Category: Isolation

Anyone For a Mince Pie? Day 230.

I haven’t blogged for four days, don’t know if I should apologise but I don’t think I will. I’ve been busy with Christmas stuff although Boris has stopped the event for a lot of the country. I’ve also been suffering with toothache, exposed root and had a couple of trips to the dentist. The dentist had a go at fixing it with some sort of filler covering the problem and although it’s a lot better it’s still bothering me somewhat. I’m not sure what could be done differently.

So, what else have I been doing? A trip to the hairdresser, I’m glad I got that in before Xmas and a probable lockdown. A bit of shopping and a couple of meetings with a friend for coffee and a tapas lunch. U3A voluntary work has taken up quite a bit of time as we have lots of registrations arriving for the new year even though we don’t have hardly any groups at the moment – only a few on zoom. But we have to keep things running for when we can start again properly.

In the news this week I read that Queen Liz wrapped up warm for a ride on her horse around Windsor Park. I don’t know about wrapping up warm but I think there aren’t many 94 year olds climbing up on a four legged beast to go out for a ride. I’m not sure I would try it. And another great woman, Prue Leith became one of the first people in the UK to receive the Covid vaccine. Hard to believe she’s 80 and she showed a photo of herself getting the jab and said ‘who wouldn’t want immunity from Covid-19 with a painless jab’. I’m going for mine as soon as it’s offered.

The PM has been on tv and announced that the government is tightening Covid rules. The new tier 4 has been introduced and will cover The East and South East where my son Peter lives. So I won’t be able to see him, Claudia and the grandchildren up in Kent. Haven’t seen them since February and I’m missing them. The proposed three day break over Xmas has been scrapped and now people can only meet up on 25th. I think we will hopefully be having a big Easter celebration next year.

Over the pond Joe Biden has selected a native American, Deb Haaland to be Interior Secretary when he forms his government. The nomination will have to be confirmed and if it goes through she will become the first Native American to hold this position and lead a department. There are 1.9 million native Americans in the US so It’s probably about time they had a voice in government in what is technically their country.

I’ve just made some mincemeat. As always I followed the Delia recipe which I looked up on line and found that it’s the same as the one in her Xmas book but she now adds cranberries to the mix. It’s simmering away in the oven so I’m waiting to see if the giant cranberries break down – before me.  Time for bed, sleepy head. 🎄😴💤😴🎄

 

Flying Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Day 229.

I’ve been trying to avoid the subject of Brexit. It’s been going on forever, in case you’ve forgotten the so called referendum took place in June 2016. Few knew what they were voting for and believed the  many lies they were told and here we are four and a half years later waiting to see what trade deals we will end up with, if any. BoJo said yesterday (Sunday) that a no deal scenario is still the “most likely”. Today (Monday) it was reported that the pound went up in value as hopes rise of a Brexit trade deal. There’s a lot of flying over the cuckoo’s nest.

London and other parts of the south east of England will join other areas in Tier 3 meaning that apart from your own household or bubble you can only meet in groups of six outside. All other mingling is forbidden. There will be no restaurants, pubs, cafes, gyms, theatres etc etc. Nothing, just go and sit on the grass with five other people in the middle of winter. I think it’s time to hibernate. While I’m on the subject I went for a walk into town with a friend on Saturday. We popped into a coffee place which was busy, in fact very busy. They didn’t seem to have made any effort to space out the tables and they were all full. This seemed to be allowed but I couldn’t say to that one friend, come up to my flat for a coffee or a bite to eat, it’s against the rules.

Monoliths continue to pop up around the world, some have been owned by artists who say they wanted to be part of the event. One has been seen on the top of a hill in Glastonbury and had the words “Not Banksy” although it also had a stencil drawing of a rat. Sadly the weather did not cooperate and it blew over soon after being erected. One in Australia was covered in cryptic coordinates which were codes for different locations around the world from the Pacific Ocean to an Egyptian desert. I’m hoping one will appear in Bournemouth gardens, it will make up for not having Xmas trees this year.

Banksy definitely painted on the side of a house in his home town of Bristol showing an old lady sneezing out her dentures which appear to knock over adjacent houses. An estate agent told the owner that their home which was already on the market could now be worth millions. The owner has spent money on having the painting covered with perspex and an alarm system but will have to wait to have the artist’s work officially valued.

I quite enjoy watching Antiques Road Trip but am intrigued by one thing that occasionally pops up. When the experts are trying to bargain with the dealer they are often told they can pay “so much for cash”. I have to wonder what the tax man thinks if he’s watching. Just saying…  Good night bargain hunters everywhere.  🎄😴💤😴🎄

‘Tis the Season To Be Jolly. Day 228.

