I’ve only gone and caught it

My positive LFT

Two years on from the start of the coronavirus pandemic during which I’ve (mostly) applied caution, followed the rules and guidance, been vaccinated (4 times now as I’m apparently in a vulnerable priority group due to my arthritis drug which is an immunosuppressant) I’ve finally succumbed.

I started coughing on Sunday and thought no more about it. On Monday evening I started feeling rough, had a temperature and shivers. On Tuesday I did a lateral flow which was negative, but still felt pretty meh, enough to knock playing golf on the head and forgoing a trip to CCS to watch City play Derby - although we won, it was an awful match, so probably no bad thing missing it).

Today feeling a bit better, and with a skittles match scheduled tonight, so to be on the safe side I did another LFT and what do you know? Positive instantly! Cue getting out of my wife and daughter’s way sharpish. Booked a PCR straight away at CCS and within 30 mins had been, and completed the test on the off chance my LFT was a false positive. We’ll see.

To be honest it’s just like a heavy cold, although to be fair those 4 jabs have probably kept the symptoms down to a reasonable level. 

I've no idea where I picked it up from - could have been skittles last week (Wednesday), or St Fagans Museum (Friday) when with a group of family - none of whom were symptomatic. Unlikely to have bee anywhere else though, as haven't really been anywhere else. Golf on Saturday, but was never that close to anyone.

A reminder then, that whilst things are getting back to “normal”, and whilst coronavirus has melted from the headlines due to what’s going on elsewhere in the world at the moment, it hasn’t gone away.

Stay safe out there folks.

Twitter: @Statto1927 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/simon_hiscocks/ 

Instagram: simon_hiscocks

Center Parcs: Re-visiting an old friend

The Lake near the Sports Plaza

We're just back from a midweek break (Mon-Fri) to Center Parcs Longleat. We first visited in 1995 whenour firstborn was just under a year old, and have been back many times since. I've blogged a few times over the years about our visits here 2020, 2012, 2010, 2008 and 2006.

In many ways, there's little to add to these previous posts, but this post will no doubt regurgitate some of of what I've said before. The basic premise is a weekend or midweek break away in a forest lodge with time to do as much (for a cost) or as little as you'd like, with the centrepiece activity the sub-tropical swimming paradise, complete with hot tubs, heated outdoor pools, and various slides, lazy rivers, wave machines etc. There are several restaurant choices or the lodges are superbly equipped for self catering needs, supported by the well stocked onsite Parcmarket. Additionally, (free) wifi is near universally available over the whole site and fast enough for streaming (take an HDMI cable to attache to the TV), which also helps because depending on your service provider, your phone signal may be non existent.  We stayed in one of the two storey executive lodges close to the main Plaza which had the added benefit of its own sauna, but frankly, all of the lodges are well enough equipped and comfortable enough for anyone for a 3/4 day break. 

Over the years many available activities have changed, some have disappeared some have been modernised, and plenty of new ones have appeared but the bottom line is there's something for everyone irrespective of age or ability, loads to do if you want to, and plenty of opportunity to just chill out if you don't.

About to enter the Rapids

Girls on the Rapids

It was noticeable that several things weren't available/open during our visit. The high ropes weren't in use (low ropes for younger kids was), the zip line wasn't even up. The smaller of the "big" rides - the "Typhoon" in the sub-tropical swimming paradise remained closed all week. The Pancake House was closed for refurbishment, and the Foresters restaurant in the Village square was open but had scaffolding all around. There may well have been other activities that we didn't look at that weren't on, although how much of this was due to restricted use due to covid rather than refurbishment I couldn't tell.

Talking of covid, there was plenty of hand sanitising stations, masks were worn by some people, but I'd argue the majority weren't wearing even in indoor areas (this is England of course not Wales). It was table only service in the bars in the Plaza and Sports Plaza (I keep calling it by it's old name, the Jardin Des Sports - maybe they changed it because of Brexit?), but you needed to download an app and register to get table service - a bit of a faff as it wasn't the most intuitive app to register and there were (as far as we could tell) no options to pay via Apple or Google Pay.

