it!
The results are in! The latest report from Pipeline Women Count 2020 finds that when women work as top executives in companies, or where at least one third of the bosses are women, there is a profit margin more than ten times greater than firms that don’t have that many women at the top. Now, of all the arguments I have ever heard for equality, this one might actually hit the nail on the head for those men who still seem reluctant to support and work with women. Of 350 large companies in London, only fourteen are actually led by women. Someone should tell the dinosaurs running these businesses that having women involved means the company can better understand and provide for their customers. In the largest 100 London companies, the total number of female chief executives is the same as the number of bosses named Peter – six. Priceless.
Did anyone see the results of the countries who are doing best with Covid? Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand, Angela Merkel in Germany and Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan. If you have time to read it, there is a research paper by two UK social scientists who have done a brilliant job on setting out the issues of women leaders, and why they are doing better (and they are!) at dealing with the pandemic.
The women have it more under control for all sorts of reasons…
Here in Britain, there are very few women in cabinet. And the government hasn’t quite got their covid response right have they?
We are currently watching Mrs. America staring Cate Blanchett (BBC Two). The story is about the ERA (equal rights amendment) in the US and the women who stopped Equal Rights becoming the 27th amendment of the Constitution. As this was a period of herstory (history ….see how easy that is to do!) when I lived in the States, I knew these characters. MS magazine was something I always avidly read, and I campaigned for McGovern the Democratic Presidential candidate. A good, though painful slice of her story (twice!) history.
Good guys help women and treat them as equals. Sensible men include women and listen to what they have to say.
Covid is worse for men than women according to the statistics. Some of the reason for that is that men tend to engage in more risky behaviour, don’t socially distance in the same ways, and don’t take their symptoms as seriously. Not the men I hang out with I must say!
Women all over the world live longer than men. In what is still an unequal world for many there have to be some built in advantages to being born female. I can think of a few more. Can you?
The clock stopped. The one in my study that has been going for years and years and years. The battery needs to change and then off we go again. But this time, the battery change didn’t do it. It had had enough. The mechanism was kaput. I tried to find another one on the web, but there didn’t seem to be any such thing. I’d bought it so long ago…in fact it might have even been pre internet. Remember those days? When there wasn’t anything you could purchase if you didn’t go to a shop or look through a catalogue. Sadly, the clock isn’t around for sale anymore. It’s a reproduction of a clock face that was once a grandfather clock. I can buy the real deal grandfather clock, but there is already a grandfather clock in this house. One grandfather clock is plenty in a household. Ours doesn’t bong (in fact, it does, very loudly, so I have stopped the bong – ed), it just tick tocks. Which is fine by me. My study isn’t the same without the friendly tick tick of my clock. It doesn’t tock. It just ticks. One of those.
Somehow the day zipped by today. I wonder if that is because I spent so much time thinking about clocks? Or how much I love my study. Or how I hate change. I don’t want a different clock hanging on my wall! I want the same one. I need the same reassuring tick to accompany me as I sit in front of the same window I have sat in front of for nearly twenty nine years. I think the clock has probably been here that long but I can’t remember. Too much has changed. I want to keep the things the way they were where I can. Am I alone in this? Or do we all want to hang onto what we know. Yes, we want to move on a bit and go forward and grow but we also want to keep the things we can that remind us where we’ve been. And who we’ve been on this journey with.
Our grandfather clock is special. It belonged to old friends of my husband. His family and their family were as close as close can be. Their daughter was a little younger than my husband, and like him, an only child. The two families spent many hours together on holidays and outings. He remembered the grandfather clock in their house with deep affection from his youth. When the previous owner of the clock died, the clock came to our house to live. I do wonder sometimes who will love our clock the most and take it to live with them when we are no longer around to wind it up. These thoughts don’t feel in the least melancholy or dark, and I’m pleased about that. There were times in my life when I was younger when I could never even think about the possibility of not being here anymore. Those thoughts aren’t scary as they once were. I don’t want that to happen anytime soon I hasten to add, but I don’t fear that eventuality the way I did when I was younger.
