Month: June 2020

I always write this column before going to bed and therefore I end with goodnight or something similar. I’m very aware that most people read what I’ve written some time during the following day. Today I’m going to start with good morning fathers everywhere, today is your day. Kids will have made their cards or popped off to the Card Factory to buy one, toasted a couple of slices of Hovis and spread it with peanut butter, dropped a tea bag in a mug that says ‘Best Dad in the World’ and carried it proudly upstairs on a tray. Hope you all have a wonderful day.

Do you remember the Russian nurse who wore just underwear under her see through PPE uniform while treating coronavirus patients? She got suspended and then reinstated and became world famous when photos of her appeared on social media. You’ll be pleased to know she has been given a modelling contract. As well as continuing with her nursing career she will be posing as a model for a line of Russian sports clothes. The brand promotes clothing with patriotic and anti western slogans. When we in the UK are celebrating Fathers Day, in Russia they will be celebrating Medic Day and Nadia’s photoshoot has been done in time for this special occasion. Nadia has said she was very embarrassed when the photos appeared on the internet but she is happier now she will continue with her medical career. She hopes to go to University and become a doctor.

Lockdown is set to open up from July 4th. We will be able to go to the hairdresser and go on holiday both home and abroad. The news on pubs and restaurants reopening seems to be a bit hazy due to the two metre rule. Also they would obviously need to have toilet facilities which is something our councils and governments seem to have a problem with. One thing everyone in the industry seem to be in agreement on is that if they don’t open soon many more businesses will go under. Good news for only one sector and that is the insolvency companies who are probably rubbing their hand together in glee. They are an overcharging greedy bunch of parasites getting rich from other peoples misfortunes.

The Trump is holding his first rally this weekend in preparation for US elections in November. The event is to be held in Tulsa Oklahoma  in spite of six members of the organising committee having tested positive for coronavirus. These people are said to be in isolation along with anyone they came into contact with. Public health officials have said that the indoor rally could become a super spreader of the pandemic due to the close contact of thousands of people inside the arena.

Is it just a coincidence that there have been recent outbreaks of coronavirus cases in a chicken plant in Anglesey, a meat factory in Kirklees Yorkshire and in another meat plant in northern Germany. It seems that refrigeration plants are at particular risk of the virus surviving and spreading. Perhaps we should become vegetarians after all. Good night, Sleep tight.  😴💤😴

 

Malala Yousafzai is the young female activist who in 2012 survived being shot on a bus in Pakistan after being targeted for her views on children’s right to receive education, and went on to study at Oxford University five years later. In 2014 she was awarded the Nobel peace prize and today she has completed her degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. She is still only 22 years old. What a wonderful young woman, congratulations and best wishes in whatever lies ahead for her.

I see it’s the time of the year when Apple starts showing off all their new ideas at their annual conference, a very big event for everyone who works there. I spent 12 years working for an Apple software development company in Bournemouth. I remember when I started there in 1990 we were using an email system called AppleTalk, used between Apple and any company or person who was given access. My other memory was that Apple’s address was 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California. I loved that for an address and it felt very avant garde to be working with them. I’ve still got a bondi blue  iMac here at home with matching keyboard and mouse which I bought with a rather helpful developer discount in about 1998. It was working when I left Wimborne but has never worked since arriving here. Don’t suppose it’s worth much now but it makes quite a nice iconic ornament. Unusually and disappointingly for some, this year the conference will be held completely online. Rumour has it that Apple will be moving away from Intel chips and producing its own processors. IOS 14 for iphone should be announced but I’m still using an iphone 8 so don’t know if it would work on there or would I need to update?

This morning the postman popped my mail through my letter box, only one envelope today. I always try to guess who they are from if it’s not immediately obvious, like the bank or electricity company, and I’m mostly clueless or wrong. In today’s white envelope were two unique face masks from the Knutsford Arthurs, in other words for non family readers, my lovely stepson Colin. The accompanying note explained how upset he was to hear, via my blog, that I had been unhappy with my Aldi masks. He claims to have blagged them from a local Knutsford company for his favourite blogger. I’m probably his only blogger but it still brought a big smile to my face and they are just perfect. I also need to mention the Arthurs more, especially the Knutsford ones. Thank you Colin and Marie, I’ll be in touch very soon.  And so to bed said sleepy head. Nighty night.

