Last night did my new usual Saturday night activity and played poker with my friends back in London (and lost a bit of money in the process!) Afterwards I went and watched the live stream of the global coronavirus on the roof terrace under the stars.
In other news Pedro Sanchez has announced that he is seeking to extend the lockdown another 3 weeks until the 9th of May, however from next weekend kids will be allowed to go outside with their parents. I read today that they are currently aiming to get everything more or less back to normal by christmas… Hopefully there will be some relaxing of the quarantine soon, it’s getting increasingly more difficult to stay couped up inside especially on nice sunny days like today.
Better weather again today. Makes a real difference to the lockdown mood. Just been chatting to Cammy, who’s locked down in Teddington. She has to put up with a housemate and he’s getting on her nerves.
I feel thankful to be in my cottage, alone with my safe germs and free to be as grumpy as I like.
View from bedroom window at Netherlea Cottage
While I was on the phone, another dog walker with two black labs recognised me. It was Sarah Bartlett. I think we went to primary school together. If it’s the same family, her brother Martin used to throw snowballs at me. I was amazed she’d managed to recognise me after more than 50 years!
Yesterday, Italian friends were sharing photos of the Spanish flu pandemic in Italy about 100 years ago. Everyone was out and about in the streets and boarding trams together, but wearing masks.
I finally got to speak to a more forthcoming nurse on Mum’s ward today. She explained that mum had been moved to a side ward last week because another patient had tested positive for Covid-19. Mum and the other patients were also tested as a precaution and they came back negative so she’s back in the main ward today.
Nicky the nice nurse said Mum’s blood sugars are still a bit high, but she’s eating, moving around and enjoys chatting to another patient on the ward. Nicky said Mum had just told her off for asking if she wanted the telly on: “Most certainly not!”. It was great to hear she’s her usual determined self. Tomorrow the doctors will be doing their rounds and I might get more news.
Gorgeous day today so me and a friend had a cheeky walk to the supermarket where we hung out for half an hour or so catching up. It was very nice as I haven’t seen any of my usual friends in the flesh for over a month now.
The latest in the house is that we now have a rat. The landlord has told us that it’s impossible to get a rat catcher out to us until next week at the earliest. Apparently due to the lack of people on the streets there are rats everywhere and the rat catchers are overwhelmed. For the time being we have some poison down so hopefully that should do the trick for now. Every now and then you hear shrieking from the kitchen whenever there has been a sighting. One of the upsides of this crisis is that hopefully after it’s done rent prices should fall so I should be able to afford a nicer place!
At the moment we are 1 week away from coming out of quarantine, although it will certainly be extended again for another 2 weeks, I am holding out hope that some measures will be relaxed. (I’m getting a bit tired of running around my patio)
It’s cold and spotting with rain this morning. Quite a shock after all the nice weather.
Trending on the Dethick, Lea and Holloway WhatsApp support group: where to get bedding plants and a plea to create ScareCoronas for children to look out for on their daily walks.
Liz in Milan and I swapped photos of the views from our windows.
Milan on lockdownHolloway on lockdown
Finally heard back about a European Commission tender I bid for last year. I’ve held contracts on my own behalf since the 1990s, but this time I had to put together a big team of 11. The whole process was very bureaucratic and the tests had to be repeated twice because of technical problems. We didn’t get a contract but I passed my own test, so not too disappointed. In fact I’m mightily relieved I don’t have to set up a new post-Brexit company in the EU to fulfil the contract. I’d taken out Estonian eResidency to do just that if we’d won. A quieter, less complicated working life seems much more appealing right now.
Alex and I set the Cardiff Translators’ quiz last night and it was nice to see everyone on Zoom. About 8 people turned up. Afterwards our core group of Unconference organisers had a chat about what to tell people about our event, planned for 26 September. We decided to put out an Unannouncement…
The Covid Tracker app is indicating that symptomatic Covid cases have fallen by 71% over the last 2 weeks. Worryingly, Holloway is within the dark pink area now, while we were just outside it last time I looked. Chesterfield, where mum is languishing, is well within a safer pale pink zone.
It’s a shame more people don’t use the tracker app to make the information more accurate. Also, the data only covers an age range between 21 and 69 because too few older and younger people are self-reporting.
The latest lockdown trend on Twitter is to post #MeAt20 photos. I posted this one of me in the York University fencing team circa 1976.
Phoned Mum’s ward and she’d had breakfast and was off having a wash. Her blood sugars are apparently still fluctuating, but I’m getting the growing feeling I’m being fobbed off with a stock response.
Just waiting on Dad’s drive for the Sainsbury’s grocery shop to turn up so we can divide the spoils.
Beautiful morning again and the bluebells are starting to come out.
Feeling lucky I can still roam the countryside and have a garden to sit in. People stuck in apartments in Italy are not nearly so lucky. My translator friend Liz has hardly been out for weeks and has to make do with the view from her balcony. She sent me these pics.
Frustration is mounting with Mum’s situation. It seems she’s being sidelined as all the hospital’s resources are diverted to fighting the virus. You’d think they would want to get her home. Today she is being handed over to the care of another nurse. The new nurse doesn’t have all the notes yet so I have to call back later.
2022 and all that 