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Lockdown Day 9 – lest we forget

Posted in around the UK, gratitude, Health, news from around the world, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, sacrifice, tory government on April 1, 2020| Leave a Comment »

THIS…
“Deaths are increasing and the government is going to blame the people rather than their own inaction and incompetence.

I don’t think that COVID19 has been deliberately released as a form of population control. However I absolutely do believe that governments, including the UK, have seized this opportunity – to experiment & learn just how compliant we are; to manipulate us; to grant themselves wide ranging powers which erode our civil liberties & set precedents to use them in the future. Why wouldn’t they?

“As this crisis deepens and the death toll mounts, a narrative is going to emerge that will be very seductive to many of us. It will all be the fault of “the people.”

The people who failed to practice social distancing.
The people who hoarded.
The people who didn’t listen to the government.
The people who didn’t listen to the science.
The people. Those selfish people. Look at them in their parks.

The government will start trotting this out. Right wing media will push it hard. Police forces have already begun assigning blame to “the people”.

Many of us will feel the tug of this seductive reasoning. Our brains will be tempted to lash out at “the people.” When we do, we must remember some things:

The government had 3 months to prepare. This was a train coming down the tracks.
At first we were told the plan was herd immunity. Then it wasn’t.
As the first few people started to die, Boris Johnson boasting of shaking the hands of hospitalised coronavirus patients. This was a week before the lockdown.
Why weren’t we in lockdown like other European countries, some asked. Trust us, they said.
Then we got the lockdown order. What did they say? The initial government advice was only “essential workers could travel to work”. A day later this was changed to “essential travel for work.” See the difference? There are screenshots of this.
They told us to practice social distancing as MPs crowded around each other in the House of Commons.
They said only the old and immuno-comprised were at risk. Then healthy twenty-somethings started dying.
They said the NHS could cope, then they started building field hospitals in stadiums.
They said the NHS had the protective equipment it needed, then we logged on to social media.
They said we were in it together, then they got tested before the frontline workers.
They said there was no such thing as society and it was survival of the fittest, then said we needed to show solidarity.
They clapped when they voted against a pay-rise for NHS nurses in 2017, then they clapped for the NHS.
They spent a decade telling us cuts were needed to save the economy, then they said the only way to save the economy was to spend trillions.
They spent a decade insisting £94 was enough to live on, then admitted it wasn’t.
They got us to vote for Brexit by rubbishing “experts,” then told us to trust experts.
They told us retail workers were low skilled, then said they were key workers.
They said homelessness was sad but inevitable, then they order it ended overnight.

So yes, “the people” ended up a little fucking confused.

Because our so-called leaders have utterly failed to lead.

They don’t know what they stand for; they couldn’t believe the world could change so quickly; they resisted “alarmism” when the only proper response was to be alarmed; they had no idea how to use the power of the state, having spent a decade dismantling it; they were arrogant and complacent, wallowing in privilege. The fundamental duty of government is to keep us safe. That’s what we pay them to do. They have failed.

As the death toll mounts, remember that our leaders are to blame, not “the people,” and we must resist the temptation to blame each other.”
~Nathan Williams

We must remember this, when we are back to whatever normal is waiting for us.

And please do remember YOU, YES YOU HAVE MADE A HUGE SACRIFICE FOR THE GREATER GOOD by staying home and taking the necessary precautions. So bravo and here’s my clap for you 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Stay strong, keep safe and remember, for the majority of us, there will be another tomorrow, let us be grateful in these troubled times

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Lockdown Day 6

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Health, news from around the world, tagged Covid 19, lockdown, online diary on March 29, 2020| 4 Comments »

So not only was today a ‘stone’ day but I also have no network.

Being a fresh air fanatic sometimes has its downside…if the temperature drops during the night you wake up freezing. Okay maybe a slight exaggeration, but yeah, damn cold. It was 3 degrees this morning!!!

I saw on Facebook a couple of my friends mentioned snow in their neck of the woods!!! Really?? Although it was cloudy here we still had intermittent sunshine. But evidently things were a bit different elsewhere.

I didn’t go out during my break for my usual walk today; just too tired so I slept instead. The clocks went forward today and required an earlier start to the day and besides that I’d had a bit of an upset in the morning that just tipped me over the edge and into a depressed mood.