Maybe there really is something to this business of us all slowing down and having time to just think a bit more about life and the inevitable. Useful sometimes, I suppose. On the other hand……
Is always best!
I’m delighted to say that my clever husband was able to sort my clock out. He got an entirely new mechanism that will just replace the old one. Thanks to Mr. Google and the ingenuity of my man.
I’ve had time to think lots of things through and now can we please get back to normal? Concerts, theatre, travel, holidays, swimming. The lot. I want it all back – now. Covid seems to mean our planet’s clock is not quite right. Could someone please change the battery? Covid. Harrump!
It would have been my big brother’s birthday today. Sadly, he died far too early – two years ago – at the age of seventy-one. He was a lovely man with a heart of gold and was very bright. He won the National Science Fair when he was in High School, and was a very able clarinettist. In his late sixties, he got his second PhD! The first was in Chemistry and the second in Economics. When I congratulated him on his accomplishment, he said he had to get another one, as I had one! Not that we were competitive or anything! When we were kids, I would always watch him messing around with his chemistry set in the basement and lend a helping hand when he needed one. We were actually lucky he didn’t blow us all up then! He was always frantically busy. In later years, months would go by and I wouldn’t hear from him and then I’d get a letter or email that went on for pages. We shared similar world political views, and were just beginning to have some time to write to each other and really sort out a few things from our youth when he went and left the planet. Being too busy can sometimes mean you miss what is right in front of you. Enjoy each day and those you love and do tell them often how you feel about them.
I had to visit the GP Surgery today for a routine test and was impressed by the work they’ve done to manage during corona time. Signs and pathways were all sorted out properly, the instructions were clear and there was no one but me in the office when I went inside. Hand sanitizers were inside the doorway and both the nurse I saw and I wore our masks the entire time. The doors and windows were all open and when I entered and left the doors automatically opened. The large garden had been fitted out with two mobile consulting rooms with the sort of marquee you would find at a garden fete. They have thoughtfully and carefully organised the practice and it was good to see the care they were taking while still offering the excellent service they always have. The nurse said things were less busy, they don’t do as much as they have in the past, but they are getting used to this new way of working. While I was there I was given a vaccine against several different strains of pneumonia. The flu vaccine will be offered to we oldies again after September. We are trying to keep as fit and healthy as we can while carrying on with our lives. I didn’t even know there was a pneumonia vaccine! If you are an oldy go and get one.
People continue to moan about the need to quarantine for fourteen days on their return from Spain. Seems to me that the government acted decisively and swiftly when they got the news that the number of infections in Spain rose 900 in a day. Who knows who knew when this enforcement was to be actioned. And who actioned it? It was always a possibility. The government did warn us that they might close things down in just the way they have. Perhaps the 1.8 million UK citizens booked to go to Spain from now until the end of August didn’t believe the government would respond the way they have. The pandemic is still here. Holidays? Maybe not quite yet.
One of the last of the Hollywood legends died this weekend. Olivia de Havilland was pipped to the Best Supporting Oscar for her role in “Gone With the Wind” by the black actress who played Mammy, Hattie McDaniel the first black woman to win an Oscar. Olivia lived to 104. What a woman! From the late nineteen fifties she made Paris her home where she said she enjoyed being surrounded by real palaces and real old beautiful buildings instead of those pretend pieces that were made in Hollywood. When she was in her late seventies, she was asked by an interviewer to explain her longevity and said, “I don’t understand the question — I’m only 78 years old!” Brilliant woman in every way. One hundred and four….now that is a lifetime! As she said at a party to celebrate the 60th anniversary of “Gone With the Wind” – “Let us raise a mint julep to our stars on that great veranda in the sky!” Here’s to you Miss de Havilland.
And to all of you…go and enjoy your life and please be coronavirus careful.
The rain set in on Saturday and we busily set about doing…not a lot! A rainy day is a great time to sort out the things that you never get round to or to just think about and continue to ignore them.
