Author: June

Before we get into all the exciting stuff that’s been happening around the world, let me give you the promised update on the demonstrations that were due to take place in Bournemouth today. Short and sweet, they didn’t happen. I went for a walk with my daughter through the gardens and along the east cliff seafront this afternoon and there were a few walkers, some sun bathers on the sand and quite a few cyclists, all maintaining social distancing, no crowds and no demonstrators. Daughter Sam had already been out for an exercise jog in the morning and didn’t see anything then either.

The news showed that there there was an anti-lockdown protest in London’s Hyde Park . Hundreds of protestors took part and nineteen were arrested including Jeremy Corbyn’s brother Piers who had been one of the speakers. In the current situation it’s difficult to know where one’s freedom of speech starts and ends. Meanwhile the other Piers (Morgan that is) is facing pressure over his GMB job. A petition has been doing the rounds to have him sacked with over 50,000 signatures so far. Ofcom has received thousands of complaints over his abrasive interviewing technique during the pandemic. The petition called his behaviour heinous and took issue with his attitude to transgenders. Ofcom didn’t agree and said he had done nothing wrong and was well known for his combative style. I’ve never seen GMB, I wonder if I should?

The POTUS has been having a ‘mine is bigger than yours’ brag. During a Friday presentation at the White House Trump informed those present that Russia claimed to have a missile five times bigger than anyone else, China said they were working on one five or six times bigger. Well, said the world leader?? we now have one which is seventeen times bigger, referring to it as a super duper missile.  The chief political analyst at ABC news said it sounded like an 80s porn star. Trump has also vowed to remedy the ‘command and control’ of social media by the radical left. This would include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google who according to the POTUS were involved in an illegal situation although he declined to say what that was.

A woman has taken advantage of her time at home to organise her home. Every single thing was folded, rolled and sorted, items were placed in boxes, baskets and plastic cases. The receptacles were all beige or opaque see-through white. I nearly had a nervous break down looking at the pictures.  I cannot imagine having to put something back exactly where I found it. All those tidy shelves and cupboards would take away a large part of life’s fun. Never again to come across some long lost pair of scissors, or a wedding hat, a book or a gift you had forgotten you had. I bet she loves lockdown, everyone in their own cubby hole, neatly put away. I remember losing a crocheted waistcoat thinking i had left it somewhere while on holiday. I found it a couple of years later in the pocket of a suitcase, didn’t fit any more but oh the joy of being reunited. The thought of all that tidiness might keep me awake but I hope you all sleep well. Night night.

Tomorrow in Bournemouth and I believe up and down the country there are to be demonstrations taking place in opposition of the lockdown. Residents are being encouraged to gather in public places, take picnics, play music and generally enjoy freedom. As always it probably won’t be mainly residents participating but individuals who just like to rebel and have travelled in from other areas. I’ll have a stroll out and see if I can report back on anything.

Everybody who is anybody is on youtube cutting and dyeing their hair. A friend of mine showed a pile of cut hair on FaceBook the other day but no picture of the result.  I caught a glimpse of it on zoom a couple of days later and it was looking pretty good. Scarlett Moffatt (no idea who she is) hit the headlines having cut her hair with kitchen scissors, didn’t look bad either. As you might remember, I trimmed my fringe with a small pair of curved nail scissors and I fully intend to have a go at the colour this weekend. I’ve been colouring mine on and off since I was thirteen so no big deal and the good thing about hair, it always grows out. Unless you’re bald of course. Hairdressers have often been overrated, I know they make us feel better but in times like this we have always managed.

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names is going to be available online, free of charge until 21st May to help people in lockdown search for the origins of their family name.  It’s being heralded as something exciting but I’m afraid I don’t get it. I looked up Blandford and found it’s been around for donkeys years and always in the south of England. Shows other spellings and not much else. I was much more excited when helping my mum sort through some papers a few years ago. We came across an old birth certificate of a Henry James Blandford, I think he was my grandfather and I had a grandson with the same name and we hadn’t even realised. My mum was going to throw it away but instead it went off to the current incumbent of that name.