On the coast of South Africa, west of Cape Town a resident found a giant squid washed up on the beach. Not the sort of thing you expect to find on your morning stroll especially when the creature weighs over 700 pounds and measures thirteen feet in total length. Looked pretty large in the photo and I was wondering what the circumference of the head was but it didn’t get a mention. I think we can safely say that there would be some substantial fried squid rings there. Experts said that the squid grows very fast and only usually lives about five years and that the one found was probably only about two years old. Ir was deceased when found by the way.

Restrictions for entering Spain will be lifted from 21st June so if you are waiting to plan your holiday you can now do so. Better get in quick before Ryanair put the flight price up. It does state also that two week quarantine is still in place until 1st July and if the UK continues to impose it after that date Spain will follow suit. Tit for tat.  On the subject of travel, new seating arrangements are being tested where there would be a two tier system so that all passengers could lie flat in a sort of bunk bed on long haul flights. There would still be two/four/two across the plane so if you wanted to do a pee in the middle of the night and were stuck in the middle and top bunk…. oh dear, I really don’t want to think about it. Might have to remove the hand luggage storage as well. Nope, take it from me, it won’t work.

BoJo is once again having Brexit talks or Brexit arguments or Brexit double talk. We have an ally in the EU Parliament in the shape of Finnish MEP Laura Huhtasaari. She shouted during a Brexit debate that she wanted their money back and congratulated Great Britain who she said has just saved around eighty billion Euros. She demanded that the Euro be abolished and condemned the Brussels block and their institutions. She also predicted that it won’t be long before no one in the UK will admit to having voted against Brexit. Interesting theory. I think part of her anger was because of the Union’s failing recovery package in the wake of Coronavirus pandemic. We Just might be better off out of the Union after all, at least we’ll only have our own debt.

Talking of debt, the military plane used to fly the prime minister to his meetings is to be painted in more patriotic colours. It is being tarted up at a Cambridge airport at a cost of nearly one million pounds. Now I know a few artists he would have done it for less and nothing like letting terrorists know exactly which plane the top man is travelling in. Someone needs a few lessons in security.

I nearly forgot, a fond farewell to Dame Vera Lynn, I wonder if we really will  all meet again? Good night, sweetheart. 😴💤😴

Did anyone read or hear the news that travelling on public transport face masks were to be compulsory from 15th June in the UK? Margaret caught a bus into town to meet me this morning and said that she had worn her mask. Next stop a man got on but no mask and the driver didn’t object. Margaret kept quiet but then he started coughing and sneezing, no mask and no hankie or kleenex, germs everywhere. This she found worrying, and waited to see if anyone said anything but no so she decided she didn’t want to be there and stood up to get off. She mentioned the cougher to the driver who said well yes passengers should wear a mask but it was not mandatory and he couldn’t enforce it or say anything. She got off and waited for the next bus. An inspector looking person there when asked said they can’t enforce it in case someone has underlying breathing conditions that stop them being able to use a mask. So there you have it, compulsory but not mandatory.

We took the number 50 Breezer to Swanage, wearing masks,sat upstairs, front seat and wonderful views all the way. I love that ride, the bus goes on the chain ferry at Sandbanks over to Studland and then round all the country lanes until it reaches its destination. The driver seems to race along, swinging around the bends throwing us from side to side and hitting overhanging trees with an enormous bang. I’m sure they know where the best branches are. I can recommend it to anyone. I took my Spanish sisters-in-law on the same route by car once but nowhere near as exciting.

Swanage was sort of sleepy and sunny and quite beautiful with a stunning view of the bay. Fish and chips is the order of the day for most people visiting there and so we took our place in the queue, two metres behind the previous person and got our lunch rolled up in two sheets of paper with salt and vinegar added by the staff. One of those polystyrene boxes would have been helpful as we weren’t allowed to use the tables and chairs outside. We found a bench on the quay though and happily tucked in.  Suddenly a seagull flew in and helped himself to a great beak full of Margaret’s chips, very scary. That encouraged others and they were all hanging around waiting to see if there was some morsel for them. I had a piece of fish in my fingers and a bird came for that. They are fast and vicious and I don’t think they are even hungry, there’s a whole bay full of fish right there.

Next stop was a search for a public toilet that was open, sigh of relief, wash our hands and then a Purbeck ice cream for desert and a cup of tea. A little wander around the shops without buying anything except some post cards and back on the bus to come home. A perfect day out after having been in lockdown. I know when to feel grateful. Good night campers, sleep well.