Did I tell you that the lovely woman who does our cleaning has returned? I’m certain I must have mentioned it! It’s such a wonderful step towards our normal. I also had a phone call over the weekend from our amazing Claire who has been doing our ironing for nearly thirty years. Because she’s immuno-suppressed, she has been shielding since isolation begin. Making tentative steps for us might be difficult, but she is really finding it tricky to get back to any kind of normal. I am delighted that she is going to make a start and do the ironing again. She’ll collect it and take it home and then when she returns it, if she feels up to it, and confident enough we might have a socially distanced cuppa in the garden. Coronavirus is not easy for anyone.
Swimming still seems off the agenda for now. I spoke to my club and asked what they had put into practice for the new opening of the pool. Not a lot it would seem! There is no booking system, the changing rooms are open and every other locker is in use. That doesn’t seem enough to me. I was told that they were limiting the capacity and social distancing in the club. That’s about it! I might have to find another club. Then I remembered that I actually cancelled my membership in March. I do miss my swimming, but I want to be safe. It should be one of the safest of sports if managed properly.
Meantime, one of the stories I wrote while we were in New Zealand last year, has been aired on the BBC! I was well chuffed. You may have read it as it appeared in one of my musings. After attending an online workshop where I was taught how to do these things, I uploaded my work to BBC Upload. The BBC share these pieces with regional stations across the country. Nice! If you fancy a listen, here tis. They did a nice job with the sound I thought. I recorded this sitting in a bedroom at the top of the house.
People who travelled to Spain on Saturday were told they now have to quarantine for fourteen days when they return. Shame that the Transport Minister, Grant Shapps didn’t know about this. He left the country on Friday. And it was his department that made this new rule. Spain has 900 new cases, so it seems a reasonable thing to have done, but how could the Minister not know? Who made the decision? Cummings? As a labour MP said, you really can’t make it up!
Even bigger news, we have had our first dinner guests in the house since March! Our friends have been as scrupulous about Covid as we have and we have a big dining room table. Plenty of space to spread out and the window can be opened to keep the air circulating. Our normal is changing a little bit. The dinner was great. We chatted away from further away than we normally would and socially distanced with no hugs and close contact. The food was excellent and the experience was almost normal. Love it!
For clarity… this is in Number Ten….NOT Chez Feest!
Some fun today! I haven’t done any word games for awhile so today is a day for just a few – what’s the definition? Get your pencils out. Are you ready? Then we shall begin…
These are for those of us who love words and are usually convinced we know their meaning. See how you do…
1) fastidious
Awkward Particular Abnormal
2) eldritch
Convincing Desperate Weird
3) fiat
Error Decree Acceptance
4) otiose
Useless Delicate Additional
5) coruscate
Sparkle Fade Burn
Easy peasey eh? Apparently this is good for our brains. I didn’t get them all right. However, I learned something new and extended my vocabulary. It is never too late to learn anything at whatever age. I’m reminded of the story about the woman who was 90 plus. She said she had wanted to take up the violin at the age of 70 but thought she was too old. When she was asked in her nineties about any regrets she had, she said, I could have been playing the violin for over twenty years by now and I never started.
I have a great picture for you that I have discovered is not photo shopped but a real snap of something that actually occurred. However, the caption is not accurate. Can you discover what is not quite right about the description of the picture? Answers to both word quiz and picture below.
Quiz answers are b, c, b, a, a.
Photo answer: The picture actually dates from 1958, during the Algerian War ( a war for independence waged against French forces in Colonial Algeria). The donkey was starving and rescued by a member of the French Foreign Legion. The soldier carried the animal back to base and the company nursed it back to health and became their mascot. They named him Bambi.
Shame the landmine story wasn’t true. I think rescuing a donkey from starvation and nursing it back to health in the middle of a conflict is still a wonderful thing to have done. It may not fit the current narrative as well as the caption someone came up with, but it certainly gives us food for thought.
Enjoy your weekend.
Wash your hands, socially distance and wear your mask if you need to! Remember from today wearing a mask in shops and on transport has become law in the UK!