Last night I watched Red Joan on Netflix. I had missed it when it was at the local cinema. Not as good as I had expected, rather superficial and romanticised but did keep me mildly entertained for a couple of hours. One phrase caught my attention, ‘after this is over, the next generation will have to reconstruct the world’. I think that our next generations will be responsible for that task, between global warming, plastic pollution and pandemics they won’t have much choice. I hope they are capable, somehow I think they will be.

I’ve been thinking about things and I’ve decided that it’s more than a little surprising that I’ve managed to write this blog for 53 days and I have also done it on time for all those days. I am well know for being able to put things off until tomorrow, definitely a mañana person and another thing that I’m not particularly proud of, I am quite often late. Not late, late but not the first person to arrive. I arrived at a committee meeting two minutes early once and everyone applauded, I thought it was very rude of them. What keeps me going here is that you guys keep on reading. And for that I salute you. Good night comrades.

 

Two pandas which in 2014 were loaned  to Canada from China will have to be returned The animals will only eat fresh bamboo and there is a shortage in Canada so it will be impossible for them to stay. A gardener Sandy and I used on our garden in Wimborne planted bamboo, it didn’t seem difficult to grow. In fact it spread everywhere, popping up even in the neighbours lawn. Shame I moved, I could have made a bit of money on that plant.

There was an altercation in a Yorkshire wood between two retired ladies and a 17 year old cyclist. It was filmed on his head camera and later shared on social media as is the way with young people. The ladies, a retired teacher and a former parish councillor,  built a barrier using rocks and branches to stop cyclists using the woodland area. The teenager was polite throughout the altercation and the ladies were not, maybe they hadn’t realised they were being filmed. They asked the cyclist if he had permission to be on the land which would have been unnecessary anyway. They also said he shouldn’t be there because of Covid restrictions. He was one mile from home and exercising alone. The ladies should not have been there together as they did not live in the same household. Later in the day they were visited by police and told that if they had caused an accident they would be facing criminal charges. Isolation is certainly getting to some people.

An East London brewer has taken to driving around Hackney selling draft beer from kegs he has loaded into his van. He describes himself as a ‘tactical beer response unit’ and pulls pints on people’s doorsteps. Peter Blandford, didn’t you live in Hackney or was it Stepney? never mind, the next question is whether. when your home brewing is ready, are you going to be flogging it around Sevenoaks from the back of the Tesla?

While on the subject of alcohol, a murderer who was about to be assessed for release after twelve years in prison held an alcohol-fuelled party in his cell to celebrate. The Parole Board adjourned their decision as they felt the prisoner was not yet ready. They have recommended him to open prison to undertake additional training. The widow of the murdered man has said that he committed the crime while under the influence of alcohol and is obviously still under the same influence and is disgusted with the decision that has been made. I must say that I agree with her. Lock ‘im up m’lord.

Drones will be used to transfer medical supplies from Hampshire to the Isle of Wight. This is happening sooner than expected due to the reduced ferry service. The drone is not like your normal garden variety that people use to video their neighbours and things that they can’t see with a pair of binoculars (wink, wink), It is the size of a small plane and can travel at 100 mph taking only ten minutes to reach the island. Someone had better inform the US navy who report having seen UFOs again recently, we don’t want them getting confused.  Time for bed sleepy head. Night Night.

 

 

 

Robert de Niro obviously doesn’t have any kind feelings towards the current POTUS. In fact it would be fair to say that the actor has nothing but criticism for Trump. Today he has said that Donald Trump is a lunatic who doesn’t care how many people die from coronavirus. What did he expect of an obvious narcissist? De Niro who originated in New York has nothing but praise for their mayor Andrew Cuomo and has said he wouldn’t mind playing him in a movie about the pandemic. So, let’s not worry about the devastation in his city as long as there’s a movie role in it for him. Meanwhile New York City has had the longest period without pedestrian fatalities since records began, 58 days. It’s a bit like saying there are no road accidents on a desert island.

Over here, Morrison’s are going to introduce a speedy queue for customers who only wish to buy a few items and don’t need a trolley. I can see whole families going with a basket each, pretending they don’t know each other but secretly keeping in touch once in the store by phone. ‘Don’t worry about the beer Sharon, I’ve got it covered’. ‘Alright love, I’ve picked up the meat for the barbie and little Butch is getting the crisps and marshmallows’. Wish we had a Morrison’s here, I’d be going around filming them. There’s been a survey on whether nannies and cleaners should be allowed to go into private houses to do their work. The result shows that 76% of the population think they should not. I can’t help wondering what percentage of those surveyed have actually used the services of nanny or cleaner. I cynically think it’s about 24%.

