Saturday 2nd May 2020

The "rules" as to what is and isn't allowed to be done these days is becoming ever more confused.

I saw a Tweet from a nature reserve saying that visits to the site for exercise only was allowed, no looking at plants, birds or butterflies was. This is not the law, or even the SI from the Health Minister. A single trip for exercise is allowed, but not being allowed to stop to look or take photographs is not mentioned.

Jools and I aware of many of the sites we visit although are in the countryside, but have people living close to them, so it would not be fair to drive to these sites, even if the guidelines state that if the exercise lasts longer than the drive, then that would be OK.

One site we do like, and has no houses within a mile of the parking spot is at Barham.

So, the plan was to drive out there after coffee, to have a walk and take some orchid snaps, though expanding the number of species seen this year.

Back in the 70s, one of the TV series that made a huge impression on me was Survivors, a series about how a pandemic swept round the world, helped by transcontinental travel, wiping out 99.9% of the world's population. The idea of civilisation just stopping is something that has fired my imagination ever since, and how would we cope? How would I cope? I have thought about how to wire up a house to run on a generator, and I have to admit, I have no idea. And unless my hunting skills were to improve, I would live on canned foods.

Anyway. I mention this as traffic is very light around here now, even on working mornings. And on Saturday morning, when the world and his wife would be going to Tesco, just one or two cars were to be seen. We take the A2 past Tesco, and out of Whitfield, along to Barham, turning off by the Black Robin and into the countryside.

We saw no other cars, and most unusually, no cyclists, so we were able to drive the two miles down the narrow lane, not having to wait while cars came the other way. Just two other cars parked near to footpaths leading through the woods up the wooded valley.

We park at the hard standing, I have the 6D, the 150mm macro lens and on top and in front of the lens, the ring flash and trigger unit. It weighs about the same as a small baby. For photography, I will carry this and carry on knackering my back. The camera is, at least, on a new-fangled strap thing that should spread the weight, and make it easier for some shooting from the hip, if needed.

A short walk to the footpath, then into the darkness of the wood, past Wild Garlic, tangles of Dog's Mercury and Common Twayblades, a flash of purple catches my eye, and hiding in the undergrowth beneath a shrub, are three Early Purple orchids, the first I have seen this year. And in a place, this side of the road, I have not seen them before.

Always something new.

We were here really to see the Lady Orchids, though in most normal years, they would be a couple of weeks away from opening, but in more than one sense this is not a normal year. The weather has been mild all over winter, so that the first Kentish orchids were seen, though not by me, in March, and so everything is several weeks advanced that what could be expected.

Which is why we were here to see Lady Orchids on the 2nd May.

I see a few spikes, the first few yet to open or just with one or two flowers open. But further on, things get better, with a single white Lady standing alone, almost half fully opened.

I walk up the down, going from one open space to another, inspecting all the Lady spikes, and each one better than the last.

Jools calls, she says she had found a Fly Orchid. By the time I reached her, she had found more, over twenty spikes in fact. And several were beginning to open. I take photos of a couple of those too, being careful not to lay on an orchid spike or two.

More Lady were at the top of the down, by an only flint quarry, these were the most advanced, and looked fabulous. I snap most of them.

I walk to the path that runs beside the wood, walk down towards the road. Along that I find more Early Purples, and other wild flowers too, these woodland flowers were in good light, so able to be photographed.

Over the road and up the bridleway and up the steep and muddy slope, all because a rare orchid grows up here. Most years. And although it wouldn't be out yet, might be showing a rosette or spike.

But no sign.

But plenty of more Early Purple Orchids, of which I snap a few, but none of the pure white ones that used to grace the site a few years ago.

Back down the slope to meet up with Jools back at the car, load up and drive back to the A2 to head back to Dover, though we were going for a quick stop in Lydden to check on the colony of man Orchids.

Again, the roads were almost deserted, so no worry about cruising down Lydden Down, pulling over on the wrong side of the road, then hopping over the fence to stare at a grassy bank, where, in time, the tiny orchid spikes should become clear.

Other Kent sites had spikes flowering already, but none here. Just one with the lowest of flowers just beginning to fall away from the spike.

I snap that and scramble back to the car and go home. Even at the Whitfield roundabout there was no traffic, just cruise round and onto St Maggies, turn off and over the fields to home.

Job done.

We have lunch. Or I prepare it, chorizo hash, as we seem to have a surfeit of peppers at the moment. So I boil a single potato, which must have weighed over a pound, then fry the other copped ingredients, and its all cooked and golden brown.

Yummy.

All that remains was to try to stay awake in the afternoon, easier now there is no football to listen to from the sofa.

Jools does mention we have ice cream, so we have a magnum sitting on the patio in the warm spring sunshine. Lovely.

Jools had planted lots of seedlings and stuff she bought on Friday. The garden looks a real picture, so too does the former lawn, as Yellow Rattle is beginning to open.