Lads in the Sports Plaza pre snooker

We've always visited in January-March or October/November, avoiding the school holidays where we could due to eye watering price hikes on the basic accommodation fees at those times. And this is the kicker. A Center Parcs break is generally not cheap, either for the accommodation or the activities (although the sub-tropical paradise swimming and slides are all free) - especially if you're in a bigger group, but at the end of the day, it's a holiday and we planned and budgeted for it

There were 5 of us this time, with my son's best mate (he's virtually part off the family anyway) tagging along as his girlfriend unfortunately couldn't get the time off. 

With the situation around the pandemic easing, plus being in England, there was thankfully fairly little evidence of restrictions dampening the holiday experience. We understood the place was roughly at 85% capacity due to a combination of opening up gradually and a significant amount of lodge refurbishment going on. As always, apart from arrival day which is always a bit busy, the rest of the stay was pretty relaxed - the place was busy but nowhere near full on - and although we were officially outside of half term, there were lots of children in evidence.

A handy tip for people who haven't been before. Time your activities well and there's plenty of availability for certain activities. We were in the sports Plaza at around 4pm-6pm on Wednesday and it was dead. Only 1 of the 10 (I think) Badminton courts was in use, there were plenty of spare table tennis and snooker and pool tables available. This is likely due to people going back to their lodges for tea and to put younger kids to bed! You can (and it's recommended to) pre-book activities, but you can also book onsite on the day - we did a virtual walk up booking for one activity. Restaurants you almost certainly need to pre-book.

Our stay also caught the end of Center Parcs Winter Lights experience, with many of the walkways lit up with twinkling, or cascading lights, as well as full on Winter Light walk in the Village Square complete with music - if anyone local to us in South Wales did the Bute Park light trail, it was pretty similar (if much smaller) and even though we're several weeks into 2022 and Christmas is a distant memory, it was still a magical experience and especially so for the younger clientele.

Winter Lights I

Winter Lights II

Winter Lights III

As we are all a bit older now - well basically it was two retired/semi-retired oldies and three twentysomethings our activity choice has changed a little over the years. Nevertheless, we got stuck in and our week included cycling around the site (2 of us hired bikes, which also reminded us both how unfit we are!), badminton, crazy golf (indoor and out), table tennis, snooker, spa sessions (for the girls), a falconry experience, 10 pin bowling and of course plenty of sub-tropical swimming paradise fun in the pools and on the slides and rapids. 

The Gang mid-Badders

Adventure Golf
Basically outdoor crazy golf - 9 or 18 holes

Challenge Golf 
(basically indoor crazy golf - only 8 holes though?)

Just a word of note on the sub-tropical swimming paradise. On our previous visits you could just go any time you likes whilst it was open (until 9pm) but currently you have to pre-book a 3 hour slot, with a maximum of 4 slots available for a midweek stay (one a day effectively). There is no restriction after 6pm though - so if you're cute and booked a slot from say 4pm, you could actually stay until closure at 9pm.

This didn't prove problematic at all, and we made sure to include one session in the evening when it was dark - being in the well heated (basically like a bath) outdoor pool under the stars and going down the rapids in the dark is a CP must do!

Rapids at night

We bookended our week with a meal at the Indian restaurant "Rajinda" on the Tuesday, and "Las Iguanas" on Thursday, our last night.  There's normally a £5pp deposit with your pre-booking. It's worth noting that Las Iguanas doesn't do the same deals as its "normal" restaurants (e.g. 2 for 1 cocktails), presumably because it has a captive audience. It also had a few things not available when we sat down at 7.15pm on Thursday (which we vaguely recall happened on our last visit) possibly because it was end of week and they'd run out before the weekend refill.

Everything is well signposted

One of the potential benefits of a CP stay is the chance to see nature and wildlife close up - we've seen deer on our lodge patio before now. Sadly we didn't see any deer, foxes or badgers this time - out lodge was very close to the Plaza, but there was plenty of avian activity - as well as the usual garden bird suspects (robins, blackbirds, blue tits) we saw Jays, buzzards, long tailed tits and a tree creeper. There were also plenty of squirrels, an odd frog or two and some baby rabbits.

As has always been the case, the one guarantee is that you come away from your break, whether a weekend or a midweek stay felling like you've genuinely been on a break and are all the more chilled for it.

It can be pricey, but it is recommended, and as I've said in some of my previous posts, we will be back.