We have been advised that sunshine and fresh air is good for us and that whilst taking our exercise in open spaces we are unlikely to catch the virus. As we are also allowed to meet up with one other person not from our household we can play golf, tennis or any other non contact sport. My friend Margaret and I are wondering whether to take our tablet or phone to the beach and do some zumba or aerobics instead of just walking. Today we were walking along the Southbourne promenade and noticed a welcome change. The tables and benches from the Bistro on the Beach, which is still closed, have been moved from in front of the restaurant on the prom onto the beach. They are all nicely separated and obviously for general public use. Margaret said that as she’s meeting her daughter tomorrow for the first time since lockdown, they will get fish and chips from the shop on the cliff top and take it down to the tables to eat. A great picnic area for the locals, we could do our aerobics workout on the beach there and entertain people while they’re eating. I’m sure they would love it. Don’t let the thought of this keep you awake, good night one and all and sleep tight.

 

Today has been international nurses day and is celebrated on the 12th May every year in memory of Florence Nightingale who was born on that day. I’ve always thought that was a wonderful name to be born into and would have encouraged the owner to strive for greatness. Florence was the first nurse to set standards for those who followed her. She trained in London and went on to lead a team of nurses caring for the injured  in the Crimean War. She found she needed to start with improving basic care in hygiene and nutrition and thereby improved greatly patients chances of survival. Today the world celebrates the contribution nurses make to society. I would personally like to thank my granddaughter Louise Perryman who is a fully qualified nurse in paediatric oncology at Southampton General Hospital and all nurses everywhere.

There’s a lot this week about schools opening up at the beginning of June. It seems that the youngest children might be the first to return and I’m not surprised that teachers are wondering how they will maintain social distancing. The little ones love to hug their friends and teachers and how sad to have to teach them not to. Sanitising will need to be practiced too, I sympathise with the teacher who asked how they can be expected to clean all the lego pieces and the crayons and pencils etc. after each use. Now there’s a conundrum for BoJo and his team.

Couple of items in the news today about hackers and solicitors. One incident was where the hacker managed to steal a solicitor’s email address (just changed the – for a .) and requested money from a client for a payment regarding a house that was being purchased. As it looked legit and the client was expecting an invoice they transferred the money and it was lost forever. In the US hackers managed to get into a media and entertainment law firm’s system and stole several files containing personal data and contracts of celebrities including Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. There’s going to be a few embarrassed faces around New York’s legal district right now.

Ryanair have announced that they will reinstate 40% of their flights as of 1st July. However to maintain social distancing and avoid crowds around the loo area passengers will have to ask a member of staff for permission to go. It will be like being back at school when you had to put your hand up “please miss/sir can I be excused to go to the toilet please?”. Mostly, of course, when we were at school we didn’t want to go to the loo at all, just wanted to get out and and smoke a fag or chat up the workmen or something. I’ve heard that some airlines will be handing out face masks and sanitiser, I think they might have to hand out some Tena as well, especially if it’s a Saga holiday flight. Oh dear, air travel gets less and less appealing.

Still, not today’s problem, we’ve survived 50 so far and tomorrow is another day. Sleep peacefully and I’ll be back.

 

Mondays in lockdown seem to be extra dreary, no reason why as one day is much like another. I felt rather lifeless or listless or something less today and the only news is coronavirus news. My most exciting part of the day was changing some ceiling light bulbs which I had been putting off. Job done, they work, another item ticked off my todo list and even that I’m finding quite irritating. Once the todo list is done, what then? That’s quite a depressing thought. Still we are allowed out and we can meet with one other person. Garden centres will be open although I don’t think that what’s left to do on my balcony warrants a trip to one, shame.