A real face to face sitting in a garden book group session! We started early and sat in the sun in a gorgeous garden. When the sun went down the fire was lit and we were all grateful for being able to spend time together. Zoom was better than nothing but doesn’t reach the soul quite the way human contact does. The book we read was my choice this time, “To Kill a Mockingbird”. It seemed the right time to reread this and to my surprise over half the women in my group had not read it before. As a child of the 1960’s it was a book I devoured. Everyone without exception loved it then (all my friends did anyway) and now. The book stands the test of time and remains fresh and timeless. I can’t remember when I first read it or how often I have read it but it was not in the least dated. This time round I read it in a day. I haven’t read an entire book in a day for a long time but remember a time in my life when the only important thing was reading and finishing a book so I could get onto the next one. I was a flashlight under the covers girl. I always had my nose in a book when I was younger. It’s a pleasure and delight to read now, although I admit that I probably spend more time writing these days than reading. I have read thousands of books in my lifetime and suspect that my blood has a tiny bit of ink in it these days. My soul certainly is enveloped in words.
At book club we predictably discussed how lockdown and the virus was affecting us and several women said life felt more like what it used to be like when they were kids. There weren’t the fabulous holidays abroad that we all consider normal; pubs and restaurants weren’t places you went to for food. Very occasionally, as a treat you might head to the pub for a meal.
It reminded me of when I first arrived in England forty years ago. Life was certainly very different then! Pub meals were either fish, scampi or chicken in a plastic basket filled with greasy paper and served with a mountain of fries. There were no other options! Oh yes how could I forget…sausage and chips! Yum! The pub was a place to drink beer. Even wine was an unusual pub drink and if you did go for wine it was served in a tiny glass not much bigger than a sherry glass and tasted like it should have stayed in the bottle it came it. Fish and chips and the Indian were the options for take-aways. There were no Deliveroos, or Uber drivers to bring someone else’s cooking to your door. Forty years ago there was no internet, which meant no emails, and there were no mobile phones. Red phone boxes were everywhere and the mountain of ten pences you needed to make a call was heavier than an iPad. Life had a different tempo. Television didn’t have hundreds of channels and went off the air after the national anthem was played somewhere after midnight. Central heating didn’t seem to exist in any of the homes I lived in, and the ice on the inside of the windows (my spell checker just made Windows capital…which windows do you think it thought I meant.!) on a winter morning was a good reason to creep back under the duvet. Books were read in front of fires in the evening. There did seem to be more time to read them.
Now I’m on line a great deal more and life is lived at a much faster pace. Or was. Lockdown has eased but we older folks continue to observe many of the same rituals that we did at the beginning of all of this. Our easing means careful book group meetings can now occur. None of us are planning yet to board a plane or travel to a hotel for a special spa break. We don’t seem to need a break quite like that these days. Just as well. Our lives have eased up a bit. Our diaries are not filled to bursting with all sorts of events. When looking for the next date for book group, I had my friends in stitches reading out what my iphone diary told me was happening over the next weeks…rubbish out….garden bin out…rubbish out….not much else. Instead, we now have time and with that precious time we seem to have the inclination to do some of the things we once did as kids. Like spending the entire day reading a book! Two of us did just that. Life it seems is finding a new normal. But maybe it’s not so new after all.
Let’s take a look at where we are with the science shall we? It would be good to know if there is any likelihood of this whole thing stopping anytime in the next few months wouldn’t it? The scientific news of the past few days has been exciting.
Sarah Gilbert (surely soon to be Dame Sarah!) who leads the Oxford vaccine group says that there is a possibility of rolling out a vaccine by the end of the year. However, in order to do that the initial promising results need to be shown to work in late stage trials. The vaccine has an excellent response rate in terms of inducing antibodies and cellular responses, and is safe, but the UK has so few cases of the disease floating around at the moment that it’s hard to tell if people who have been vaccinated here are actually immune. As there isn’t a great chance of getting the virus, it means the trial won’t give the researchers the information they need to establish whether it works. Hence they have set up late stage trails in countries with a high incidence of Covid, in the States and South America. Also in order to begin a massive vaccination campaign, there will need to be large quantities of the doses manufactured. The final piece of the jigsaw on the way to getting from “lab to jab” (thanks Patrick Vallance for that one!) is an agreement by the regulators that the vaccine can be licensed quickly for use in what is an emergency.