Twitter: @Statto1927 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/simon_hiscocks/ 

Instagram: simon_hiscocks

Tinnitus

Rather irritatingly, for the first time in my life I appear to have developed some form of tinnitus. It manifests as a low humming or droning noise. At first I though it was a vehicle outside on the street idling, or even a distant propeller driven plane, but it's not. It's a constant, low frequency hum, although it's not evident first thing in the morning after I've been lying down all night, but does come on with an hour or two of getting up.

I've only noticed it over the last three or four weeks, and I can't think of anything that might have triggered this. I haven't been to any noisy places or gigs and I rarely wear earphones to listen to music, and I wouldn't in any case have the volume lovely loud.

To be fair, my hearing has been getting worse for years. I'm certainly not deaf (although my family might disagree), but my hearing is definitely not as good as it could be. I last had it tested 4 or 5 years ago, and was told it was fine - but this was in a proper quiet room where you wear headphones and have to identify when you can hear certain frequencies - I managed them all. But that was a test scenario. My biggest issues come when I'm somewhere with other ambient, and especially low grades white noise going on around me - a pub for example, where I can find it really difficult to hear someone even if they're standing next to me.

There are of course a couple of other possibilities for this onset.

1. I've had a rotten cold for a couple of weeks (although I think this started before the cold came on - and before you ask, it's not (or extremely unlikely to be) Covid. I've done several lateral flows and had a PCR test all of which have been negative. It could have bunged up my inner ear and be a contributing factor.
2. It could be "The Hum". Apparently Bristol is a UK hotspot for The Hum, and we're not that far away as the crow flies. Before I got this, I'd have dismissed this as crackpot, but now......?
3. A side effect of the Covid vaccine. The British Tinnitus Association indicate that although there have been some reports of tinnitus onset after a Covid vaccine, the numbers are such that such a side effect would be classed as "rare". Equally there have been some reports that existing tinnitus sufferers have said the condition has become worse following a vaccine. Of course that doesn't mean that the vaccine has caused this for me. I'm triple jabbed (all Pfizer) with my first shot in December 2020, my second in late January 2020 and last shot being in October last year, and this didn't materialise until just before Christmas at the earliest as far as I can recall. Not that the risk of tinnitus (or indeed any other side effect) would have stopped me getting the vaccine now or in the future. It's the correct and obvious thing to do to get us out of this horrible pandemic.
4. Perhaps, and linked to the above point maybe it's because I'm now 5G receptive after having the vaccine? (That's a joke by the way).

Probably the sensible thing to do is to get my hearing tested again. Meanwhile for the moment it looks like I'm going to have to get used to this low frequency humming in my head.

Twitter: @Statto1927 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/simon_hiscocks/ 

Instagram: simon_hiscocks

How much Stile do you have?

Slab stile, St Lythan's Church, near Wenvoe, Vale of Glamorgan

If you use Twitter, it's very easy to be drawn into the depths of despair reading the widespread crap you find on that platform, or knowing that anything someone posts seems to draw one of two responses. Either people agree 100% with you, or people 100% disagree with you often in the most unpleasant way. Whatever the subject (and Brexit and Covid are the two prime examples) or whether blue is black and white is gold Twitter can be disheartening place to be sometimes. But then every now and then you come across some gems that you'd never have come across if you hadn't been trawling the bird. And what could be more gently entertaining than finding out about a competition to find everyone's* favourite stile?

(*everyone that voted that is!)

I first came across this because I'm an avid follower of Quintin Lake on Twitter. He's an architectural photographer who also loves walking and photographing his journeys. A couple of years ago  he walked and photographed the entire coastline of Britain on a humungous project he called The Perimeter. This was fascinating enough on its own, and he's still publishing his photo blog on this mammoth undertaking, but one by-product of this was a post he put on Twitter last year concerning the "Stile Cup" which (unsurprisingly) I'd never heard of before. That's a beauty of Twitter - you'll occasionally come across a post linking to people or things that you'd never have done so in the normal course of things, and it can open up a whole new world. And so it was here. There is a Twitter user named @LakeStiles who posts all sorts of photos of stiles and gates (bear with me, I'm a country boy at heart). This Twitter user also runs an annual "Stile Cup", where other Twitter users can send in images of interesting stiles, which are then voted on in groups of four by followers until an ultimate Stile Cup Winner is found.