It’s funny how different people interpret the rules etc. in different ways especially on social media. Some of that stuff would turn me into a nervous wreck if I let it. I’ve taken to checking most stuff out on official sites if it’s likely to affect me. Today I learnt that The British Medical Association said that any exception to the easing of lockdown should be on the basis of the need to protect individuals and that quarantining “based solely on age would be both unethical and illegal’. I guess we all find what we want to find.

We have been advised to wear masks in enclosed spaces only, they’re not needed outside in the fresh air. And nothing to do with us yet, but in Singapore they are trialling robot dogs in a park to help maintain social distancing, woof woof. The dogs are fitted with a camera to monitor how busy it becomes and has a loudspeaker to broadcast messages. They didn’t say if it had a name. In Holland they are getting very innovative. glass pods are being used in care homes for family members to visit the elderly residents. Also similar glass pods are being used by restaurants there to maintain social distancing whilst dining. Drones are being used in the uk and have shown several empty town centres and coastal areas.

Most parents are surprised when their unruly, untidy and sometimes downright rude teenagers turn into responsible and charming adults. You know the sort of thing, bedroom floor completely covered with dirty and clean clothes etc. (we don’t need to delve into the etc.s). Ask them to do housework, proper cooking as opposed to pot noodles and gardening don’t even bother to mention because it’s a all losing battle. So I’m going to tell you that my son’s latest hobby is growing vegetables. I find it quite amazing. I’m hoping that I get to sample some later in the year. Less surprising is his other new pastime, home made beer. As with all things ‘Peter’ he’s got all the gear and and plenty of requests for help from family and friends on social media. Plenty of answers too, it’s a good thing we have a master brewer in the family. If it wasn’t for lockdown I’d say, never a dull moment but I’m afraid there is the odd one.

Common sense and stay alert are the new slogans. Here’s an old one, nighty night, don’t let the bug bite 😴💤😴

I’ve just been working on my blog site NannyJune.com and have added ‘About Me’ and my first recipe which as promised is my version of gazpacho. A bit late, I’m afraid as the weather is about to get cooler and it’s really for a warm summer’s day. You might be better off with a good old chicken broth. The bank holiday weekend is over and Bournemouth didn’t seem to be inundated with visitors, I think down here they are staying away.

BoJo has unveiled plans for the relaxation of lockdown. Seems as if there aren’t too many changes. More guidance is to be published on Monday (tomorrow) but it does say that from Wednesday we can meet with one other person who does not live in our own household. I know so many people living alone who have already been doing this, in the open air and keeping their distance. Don’t ask me for names as I will fall back on age related forgetfulness. My daughter’s neighbour had a few people in the garden for a bit of a party and I know of other families who have been going to each others gardens for BBQ. An estate agent in Gloucester is boasting that he has carried out 60 viewing on properties claiming that the poperties are empty and he wears gloves. He’s managed to sell four and rented six – can people move then? my daughter is still waiting. The agent, a Mr Bone also received a £10,000 grant from his council and said if they want to pay my wages that’s fine by me. Well it’s not fine by the rest of us tax payers. Lock ‘im up I say.

Meanwhile Germany who had already relaxed their lockdown rules have seen a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases. They are still way below the UK number of deaths with just over 7000 and with a larger population than ours. So far I’m afraid nothing bodes well for an early or even not too long return to some form of normality.

I walked down to Bournemouth square today for a bit of exercise and to pick up a couple of bits in Tesco. The town is still empty but the number of beggars seems to have increased even though there are spaces for them in some hotels including food.

Meanwhile in Birmingham police stopped a driver on the M5. The man tried to throw a bag of cocaine out of his window before stopping but the window was closed and the bag burst showering the powder all over the interior. £25,000 worth. The officers were able to make an arrest. What is it with Birmingham? that’s where the man gave away his hiding place when he farted.

Don’t forget that you can now put walk with a friend in your diary, it’s getting exciting. Sleep well ‘beautiful dreamers’ (that’s a song) nighty night

Yesterday evening I finished planting everything on my balcony. I thought I had bought too many plants but I managed to use them all and I could probably fit in another half dozen. I’ll keep my eyes open when I next go shopping  There’s not a lot of variety as I couldn’t get to a nursery but I have geraniums, petunias, busy lizzies and a couple of New Guinea impatiens. Also Elena and Andrew bought me two hydrangeas and I had a couple of green things that I don’t know the names of. It’s good to know that a job is officially off my todo list. I tried to be really careful with everything but the neighbour downstairs came out with his little handheld hoover before I’d even finished. My Daughter Sam said I should do like in the Cadbury advert and drop a bar of chocolate down with a sorry post-it stuck on. I had breakfast out there this morning in the sunshine, very nice. Could have dropped him a buttered crumpet.