Dinner is pan fried fresh asparagus in butter, and fresh corn bread. And wine.

I am in sch a good mood I play Jools at Uckers. And win.

And somehow, that is the day gone again.

Office space

Last year, back in those wonderful days when May was PM and there were dozens of indicative votes per day in the Commons, the UK agreed that the EU could open an office in Belfast as there would be a regulatory border either between NI and Eire or in the Irish Sea. The UK even suggested the EU might like to open offices in Scotland and Wales too.

So far, so good.

Fast forward to 2020, and now Johnson is PM, the UK is reneging on this promise, apparently at the request of the DUP. Such an office was allowed under the terms of the withdrawal agreement.

This is a significant issue, as it is an early indication of whether Johnson is going to honour the agreement or not It does not look good.

This is a treaty under international law, and a country seen to be breaking the terms of such a treaty at the time it is expecting to want to agree up to 80 with other countries really isn't a good look.

It is possible that Johnson did not understand what he agreed to back in November when he claims to have got Brexit done. Maybe he never intended to honour it.

Either way, the result will be the same if course is not changed soon.

For the past decade Conservative policy has been dogma driven, irrespective of the human costs. Seeing Brexit in these terms then it kind of makes sense, but the cost to people, businesses and industry will be huge and cannot be reversed.

So, the right wing calls to open up the economy irrespective of the human cost, so we get to enjoy it for seven months before Brexit trashes it.

Friday 1st May 2020

May Day. Public holiday (not UK).

And so much for my thoughts of a quiet day at work, with all my colleagues expected to be off, but public holiday only applies to blue collar workers, and we are all white collar, even if I haven't worn an actual shirt for years, apart from funerals and weddings.

We are up and about bright and early as Jools had her yoga class, and I had to get my phys in, have a shower and be ready for work at half seven.

So, Jools gets up and makes the first brew, feeds the cats and is all ready for her class at twenty past six, and me on the cross trainer, not highly motivated at twenty five past.

But I do complete the session, and fell much better for it. I have a shower and get dressed. Put the garden waste out for collection, put the seedlings out, top up the bird feeders before setting up the office and being first in the meeting again, impressive as its an hour earlier for me than for all my Danish colleagues.

We are all still well, and looking forward to the weekend, we drink our coffees and are happy.

Jools goes to Tesco very early, just after her class ends, but is gone for nearly three hours, although she did go to the pet food store too. Anyway, we have all the food we need now, and Jools also got supplies for Walter over the road.

So, all good.

At eleven we get a call from Jen saying that she had received her COVID test result and it had came back negative, which, needless to say was wonderful news. Which means we were also not locked down now.

We celebrate with am rolls and huge brews.

So much winning.

In the meantime, I had three and a half hours of meetings. That done, I go to look out the back door, and am amazed at the dramatic cloudscape out over the Channel. The forecast is for rain and possible storms. As if it prove the point, a sharp downpour leaves the washing hanging out wetter than when it was when put on the line.

After the third such downpour, Jools admits defeat and brings it all in and fires up the tumble dryer.

All through the afternoon I watch the storm radar to see if any of the storms over France or in North Kent would drift down our way. They don't. A few cracks of thunder over Canterbury, but that's it.

We have the last aubergine in the fridge for dinner. Just enough to fill us up, and another meal using up leftovers.

That left us with the desolation that is Friday night, no pub to visit, no restaurant to book up a table in. Just a game of uckers and Gardener's World, which is now an hour long.

Monty spoils us.

So near

So, Matt Hancock nearly made his promise that the UK would reach 100,000 people tested by the end of April. From around 10,000 at the start to 80,000 yesterday was some going. But that wasn't enough as a political promise had been made; so the Government changed the rules as to what counted as a test, and after a major e mailing campaign of party members, all applications for a postal test was counted as a test done. So, 120,000 tests.

But wasn't of course.

So, obscuring some actual good news from the Government is hidden behind a lie.

Is par for the course I suppose.

And this shows how far the country has to go in getting on top of the outbreak, as the tests done yesterday will just be for one or two days, and will fall back, and yet an increase on 100,000 is needed and needed to be done each and every day to map the spread, hotspots, and used alongside tracking those who have been in contact with a person confirmed as being infected. The getting all those who have had contact to isolate, only then can we even begin to think about easing the lockdown.

Johnson claims we are past the peak. I am not sure the data is extensive enough to claim that, but it might just be the first of a number of peaks.

Listening to the upbeat words of the PM, one would be forgiven in thinking the worst is over. That might even be true, but we don't know.

Human trials on a vaccine are about to start here in the UK.

There is hope, but then we look at who is in charge.....

Thursday 30th April 2020

After a good night's sleep, I felt much better. Although I could have quite easily found an excuse not to do phys, but I know I will do at least one session. Maybe two.