Well, Quintin Lake submitted the photo below, which after a very hard fought contest, became the winner of the 2021 Stile Cup.

2021 Stile Cup Winner: Credit Quintin Lake

Having said above that it's "gently entertaining", I have to say the final run in of last year's competition (semi final and final in particular) got quite heated and tense as those who had submitted photos that made it that far used all manner of messaging to get people to vote for their photo albeit in a fun, (well I think it was fun) way.

This year I've submitted my own entry. The photo at the top of this post is a slab style stile (if you follow that) quite commonly found in these parts, this one adjacent to St Lythan's Church near Wenvoe in the Vale of Glamorgan. I don't expect to make it past round one of the 2022 Stile Cup which kicks of next week (search #StileCup2022 on Twitter), but at least I've made an effort to enter.

If you've got an interesting photo of a stile, you've got a couple more days left to enter. Just DM @LakeStiles with your entry.

Anyway, my overall point here is that there's some great and interesting stuff on Twitter if you look hard enough (accepting that "great" and "interesting" are very subjective!). We might clamber over standard wooden stiles on our walks about the place without giving it a second thought, but there are some fascinating alternatives out there if only you open your eyes. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it beats the hell out of trawling the mess, misinformation, trolling and detritus that is Covid or Brexit Twitter.

Twitter: @Statto1927 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/simon_hiscocks/ 

Instagram: simon_hiscocks

2021 in photos

As we hit 2022 I thought it would be fun to post a photo I've taken from each of the last 12 months. These are far and away from my best shots of the year, and most if not all were either taken using or uploaded to my iPhone rather than using my "proper" cameras, but they tell a story.

January 2021

We didn't see much snow last year - this was about as good as it got, and the car not going anywhere as we were all in lockdown!

February 2021

Still in lockdown, so getting out and about largely meant walking from home. On this walk in late February in the local area, the daffodils were in full bloom.

March 2021

Lockdown is easing, but we still go for regular local walks anyway lockdown or not. It's fascinating what you can miss that's right under your nose. These stones along the coast path near Sully have nods to all sorts of "local" stuff.

April 2021

April saw us on a family walk in north Cardiff starting from one of the most iconic buildings of the area, Castell Coch. Worth a visit, even if you just park up and walk in the local woods as we did.

May 2021

In May we eventually managed to get away for our first proper break for many months on a stay in North Wales, near Caernarfon. Here's a shot of the famous Italianate village, Portmeirion, built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis with the Snowdon range in the background.

June 2021

June sees us able to start enjoying our new patio & pergola - we'd been planning to have this done for years, and finally got around to it in late spring (or rather we got someone in to do it for us!). Cheating rather, there are two photos here for June with the before and after photos speaking for themselves.

July 2021

A long time friend, Pete Colley, passed away earlier in the year from cancer. I'd known Pete for nearly 30 years, primarily through cricket and skittling. Pete was one of those people who was a true legend in "The Village" (Dinas Powys), know by or to nearly everyone. Together with his family, the cricket club held a memorial match to remember him and raise funds for Marie Curie Wales. It was of course, fabulously attended, and we all raised a glass, or rather several to our good friend. 

Another "doubler" for you.

August 2021

August, and the Covid restrictions have eased sufficiently to allow people to go on holiday. We enjoyed our annual extended family holiday in Pembrokeshire, West Wales, some camping, some in caravans and some (us) in a holiday cottage. Not sure how many there were altogether - getting on for 20! Very relaxing, quite chilled and lots of walking around the beautiful coast path. This shot is of Solva (left) and the Gwadn valley (right), with one of my favourite places in the world to sit and wonder, the Gribyn centre.

September 2021

We stay in Pembrokeshire for September's photo, although this was taken a few weeks after our family holiday, as Mrs H and I enjoyed a sneaky short break to Milford Haven. The weather was actually better than in August, and it was really warm, with shorts and t shirts all the way as we had a lovely relaxing couple of days. This photo is of the stunning Barafundle Bay.

Narrowly missing out this month were photos of a trip to Margam Park, and a visit to the RHS Malvern Autumn show with friends on the day the petrol crisis really started to bite.