😴💤😴

81 Days, that really is too long isn’t it. I Just read my Day 1 to see what was happening. Not a lot and it was just about me pottering about at home, busy doing nothing as the song goes. Twelve weeks later and I’m still pretty well non productive. Now I have to read the news and comment on that because I can’t keep mumbling on about Joe Wicks and doing or not doing the housework. Today Sam and Paul were out for a bike ride so they called in on their way home for a coffee and chat. Very nice. Then I managed to do something useful, I prepared a mailing list for the U3A newsletter which we are sending out to all members. Trying to keep everyone in the loop with what’s happening, as if we know. This evening I watched the Salisbury Poisoning that I mentioned yesterday. It was better than I expected, did anyone else tune in?

There’s some news feed that keeps showing headlines about the array of  tiaras that different royal women wear. I think the first one was the queen, another day, Princess Diana, then Duchess Camilla. Does someone really think that’s what we are interested in during lockdown? Sorry, I haven’t bothered reading them. Talking of items of value, in Switzerland a bag with three kilos of gold was left on a train last October. No one popped into the Swiss lost property office so officials have made the find public hoping the owner will come forward. The stash is worth £150,000. Do you think they haven’t even realised they’ve lost it? Or maybe when he did realise he had a heart attack and died. I don’t suppose I could pretend it was me.

In Greater Manchester this weekend there were two illegal raves attended by six thousand people. During the fun weekend, a man died from a drug overdose, a young woman was raped, three people were stabbed and police were attacked. The news reports didn’t say if anyone had enjoyed themselves but I saw on tv the disgusting mess they had left behind. A whole load of local volunteers came out to help authorities to clean up. None of this is helping to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The Trump has been on a visit to West Point where the the US military train their officers. He gave a speech during which he seemed to have trouble holding a glass of water and had to use two hands, he then had to walk down a longish ramp presumably to meet some of the soldiers. He looked very uncomfortable  stumbling along and very relieved when he reached the end, giving a little nod of his POTUS head. Some not very nice reports are suggesting that there is a serious problem with his brain and it’s time for a scan. A transplant might be more useful.

Shops are open tomorrow, I should try to have an early night. Sleep tight and don’t let the bug bite.

The pandemic has been put on a virtual back burner by some people while they concentrate on protesting and rioting across the UK and other countries. I believe that the riots are no longer about equality and freedom for all, the behaviour of many of the rioters would be peaceful protests if it were. Can you imagine London or Manchester filled with protesters, all sitting quietly in the streets, all wearing masks and all two metres apart?

BoJo today announced in the commons that outbreaks of coronavirus would be dealt with by more localised lockdowns rather than the whole country. He said that sewage systems will be monitored to ascertain which areas might show new outbreaks of the virus. Now there’s a job I don’t want.

Do you remember when Salisbury was in lockdown because of the Novichok poisoning by Russian agents? Well it seems a film has been made and it is to be shown from tomorrow on BBC1 on three consecutive evenings. I can’t feel that this will be the most exciting drama on tv but Salisbury itself could definitely be the star of the show.

This weekend a 40ft whale has twice become stranded on the Dee estuary in north Wales. Yesterday divers managed to get the animal back into the water and thought it would be strong enough to swim back into deeper water. However, today it was back on the estuary and rescuers fear they may not be able to save it again. They said that due to its size and weight it is seemingly impossible to move it from where it is beached without seriously damaging the mammal, which they have named Henry. The tide is coming in but it doesn’t seem as if that is going to be high enough to float Henry. Fingers crossed on this one.

Today I’ve been down into the town. The shops are definitely preparing to open and in spite of the weather not being too good there were a few more people about. The Obscura cafe in the square is already open with tables being served outside. Just as I walked by it started to rain, one person had an umbrella up but I imagine they all eventually had to get up and leave. Pret a Manger was also open, I couldn’t see if it was just for take aways but I would imagine so. There is yet another new coffee shop where Jones shoe shop used to be. I have to wonder how many more will be able to attract enough business to be viable. On that one short pedestrianised section there are now five between Beales and the Burlington Arcade. The tourist land train is currently not running. I’ve been thinking that I wouldn’t mind getting a job as a driver on that. I can remember once when a driver decided to give the tourists a detour and took the tourists all through the town. Don’t know why they don’t do that anyway, the French do it in Nice. Bonne nuit. 😴💤😴

Dame Joan Bakewell DBE is also Baroness Bakewell a Labour Life Peer who sits under this title in the house of Lords. She was appointed voice for older people by the UK government. Well that’s all very well but she was handed a fine by the police for leaving her car running, parked at an angle and lights on. The car had no driver or passengers. When contacted by police she replied ‘oh dear I’ve done that before because it’s a keyless vehicle’. A prosecution was brought against Dame Joan but postponed due to coronavirus lockdown. The case was later dismissed as it was found she had paid her fine and the prosecution was an admin error. She can be my voice any time.

