Month: November 2020

What a lovely weekend in Dorset, weatherwise that is. The sun has been shining and plenty of people out walking around Bournemouth beach and gardens today. I met a friend along the prom and we managed to find a bench and have a good old chin wag. Not much else we can do in lockdown but at least the weather was on our side.

If you have latched onto the country’s love affair with gin which seemed to have gone into the doldrums for a few years but has enjoyed a comeback, you might be interested in the Queen’s own brand of the tipple. Yes, that’s right, Sandringham Estate has launched a new gin made with ingredients from the queen’s gardens, only available in the UK and costing £50 per bottle. I can see her on Dragon’s Den soon asking for some investment to market it abroad.

I mentioned a couple of days ago that West Bay has no registered cases of Covid but I can also inform that there is a hot spot in Dorset and it is Bearwood. My area Central Bournemouth was a hot spot along with Winton, Springbourne and Queens Park but they are now dropping. And no, I’m not going around counting.

Following the death of Argentinian footballer Maradona police have questioned his doctor searching his house and private clinic to see if there was any evidence of negligence. The footballer had left hospital following an operation to remove a blood clot but he was also being treated for alcoholism. His discharge said he should have had 24 hour nursing and a doctor and ambulance with a defibrillator on standby. Good luck with that investigation. His surgeon who is being investigated said his job finished after the operation and Maradona should have been in a specialist clinic which he refused to do. He probably wanted to get home and then have his carers bring him a bottle or two.

Brits are playing up again in the South of Spain. A few days ago about 40 British people know as ‘influencers’ were seen tombstoning from an apartment window into the swimming pool below. A dangerous thing to do but in this case they were also breaking Spanish lockdown rules. There were too many people in one gathering, no masks and breaking curfew. The police were called out. Lock ’em up I say. Now another group of Brits have been caught pushing a flash BMW into a river. This followed driving recklessly on roads in Marbella which they might have got away with had they not posted videos of their escapades. Lock ’em up. I would like to inform all Spanish people that most British people do not approve of this type of behaviour. The police over there should definitely lock them up and feed them only bread and water.

And an update on the 12 foot monolith that appeared last week in the Utah desert. It has disappeared overnight and no one knows who took it. Must be aliens. Nighty night. sleep tight.😴💤😴

We’ve all heard that Dorset has been put into Tier 2 which some residents expected while others, especially the hospitality sector, hoped that it would go back to Tier one. West Bay however (the Dorset town used in the TV drama Broadchurch) has been completely untouched by Covid since the beginning of lockdown with not one registered case. Unsurprisingly people there are not only baffled but angry to have been put in the same category as London. The whole of Dorset is only showing 65 case per 100,000 and decreasing. Maybe it’s because we are a tourist area and authorities are worried that we might be inundated with visitors as we were in the summer. Looking back though, there was no increase in local Covid numbers after the beaches had been shown overcrowded with little or no social distancing. I’m hearing lots of people complaining that had been trying to make the most of things in the previous lockdowns. There is a headline tonight that the UK R rate is now below 1 and shrinking.

The unloved Philip Green, owner of Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins is about to face the collapse of his retail empire Arkadia. Administrators will probably be moving in next week and maybe as early as Monday. Mr Green bought the high street group in 2002 and three years later paid its registered owner, who just happened to be his wife, £1.2 billion in dividends. Arcadia employs about 13,000 people who may end up being made redundant. I’m betting that Mr & Mrs Green do not end up broke no matter what happens. I hope the company pension fund is well protected, we all know what happened when he sold off BHS.

The Trump gave his first question time for reporters since he lost the election. The occasion was Thanksgiving and the President sat at a very small table or desk and was still ranting on about the massive fraud which favoured Joe Biden. A Reuters reporter was trying to question him about the supposed fraud and as he din’t like the question or just didn’t have the answer he replied ‘don’t talk to me that way, I’m the President of the United States and you can’t talk to me that way, don’t ever talk to the president that way, right I’m going to another question’. As for the tiny table, reporters loved it and said maybe when he learnt to behave like a big boy he could have a big boy table.

In London two policemen were praised after safely helping a woman deliver her baby in a taxi. The officers were flagged down by the father at 1.30 am and mother and baby are doing well. Just a few hours before the officers had been dealing with a homicide so you could say they had a busy shift. I can just imagine when they got back home and their partners or whoever they live with asking ‘so, what was work like today dear’? Goodnight workers everywhere and the rest of you. 😴💤😴

A young girl in Michigan was mistakenly arrested and handcuffed in 2017 when she was just 11 years old. The officers who arrested her with guns drawn were reprimanded and police procedures were subsequently changed. The handcuffs were removed after a few minutes but the girl named Honestie Hodges asked whether it could ever have happened to a white child. Sadly Honestie contracted Covid-19 and was admitted to hospital and her condition worsened and she dies this week. aged just 14. What a sad and hard life for a child.