Thankfully my client has been very pleasant the last 2 days and that has relieved some of the stress, but the news is so depressing and apparently we’re going to have even tighter restrictions…so tomorrow I’m out for my walk regardless.

I had a lovely chat with my sister in Cape Town this afternoon which was lovely and they’re bearing up okay… their lockdown is even more severe than ours and people are not even allowed to walk their dogs. Although it has affected everyone in the country, in a weird way the white South Africans are now getting a taste of what life was like for black and coloured South Africans during the apartheid era. Being restricted to their homes, freedoms curtailed, arrests for breaking the restrictions…I’m waiting with bated breath for what will be an inevitable blow up.

I’ve started a new book; The Midnight Line by Lee Child featuring Jack Reacher. I enjoy these types of books and of course reading takes your mind off everything. This is also one of those times that I wish I had access to Netflix, but no such thing here and the programmes on TV are terrible.

Perhaps I should get back to my book…

Anyway, another day has passed and life goes on…for some of us anyway. The rise in the number of Covid-19 deaths is quite terrifying. Its Its really hard trying to comprehend all of what is happening and it all feels like a very bad dream.

In case you were wondering the reference to the ‘stone’ day its from the John Denver song “Some days are diamonds, some days are stone.”

So take care and stay safe

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Lockdown Day 5

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, It's my life, news from around the world, tagged ASDA, Covid 19, family, grandparents, grandson, lockdown on March 28, 2020| 2 Comments »

Lovely sunrise this morning. Twas a beautiful day in Somerset although as the morning has gone on, so more clouds are building up. That rain they were talking about perhaps…

“With the new day comes new strength and thoughts”. Eleanor Roosevelt

I popped out to the store as usual just to get more milk and bread. My client goes through lots of milk each day and I’m concerned we’re going to run out. Especially after seeing this posted in the walk 1000 miles group this morning:

Not sure how accurate it is, but considering the pattern of infection in other countries it makes sense. So far we haven’t had any cases (that I’ve heard of) in our neck of the woods, the closest being Taunton. But this thing travels fast, so…

This is a text from an NHS worker

“As of tomorrow, do not leave home for bread for anything! Because the worst begins tomorrow as the incubation date is met and many people that are positive with the virus start to peak!! It’s at this time other people are most vulnerable! so it is very important to stay home and not to be in contact with anybody, even members of your family if possible!! Being very careful is very important and very crucial at this time!!

As from tomorrow we are going to see the start of the peak of those that are positive, then there will be two weeks of calm and then two weeks where it decreases.

What happened in Italy is that they neglected the contagion period and that is why all the cases turned out together and so badly, plus they didn’t know what they were dealing with *.
And finally, please do not receive visits from anyone, not even from the same family. This is all for the good of all. * WE WILL BE IN THE MAXIMUM STAGE OF INFECTION.
DO NOT HOLD ON TO THIS MESSAGE, PASS IT ON TO ALL YOUR CONTACTS *

So forewarned is forewarned/ and better safe than sorry…

Isn’t it ironic that the very people who are meant to be leading the country during this time have tested positive and have clearly NOT been following their own advice.

To avoid watching any further depressing news I’ve been watching Call the Midwife….so much more palatable.

My daughter has given me permission to share the WhatsApp image she captured yesterday during our grandparents call. The wonders of technology

I had a spot of luck this morning…on my way back from the store I happened to notice a box of stuff on the bench near the clock tower. Looking closer I saw a note from a local farm; Inwood Farm, saying to please help ourselves to the items..free in order to not waste. I took a few boxes of chocolates and 2 boxes of biscuits and one packet of tortilla wraps. How lucky is that. There were quite a lot of items so I hope other people also got to share in the windfall.

All I wanted to do was sleep this afternoon after a bout of wakefulness in the early hours, but I forced myself to go out for a walk since if indeed the virus infections are going to peak next week, we may go into total lockdown and be unable to get out. So making the most of it. I managed 2.4 kms… This area is so gorgeous

Nether Stowey Castle from across the road

I followed part of my usual route and then crossed the road and climbed to the top of the next hill. This is reminding me more and more of the Camino 🤪🤪 It was very cloudy, windy and cold up there but oh, the views…with a fantastic view of the castle. From that elevation, 140.3 metres I could see Steep Holme Island in the Bridtol Channel. Stunning.