Elsewhere, the most promising efforts in the States to produce a vaccine are having promising phase one results – the first phase of a trail designed to test whether the vaccine is safe, rather than if it is effective. So far so good though. But the numbers are small. Eight people of the forty-five in this trail have developed antibodies. Promising, but there is much to be done before this turns into vaccine.
Lots of twists and turns ahead for the scientists before we start rubbing our arms at the jab site. The latest information suggests that should everything fall into place as the scientists would like, it will certainly be next year before any large-scale rollout will happen. Don’t start booking those Christmas parties just yet…..
Meanwhile, there are more treatments being trialled and a small (100 patients) double blind trial of Interferon beta has shown huge success. This innovative approach uses a drug which has been around a long time, and has been used in the treatment of MS. The drug is inhaled with a nebuliser in the early stages of the Covid. The Southampton company behind the trial has suggested that the drug provides a 79% reduction in likelihood of developing severe disease and more than doubles the probability of recovery from Covid. Larger trials and peer reviews are required but the initial information looks excellent.
The BMJ best practice website looks at all of the potential emerging treatments and for more information on what is happening around the globe with treatments, peruse their page.
In Bristol, frustrated by the lack of data crunched for us to easily see the numbers of people with virus in our city, Professor Feest put his data hat back on and developed a chart for us Bristolians. The number of people with Covid in Bristol is reassuringly low.
For further information about your area, ask nicely and Professor Feest might oblige with a chart.
It isn’t over yet, but there are huge numbers of people working flat out not only to help those who already have the disease, but to help us all from getting it. You’ve got to love those scientists! I certainly love mine. Stay safe.
Then there are the days when the stars line up and you know that despite the coronavirus, or too many visits, or phone calls, or emails, or whatever is distracting you from your goal, that you will achieve what you set your heart on.
Those are the days when the anxiety melts away and the serenity and knowledge that you’ve made the right choice settles around you like a soothing cup of tea with a perfect slice of homemade cake.
What matters on those days is that whatever you decide to do, it feels right. “It” can be as simple as making that cake, or starting to knit that jumper, or moving towards a more long term plan; start making that violin, planning that house move, writing that novel or even marrying that partner!
Goethe started me on this particular train of thought when I happened upon this quote again.
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Exploring this “train” a bit more, however, I discovered more about its origin. Right track but not actually the Goethe train!
A poet and translator, John Anster wrote the above inspired by the work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust.”
The next bit of the journey of these words comes from a Scottish mountaineer W H Murray who fills out the commitment advice and does so beautifully.
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Murray was a soldier in World War Two and was captured by a German tank commander on the retreat from the battle of El Alamein. The German spoke perfect English and when asked if he was cold, Murray replied, “As a mountain top.” The German was also a keen mountain climber and put his machine gun away. Murray spent the next years in three different prison camps. He wrote the first draft of a book on toilet paper while in one of the camps. When the Germans found it they destroyed it. To the amazement of his fellow prisoners he began again. The rewritten work was finally published in 1947 as “Mountaineering in Scotland”. The above quote is from another Murray book, The Scottish Himalaya Expedition written in 1951.
What do you plan to commit to today, this week the rest of the year? Whatever personal mountain you have to climb, go for it. Whatever it is, as all of these people say, begin it now! “There is no time like the present”. That bit of advice comes from John Trusler, a priest and compiler of proverbs in 1790. The first time this wise saying was recorded was in 1562. Now that really must give us all pause for thought.
This weekend there was a distinct feeling of a new normal in our lives with a few old ways served up in a different package. It started on Friday at the hairdressers. Getting a hair cut used to be a social occasion and a place where you were pampered for a bit! This time there was no tea served, no magazines to peruse, no chatting with the staff. There were only three people in the salon when there once would have been about ten. Everyone wore shields and Perspex kept the receptionist away from the clients. I took my mask off for the wash and cut. While different than it used to be, I still managed a great cut with the superb Karla at Trevor Sorbie. I shall head back there again in a few months time!