Here in the UK three Dorset towns have been named as the happiest places to live in Britain. The ‘Happy at Home’ survey was carried out by Rightmove and happiness factors included, friendliness, local services, sense of belonging and green spaces. The towns included in the winning list are Dorchester 8th, Weymouth 13th and Poole 17th. I’m afraid Bournemouth didn’t make the top twenty but then it all depends what you are looking for, doesn’t it?

Maybe this following item is why my happy home town didn’t make it into the above list. A man was arrested in Bournemouth for having a cannabis factory which from the photos looks as if it might have been in a loft. Nothing was mentioned about how it was discovered but the arrested man was from Portsmouth. This certainly would have made it onto someone’s happy list. And also in Bournemouth police have issued a photo of a man they want to speak to regarding the fraudulent use of a bus pass. It seems that the bus pass in question has been used at least 70 times since the man named on the pass died in 2009.

Just when you thought you’d heard it all something comes along that is so bizarre that you have to question whether the world has gone completely mad. A bodybuilder in Kazakhstan has married a sex doll  in a traditional ceremony with a celebrant, guests and a first dance. But when I write doll I mean a life size doll. The groom said he was totally in love and that it takes more than words to have a conversation. It’s good news for all the other women in Kazakhstan who might have ended up with him.

A helicopter crew on a state wildlife mission were flying over the canyons and deserts of Utah when they suddenly spotted something unusual and landed nearby to investigate. It turned out to be a huge metal monolith about 12 feet tall that has been well embedded into the ground. Nobody knows who put it there or why but the theory is that it is a sculpture done by an artist and somehow transported into the canyon which is a very difficult terrain to travel into. It sounds to me like an American Banksy. Well done that man – or woman. Good night art lovers everywhere.  😴💤😴

My Day numbers are completely wrong as I have missed a few days here and there but it probably is the number of days I have written an update. Maybe I should have called them Blog Numbers. Hey ho, does it really matter? So, what’s happening today? My son and daughter in law are still suffering from Covid, I hope Christian and Jessie are looking after them nicely. They have neighbours offering to shop etc. and our Christian is a top notch chef so I’m sure no one will go hungry. Get well soon you guys.

Around the world Trump has still not conceded to Joe Biden although his administration team has cleared the way for the transition process to begin. The President has tweeted that he has given the green light because ‘it was in the best interest of the country’. I don’t suppose the fact that he lost the election had anything to do with it.

And still on that side of the pond, the Surgeon General said that Americans should avoid large social gatherings over the holiday period as the pandemic is at a dire point. The Trump and his missus obviously know better and are already organising their festivities sending out invitations to politicians and Republican donors. People that have received them said it was like any other year with no mention of coronavirus precautions. The FLOTUS is finalising her guest lists for family, staff and friends and will host parties during multiple December evenings. She also stepped out of the white house to welcome the Christmas tree’s arrival. It was towed in on a truck being pulled by what looked like a couple of drays. Melania didn’t look happy, maybe understandably as she was overheard saying earlier this year ‘who gives a f%*! about Xmas’. Still, she walked around the truck  completely alone, didn’t speak to the drivers but showing off a nice new coat. She stopped, smiled for the camera and went back in. I somehow found it quite sad.

Don’t read this spoiler if you’re going to watch GBBO tomorrow, I’m about to spoil it for you. We were all relieved that by some fluke Laura didn’t walk away with the prize. Fair to say there wasn’t any showstopper that really stopped the show and I thought that Dave was going to win. Not often right and wrong again, Peter became the youngest ever winner of Bake Off. He’s a sweet guy and very grown up for a 19 year old so well done that man.

The UK government has announced that three households can meet in a private home between 23 and 27 December and travel restrictions will be lifted. So, you party people, no New Year’s Eve bash. We’ll have to wait until 2nd December to see what tier we are in and what we are allowed to do in the run up. Upwards and onwards in spite of the party poopers, the vaccine will soon be here. Good night one and all. 😴💤😴

The Beano has been in circulation since 1938 and there is about to be a special edition which includes a pull out section for older readers. It will be called BeanOld and includes characters who have been in the news during 2020. Dominic Cummings is shown as a getaway driver for the baddies who have been stealing santa’s Christmas gifts. The PM also appears and is also on the wrong side of the law. All you adults can buy your kids a copy and grab the oldies section before handing it over. A nice stocking filler.

Home Bargains, the cut price supermarket chain, is treating their staff this Xmas and it isn’t with the Beano. They are not only giving their staff an extra two weeks pay but they will also close shop on Boxing Day to give them a two day break. It’s about time all shops did this as no one really needs to go shopping the day after Xmas.