October 2021

There were many contenders for October's photo. Local walks around Barry, Cardiff Bay and Dyffryn Gardens, another short break to Bournemouth and more, but it goes to my favourite shot of the year, sunset at Barry Island, looking down the Bristol Channel as a container ship makes its way to Avonmouth. This is a low res version, you can see a better shot and many of my other photos on my Flickr feed.

November 2021

Again, many contenders for this month's shot, but the winner is a family group shot. We try to get away in the autumn with a big family group, but obviously Covid has scuppered the last couple of years. We managed it this year and went to North Devon, near Ilfracombe. Lots of walks, cake and beer.

December 2021

Ah.....there you all were expecting a Christmassy photo for December, but it's not. Playing golf (or trying to) is something I've been enjoying since retiring. I play at the Vale Resort in the Vale of Glamorgan. To prove the sun does actually shine in December sometimes, here's a couple of my regular playing partners about to hit into the 18th green on the Lakes course. It's a good job I got some golf balls for Christmas, as there are quite a few of mine in that lake....

I hope you enjoyed these photos. You can follow and see more on any of the feeds below.

Twitter: @Statto1927 

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/people/simon_hiscocks/ 

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Goodbye 2021 (and good riddance)

2021 is in its final death knells, and frankly, I'm not too sure many people are going to miss it in the same way we didn't miss 2020, the year Covid kicked off when we all thought it would be over in a few months. That worked out didn't it? Here we are almost two years later, and still firmly in the grip of this horrible pandemic.

However, looking back at my posts from early 2020 (around March), things are better now than they were then. You won't be stopped at the supermarket till for having more than 3 bottles of wine in your trolley. Toilet rolls are in plentiful supply. We can go out and about, even to the pub or restaurant. Live sport is on the telly (England cricket aside - that's more torture than sport) although currently in Wales at least you can't attend live sport unless it's less than 50 people. You can even go abroad, although we haven't and our cancelled/postponed overseas trips count since this all began is sitting at four with a couple planned for 2022 waiting nervously in the wings. 

As we rapidly approach New Years Eve to no doubt optimistically raise a glass to a health and happy New Year as we did on 31st December 2019 and 2020, I wonder if we really, truly will be looking back this time next year and saying, thank God we're finally through this? We'll no doubt find out in due course.

So looking back at 2021, what have been the highs and lows, both personally and more generally?

Highs

• As a family we've largely managed to avoid Covid, and stay fit and healthy although my son did succumb to it in September, but thankfully as he'd already been vaccinated, it was a case of a few days feeling quite rough, but no more.
• We've all been double jabbed and (by tomorrow) we'll all have been boosted too.
• My daughter got a new job
• My son's moved out into his own place (I mean that in a good for him, not pleased he's gone sort of way!)
• We have, despite all the trials and tribulations around Covid managed a number of fabulous holidays/breaks, including North Wales, West Wales, Bournemouth and Devon
• We've walked with alpacas
• We've had a new patio built
• I've played lots of golf

Lows

• We're still in a pandemic with all that's associated with that
• My son caught Covid
• We had to postpone our Corfu holiday (again)

More generally, 

• Misinformation is rife and fuelled by the use of social media (yes including some blogs, although hopefully not this one) and has resulted in some real divisiveness in society. There's frequently no middle ground or understanding of another viewpoint. And much of this is vile, vitriolic, and frankly dangerous.
• The Government has lurched from one disaster/crisis/embarrassment/scandal/corruption allegation to another, and continues to comfortably be the worst administration for many a long year
• The NHS continues to be woefully underfunded and is slowly being torn apart by the Tory government. Kudos to those every single person who works in the NHS that are doing their level best under extraordinarily difficult circumstances
• The Brexit chickens are coming home to roost and we'll no doubt see a lot more of the crap caused by this in the coming months
• Cardiff City are still crap
• England still can't beat Australia and are very crap
• COP26 didn't seem to achieve very much

For a fuller list of 2021 events worldwide, see this Wikipedia page

So a mixed bag, but there is hope for the future, but it's always the hope that kills you.

So whatever 2022 holds for you, I hope it's better than 2021.

Happy (fingers crossed) New Year to you all.

Coronavirus, Covid 19, Omicron and all that shit

Credit. Imperial College, London

So here we are, with two more days until The Big Ho, Ho, Ho! (apparently we can't call it Christmas any more) and we are at the fag end of 2021.