Before and After
Outside on the street, in one of Bristol’s shopping areas there was no parking. Parking spaces have been replaced with barriers and signs telling people to walk in a socially distanced way. I walked home which takes about twenty-five minutes. Very few people were in the shops that I passed and the city felt…tired. And perhaps a little depressed. I didn’t – but the city did. The buzz seems to have gone. People carefully walk away or around each other. Socially distancing is in force and smiles are off the agenda.
On Saturday morning I ventured out to our local outdoor market. About half of the stall holders and customers, including me, wore masks. A one-way system was in place into and out of the market, and Farro, the bakery that sells the best croissants in the world, has returned. Hence my visit! The stall was now facing the street and a low wall separated the goods from customers. Perspex had been placed between the food and streetside and a space was left open where you collected your goods. Payment was by contactless card which I’m getting used to once more.
The cheese stall was also well organised with tape and cones keeping customers two plus metres away from the cheese. The stall holders wrap it and place purchases in a basket on a table where it is easy to pick up while not being close to the stall holder. Again, contactless payment was the only option. The time of corona virus could be the death knell for cash!
Wearing a mask at the market makes it impossible to smile at people. Your eyes can smile but no one can see your face.
The next new normal was dinner at our dear friends’ house. After 126 days, someone else did the cooking! It was strange going out at 7 in the evening. That too was a first. Our friends set the table so we were socially distanced as we drank our celebratory champagne and ate their delicious food. It was nearly like old times. We elbow bumped our affection as we left and plan to meet again for a meal at ours very soon.
Rounding off the “new normal” weekend we headed to visit the kids who live near Salisbury. The last time we saw them in our garden we were less good at new normal. This time it was easier. We were all relaxed and sat around a warm fire that kept us cosy as the wind came up from time to time. People came and went from our fireside circle and we were able to chat to the kids one on one sometimes, as well as to their parents. Our oldest granddaughter made us a delicious cake. It all felt, if not normal, at least nearly normal!
Life has taken on a different tempo and we have all made adjustments. Just as well we are an adaptable species. We will be living with a new normal in this part of the world for some time to come. Kiwi friends enjoy your freedoms! We aren’t there yet, but we will get there eventually!
While I was busy celebrating my birthday yesterday ( it was wonderful and a big thank you to all!) Sir Patrick Vallance was busy talking to the science and technology select committee. He wore a mask. He also said in no uncertain terms that Sage had recommended an immediate total lockdown on 16 March. While the recommendation for lockdown was still later than many people thought was wise, it was a full week earlier than the government actually implemented.
But Boris’ pal Dido Harding – soon to be chief executive of the track and trace system – wanted the Cheltenham festival to go ahead. As she was then still the jockey club director, it would have been a shame not to hold off for a week. What’s an extra 20,000 deaths when you can all have such fun wearing those pretty hats on those soon to be locked down heads?
Shockingly, Matt Hancock the Health Secretary speaking in the Commons afterwards, said: “16 March is the day when I came to this House and said that all unnecessary social contact should cease – that is precisely when the lockdown was started.” That is not when lockdown started. Sorry Matt. Even you should know better! As you said yourself, in a debate in the Commons on 2 June, the daily death figures were “lower than at any time since lockdown began on 23 March”. Shame on you!
Sir Patrick certainly has had enough of not being listened to. He and his team didn’t get it all right at the beginning that is for certain. It is also now clear that the government choose to ignore the “scientific advice” that they say they are always following. I wonder if Sir Patrick will be at any more Downing Street Press briefings?
Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has asked for guarantees from the government that all the Nightingale hospitals remain open at least until Spring 2021 to cope with the possibility of another spike in the numbers with Covid. Sir Simon also wants funding in place so that private hospitals can deal with the backlog of operations that have been cancelled due to Covid. It would appear that the “Sirs” have it at the moment. The government announced an extra 3 Billion in funding for the NHS. This is new money.
Sir Patrick says work from home if you can, Boris says go to work, Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask. I know which chaps I intend to listen to.