It is the last day of April, the month has slipped by so quick its hard to realise to be honest. Whereas March seemed to last three months. I have no idea why and I know I wasn't the only one.

It was a bright morning, but ahead I had a day of meetings, but first: drink coffee, put bins out, put plants out, top up bird feeders and then go up to do 20 minutes on the cross trainer. All to be done by seven so there was time to get dressed, set up the office, make coffee and breakfast.

Phew.

Work came as a break from chores to be honest.

We have the early meeting, and we are all still all well, though a little stir crazy. I tell people that I have 16 bottles of Tripel on order, so I'm not going to run out.

And then to review and update the document I have been working on for a few weeks, where I am now at the stage in overthink each and every word. It is a slow process, especially in that I am writing in my language for people for whom English is at best their second. So it goes, so it goes.

That takes me to lunch.

I call Jen: she is feeling better. Although I have to bite my tongue not to say to her that this virus can return after a week. But don't, as she is back to her normal bubbly self. That is good enough. She confirms that she should get the result on Friday, so until then we must isolate and hope for the best.

After lunch of cheese toasties, I turn the left over lamb into shepherd's pies. Pies. The leg of lamb weighed eight pounds 12 ounces. It did is two huge roast dinners each and after trimming the fat of the meat, I put it in the blender and I get enough mince to make two large pies. Not bad even at thirty quid.

I boil two lots of potatoes, add butter and cheese, mash then spread on the mince and gravy. I do both pies, then look around the kitchen amazed that I had apparently used just about every pan, spoon, knife and bowl. It took the mother of clear us to find the work surfaces, wash up and put it all away.

But done.

Meanwhile in work all was quiet.

So, I make a brew, listen to a podcast whilst updating a database. And that took me to four, where I go up to work out to the sounds of Craig Charles on Radio 6, then cool down, have a shower and put some clean clothes on.

That was much, much better.

Oh my word, time to put one of the pies in the oven, open the last tin of "grillin beans" from the US, and pop the kettle on for an accompanying brew.

And the pie was a triumph, potato crispy on top, soft and creamy underneath, and the meat moist. Beans were great too.

There is the radio to listen to as, outside, the rain falls gently.

Mum update

There is no change in Mum, of course.

She is gone.

But the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, and then when you least expect it, things change.

On Wednesday, her annual bank statements arrived: £22 interest on eight grand in savings. I mean, hardly worth the effort to count it, really.

But it gave something to scan and send to the solicitor, and be able to ask the question if there was any news. Any news at all, really.

I got a reply just after ten yesterday, saying that probate had been granted, the court papers arrived that very morning.

So I issued instructions for the house to be put on the market, if there is a market for houses at the moment, and so now we wait some more.

A lot more, I suspect.

But the end is near, and we will soon have closure, and a new phase of our life will begin, when we will have paid off our mortgage, so working for ourselves, and our heads full of plans to travel the world.

But for now, we wait some more.

Don't panic, Johnson is back in charge

Yesterday, the PM took the daily news conference, in which he laid his plan for plans of a road map out of lockdown.

There would be an announcement "next week".

Any way out of lockdown should be part of a larger plan, and the way out, the checks balances and testing requirements would already be known. Or would in any other country.

Not here. It's all in Jonson's head, or has yet to be dreamed up.

Next Friday is a Bank Holiday, and it is my expectation that there will be some lifting before then to allow more movement.

Now, in my job I work on documented evidence, and I have yet to see any such evidence being collected let alone it actually existing, for how the virus is spreading through the population.

The Health Minister promised that by today 100,000 tests would be carried out. It looked that this would not be met, but then it appears the Conservative Party has been mailing members telling them they could apply for a test in the post, and this would count. E mails started to be sent yesterday. The 100,000 should not be for just one day, or manipulated in such a way to skew figures, but this is what happens when liars and cheats are elected. We should not be surprised.

As it stands, less that 5% of the population have been infected, and if herd immunity is the target, then that total needs to be over 60%, which would have the same mortality rate as now, so, 12 x 47,000 is a lot of dead people; husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, sons daughters. This was likely to be the plan all along, from Cummings and his Nudge team.

Johnson dedicated most of his conference in thanks the now 100 year old Captain tom who raised tens of millions on a sponsored walk round his car home garden. I also raise my hat to him, of course, but no amount of charity money can replace the time wasted by the Government through February and into march when a lockdown then could have saved so many lives. Germany doesn't believe in charity, apparently, thinking that paying enougn in taxes should fund things like health and social care, and they're not wrong.

The Health Secretary praised also the Daily Mail, who chartered a plane from China full of PPE. This was a newspaper, of sorts, doing the Health Secretary's job for him. It might have been a stunt, but did deliver kit, more than Hancock did in the past three months. But it is unpatriotic to ask questions of our red, white and blue Government, where positive news and spin should cover up fifty thousand deaths and complete failure in planning for this pandemic.