Remember what we all said on New Years Eve 2019? Here's to a great 2020. Look how that turned out.

Remember what we said on New Years even 2020? Hurrah, we're starting to vaccinate, it'll all be ok by the summer. Look how that turned out.

And yet here we are. 2021 will soon be a distant memory, another new word Omicron, is abounding and causing UK governments to start imposing further restrictions on us all just as we thought we were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not sure I'll be raising a glass to having a fantastic 2022 in New Year's Eve this year.

I recall watching a UK Government presser way back in the early days of the pandemic, when one of the health honchos (probably Chris Whitty, but it could have been someone else), saying (and I paraphrase),

"The only way out of this is through vaccines"

Well, we've been giving vaccines for over a year. I've had my two initial jabs and my booster (so three in all if you're keeping up), as has much of the population, certainly here in Wales, and across much of the UK.  Thankfully, through this, and largely following the guidance, advice and regulations most of my family has avoided catching Covid (as far as we know), although my son did get it in September this year, but luckily he'd already been jabbed by then, so whilst poorly for a few days, didn't need anything other than a bit of R&R. And for the thick amongst us, remember that having a vaccine isn't a 100% guarantee that you won't get it, or pass it on. It's designed to not make you as ill as if you'd not had the jab, and likely need hospital treatment (if you're lucky).

Anyway, through the jab programme things seemed to be getting back to some sense of normality and then along comes Omicron, a variant of Covid. It is of course not surprising that there is (yet another) variant. That's what viruses (virii?) do. They mutate. That's why the flu jab is constantly needing tweaking. The problem here though is that there appears to be some significant difference of opinions bout Omicron - whether it's more (or less) transmissible, whether it's likely to lead to more serious illness or not, and consequently we have a some confusion about the right way to manage this in society. And as usual, the various UK governments are all taking a slightly different approach, announcing stuff at different times, and with different emphasis.

There is certainly some element of fear around Omicron and the rate of transmission - it seems almost everyone in London has it if mainstream media is to be believed, with most government and media acknowledging that we're in for a big hit, but no one seems able to quantify that in real terms.

The Welsh Government started a few days ago by releasing a statement at midnight (!), yes 12am when almost everyone was in bed, saying that all sporting events in Wales would be held behind closed doors from Boxing Day. Today they've further embellished and added to restrictions by reverting to a variation of alert level two (from alert level 0) which included no meeting of more than 6 in a pub/restaurant, 2m distancing, face masks, table service in hospitality as well as clarifying further restrictions on attending sporting/outdoor events.

Understandably, this has not gone down well with many. The main arguments seem to be along the line of - I can still go to a pub and watch football (if there's any on - most clubs seem to have a problem with players and staff catching covid, and there's also seems to be an element of many footballers not being vaccinated at all, but that's another story), but I can't go along and watch it outside in person. It's not quite as black and white as that, but I must admit as a general principle it does seem daft.

The same for park runs or indeed any large outdoor gathering - it's outside, largely socially distanced and being in a well ventilated area is now one of the defect bits of guidance, but no, you can't do it. Nip along to your local 'Spoons though with half a dozen mates and tens of others who are doing the same thing at the same time. Oh, and you still can't sing in a sparsely populated church, but it's fine to sing in a packed Alexandra Palace at the Darts world Championship with a crowd of people fuelled on by expensive lager.

Oh, not to mention the rules saying you must work from home if you can and you could be fined for going into work. Can you imaging saying that three years ago?

Basically, it's all a bit of a mess.

I don't know when all this is going to end. We cannot continue in a cycle of easing and locking down forever. People's mental health is at stake here as much as their physical health.

I do understand the need for management and to protect the NHS form being over-run, but to be perfectly frank, the NHS is more at risk of being over-run through continued and chronic long term underfunding and poor strategic management at government level than from Covid alone, but at some point there has to be a scenario where we just get on with it.

As an aside, if you're one of the vaccine nay-sayers or just an anti-vaxxer, you're a twat. Get it done. Don't give me any crap about not knowing what's in it. You probably don't know the secret recipe for KFC or Coke, but you'll still eat and drink it, and if you're worried about side effects, just look at the contact-indications on the med sheet in a box of paracetamol.