Meantime, we are all trying to take steps into the world that are safe and help us get back into something like normal. I’m going to have my hair cut! I’ll let you know how that goes. Have a great weekend…we are off to visit the family in a socially distanced sort of way. Beats zoom!
We are supposed to wash our hands to two rounds of Happy Birthday to You. But did you know that there are two more verses? I didn’t know that. I did know that the reason we never hear people in films sing the full song is because of a copyright dispute and a charge for using it in films or other mediums. The other words to Happy Birthday are:
From good friends and true, From old friends and new, May good luck go with you, And happiness too.
How old are you now? How old are you now? How old, How old How old are you now?
The original song is credited to two sisters who lived in Louisville Kentucky. Patty Hill was a kindergarten principal and her sister Mildred was a pianist and composer. The song was originally written with lyrics that were meant for little children. “Good Morning to You”. First the teacher sang, then the children responded with the same line. The first print edition appeared in 1912. There is some dispute as to where the tune came from. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any information about how this song for children moved from the classroom to the tune we all sing each and every time a cake appears on someone’s special day. The copyright issue however has been discussed for decades and there is plenty of information about this. As litigation is something of a national pastime in America, it’s hardly surprising to discover that this famous song has attracted much copyright attention as it also attracts a great deal of money. According to one source, the song is the highest single earning song in history.
Several interesting versions are around….
Here’s a Jazz version
Here’s a wonderful adventure by the fantastic pianist Nicole Pesce with her interpretation of how some of the Classical great composers would play Happy Birthday…
And finally, the incomparable Stevie Wonder making Happy Birthday his own.
If you haven’t guessed by now why all this Happy Birthday chatter is happening today, it’s because today is my Birthday! As I nudge even closer to that milestone of seventy my hope is by the time I get there, Covid will be a dim and distant memory. .
Must dash, I have champagne to drink and some cards to open. Notice the order there…
Have a wonderful day and when your birthday rolls round, remember, there are two more verses you can try.
The weather was gorgeous in the morning yesterday and then it wasn’t. The rain and the chill returned. After donning additional layers, I sat at my desk marvelling that I had managed a bike ride outside before the deluge. Weather reports that are more and more accurate on an hourly basis are still a marvel to me.
While sitting at my desk dreaming about the summer sun, I glanced towards my pinboard and noticed a laminated poster I picked up in a church awhile back. During that pre Covid time when you could go for long walks, have a pub lunch, and mosey into a church that you found along the way. I’ve always loved old English churches. There is something about the history and the smell that carries you away into another time and place and makes you feel like whatever is going on for you at this point in your life will change and you can always but always begin again. Those are the sentiments expressed by Max Ehrmann on the poster I found in that church’s shop and pinned up in my study. To Begin Again. It’s hardly easy sometimes and other times it’s a dawdle. I was just starting writing a second novel after a first went nowhere and needed those sentiments.
It never occurred to me until today when I looked up the author of my poster that Max and I had met – so to speak – before. He wrote the Desiderata. That wonderful piece joined me over the years in many of my homes and I never had the time or the inclination to find out about the man who wrote it. Predictably, he was an interesting chap. Born to German parents in Terre Haute Indiana in 1872, he did his first degree, then went to Harvard where he did law and received a PhD. He went back to Terre Haute and stopped practising law in order to write. The Desiderata was first sent to friends as a Christmas Card! He was a near bachelor until three months before his death when he finally married his long time girlfriend, Bertha.
Desiderata spoke to several generations of Americans, but it wasn’t until Democratic Governor and Congressman Adlai Stevenson, (the best President America never had) died in 1965, that it reached far into the population. Mr. Stevenson had kept a copy next to his bed.
I’ve never watched Pirates of the Caribbean, but the character Jack Sparrow apparently has the piece tattooed on his back. I might have to watch it just to glimpse those words! Leonard Nimoy recited it on an album, and everyone I knew in High School had a copy displayed somewhere. It’s nice to be reminded of the Desiderata for all sorts of reasons. I bet you owned a copy at some point in your life, too. Enjoy!
Desiderata
GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.