I don’t know why I’ve been thinking this but do jams and pickles count as part of your five a day? I believe they were first made to preserve fresh fruit and veg for when it was out of season and especially through the winter. Seems to me that it must be a step in the right direction but I guess we don’t eat enough to make it count as a portion. Funny what you think about when in isolation.

One thing that’s annoyed me is that my watch battery has run out. No, don’t tell me to buy one online and do it myself because it’s one of those that need to be opened with a special tool and sealed. I used to collect watches but got fed up with buying batteries for all of them and now they are in a box and none of them working. Maybe I’ll try opening one of the cheaper ones and see if I can get it going. Not that I need to know what the time is anyway.

Ace twitterer Piers Morgan who loves to criticise or at times openly vilify anyone who doesn’t meet his exacting standard according to his own opinion, seems to be trying to finish his best friend relationship with Trump. He told the POTUS to shut the f*** up over Trump’s controversial statement about curing coronavirus with disinfectant. Oh dear. He has been unfollowed by the POTUS. As for our government Piers has continuously criticised their handling of the pandemic and without a doubt he will have sometimes been right and other times wrong but it is quite clear, he always plays to his audience. His latest target has been the actor Miriam Margoyles who said she had been rather hoping that BoJo didn’t recover from the virus. Piers said it was disgusting and this is where toxic tribalism has got us. I think MM actually said she had had difficulty in not wanting the PM to recover but then quickly back pedalled showing that she’s just a very silly person and not to be taken seriously. I wonder why the interviewer even asked her what she thought of the government’s handling of the situation. She hardly comes across as the brain of Britain. Once again it’s playing to the masses.  They haven’t asked NannyJune yet, what does that tell you.

We’ve had our bank holiday Monday on Friday and tomorrow by my calculation is Sunday so without further ado, until mañana, buenas noches

 

Up and down the country flags were hung in gardens and balconies, there was a two minute silence at 11 am, the red arrows flew over the capital, Winston Churchill’s VE speech was replayed on television, Vera Lynn singing We’ll Meet Again was played and the Queen appeared on TV to remind the nation that we have survived before and we will survive again, Maybe that’s the song that should have been played. My recollection from my childhood is that it took several years to rebuild not only the buildings and infrastructure of our country and Europe but the economy and the people’s freedom to buy products freely. Food rationing in the UK was to continue for another nine years.

I’ve had a virtual zoom get together with some good friends today. We didn’t celebrate anything except being friends. A good old chit chat to remind ourselves that life goes on and one day we shall be able to go out for lunch or shopping or a coffee or whatever.

Lockdown rules will apparently be updated by the government on Sunday so that we know what to do next week. No doubt we will all end up just as confused as we have been so far. It depends who you listen to and what you read with everybody making their own interpretation of the guidelines. There is no doubt however that 30,000 plus deaths is something to take seriously.

In the US unemployment has risen to 14.7% with 20.5 million jobs lost in April. This seems to me to be almost unbelievable but the information was taken from the BBC web site. That would be over one third of our population including children.

The idea of lockdown seems to elude some people. Three young men travelled from Berkshire to Dorset to celebrate the birthday of one of them on the beach. They walked at the foot of the cliffs at low tide, and you guessed it, they got cut off by the incoming water. One of them swam back around Old Harry Rock (which I can see from my very floral balcony but I missed this incident) to raise the alarm at Studland and get help. The lifeboat crew, two coastguard teams and helicopters, two ambulances and nine police offices were out to help with the rescue. The two stranded individuals (I don’t feel like calling them men) had climbed up onto the rocks to await rescue. There is a nudist beach at Studland and no one has mentioned if they were wearing clothing or not when found. I can’t help wishing they weren’t.

I hope you managed to wave your flag for victory today and sang along with Vera. You must be tired, sleep well