The steps leading up to the field reminded me of Box Hill and the fall I had that put an end to my pilgrimage in 2018.

I’ve just finished reading a brilliant book: The Mermaids Singing by Val McDermid, one of my favourite authors. It’s the first book where she introduces Tony Hill and Carol Jordan of Wire in the Blood TV series. Now I’ll have to follow the editions and reread some of the later books I’ve already read.

Altogether a good day.

Hope you all had a fab day and are taking steps to remain safe. I suspect things are going to ramp up quite a lot over the next couple of weeks so please observe the protocol for keeping safe and try to not get the virus.

The very best to you all

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Listerine!!! Who knew!!?? Covid-19

Posted in around the UK, Health, news from around the world, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, Health, lockdown on March 28, 2020| Leave a Comment »

I simply have to share this….but please don’t rush straight to your bathroom cabinet and drink all the Listerine!!!🤪🤪🤪🤪

More useful information: The following is from Irene Ken physician, whose daughter is an Asst. Prof in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University, quite informative.

The virus is not a living organism, but a protein molecule (DNA) covered by a protective layer of lipid (fat), which, when absorbed by the cells of the ocular, nasal or buccal mucosa, changes their genetic code. (mutation) and convert them into aggressor and multiplier cells.
Since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed, but decays on its own. The disintegration time depends on the temperature, humidity and type of material where it lies.
The virus is very fragile; the only thing that protects it is a thin outer layer of fat. That is why any soap or detergent is the best remedy, because the foam CUTS the FAT (that is why you have to rub so much: for 20 seconds or more, to make a lot of foam).

By dissolving the fat layer, the protein molecule disperses and breaks down on its own.

HEAT melts fat; this is why it is so good to use water above 77 degrees Fahrenheit for washing hands, clothes and everything. In addition, hot water makes more foam and that makes it even more useful.
Alcohol or any mixture with alcohol over 65% DISSOLVES ANY FAT, especially the external lipid layer of the virus.
Any mix with 1 part bleach and 5 parts water directly dissolves the protein, breaks it down from the inside.
Oxygenated water helps long after soap, alcohol and chlorine, because peroxide dissolves the virus protein, but you have to use it pure and it hurts your skin.
NO BACTERICIDE OR ANTIBIOTIC SERVES. The virus is not a living organism like bacteria; antibodies cannot kill what is not alive.
NEVER shake used or unused clothing, sheets or cloth. While it is glued to a porous surface, it is very inert and disintegrates only
-between 3 hours (fabric and porous),
-4 hours (copper and wood)
-24 hours (cardboard),
42 hours (metal) and
-72 hours (plastic).

But if you shake it or use a feather duster, the virus molecules float in the air for up to 3 hours, and can lodge in your nose.

The virus molecules remain very stable in external cold, or artificial as air conditioners in houses and cars.

They also need moisture to stay stable, and especially darkness. Therefore, dehumidified, dry, warm and bright environments will degrade it faster.

UV LIGHT on any object that may contain it breaks down the virus protein. For example, to disinfect and reuse a mask is perfect. Be careful, it also breaks down collagen (which is protein) in the skin.
The virus CANNOT go through healthy skin.
Vinegar is NOT useful because it does not break down the protective layer of fat.
NO SPIRITS, NOR VODKA, serve. The strongest vodka is 40% alcohol, and you need 65%.
LISTERINE IF IT SERVES! It is 65% alcohol.
The more confined the space, the more concentration of the virus there can be. The more open or naturally ventilated, the less.
You have to wash your hands before and after touching mucosa, food, locks, knobs, switches, remote control, cell phone, watches, computers, desks, TV, etc. And when using the bathroom.
You have to Moisturize dry hands from so much washing them, because the molecules can hide in the micro cracks. The thicker the moisturizer, the better.
Also keep your NAILS SHORT so that the virus does not hide there.

-JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL

PLEASE SHARE TO SAVE LIVES

OR COPY AND PASTE

I’m sharing everything I come across that makes sense.

