Month: June 2020

I warned you a few days ago that sex with a person from another household was banned under coronavirus rules. It is now my pleasure to let you know that the ban has been lifted. I wonder how many times that ban was broken? you know what it’s like, tell someone they can’t do something and it immediately becomes a challenge, dpd drivers and postmen beware. Apart from this change BoJo today announced that one household can meet up with one other household and form a ‘bubble’, I have already heard this referred to as ‘bubbling’. However, and here is the government warning, you can’t swap people in the bubble, once your unit is formed, that’s it. Now, if my two daughters and their families unite to form a bubble, I can’t bubble with them. I might have to adopt a local family to bubble with. I can see a few arguments on the horizon.

The media is having a struggle to find newsworthy items other than coronavirus and are resorting to old news or non news often about so called celebrities or the royals. It seems that Countess Sophie Wessex is trying to give their children a normal life despite their royal heritage. I guess there are many types of normal but can this royal mum and dad even know what a normal life is?  I’m being mean, Sophie seems quite lovely. The other non news item that popped up was what the queen eats for breakfast. I’ll spare you that I didn’t even bother reading it, who cares?

For some reason when surgeons perform brain surgery the patient (or victim) is kept awake. At times the person undergoing the procedure has been asked to play the violin or guitar but recently in Italy a 60 year old woman stuffed olives while the operation to remove a tumour took place. The speciality ‘Ascoli Olives’ involves stuffing a pitted green olive with meat and then coating them with flour, egg and breadcrumbs. She prepared 90 olives. No one mentioned whether she fried them or not or if anyone ate them. While we are in Italy another news item which caught my eye is that a Banksy artwork which had been stolen from the Bataclan music hall in Paris has turned up in a farmhouse in the Abruzzo region in central Italy. The artwork had been left in paris following a terrorist attack at the Bataclan, lets hope it’s returned to them.

I can report that John Lewis home store in Poole will reopen next Monday. I’m hoping that this means HomeSense will reopen too, not that I need anything I just like the store. If you’re interested, Wilko is having a sale on their household goods. New frying pan anyone? Enjoy blowing your new bubbles, nighty night, sleep tight.  😴💤😴

Prince Philip reached the ripe old age of 99 today and was seen looking very dapper and upright in a photo with the queen taken last week. Well, he’s well known for opening his mouth and putting his foot in it and anyone who’s been watching The Crown now knows a few more juicy bits. I’m never sure how useful the royals are with their expenditure, scandals and in some cases a sense of entitlement but there’s no doubt that the queen has spent her life dedicated to her role as head of state and Prince Philip has been steadfastly by her side. So happy birthday  and congratulations, it couldn’t have always been easy. In spite of the perks that come with the job.

Today was also the funeral of George Floyd, a man who shouldn’t have died but who may unwittingly have brought about positive change to racial inequality. His niece spoke at the ceremony and said that someone once said ‘Make America Great Again’ but she asked, when was America ever great? And although it might have been for many people there are many descendants of slaves, immigrants and indeed native americans for whom it hasn’t been great. The POTUS used that slogan during his presidential campaign, he also used violence to clear a path for a photo opportunity and also wondered out loud if George Floyd was looking down and praising the US economy.

Shops will be reopening next week just in time for summer sales although we won’t look very good because hairdressers remain closed. Now here’s the thing, nothing has been said about masks or hand sanitiser to be used on entering a shop. In other countries this is a standard requirement but they aren’t making people queue or marking out the floor for social distancing. Portugal for example has used this system and it seems to be working. The theory is that if I wear a mask and apply hand sanitiser when I enter a public place I’m less likely or even unlikely to spread the virus.

In Chechnya bridegrooms are required to make a payment either to the bride or her family. Following the economic impact of the pandemic the men are unable to make the payment. So, believe it or not, the country’s ruler has stepped in and offered to make the payment for them. So far 207 grooms have benefitted from this payment each receiving 50,000 roubles (about £600). The leader Ramzan Kadyrov isn’t always so romantic or generous as he is one of the most feared men in Russia.