Headlines say that M&S are selling the products we’ve all been waiting years for. I’m wondering if I’m the only person in the UK who has never even heard of it let alone waited for it. What is it? It’s chicken doughnut dippers with a BBQ dipping sauce and waffle crumb.

A retired lady was moving from Somerset to Bournemouth to live in a retirement property. We all know that moving house is a quite stressful even at the best of times but it became especially so on this occasion. Her home was packed into the van and the driver set off. He parked up in Bridgwater possibly to get some lunch or to spend a penny and when he returned his vehicle had been stolen along with all the possessions inside. Everything gone, including her mother’s ashes which were to be scattered in Dorset. She was left with just the clothes she stood up in. Some papers and her passport were found floating in a river. There are some particularly nasty individuals who if caught should be locked up for a very long time.

I do love a city with a river and I was lucky enough to visit Hamburg just a few years ago with my friend Ilse who was born and brought up there. They have two rivers and according to Ilse more bridges than Venice. It wouldn’t surprise me at all. Now I’ve found out that Birmingham has the river Rea which has hardly been seen for at least 100 years. It has run through some industrial parts but mostly hidden underground. Now a new development will bring it back above ground and running through new residential areas. There will be cafes, shops and bars as well as walkways and cycle paths and plenty of greenery to help a healthy lifestyle. Sounds delightful, my son went to Uni there and I visited a couple of times. I might be tempted back if I’m still around when it’s finished. They’ll have to get a move on though. In the meantime, Good night all you movers and shakers.  😴💤😴

 

It’s a strange time we are all living in. We should be busy Christmas shopping, wondering if we’ll get everything done in time, who shall we invite around for pre xmas get togethers and even more important, who will invite us. Instead everything is closed, except supermarkets, shops won’t even open in time for Black Friday and there are no xmas markets or even decorations around town. Not this town anyway. Maybe if the vaccine arrives and most people get it we’ll be edging towards normal by Easter and we can all have a happy easter weekend, it is a four day break after all.

The current news is just recycling old news because nothing much is happening. Over the pond Trump supporters are still not accepting that they have lost the election. So much so in fact that one of the largest right wing militia groups, The Oath Keepers, say that they will not recognise Joe Biden as President and as such they will not recognise as legitimate anything he says or signs into law. They believe everything The Trump says about fake news and all the conspiracy theories even though the courts of law say that so far they haven’t seen any proof of wrong doing in the elections. This must be modern day democracy, I think.

Aldi has launched a gastro food range in time for the ‘festive’ season (supposing that we have one). Their new products have been compared with similar ones from everyone’s favourite shop at this time of year, M&S. It seems that they are on sale for half the price of their competitor and although no one seems to have done a taste test Aldi tends to have some rather good quality food. And, I haven’t always liked everything I’ve bought from M&S.

Meanwhile Nigella has been cooking up a storm on her latest cookery programme. Not because of a magical new recipe, but because she showed the nation how to butter toast. So, while the health experts are encouraging us to eat less saturated fat Nigella tells us that the correct way to eat toast is to butter it twice. Never tastes the same as when I was young anyway.

I’ve started watching the new series of Great Canal Journeys with Sheila Hancock and Gyles Brandreth on Channel 4. Two reasons I wanted to tune in are first, I’ve always wanted to go on a canal boat and I don’t suppose I will now and two I’ve always liked Sheila Hancock. I first saw her in that old black and white tv comedy The Rag Trade in 1961. It also happens that Sheila was Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth from 2007 – 2012 where our granddaughter Emily studied and went on to receive two degrees. I went along to both of her graduations and Sheila was present at the second. I remember she told the audience that her feet were killing her and she took off her shoes to be more comfortable. Time for bed, sleepy head, nighty night.  😴💤😴

I’ve just finished watching GBBO semi final on my own and on catchup as I was busy earlier this evening. I had been watching earlier episodes with Sam and her family and hopefully I’ll be over there for the final next week. I definitely don’t think they had the best bakers this year although it is an amateur event so maybe they shouldn’t be too perfect. Perhaps the fact that they have all been locked up together and away from home didn’t help. I was disappointed to see Laura go through to the final, she has to be the messiest baker in the UK, she’s no chance of winning. Hermine should have gone on to the final as she showed more talent all the way through. That’s my opinion anyway.

And while I’m on the tele, so to speak, I’ve started watching the crown and I’m not a great fan, I find it slow and more than a little boring. Just saying.

George Clooney has confirmed that in 2013 he gave a gift of $1,000,000 to fourteen of his friends. He said that he had been thinking about still being single and thought that at least he had all these friends that were mostly older than him and had helped him along the way. He remembered that they were mentioned in his will but as they were older…. so, he thought, why wait? He acquired a van, went to a place where he could get the money in cash and prepared 14 suitcases and gave one to each. They couldn’t believe it when they realised they suddenly had one million dollars each. Some needed it, some didn’t. George just wanted to say thank you. I always thought he was sexy, now I can see he’s sexy and kind.