Social distancing has definite advantages when it comes to managing coronavirus but it has its disadvantages too. A man travelling from Manchester to Bournemouth was found dead by cleaners at the end of the journey. Staff on the train had not realised he had died of a heart attack soon after boarding the train, staff have been advised to avoid interacting with passengers as part of the coronavirus measures. They do not walk through the train checking tickets and making sure everyone is ok. That this poor man was dead on the train for five hours is truly lamentable.

The Trump has had plenty of bad press this week with reporters focusing on the many inappropriate statements made by the POTUS. There is also focus on the first lady as a book about Melania is about to be published. It suggests that Melania didn’t move into the White House following the president’s inauguration not because she was cross with him, nor because of her son Baron’s education in New York but because she was renegotiating her pre-nup agreement. Bunker Boy needed his first lady with him and she used this as leverage to make him sign a new and more beneficial agreement. Is it true? I don’t know but I know I like the story.

I do like to watch Dragon’s Den and would like the producers to do more follow ups to see how the investments are panning out. It seems that even before reaching our screens the applicants are brought into a studio for a screen test and obviously many are rejected. One such rejection was BrewDog, producers of craft beer. The two hopefuls were after £100,000 for 20% of their company but they were turned away without even meeting the dragons. Their company has subsequently been so successful that the initial dragon investment would now be worth £360 million and would have been the most lucrative investment ever in the den. £360 million for twenty per cent means that BrewDog is worth £1,800,000,000, just look at all those noughts. We have a master brewer in the family, I only hope she’s spent lockdown working on a new craft beer. Well Alison, have you? Sleep well my lovelies. 😴💤😴

Thirty years ago an artist bought a cottage in Gloucester for £30,000. Now she is thinking of selling and has had it valued at £250,000 give or take a pound or two but no one wants to view it let alone buy it. The problem is that during the thirty plus years she has lived there she has been hand painting every inch of every surface and it would seem that it’s not to  everybody’s taste. In fact it’s not to anybody’s taste and only one potential buyer has stepped over the threshold. The colours are bright and the patterns used are varied. Polka dots mix with florals and stripes with zebra pattern, the doors, the ceilings and even the toilet are unique. Do I like it? yes, I love it but I’m not sure I could live in it. She should open it to the public as a work of art.

News to me was that Nigel Farage had his own radio show five morning a week on LBC radio. I wasn’t aware of the said radio station either but then it is a London fm broadcast so wouldn’t reach us here in Dorset. Now it seems Nigel no mates will be leaving never to return. Some staff members at the parent company Global Media had called for him to be removed, unsurprisingly he was accused of being a vile racist. He appeared on Good Morning Britain and compared Black Lives Matter to the Taliban while criticising the toppling of statues of slave owners. Will we miss him? no, I don’t think so.

Now, what is our BoJo up to? In answer to Geraldine Burge’s question a couple of days ago, I don’t think he’s on paternity leave. It seems he’s got caught up with Brexit again. Both the EU and the UK have agreed that after four rounds of talks this year no progress towards a deal has been made. I wonder how much that non event cost the tax payer. They are going to have talks to decide if the deadline should be extended which the UK doesn’t want. I am definitely baffled by Brexit. Maybe as part of the deal the EU could adopt no mates Nigel and take him far away.

This evening I went to Aldi to do a bit of shopping. If anyone is looking for plants for the garden I can tell you that there are plenty of healthy looking bedding plants and some shrubs on sale there. I bought what I needed and picked up a pack of two washable face masks. When I got to the till they wouldn’t go through – new item, not recognised. Don’t worry said the cashier, the supervisor is going to get a code or something, he’ll only be a minute. About three minutes later he came back and handed her the packet. She was serving someone else by then. I waited and she tried again, still didn’t work. Supervisor said sorry, can’t sell this, another cashier told him what to do and eventually I walked out with my new face masks. When I looked at them at home, they’re a bit rubbishy, Don’t think they were worth £4.99 and certainly not worth the wait. Good night campers.