Toilets are still closed although maybe when shops open we can pop into House of Fraser or Debenhams for a quick pee. Again if there were plenty of masks, hand sanitiser and even seat covers like they have in the US we could be careful and manage. You know those spray attachments on the end of a hose for fertilising your plants, couldn’t something similar be used with antiseptic to spray toilets? Honestly, someone needs to take note. Good night everyone, time for bed.   😴💤😴

I went for a walk today as promised yesterday. Through Shelley Gardens (Yes, Mary Shelley used to live there, the one who wrote Frankenstein) and over to the clifftop. Lovely sunny day and not too hot and not many people about either. Back through Woodland Walk and along to Paula and Ron’s where they invited me to stay for lunch and then a nice cuppa and one of Ron’s very tasty home made rock cakes. What more could a girl want? I came away feeling as if life had returned to normal, I know it hasn’t but no harm pretending.

Duchess Kate has been talking about addiction today following a virtual tour she had of a treatment centre in Wiltshire. Now watch it you isolators and lockdowners (another word I made up) Kate reports that at least a quarter of UK adults may be drinking more while staying at home. The numbers come from an addiction organisation but no mention of how they came by their figures. Partly it’s based on the fact that alcohol sales have increased significantly and partly by the rise in the number of calls they are receiving from people that need help. Well done anyway to our favourite duchess.

In the White House trouble is brewing and it looks like becoming a family crisis. According to a ‘source’ (I can’t name my informers) the POTUS is malignantly crazy about the bad poll numbers, he’s going to broom Kushner (his son-in-law) and Pascale, his two 2020 campaign managers. I think he might point a finger and shout ‘you’re fired’. Wish I could be there, it really is reality TV or TV coming to life.

Both Posh and Meghan have jumped onto the Black Lives Matter bandwagon but I get the distinct feeling that they are both trying to score points for the wrong reasons and for themselves. It somehow reminds me of Bunker Boy’s photo op in front of the church. Why don’t they just get on and do something quietly instead of announcing to their favourite journalists how caring they are. Actions speak louder than words.

Back to the US where in 2010 a famous art and antique collector set up a treasure hunt with a real pot of gold at the foot of a virtual rainbow worth one million dollars. Forest Fenn wrote his biography which contained a poem and a map that gave clues to the whereabouts of a treasure chest filled with gold, jewels and other valuables. He also posted the poem online.  Hundreds and thousands of people joined in the hunt and some gave up their jobs to search, four people even died in their endeavours. This weekend it was announced that after ten years the treasure had been found in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming by a man from ‘back east’ who didn’t want to divulge his name. Forest Fenn who lives in Santa Fe said he set up the treasure hunt so that people could get out into the open countryside and experience a real life adventure. See what you missed sitting at home reading blogs. Good night everyone. Somewhere over the rainbow….  😴💤😴

Protests all around the country yesterday. In Bristol a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was torn down by the crowd. The protestors used ropes to drag the statue to the ground and later it was pulled through the streets of Bristol and thrown into the harbour. Edward Colston was a member of the Royal African Company which transported about 80,000 slaves to the Americas. I have to wonder how they got to use the word royal in their name. The Bristol slave trader left his wealth to local charities and therefore streets and buildings were named after him which has caused controversy and divided Bristolians for many years. My mother was evacuated from London to Bristol during the last year of World War 2 when she was expecting my younger sister Lesley. As far as I know we spent a couple of years there and can claim to have one Bristolian in the family. My grandson Henry is at university there, or at least he is when it’s open. Let’s hope he gets back there in September and lets hope that life is altogether more peaceful.

I’ve read that a freelance journalist will not be seeing his elderly parents even though new guidelines say he can. His parents messaged him suggesting that they should get together but he has decided what is best for his parents. Well as an elderly parent I can emphatically say that I will decide what I can and can’t do. Not that my brood have said otherwise. I’ve got my peer group of friends and I have been meeting with them and going out for our exercise walks. We’ve been careful, socially distancing and knowing that we don’t have symptoms. Just because we passed the age of seventy doesn’t mean we became unable to make a sensible decision on our health. Most of us spend the majority of days on our own doing just that, virus or no virus. And seriously, it’s no bloody joke being in lockdown on your own especially when you’re used to being busy.

The BAFTAs are due in July but it seems they will be held virtually this year and the winners will receive their prizes virtually too. There’s one slightly awkward aspect this year as the Prince Andrew interview on NewsNight has been nominated for Best News Coverage award and listed as a finalist. NewsNight, BBC and journalist Emily Maitlis would receive the award if chosen as the winner. Prince William and Kate normally attend the award ceremony and the prince has been president of BAFTA since 2010. Oh dear, life isn’t easy when you are a royal, is it?

Tomorrow I shall go to meet a friend for a walk along the clifftop then weather permitting, I’ll go for a cup of tea in her lovely garden with her and her partner. Any comments anyone? Good night, thank you for reading and sleep well.

