30 November 2020

I was determined to get another post in before the end of November so here's my latest reading, a great book by Guy Shrubsole, which complements The Book of Tresspass I bought and read earlier this year. The latter is my book of 2020 - well written, thought-provoking, and packed with interesting stories and facts-  highly recommended.

I had to laugh today. In tier 2 you can't drink in a pub without a 'substantial meal'. Tory minister George Eustace said that could be a scotch egg. Expect sales of scotch eggs to boom! Its a good job I like them.

29 November 2020

That's an eight-day gap in my diary. The longest ever 😪

It's still gloomy weather but the lockdown ends on December the 2nd. Three new tiers have been introduced which has created a national row. Most of the North is in tier 3 which means that all but essential shops are closed. Oddly London, which has a higher Covid rate than Manchester and other parts of the North is in tier 2. I wonder why?

Anyway, I went to visit Simon and we had a good walk by the Dee estuary with Ziggy and Ozzy. It's the first time I've seen him since March. I need to learn to smile when taking selfies instead of focusing on the composition!

21 November 2020

Today a much better walk over the fields and round the back of the village. The mud wasn't too bad although I managed to slip when I had to climb over a fence when I discovered that some bloody farmer seemed to have blocked off the footpath. It was sunny and reasonably mild. Spot the squirrel!

19 November 2020

Another local walk down Eaton Lane. This time there was some blue sky. The leaves have gone.

18 November 2020

That's another two days missed off my diary because I'm struggling to find anything worth photographing because I'm still trapped indoors and there are only so many pictures you can take of a cat.

Anyway today Peter and I went for another walk, this time in Peover which is in mid-Cheshire. It was grey but dry until the last half an hour when it thoroughly peed down and we both got wet. We saw two interesting churches and Peover Hall. On the whole a good day out!

15 November 2020

At the moment the weather is getting me down more than lockdown. Rain, rain, and more rain. To be fair we have had the odd day with a bit of sun and it's been fairly mild for the time of year but I am fed up with the gloom and the mud on my favourite walks. Here are the horses on Eaton Lane.

14 November 2020

Just finished reading one of my latest book buys. This is highly recommended. Mutual aid is becoming more and more important as the public sector gets asset-stripped and destroyed.

13 November 2020

Today I actually managed to get the broad beans planted and I found that our soaked lawn is covered in tiny mushrooms. Not magic ones, unfortunately. 

The main news today was the sacking/resignation of Dominic Cummings, all very stage-managed, departing No.10 by the front door. Peston and Kunnseberg both having orgasms about this and ignoring the fact that the official Covid death toll has now passed 50,000 - real figure about 72,000 (estimated by the FT).

12 November 2020

The day was actually bright and sunny.  I made a visit to Rod's Secret Garden which is one of Transition Northwich's projects.

11 November 2020

Today I raised a glass to the defeat of Donald Trump, not to the victory o Joe Biden. I've got no illusions about Biden and I'm sure if he'd offerd policies like medicare for all the Democrats would have done much better overall. We just have to hope he does something about the climate crisis.

10 November 2020

The US election saga drags on but it's clear that Biden has won. Trump is still in denial. Still claiming voting fraud.

But in better news, I went for a great walk with Peter today. We walked from Danebridge up to Luds Church which is a natural chasm in the gritstone ridge which rises above the River Dane. It was a secret meeting place for the Lollards before their leaders got bumped off. Despite the cloud, it didn't rain. A great day out!

8 November 2020

Went for a walk down Eaton Lane. It's done nothing but rain for weeks :(

 

7 November 2020

The US election result still hasn't been confirmed. Had two good zoom chats with Adrian then Peter. Went for a walk around the village and took a photo of our splendid coaching inn the Bulls Head. I'm always annoyed by the parked cars which spoil the shot.

Note: About ten minutes after I wrote that Biden is being declared the winner!

5 November 2020

We are in lockdown 2. Everything is shut except for essential services. But schools and Universities are open. This is a big mistake in my opinion because they are clearly a major source of transmission. What a miserable term it has been for the University students. The first term is important that's when you find your feet and make friends. They are paying a lot for nothing.

The US election hasn't been decided yet. Its' close but it looks like Biden is going to win. They are still counting mail-in ballots and of course, Trump is claiming that they are fraudulent. 

It's gone a lot colder this week and we have two dead radiators. Went for a walk down Eaton Lane. 

3 November

Today Peter came over and we went or a walk through the woods and across the fields. All this rain has reduced the fields to mud. The weather was wild. We had sunny spells, biting cold blasts of wind, and got battered by hail but we did manage a crafty pint in The Oddies before lockdown. We saw a rainbow and a strange creature in Moulton.

2 November

Monday. It's just me and Rio at the moment. Went for yet another Autumn walk. The news is dominated by the second lock down at Midnight on Wednesday. Saw Swans and a Heron 😊

1 November 2020

All eyes are now on the  US Presidential election. Biden has been ahead in the polls but they have since narrowed and it looks like it could be close. Susie has gone to her mums and I went for a walk with Geoff. You can tell I haven't got the knack of selfies yet. 

30 October 2020

We are beginning to hear that there might be a second lockdown. The SAGE advice was that we should have had a 'circuit breaker'  two weeks ago to stem the tide of rising coronavirus cases and deaths. This is not going to be popular!

More Autumn leaves from trees in the village:

29 October 2020

I returned home. A much pleasanter journey with less rain. Here are some photos of me saying goodbye to Carol and Dylan.

28 October 2020

Today Carol and I ventured out to Milford on Sea where you can get a good view of the Isle of wight and the Needles. It was wild, blowing a gale and Carol decided to stay in the car. A great day out. Really blew away the cobwebs! We went to a garden centre and then returned for one of Carol's excellent dinners and a bottle of wine.