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Lockdown Day 3

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, gratitude, Health, me and Peanut, news from around the world, walk 1000 miles 2020, tagged clapforourcarers, coronavirus covid-19, NHS, sunshine, walk 1000 miles on March 26, 2020| 2 Comments »

Okay so today has been both bad and good. My client has been in a bloody strop the whole day and made life absolutely miserable. Urgh. 🙄🙄🙄

But it was a beautiful day so I went out for my daily shop and topped up a few items. Saw a few people about – we all observed social distancing but managed to have a brief chat anyway.
As usual I listened to the news, but it’s all so depressing and repetitive that eventually I switched the TV off and spent some time between duties to cut snippets of interest out the newspapers.
I’ve started a time capsule for my grandson; a record of interesting things: big and small that is happening around the world. I plan do do a capsule for each year of his life till he’s 10 years old…or more. Then one day I’ll give him the box/boxes and he can amuse himself looking back at history that happened during his life.

My break couldn’t come soon enough today and at exactly 2pm I stepped out the door and into the sunshine. A few people strolled by and again we were all very British and very correct about keeping our distance. It is rather nice actually, people behave differently during a crisis and whereas they might normally not give you the time of day, now we all say hello, comment on the weather (wouldn’t be in Britain if we didn’t) and wish each other a lovely day and stay safe. It’s all rather cosy tinged with a dose of fear.
I walked to the top of the hill and onto the castle where I saw that the baaaaabarians had breached the castle walls…

Baaaabarians have breached the castle walls

My plan was to settle into the nook I’d seen a couple of days ago and just soak up the sun, the peace and the birdsong…
Which I duly did. Not a soul bothered me.

My daughter called and we facetimed via WhatsApp ….it was lovely to hear her voice and see her face and my grandson is just adorable. So cute and so funny.
He races back and forth, grins at me and then dashes off again. What an absolute joy that child is.

After our call I lay in the sun looked at the sky and watched the clouds go by and snoozed till it was time to get back to work.

On the way down I stopped to collect tufts of wool scattered around and leaning down to pick up one such tuft I very sensibly put my hand right on top of some stinging nettles. That was 6 hours ago and its still stinging. Fortunately I had a tube of aloe vera in my pocket so rubbed some onto the area. It would have been much worse if I hadn’t. The reason I collected the wool is so that my grandson can use real wool to make a craft sheep….if he ever has to make one…

Back at the house, time dragged till dinner time and of course I watched the chancellor’s speech. Krist, hasn’t he learned how to be a politician pretty damn quick!!! Incredible. He’s slotted into the role as if he’d been doing this for years. Do they have a course we don’t know about? ‘How to be slick in 10 easy steps ‘.
Mind you has he ever been dumped in the deep end….I wonder what Sadiq Khan thinks of this…lucky escape or lost opportunity to be a hero??
To be honest, I know this is a terrible time and I worry about my family, but truthfully, I’m exhausted with hearing about this damn virus. The news is like Brexit on steroids.

My stress levels increased exponentially at about 6.30pm when I lost network. I couldn’t send or receive messages and I nearly lost it. My phone is my lifeline when I’m working and I cannot bear to be without reception. Especially at a time like this. It righted itself about an hour later, but my life expectancy has shortened.🤪🤪🤪🤪👵🏻

The 2nd bright spot of the day came at 8pm…ohhh my gosh. Thats one thing I love so much about this country…when it really counts, people come together.
I stepped out the door into the street half expecting to be standing on my own clapping for the NHS and our wonderful NHS staff, but no….the street was lined with residents and we clapped and cheered loud and strong for our carers. As soon as the clapping started I started crying and couldn’t stop for well over an hour. So amazing to see people out and participating.
And now the day is drawing to a close, I’m in bed and just about to put the light out.

I only managed a collective 1mile today but for sure climbing that hill to the castle must be equal to at least another 2 miles….its that steep; a good cardiovascular workout 😉 my excuse anyway.
3 days done 18 to go. Let’s hope this initiative works and we see a drop in new cases.
Goodnight all. Stay safe and wish you all well.