My friend Margaret and I accidentally joined a rally today. We had arranged to go together for our lockdown exercise and have a grumble about BoJo and his government, the Bunker Boy and the never ending lockdown rules. “We picked a good day’ Margaret announced when we met at the bus stop by the park. ‘There’s a rally for Black Lives Matter, my granddaughter Habiba’s going’. We decided to carry on with the walk through the gardens and away from the sea front. It was a good day for a walk in more ways than one, two minutes later it started raining. Never daunted, we carried on and saw quite a few young people with banners and masks walking in the opposite direction. We decided to eat our sandwich but I found I’d brought coffee but no cups. Off to Tesco for some plastic beakers, I found I’d also forgotten my purse. Margaret paid and we sat on a bench and had our lunch. Oh for a restaurant or even a cafe. We thought we would go back to see what was  happening with the rally. Quite a decent size crowd at Pier Approach, enough people that although we could hear someone with a mike we couldn’t see them. It was drizzling and windy so we found a sheltered spot to listen. The speakers had a good positive message, some speaking from experience and others wanting things to change. The crowd were mainly young people and probably locals as the uni is closed. The young generation are inspiring and make me hopeful that change will come and soon. Of course black lives matter and so does equality. We all need to stand together to stop prejudice and that sense of superiority from parts of the population. Unfortunately we hadn’t dressed for the weather and were getting cold, as we left someone tapped me on the shoulder and my grandson Alex was there with his friends. He was wearing a mask and gloves (and shorts in the rain) and said it was his first time out of the house since lockdown began. A good reason to escape I think. We didn’t find Habiba in the crowd but we were glad we were there if only for a short time.

In 1997 a mum with four children was on holiday in West Wales and fell in love with the area. She found an old tumbledown cottage with no electricity and no running water unless you count the river that was running through it. Still the property only cost £59 so she snapped it up. The locals thought she was mad and had paid over the odds even at that low price. She has taken 22 years and a lot of money (although she hasn’t let on how much) to renovate it into her dream home. Today it is valued at nearly half a million pounds, She is running her quilting business from a rather posh looking tin hut in the garden.

Did no one notice that I had two Day 67s? I had to go through and update them all. You’re not paying attention. Nighty night, Sleep tight.  😴💤😴

 

 

The Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was trying to hold a press conference in what looked like a residential suburb. Just as he was getting into the swing of his press release explaining how his government were going to help homeowners,  a resident came out and said ‘Can you get off the grass please’.  The PM apologised and asked everyone to step back. The homeowner said sorry and added “I just seeded that’.  The head honchos around the world can’t seem to get the simplest thing right.

While on the subject of PMs our very own BoJo has managed to keep out of the limelight but that is mainly because of other stories making better headlines. Reports now hint that he and his government could have many questions to answer regarding their reaction to the pandemic. It’s certainly easy to judge from the sidelines and hindsight, as I’ve said before, is a great asset. I wonder if hindsight will give us answers that make sense of anything that has been going on. Could we have locked down earlier? would the British public have listened earlier and stayed at home? Is there only one way of comparing statistics with other countries and should we always look for a scapegoat? Our head honcho’s ratings have definitely plummeted over the Cummings debacle. We all did what we thought was right, we followed government guidelines and now we feel let down that a couple of clowns giving out advice felt they were way above such mundane rules.

From June 15th masks will be compulsory  on public transport. In London volunteers will be handing out free masks to those passengers who don’t have one but only at some stations. The rest of us will need to stock up if we wish to take a bus or train. Ryanair says all passengers must be wearing a mask to board their planes. In true Ryanair fashion they aren’t giving any out and some ticket holders have been turned away for not having a face covering. Wonder if they got a refund?

I had a zoom reunion with friends today, very enjoyable to see them all together, but separated, and makes me just wish that this could all be over and we can get out for a lunch or afternoon tea or maybe we’ll have a freedom party, can’t wait. Following on from that I took part in a quiz with my lovely nine year old granddaughter Jessie. She texted me to say her Nana had already done one with her and would Nanny (that’s me of course) like to follow suit. She booked me in for 4 o’clock and told me to have ten questions ready. FaceTime called on the dot of four, I was sort of ready but our Jessie only had 7 questions prepared. No problem she announced, I’ll get some more while we’re playing. I didn’t know the answer to the first one but then got into the swing of the thing. Not sure who won but it was fun and she has decided to teach me how to use PowerPoint next time I visit.  Good Might honchos.