Another event cancelled this year is the Bournemouth Xmas Pantomime. I see the Royal Family went to the London Palladium to join key workers who had been invited to a live performance of Pantoland. That was Prince William and Kate with their three children. I think the last time I went yo a panto was on New Year’s Eve 2009 when I invited five of my grandchildren and also my friend lovely Liz. I was still living in Wimborne and we had dinner at home and then walked across the rec. to the Tivoli. The first time my son Pete went to see a Panto he was a dad and we all went to the Pavilion in Bournemouth. Christian was still too small to have his own seat, Elizabeth became hysterical when the wicked witch appeared, Pete shouted louder than any of the kids and loved it all and we had four generations there with 15 people including my mum. That was before Alice and Jessie were born. Good memories.

Sir Tom Moore has been having a busy week again. He appeared on stage at the Royal Variety Performance which this year took place in the Blackpool Opera House in front of a virtual audience. He joined Michael Ball to sing You’ll Never Walk Alone. And today he was on board a British Airways flight travelling to Barbados. He said he was fulfilling a lifetime ambition and it was something on his bucket list. The airline had invited Sir Tom and his family to a courtesy trip as a thank you for everything he had done during the pandemic.

It has been reported the the Sussexes have set up their own ‘honours’ list to reward individuals, companies and charities who have gone above and beyond. It was also stated that the list would rival the Queen’s honours list. Really? I don’t know that the couple actually said that or if it is a bit of over enthusiastic reporting. The awards will be handed out at their home and be run by the foundation named after their son. When this young man is a teenager in California I’m not sure what he is going to think about all this tosh.

An unnamed man left a painting wrapped in cardboard leaning against the check in desk at Dusseldorf airport and boarded his flight without realising his mistake. When he landed at Tel Aviv he called to see if it had been found but no one seemed to know anything. To say he was a little worried would not cover it, the painting is estimated to be worth £250,000. A nephew who lives in Belgium flew to Dusseldorf to work with the police there. Eventually a policeman decided to contact the airport cleaning services and they found the painting at the bottom of a waste paper container. It’s a good thing it was classed as recyclable material and not a suspect bomb as it would have been blown up. Hopefully the nephew is mentioned in the man’s will.  Sleep well and dream you’re at a pantomime.  🎄😴💤🎄

 

 

The Vaccine Arrived. Day 227.

So the first Covid vaccines have been administered in the UK. A 90 year old woman, Margaret Keenan, became the very first person in the world to receive the Pfizer Covid-19 jab just one week before her 91st birthday. ‘This is the best early birthday present’, she declared. Another Early recipient of the vaccine Martin Kenyon was also 91 and he found himself being interviewed by CNN. He told the world he was late for his jab ‘because he damned well couldn’t find anywhere to park’. In the way of the modern world the clip went viral and he was invited onto GMB. Piers started asking him questions about his life and said he knew a lot about the pensioner. ‘Yes, you do’ replied Martin and then asked the maybe not so famous presenter ‘And who are you? Who are you?’.
More monoliths have popped up, some in the US, one in Colombia and several in Europe including Germany, Spain and Belgium. I think someone has been reading my post because it has been suggested that it could be Banksy (I said it first). However, I’m not convinced as a coupled of them have been claimed by a collective in California who say they will sell replicas for £34,000 each. In any case, I think Banksy would have painted a little mouse on them or made them more significant.
Cambridge University might be in lockdown and encouraging students to maintain social distancing but that didn’t stop them from holding their ‘Best Bum 2020’ contest. Apparently it is an annual event to find the rear of the year and photos have appeared in the press and on social media. Students posed and photos were taken around the Campus, on the bridge of sighs, in the library and on a spiral staircase. But the winner posed outside the Fitzwilliam Museum with the sun setting on her very shapely backside.
It’s been reported that gardens previously neglected have suddenly during lockdown found themselves being well cared for by the owners. Would take more than a pandemic for me to become enthusiastic about gardening but luckily I only have a few tubs on my balcony. A couple in Hampshire near the New Forest were digging up weeds in their garden and came across a horde of gold coins dating back to the 15th century and probably buried there around 1540. There were 63 gold and one silver coins and today are valued at around £14,000. Maybe I should have done a bit more gardening when I lived in Wimborne, it was a very old part of the town.
Sadly a young woman died in suspicious circumstances in the Travelodge in Bournemouth some time last night. A man has been arrested after police were called at around 8 o’clock this morning. I drove past this afternoon about 3pm on my way to Southbourne and it looked as if half the Dorset police force were there. At least 8 police vehicles and loads of coppers in uniform. The inseparables at work. Good night, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. 🎄😴💤😴🎄

 

 

Going Bananas. Day 226.