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Lockdown Day 2

Posted in around the UK, Health, idiot category, It's my life, news from around the world, Travel, tagged Britain, Coronavirus, Covid 19, lockdown, tory government on March 25, 2020| 4 Comments »

So my working day has been much the same as usual, so I won’t bore you with the details.

Its been an extraordinary day once again in terms of the response to this virus as the news rolls in from our esteemed 🤪🤪🤪 PM, and other countries. Shocking to learn that New York has 5,000 new cases in one day, and on the tail of that, the orange swamp thing maintaining the US will nail the virus by Easter. Krist what a numbskull…

Did you know that India has 1.3 billion citizens??? 😯😯😯 Puts our piddling 58million into the shade. I simply cannot imagine how the millions of people who live in the most awful conditions of severe poverty in India will be able to stay at home.

So I had 2 outings today….first to the store for basics…I’m trying to keep our supplies stocked up, just in case it all goes tits up later on in the process. It’s quite a responsibility caring for a bed ridden 90 year old, but if it gets dire her family will have to step up and deliver supplies.

Secondly I made the most of my allowable time again and went out for a 3.2 km walk around the village. It transpired today that I’m in fact going to be here for 5 weeks as opposed to the initial 2 weeks. The agency are short of carers so I offered to stay on..

I’m guessing I will know this place inside out by then.

I also wanted to ensure I make the most of the weather…I believe there is rain on the way. Urgh

I met very few people and on the whole we all observed social distancing and one or the other crossed the street or walked with a car between us. Talking of cars, its really weird to see so few vehicles on the road. But its gratifying to note that people generally are taking this more seriously.

Even more inspiring has been the number of volunteers who have stepped forward to support the NHS. That’s one of the things I love about this country….when the going gets tough, people step up. I just wish the government would pay them at least something for their efforts. They’re absolute heroes.

On a sad note was the news of the young woman of 21 with no health issues who contracted the virus and has died. That’s heartbreaking. And scary.

The village is not big and I seem to have walked pretty much right around the perimeter…I saw a few animals along the way and stopped to chat to a pretty little cat.

There’s a lot of history in this village and I walked past Samuel Coleridge’s house. He was a friend of William Wordsworth who visited the area frequently. Virginia Woolfe honeymooned in the area.

Samuel Coleridge’s house..only for 3 years 🤨🤨

I passed a sign that read

So I took a small bundle of daffodil bulbs for my daughter’s garden.

I loved this little sign I saw in the side of the road.

I had a facetime chat with my daughter and grandson on WhatsApp. Oh gosh I miss him so much. As glad as I am to have this work, I am missing him so much and this will be the longest I haven’t been with him since he was born…😪😪👶🏻💙 He’s ever so cute.

Other than that, it was business as usual on the work front and watching the news, as well as our PM making promises he’s unlikely to follow through on. Just been reading an article in The Daily Telegraph by Tom Welsh…he totally nails it. The Government are intent on diverting attention away from their own failings and unpreparedness by blaming the public for the spread of the virus. The reality is that the Tories have been dismantling the NHS for bloody years and they have left it virtually on the brink of bankruptcy. I won’t go into my opinion of why this has been done, suffice to say that they have made a bloody great cockup by their neglect, and now their chickens are coming home to roost, but they’re trying to shift the blame. I hope BoJo doesn’t get much sleep at night. As for Hunt he should stfu. Pointing a finger at Hancock, he forgets that 3 are pointing back at him. Tosser.

In case you haven’t guessed…I’m not a fan of the Tories 😂😂😂🤪🤪

Oh and I bought my daughter a new washing machine. Theirs packed up yesterday mid wash. If ever there was bad timing, this was it. Literally the day after the government announces a lockdown, the machine packs up. Wtaf. Seriously. Anyway, they’ll get it by Monday, but will have to install it themselves since Argos are not currently installing due to the current situation.

How was your day?? 😉

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Lockdown in the UK

Posted in around the UK, Health, news from around the world, Travel, tagged Coronavirus, Covid 19, lockdown, Travel, united kingdom on March 24, 2020| 1 Comment »

Watching Boris Johnson on BBC1 last night was an exercise in frustration. As usual he waffles on ??? using highfalutting, fancy words most people don’t even understand (I love a good fancy word myself; but time and place Boris!!) We all know you have a preppy education, have written books, and use words no-one has used since Shakespeare died…..now is not the time to show off.