 

The Trump has a new moniker, Bunker Boy, given to him after he escaped to the White House bunker because there were peaceful protestors stationed outside. He didn’t like his new name and has since been trying to prove how tough he is, it isn’t working. He looked like a complete moron standing in front of a church waving a bible. This was supposed to show him in a good light. It didn’t happen. Most of the world is pleased as it means he’s losing votes, I don’t think even his wife will be voting for him, not judging by the look on her face when she was made to pose with her Bunker Boy. He’s also ordered some new high fencing to be erected around the presidential home but he’s not scared. Oh no.

A Harry Potter first edition hardback has sold at auction for £33,000. It was found in a skip by a teacher twelve years ago. I bet you’re all wishing you’d bought the hardback instead of thinking that the paperback would do. Still, if everyone had bought one it wouldn’t be rare so in fact you’ve saved more by going cheap.

In Ilkeston, Derbyshire a man has rescued ten cygnets who were stuck in fast flowing water in a weir. He removed his shoes and socks, paddled in and returned the babes to the swans on nearby grass. Reminds me of when we had a mother duck nesting in our garden and we awoke one morning to find a brood of ducklings running around on the grass. I decided to take them down to the nearby river and collected them in a cardboard box. The mother duck didn’t like it but there wasn’t an easy route out of the garden to safety. She squawked and flapped around me all the way to the river, I thought she might attack me. Just as I arrived, one escaped and plopped into the water and I realised that even though the new borns  couldn’t fly, they could indeed swim from birth. I upturned the box, their mum jumped in after them and they swam peacefully away.The coronavirus doctor who said he would quit if Dominic Cummings didn’t, has left his job with the NHS. He had stated that he hadn’t seen his own parents since January and Cummings had spit in the face of all their efforts. Good luck to Dr. Dominic Pimenta.

Bournemouth is to recruit volunteers to help council workers deal with the influx of visitors to the beaches. They will help with crowd control and anti social behaviour (such as using the space behind beach huts as toilets, I hope). I can’t imagine what sort of response they will get but if they’re having problems they can watch a couple of  recent Bunker Boy videos and get a few tips. Nighty night. Sleep tight.

A rainy day in Bournemouth town and elsewhere no doubt, but I was here . Not a lot of rain, more of a very fine drizzle all day long. Good for the plants and people’s gardens but not sure if it will be enough as it’s going to be dry for at least another week.

From my point of view nothing much good has happened because of lockdown, unless it actually did stop the spread of Covid-19 and how will we really know? Still, my son made me think about this when he posted a lovely photo of my grandchildren today and said he would look back with fond memories of this family time at home. The environment has definitely benefitted, I even read that locally there are more sea horses in Studland Bay. A diver discovered 16 including pregnant males and and two babies.  The other good thing is that many, if not most, of us have spent a lot less money and British households have repaid record amounts of debt paying off credit cards and loans. A massive 7.4 billion pounds was repaid during April the first full month of lockdown. This ignores the other massive debt incurred by our government during the same period. Just saying.

I’ve had another busy day. I’ve managed to do a sketch of Tina Turner, just a small pencil one, I might post it. I also cooked dinner again for the movers and shakers who are still surrounded by boxes in the new home although they each now have a bed to sleep in and their family lounge is furnished.. Today I had promised Italian meatballs in a tomato sauce, always a favourite with the younger generation. I decided to take a starter and I made tuna in ‘escabeche’ which is a Spanish vinagrette sauce. My family love it and I promise to put the recipe on nannyjune web site, hopefully tomorrow. Unfortunately, Andrew and Alice were on their way back from their rental property in Sandbanks when they were involved in an accident on the Wessex Way. A Ford Escort driver lost control on the wet surface, skidded, hit the central reservation, spun around and hit them full on front to front. Some shock indeed, but no injuries, following a few already stressful days. Andrew had nothing but praise for the police who attended. He was breathalysed but that was negative and then the officer offered to drive them home luggage and all. No mean task as they had just emptied the rental and had suitcases, bedding, bags etc. It was all piled in and Alice who was getting over the initial shock made sure she had a photo of herself in the police car, very cool Alice. We don’t know what the neighbours thought of these newcomers being brought home by the police.  We all managed to enjoy our dinner in spite of the excitement, apple pie desert included. Good night campers, Sleep well.