Shoppers have been out and about in Bournemouth this weekend. At least they have today. I didn’t leave the house yesterday because of the weather but got up this morning and the sun was shining and I eventually managed to get out. Still haven’t bought any Xmas presents or cards so I’m going to have to get a move on soon. Tooth ache hasn’t helped.

Yesterday I decided to give my apartment a Xmas present and had some cleaners in. Honestly, I’ve always hated housework but these two ladies seemed to enjoy it. My daughter knows them and recommended that I give them a try and I have to say I was pleased with the result. They were here a good half a day and left everything sparkling. If anyone is interested they are Castle Interior Cleaning and my two ladies are called Ali and Georgia. They are on FB.

And while I’m on the subject of Xmas shopping a man in North Wales was filmed stealing a 7ft Xmas tree from Clocaenog Forest. He obviously hadn’t realised that there were several trail cameras that caught him in the act. The police said he will be getting a visitor knocking on his door and it won’t be santa. Lock ‘im up I say.

If you’ve been feeling sorry for yourself because you’ve had to quarantine at home with the kids, spare a thought for Britain’s biggest family. Dad of 22 Noel Radford has been tested positive for coronavirus and is having to stay at home with all those kids. He then set about doing some online shopping and put the wrong date in (a week later) so the food didn’t arrive. I can’t imagine that many people living together and now they can’t even go out. I hope they’ve got there Xmas shopping done at least they can start the wrapping.

Cocaine weighing more than a ton has been found during a routine inspection at the docks in Essex. The stash was hidden in a shipment of banana pulp. I guess that would cover the smell of the drug and would appear like a harmless import. But, can anyone tell me why we are importing banana pulp and what it’s used for? I once worked for Elders and Fyffes Shipping which had been established to import bananas from the West Indies. I have no recollection of pulp being part of the shipment. Or cocaine now I come to think about it.

I’m sure you remember that I told you about the mysterious appearance and disappearance of a monolith in a Utah canyon. Well another appeared in Romania and now one has turned up at the bottom of a cliff in the Isle of Wight. When I saw the photos I thought this latest one was painted but then realised it is a reflection of the sea and horizon in front of it and therefore, ever changing. Looks very beautiful and almost worth a visit to the island. That’s all for today, good night isolators everywhere.   🎄😴💤😴🎄

A World Class Teacher. Day 225.

My favourite story today was the one about a plane landing on a motorway, or highway, in Minnesota. following engine failure. There is a little video of the incident when the single engine plane had decided to make an emergency landing. I somehow can’t imagine a motorway in the UK where there would be enough room to land a paper plane let alone a real live one. The plane crashed with a SUV but no one was hurt and afterwards the driver said that he saw the plane in his rear view mirror but there was no time to avoid being hit. His vehicle was a write off but both he and the pilot said they were lucky to be alive.

You all must have heard that the mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has been arrested on suspicion of bribery and witness intimidation. Four other people were also arrested following an investigation into the awarding of building contracts in the city. Looks like the storyline for a channel 4 play. Previously, nearly two years ago a developer had been arrested and later released under investigation which is obviously now showing some results. The mayor looks like a tough bloke I wonder who they would get to play him on the tele. I remember in Bournemouth when the Imax cinema got planning permission there were all sorts of rumours flying around about brown envelopes and back handers. No one ever arrested here though and then the council paid the owners a few million quid to buy the property and then pulled it down.

The Sussexes have been out buying their Xmas tree and they went to Big Wave Dave’s Christmas Trees and Pumpkin Patch which is in the car park of Macy’s. It seems that their agent phoned first to have the area cleared so that this precious couple could shop in peace. Not quite cleared though and one little boy ran around excitedly and asked the prince if he worked there. Well, I can understand his mistake as I’m sure Harry looks just like a Big Wave Dave.

Maybe this next one is in fact my favourite story of the day. A teacher in a remote Indian village has won $1 million and nominated the best teacher in the world. There were a total of 12,000 nominations and the winner Mr Disale decided to give half of his winnings to be divided among the ten runners up. He said that teachers were people who give and care and that was why he had decided to give away half his prize. The judges chose him because of his work to ensure disadvantaged girls went to school and became achievers rather than not being educated and entering early marriages. He also provides online science classes for pupils in 83 countries and connects with young people in conflict zones. Top man and a great role model. Good night guys and dolls. Sleep well, only three weeks till Christmas.  🎄😴💤🎄

A Bird in the Hand. Day 224.