So instead of saying “I am putting the UK on lockdown for 3 weeks with immediate effect”, he scurries about scrambling for placating words; words he strings together in long rambling sentences that by the time he ends it, we’re no wiser and have lost track of the message….. meanwhile his eyes and hands betraying his uncertainty. Talk about clenched. 👊👊

Is he trying to protect his city buddies investments? Just say “lockdown” ffs. You’re not dealing with reasonable people (on the whole). The number of people who are flouting the recommendations and still making unnecessary trips are thick, they need their heads banged together….use strong, solid, forceful words that get the message across. 💪💪💪

As for Michael Gove….can someone sew up his lips for the duration and ban him from speaking on TV…what a tosser. Seriously. 🛎🛎🛎🔔🔚

I was so impressed with the action taken by the South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa….a short, concise, clear message “….decided to enforce a nationwide lockdown for 21 days with effect from midnight on Thursday”. Boom!!💣💥💣💥 end of. 🚷🚷🚷🚷🚷🚷 We’re on 🔐⬇️ “…a decisive measure to save lives”. ergo…stay at home.

https://youtu.be/tkOWlBF7aC0

We are living in uncertain times, Covid-19 is an unprecedented issue and if we don’t get our act together, we are going to be culpable for the deaths of any number of people…. people you may not even know, but they’re loved by someone else, but your selfish actions have caused their untimely death.

I messaged my daughter yesterday to say that even if I do finish this current job in 2 weeks time, I am not going to visit them at their home. Anyone who knows me, would know how terribly hard that will be for me to do….but I do not want to inadvertently infect the people most precious to me…my beloved daughter, my cherished grandson and my lovely son-in-law.

Instead we’re going to do video messaging and keep in touch on WhatsApp with lots of photos.

Be safe folks, please follow government guidelines and let’s beat this bastard virus

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Shopping for lockdown

Posted in around the UK, family and relationships, Health, It's my life, news from around the world, Uncategorized, tagged Coronavirus, family, Travel, uk lockdown on March 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »

I’m not someone who panics easily. I tend to be calm and logical in the face of adversity and hold my meltdown for the after party…..LOL

Whether panic is needed seems to depend on those who seed it …~Na’ama Yehuda

But I must admit to having gone from “bloody Chinese eating wild animals and treating those and other animals in a most appalling way – the animals have risen and are taking revenge” a couple of months ago, to the faint stirrings of unease, and concern at how fast this virus has spread and how vicious it is.

I’m guessing that none of us expected this virus to jump borders and spread so rapidly, taking down swathes of people and leaving fear and despair in its wake.

But suddenly we’re in the midst of a pandemic that the authorities seem unable to contain. And so the infected numbers and deaths mount up. Every day now the figures go up in the hundreds rather than the occasional report of one or two.

For obvious reasons this has brought about a sense of panic and the possibility of a lockdown is causing irrational behaviour.

I know that I for one have started to feel somewhat stressed….mainly for my little family; my daughter, son-in-law and my cherished grandson.

While we were away in Devon last week the first reports of panic buying started to filter through. I said to my daughter that as soon as we get back we must go shopping. Well that turned out to be a bit of a fright since the shelves were practically bare of essentials and necessities…..panic buying was in full swing.

However, we calmly walked along the aisles and bought whatever we could find, particularly things that can be used in soups and stews. Baby food was high on the list of essentials and nappies. We bought as much by way of prepared food as we could without emptying the shelves.

Since then I have raided my tax savings and on a daily basis I buy a small quantity of whatever I can find focusing on dry goods and tins where there’s availability.

We went shopping at Tesco’s a few days ago and the shock of the empty shelves was so overwhelming for my daughter that she had a meltdown in the store. Like she said, she has a baby to consider, and besides that her levels of empathy for older people wandering about looking for something they could buy was just too much.

I’m due to leave tomorrow morning for my next job…in the depths of Somerset, a 4.5 hour journey on 2 trains and the tube, and frankly I have no idea what will happen in the next few weeks. Will I contract the virus? Will my elderly client? How long will I be stuck there? If I do get ill basically I have no home to return to for either recovery or self-isolation.

