18 March 2020

Did some work in the garden preparing the beds and planting the tomato seedlings. Pretty much in self-isolation now. We probably have enough to last a couple of weeks in we are careful. Still seeing stories about supermarkets being stripped bare - pretty grim. As usual, I left some bread out for the birds.

17 March 2020

The Coronavirus situation is becoming more critical by the day. The government still hasn't taken the necessary steps. Schools are still open and pubs are crowded. Things are bad in London.

Today I slipped out of isolation and made a trip to the garden centre. Had to get some compost and seeds in otherwise I would have had anything to plant. Tomorrow I start work on the garden.

Sprouts and cauliflower. These and tomatoes were the only seedlings they had

16 March 2020

I went to the garden centre today choosing one which is usually fairly quiet. My luck didn't hold - it was busy. But I managed to do a reasonable amount of social distancing.

Today is my Niece Georgia's birthday and the day I always remember my Dad who died five years ago today. Here he is at his 70th Birthday party with my Stepmum Carol. Happy days.

15 March 2020

Well, it looks like I'm not going to be going out very much in the next few weeks. So I plan to spend plenty of time working in my garden and I guess that's where most of the photos are going to come from.

It's a good job I love gardening and it's good to see the Rhubarb coming up.

14 March 2020

The government has been changing tack over its approach to the virus as the situation worsens. It looks like large events are going to be cancelled but they still don't really appear to have a grip on the situation. The Premiership, EFL, etc. have already been called off.

We went for a walk by the river. The anglers were still out in force though they do do social distancing.

13 March 2020

Friday the 13th! Mixed weather, sunny spells, and showers. I doubt many people noticed. Susie did some shopping and we stocked up on cat food which is one of the next things likely to run out. Working on my book. What a pain editing is!

The news continues to get worse. There is a desperate situation in Iran and the number of infections is still growing worldwide. Contacted a few friends to see if they were all OK.

12 March 2020

Cancelled another trip to Manchester to meet Peter as I'm still not fully recovered. Man Utd's game against LASK was played behind closed doors. We won 5-0. The six nations has been postponed and it's looking like the Champions League and the Premiership will be as well. Organisations are well ahead of the government on this.

More of the garden, which is starting to bloom.

11 March 2020

The crisis continues. I haven't been out much but I'm starting to feel better. Arguments about the government's strategy continue. I disagree with them I think we need to follow Italy's example. I'm not an epidemiologist but I do have a background in molecular biology. I studied immunology and virology and even though that was 35 years ago I have a better understanding of what is happening than most people.

Went out and did a shop today. The shelves were pretty full but no wholemeal flour!

Meanwhile, the garden is beginning to come alive.

10 March 2020

There has been widespread criticism of the Government's approach to the Coronavirus pandemic. They are claiming that we should rely on 'herd immunity' i.e. let the virus pass through the population. But there is no vaccine and my understanding is that the concept relies on a vaccine. If 60% of the population contract the virus hundreds of thousands of people will die. The NHS, already struggling, will be overrun as it has been in Italy. It is also at odds with what is happening in other European countries.

Elderly, and immunocompromised people - like me could well die in this scenario. There is already pressure for events and large gatherings to be cancelled. The Coronavirus pandemic is dominating the news cycle and social media. We really are in a tough spot and I never expected to experience anything like this in my lifetime.

so, we have begun to stock up some food in case we have to self isolate. There has been some panic buying - mainly of toilet rolls. This won't affect us as we have a bidet but it is utterly ridiculous.

9 March 2020

Monday. It's brighter now and the sun is warmer. But overall still cold and rainy. I need to be thinking about getting on with my garden.

The news about the Coronavirus continues to get grimmer by the day. There is a terrible situation in Italy which is in lockdown. Many people have died and the health service is under great pressure.

8 March 2020

Another day at home. Flu is a bit better. More troubling news about the Coronavirus. It really is a global pandemic. There are troubling times we are living in.

I have just been through the pain of updating my ancient Macbook Pro to the new OS Catalina. It's creaking along but we are getting there!

7 March 2020

Tonight is Peter's surprise Birthday which I'm not going to as I still have a cold. Bad timing!

The good news is that it hasn't rained in three days and I managed to cut the grass!

6 March 2020

Still feel the same. Not been out much but today we had a delivery of logs.

Another picture of the Bull taken earlier this week.

5 March 2020

It's cold and sunny But really beginning to feel like spring. The lawn looks a mess but is still too wet to cut. Hoping it stays dry.

Reluctantly cancelled a trip to Machester for Birthday drinks with Peter.

Here's a picture of the village school which has now been turned into flats.

4 March 2020

I've a confession to make. I have a bit of a cold. What do I do? Self-isolate? I'm sure it's just a winter cold but given the Coronavirus scare that is going on its a bit difficult. Let's hope I'm right.

That's the problem with all this. Unless you can be tested how can you know? I can't go to the doctor's but what if I had another medical issue that required treatment?

Amazingly there is already panic buying of toilet rolls and hand sanitiser is nowhere to be found. The media have helped to create this panic. Some people are behaving as if nothing has happened and others are freaking out. Meanwhile, we have a useless government and an underfunded NHS.

Here is a photo of the most beautiful tree in the village. It's a Beech. My favourite tree.