 

The Trump had the police clear the roads outside the White House of peaceful protestors using tear gas and flash grenades. The reason? because he wanted to stage a photo op at a nearby church. He held up a bible let reporters take some photos and walked away. Biden called Trump a narcissist and said that words he had used towards the protestors were the words of a racist not a president. A Washington bishop said she was outraged at the POTUS using the church for a photo op. Meanwhile protests have continued in cities around the country. The white police officer who killed George Floyd is awaiting trial for murder and his colleagues have been suspended and arrested. How did they not know that their action was against the law. The black people have reason to be angry but it isn’t that all white police officers are racist. In Houston the Chief of Police gave a message for Trump telling him ‘if you can’t be constructive, keep your mouth shut’. He said it was time to be presidential, he was not on The Apprentice. In  Many cities police officers have knelt before the protestors as a sign of solidarity with them

So, we are still in semi lockdown but many people seem to be taking it as a holiday. Makes me wonder why they’re not all back at work. Today the weather was hot and it seems that Bournemouth beaches were packed. I didn’t go down today so couldn’t check it out. I’m never sure that the photos in the press releases are photos of today or taken last year or some other time. What I can say is that the car park was nowhere near full. Tomorrow will be different as rain is forecast, shame, I don’t mind the odd shower but I’ve been enjoying continental type weather.

My daughter’s container arrived at her new house this morning. 300 boxes were unloaded and stacked around the different rooms ready to be unpacked tomorrow. The removal company will be returning to assemble furniture, beds etc. I cooked them dinner and took it round, roast chicken, potato salad (Spanish style, I must put the recipe up on the nannyjune site) and a mixed salad. We sat in her new garden and had a nice family meal. Lovely.

Meanwhile a  part of the cliff in the Isle of Sheppey collapsed causing a house to fall into the bottom of a ravine below. The house had been called cliff hangar. The owner, a mum of five purchased the property less than two years ago. She couldn’t get insurance as it was too near the cliff edge. She had said it was her dream home. I really feel for this poor woman but surely we have all known about the erosion of our coastline. The fact that the previous owners wanted to sell it and no insurance would give most people a clue. She thought she would get forty more years before the cliff gave way. That’s really sad. Twenty other families have had to leave their properties Nothing funny today, sorry. Sleep well, Good Night.  😴💤😴

 

The first day of June and summer tourism got off to a fine start. Italy opened up to visitors including the colosseum in Rome and the Vatican museums. Advance reservations were required at all venues in line with the strict control measures still in place. Everyone had their temperature taken and had to wear masks but there they were happy to be part of the tourist industry. The Italian beaches were open but strict social distancing was in place (unlike many UK beaches).  All across Europe hotels, bars and restaurants are beginning to open to the public. . Spain has had its first day without any coronavirus deaths but their tourism minister has said that British tourists would not yet be allowed to enter the country. Quite right too seeing the way they have behaved on the beaches here.

In the US Florida Keys and other tourist spots opened to the public although beaches were closed on the Keys due to rioting. In the White House Trump took himself off to a bunker to escape from the number of protestors outside the building. He spent the night watching back to back movies, Disney channel I shouldn’t wonder.    Later he called state governors telling them to get much tougher.  He said they should catch the protestors and lock them up for ten years, he added that they were doing it in Washington despite the fact that governors do not have power to arrest citizens unilaterally. Reports have said that anything that the POTUS has said had only made matters worse but he just can’t shut up. A senator called him scum and another stated that the Trump is unable to summon even an ounce of humanity. Is this the leader of the free world we’re talking about. Meanwhile the brother of the murdered black man, George Floyd has called on the protestors to stop rioting telling them that the family was seeking another route for justice for his brother.

Last year the spice girls decided to go on a reunion tour although posh declined to go with them. Well, let’s face it, it is a bit beneath her now isn’t it? Still she managed to rake in one million pounds from the tour as she was entitled to one fifth of all monies made on endorsements, licensing etc. This was more money than she made from her fashion label. It also means that even before they had sung a note an ageing girls band managed to earn five million pounds.  I am flabbergasted.

It seems we have a new law. Sex in your own home with a person from another home is illegal, wow didn’t that government scientist do that at the beginning of lockdown. Must have been legal then. I thought I should warn you about this in case you missed it. It’s ok to BBQ with them in the garden though. Oh, and if you do decide on the illegal tryst, don’t worry too much because the police won’t be able to barge in. You heard it here from nannyjune. Time for bed sleepy heads. Nighty night.