Of course I wouldn’t want to return to my daughter’s home because I may well end up infecting them, and it begs the question….when my assignment is completed in 2 weeks time, should I even have any physical contact with them at all? And what of my accommodation? It’s on a very tenuous basis anyway. I rent a tiny room on an adhoc basis in a shared house. I have no lease and no guarantee that the landlady who currently rents out the room would even allow me to return to the property if I need to self-isolate.

Besides that, I have no food where I stay between jobs. I can’t store stuff there because not only have the permanent residents recently helped themselves to some of my fridge stuff, but where would I keep it….its not a permanent place of residence with a secure place to store anything? And even if she agrees to let me stay there, I wouldn’t be able to prepare anything in the shared kitchen if I was ill as it may affect the other residents.

So even though I don’t normally panic, I do confess to feeling rather uneasy and uncertain. I can only hope that the person I’m going to care for over the next couple of weeks doesn’t turn out to be a nightmare, and if I’m required to extend my stay due to a lockdown, that we’ll have sufficient food to see us through.

The other aspect is the worry I have for my family….will they have sufficient food for an extended period if there’s a lockdown? Will they be safe from the virus? Will I be able to return to help out if they happen to get ill? I have urged my daughter to be very conservative with her food and to not waste anything….I can only hope that they do.

My grandson is right in the middle of weaning and I worry that she will not have enough food to cope with his requirements. A lot of food already goes to waste when he plays with the food instead of eating it and it ends up on the floor and subsequently into the trash.

So while I am not normally given to panicking, I do admit that I’m beginning to feel incredibly stressed and worried, especially if there is a lockdown and all that that implies.

Onwards….

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Manufacturing in Britain

Posted in around the UK, news from around the world, tagged Brexit, British manufacturing, Coronavirus on March 3, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The Brexit campaign promised that Britain could survive and thrive without the EU, that we could manufacture and produce what we needed.

Now that the coronavirus has raised its ugly head, suddenly supplies from chin are starting to dry up.

What now then Brexiteers? Will our Brexit PM encourage and provide the means for British manufacturing to kick in and start making items that we import from China?

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#XR52

Posted in around the UK, lifestyle, news from around the world, plastic pollution, tagged being an activist, blogging, extinction rebellio, fast fashion, https://www.instagram.com/extinctionrebellion/, join xr52 pledge, plastic pollution, politics, polluting the planet, stacey dooley documentary, the daily activist, the impact of fast fashion on the planet, UN report 100 million species on the brink of extinction on May 9, 2019| 1 Comment »

As part of my ongoing pledge to do better by this world and help save the planet, leaving it in as much a decent condition as is possible for future generations, I’ve taken the XR52 (extinction rebellion) pledge to not buy any new clothes for the next 52 weeks. The programme actually started on 30th April 2019, but since I’ve been working over this last 2 weeks, I’ve not bought anything anyway.

Not that I’m either a follower of ‘fast fashion’ or a prolific clothes buyer, my last purchase was a light top for summer on 8th March 2019 LOL- so no fear of me being a follower of fashion…..I usually have to be dragged off to the store kicking and screaming. I simply can’t be bothered. For me clothes are merely a way of covering my body, avoiding arrest for indecent exposure and keeping warm. Buying clothes is tedious in the extreme and I can’t be bothered with looking through a rack of items that for one reason or another do not excite me much, usually don’t fit for one reason or another, whilst looking at myself naked in front of a full length mirror is not for the faint-hearted LOL

Prior to March, the last time I bought anything was in December 2018 when I took a pair of harem pants and slippers off my daughter…she had bought them but they didn’t fit comfortably, so rather than her ditching or giving them away, I bought them from her. Besides these few items, the last major purchase I made was in March 2018 when I bought an outfit for their May wedding. I’m still wearing shoes (very seldom I might add since they have heels) I bought about 15 years ago. They’re almost brand new as I only wear them about once every 3 years.

My only major purchases are trainers and hiking pants. I go through a pair of trainers every 1500miles or so and my hiking pants were bought in 2016 when I started training for the Camino in 2017.