Yesterday I forgot to mention about the bird I had cheeping in my flat. Well, it wasn’t exactly a bird it just sounded like one ‘cheep’, 23 seconds later ‘cheep’ and so it went on. With all the electronic gadgets in one home you can probably picture me running from one place to another trying to work out where it came from. I decided (correctly as it turned out) that it was the smoke/fire alarm. I got on the step ladder and looked inside but as I couldn’t find a battery I called Paul (my son-in-law). “What have you done?’ he asked, as if I only call him when I have a problem. He arrived with grandson Alex and it didn’t take him long to find where the battery was hiding. I gave him a replacement from my stash but ‘cheep’ that hadn’t cured the problem. Paul tried the other alarm I have in the hallway but ‘cheep’ still no luck. We sent Alex to Wilko for new batteries and Paracetamol as I also have tooth ache by now. Batteries replaced and what do we hear? ‘cheep’. Alex decides to investigate and realises that the batteries he just purchased are still sitting on the hall cabinet, his dad had put back the old ones. Paul, I still think you are a star and I think you’re going to get really peed off with being reminded about this little event. We’ll get Alex a mute button although he did do well.

I never got to Debenhams today as I still had tooth ache and went to the dentist instead. They were very good fitting me in and did a temporary fix and I’m going back next week for a proper filling. Still hurts every time I eat though so this might be the route to losing weight before Christmas.

Piers Morgan has been having another go at Prince Harry. I’m not surprised as my eyebrows went up a couple of inches when I read about his latest discourse telling the world to be raindrops. Where do they get this tosh from? Piers’ point was that someone who has 16 bathrooms should start off by practising what he preaches. Now they might not be using all those rooms but there they are, needing cleaning from time to time, using electricity, their swimming pool using water and electricity, their large garden needing watering and so on and on. What a completely irrelevant couple they are, another two mute buttons needed.

My neighbour Nick posted that he was at Alum Chine, Poole today when an unexploded rocket propelled grenade was found on the beach. Well, I wonder who’s rocket propelled that in our direction? maybe it was just someone who didn’t like all those crowds that descended here during lockdown. Excitingly bomb disposal arrived and detonated the device. Nick, how come you were there on Sunday and just happened to be back today when it was found? This is looking very suspicious. Sweet Dreams.  🎄😴💤😴🎄

First Day of Christmas. Day 223.

Last night Arcadia and today Debenhams have gone into administration. It’s quite obvious that the pandemic has been the last straw for many of Britain’s retail sector. Debenhams started in 1778 and has been trading ever since but having had to fight against online companies and now coronavirus they will have to close leaving 12,000 employees out of work. The administrators have decided to cut prices online from today and in store from tomorrow when all shops reopen. I might find myself in town looking for a bargain in the morning.

We have all been trying to find something useful to do to fill our time during lockdown although I know quite a few people who say they faff around all day not doing very much at all – I’m looking in a mirror here. A bloke has spent his time auditing a tin a Quality Street. He decided to find out how well mixed his tin was and was horrified to find that the orange creams have made a takeover bid. Yes, he had 14 of these little devils and only 4 of everybody’s favourite, the purple wrapped ones. He asked if he could complain to ‘inequalitystreet’.

A woman named Rita Ora – I’ve no idea who she is but I’ve worked out she must be famous – has apologised for breaking lockdown rules. Seems the very selfish rich bitch had a birthday party in a restaurant for 30 guests. Just the latest in a long line of people with too much money who don’t think they need to follow rules. It’s a matter of break the rules, pay the fines, apologise to keep the fans and move on. Sad thing is they don’t seem to catch the virus.

I know loads of people who spent last weekend putting up their Xmas tree and decorations. I didn’t and now we are in tier 2 and therefore unable to invite people in I’m not sure if I want to bother. I could have a nice Christmassy bunch of twigs and flowers, or string a few lights around but I’m thinking that maybe I’ll just buy a festive jumper with a reindeer on the front, I might find one in Debenhams tomorrow. I’ve had my first Christmas card today – 1st December. I knew who it was from as soon as I saw it pop through the letter box. Thank you Susan Dronick, you are always first in more ways than one.

My granddaughter Elizabeth called today, seems she is the latest member of my family to go down with Covid. She’s at Sussex Uni in Brighton so her and her roomies are quarantining. She isn’t feeling too good and suffering from headache, cough and tiredness but was chatty as always and said that her and another girl who tested positive were ordering in a takeaway for dinner. And on a positive note, she’ll be ok to come home for Xmas.

Two teenagers in Widnes found £700 on their way to school. They gave it to school staff who spent a long time tracking down the owner, a businessman who was delighted and gave the girls twenty quid each for being so honest. Sleep well, happy December.🎄😴💤😴🎄

 

 

All the Twos. Day 222.

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.😴💤😴

Tiers and Tears in Dorset. Day 221.

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. 😴💤😴