It’s come to light that a businessman living in Madrid has been paid £21 million of taxpayers money to act as middleman in supplying PPI equipment to the UK government. Also strange is that the order was originally placed with a Florida based jewellery designer who had set up a business to supply protective clothing to governments across the world. He contacted the man in Madrid to quickly locate suppliers in China who were able to fulfil the orders. Is there no one in the UK who can directly find contacts in China without the need to pay someone in Florida enough dosh to enable him to pay all those millions to someone back here in Europe. I remember finding suppliers in China and I had no experience at all. It was for specially made computer cables but it wasn’t difficult to source and that was way before google had done most of the work. It’s making me tired just thinking about it. Night night, don’t let the bug bite.  😴💤😴

So now we have the promise of three different makes of vaccine to fight  Covid 19. There is the one from Oxford University which they are hoping will be available by the end of the year and is the cheapest of all those on offer. The UK government says it has already pre-ordered 100 million doses for when it has been approved for distribution. Pfizer vaccine will be arriving some time in December but is the most expensive and more difficult to store requiring much lower temperatures. The latest to have been approved is the US vaccine Moderna but will not be shipped to Europe until the Spring next year.

An Alaskan Airlines plane was taxiing in to a local airport after dark when it hit a brown bear who had decided to take a stroll with her cub across the tarmac. Sadly mother bear died and the plane was damaged but baby bear survived the incident as did all the crew and passengers. Airport staff say they had checked that the runway was clear and safe just ten minutes prior to the arrival of the flight. Wildlife has often been seen on Alaskan airports but they hadn’t heard of a bear being hit before.

And while I’m on the subject of wildlife a dog walker was surprised to see a man in camouflage clothing with a rifle, on his belly, in the undergrowth in a Manchester park. The dog walker quickly called the police who arrived and arrested the man. He was surprised to be causing so much commotion and said that in his country, the Czech Republic, it was normal to hunt birds in this way. ‘well not ‘ere, me lad’ said the officer, or something similar and confiscated his rifle and hunting gear. The man appeared before a judge who gave him a good lecture, 8 months suspended sentence and 180 hours of unpaid work. The dog walker was awarded £200 for her public spirit and calmness.

A family in Hull had been the recipient of a mirror that had been passed down through the family and they had hung it in the downstairs toilet. It had a little plaque that said it had once belonged to Marie Antoinette, the last queen of France. They hadn’t believed that it had but thought it was a bit of fun and visitors would enjoy seeing it when they used the loo. It was recently sold and the auctioneer did a bit of investigating and found that the plaque was telling the truth. The mirror sold for £8,500 but I’m afraid it still shows you exactly as you are with no magic powers. Good night hunters everywhere. 😴💤😴

The creator of the Covid 19 vaccine has said that by next winter we could be back to normal life. He also stated that he believed the vaccine could also halve transmission of the disease. Let’s hope he’s right because this winter it’s still impacting everyday life for people around the world. The PM has been in contact with an MP who has tested positive so BoJo is back in lockdown with the rest of his household no doubt. Seeing this happened last Thursday one would suppose that Cummings would need to go into quarantine too. Hope somebody is watching that man because we know what he’s like.

Meanwhile people up and down the country are finding different ways to break lockdown. Seven women hired a stretch limo to go for a ride from Bilston to Sedgley (West Midlands)  and when stopped by the police said they were from the same household. The cops were having none of it and followed them from whence they’d come where it became obvious that they came from seven different households. It was a fair cop and they were all fined £200. I’m not sure about the driver and I can only guess that the ‘girls’ party took place inside the limo, it was a good try.

In Islington (where I just happened to be born) a pastor decided to hold a baptism service where about 30 attendees turned up (not in a limo). The pastor told officers that he had decided to hold the service for the greater good and that the attendees were vulnerable, homeless or on the verge of being isolated. The pastor moved the service to an outdoor courtyard where just a few people gathered but socially distanced and another lost soul was no doubt redeemed.

Another vulnerable and homeless person James Bowen adopted a cat a few years ago and did a bit of busking around the streets of London Town. It’s beginning to sound like a modern day Dick Whittington. Anyway the cat used to sit on his owner’s shoulder while he sang and would high five and generally captivated the audience. James who was trying to battle his addiction to heroin became so attached to his pet that he stayed away from the drug to look after him.The duo became famous and a book was written about ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ which was later turned into a film which I saw recently on tv. Sadly the cat was run over by a car while it crossed a quiet street during lockdown. Fans were heartbroken as was James but he now lives in his own home, thanks to film royalties, has a girlfriend and they have acquired two kittens. Maybe just like Dick Whittington, he will one day become Lord Mayor of London. Happy endings my friends. Hope your dreams are happy ones. 😴💤😴