So, am I a follower of ‘fast fashion’? I think the answer to that is obvious 😉 When I do buy any leisure clothes they are invariably from a charity shop and when I’m done with them, I return it to a charity shop.

Nothing goes in the bin except my underwear and socks, and usually only when I have worn them through. However, going forward, I’m going to see how I can recycle those items as well.

If you’re not familiar with extinction rebellion, they are a protest movement that recently brought London to a standstill and upset a few commuters and of course the government (no bad thing that). Ironically, the Government had just declared a ‘climate emergency’ but nonetheless, they were seriously pissed at the protesters. Many of the people who were ‘inconvenienced’ by the protests are likely people from 1 of 2 camps: 1. people who are trying to make changes by reducing their plastic waste and being active in reducing their carbon footprint, and supported the protests, despite being inconvenienced. 2. people who don’t give a shit so long as they can continue to buy their pretentious takeaway Starbucks latte and their Evian pure spring water, and really couldn’t care less one way or the other about the state of the planet. Now before you breathe flames, I have no doubt that a lot of people were inconvenienced going to work or business meetings or whatever it is that people get up to daily, but consider this…..

We are in a dire situation. The latest UN report is the stuff of nightmares…..100 million species are on the brink of extinction!!! This is besides the thousands, if not millions of species already extinct due to mankind’s exploitation of the planet and her resources. The Amazon forest is reduced by 50 football pitches every SECOND!!! Not year, month, week or day…but SECONDS. Read that again… Seconds!!! The Amazon, along with other forests in places like Indonesia are the planet’s lungs, and we are destroying it by the second!! Billions of trees are razed to the ground for agriculture, for feed for beef, for palm oil plantations (and don’t even get me started on that).

Extract from the report : “PARIS, 6 May – Nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history – and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating, with grave impacts on people around the world now likely, warns a landmark new report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the summary of which was approved at the 7th session of the IPBES Plenary, meeting last week (29 April – 4 May) in Paris.” you can read the full report here. The last mass extinction was 66 million years ago. fck sakes. It’s insane. This folks, is happening on OUR watch.

It’s terrifying and if anyone is not afraid, then they have not been paying attention.

So back to ‘fast fashion’ and my XR52 pledge. For me it’s an easy one. I have a grandson now whose future is of vital importance to me. This pledge is just another cog in my determination to make a difference and reduce my impact on the planet and her ecosystems. I signed a pledge to never use plastic straws again in 2016. I’ve persuaded our chippy to change to a more sustainable container for take-aways. I persuaded a local restaurant to ditch plastic straws. I litter pick as often as possible when I’m home. It’s tiring, it’s hard and I incur a fair amount of abuse. But, and it’s a HUGE but, I have to try and make a difference for my grandson’s future.

If you’d like to learn more about extinction rebellion, you can read more here

Join me, come on board the XR52 campaign and reduce your impact on the planet.

Oh and if you were wondering about the impact that fast fashion has on the planet, then I can recommend that you watch the Stacey Dooley documentary. It’s is quite frankly just shocking and terrifying. “A sea half the size of England has dried up because of the horrific impact of fast fashion.”

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it here.

The garment industry is the 2nd largest polluter in the world, whilst the UK, Europe and the US are the largest consumers of ‘fast’ fashion. These days clothing chains bring out a new ‘range’ every week. I remember when I was young/er the fashion industry had ‘seasons’. You waited a full 3 months for the next season. The clothes were invariably well made, stood the test of time and didn’t choke landfill and end up in the ocean by way of plastic micro-fibres. Lots of people think that donating the items made today; threadbare, badly made, last a few weeks (if you’re lucky) to charity is a good idea…well it’s not. The charities are beginning to have to dump tons of old clothes because they are not fit for purpose and because they have too much. Africa is fed up with our cast-offs and some countries are beginning to reject the charitable donations made by the west in favour of encouraging home-grown, local businesses to produce cultural and traditional garments. Bravo to them.

I could go on and on about the terrible impact the ‘fashion’ industry is having on the planet, the animals that live on it, our water systems, and people’s lives, but……

Instead I’m inviting you to join me and take the XR52 challenge and NOT buy any clothing till 30th April 2020. Follow extinction rebellion on instagram

Would you be prepared to take this challenge?

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