But hey, it's Christmas. I'm looking forward to a fairly quiet one (well I can't go to the football on Boxing Day as it's cancelled, or any of the matches following as crowds have been stopped from attending). 

So a nice few days with my immediate and close family away from it all. Might even get a game or two of socially distanced golf in before they stop that too.

Have a good one wherever you are.

Boosted - get the vaccine!

I've just been to the local mass vaccination centre (literally two minutes up the road) to get my Covid-19 booster.

All very seamless, and hard to believe this time last year with vaccinations not even ready, that within 12 months I'd not only have been vaccinated once, but three times. It's been an astonishing success and roll out, and I'm very happy and grateful to have been vaccinated so quickly.

I simply cannot understand the anti-vax mentality, but I suppose it's their choice, albeit a bad one. Vaccines are there to improve health outcomes. Yes, there are risks, but frankly you take more risks crossing the road, or smoking, or drinking to excess or taking unprescribed drugs for kicks.

I'm now about to book my flu vaccine.....

#getvaccinated

Ineptitude on a national scale - that's the UK for you

Credit: @Coldwar_Steve
https://coldwarsteve.com

Not many people are likely to read this - I only have a couple of followers, but it's cathartic writing this down, and maybe someday, someone will look at it and think, "Blimey, the country was in the shit back then...."

The country (the UK that is) is currently in the midst of a petrol crisis. Not a shortage, though that may still come at some future point, but a problem caused by a lack of HGV drivers to deliver the stuff to petrol stations. It started with BP indicating that they'd had to close 6 of their 1,200 or so stations due to lack of deliveries, not in itself an issue at all, but in true British style, within 24 hours we have a crisis and people are panic buying, queuing for hours to put half a gallon in their car and stations are naturally therefore, running out. A vicious circle, and one not helped by how this stuff is reported in the mainstream media (MSM). Come on, a headline saying BP has to close petrol stations - even if it's maybe 1% of their total is inevitably going to get people panicking.

The one sure fire way to get people to panic, is to say "Don't panic".

This is just the latest in a long line of utter fiasco's to emerge under the current Tory government's term in office. The underlying problem appears to be Brexit (yes, that old chestnut) which caused many European drivers to either voluntarily or, due to the immigration implications go back to their own countries instead of being employed here. Apparently there may be some other issues - lack of infrastructure to support drivers in their job causing many to leave the industry, so it's probably a miss-mash of issues ultimately but Brexit is surely in there near the top.

All in all, this government's legacy is beginning to look more and more like an A-Z of how to bring a country to it's knees, and mostly on the policy strategy of saving money. It's like we've brought the Administrators as happens when a company goes bust.

The list feels endless, but some examples include:

• Brexit (overall but some if the key promises of:
• "reclaiming" £350m a week given the to EU to spend on our NHS (nope that didn't happen)
• Enabling our fishing industry to recover and thrive (nope that didn't happen either)
• Getting back control (nope - if this is control, I'd hate to think what out of control looks like)
• Immigration policy tied to with Brexit (above) and Covid (below) has resulted in massive staffing shortages in the NHS/care homes, hospitality sector, HGV  drivers (and probably many other sectors), let alone the general principle of supporting genuine immigrants fleeing oppressive governments elsewhere - for them those vulnerable people perhaps a right case of out of the frying pan.....
• Shortages of food on shelves in some areas (again placed at the door of lack of HGV drivers)
• It's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic (OK, the pandemic wasn't the Governments's fault, but it's handling most certainly is/was)with
• Unnecessary deaths
• Immeasurable strain on the NHS 
• Disjointed strategies amongst the English, Welsh, UK and NI devolved governments
• Alleged (I use that term loosley) corruption in the awarding and handling of major contracts to supply PPE and other goods/services
• More shortage crises - toilet rolls or flour anyone?
• Failure to adequately support and fund the NHS (although this probably deserves a blog post all of its own)
• An apparent desire to privatise and defund the NHS, perhaps the shining light of the UK and the envy of many (most) other countries, resulting in increased waiting times, frustrated and burnt out staff who increasingly seem to be a target for abuse
• Having to get the army in to drive ambulances
• Chopping Universal Credit and raising National Insurance - together with a general history of hitting the poorest whilst lining the pockets of the richest
• Inability to speak and/or give answers without lying (just Google Boris Johnson lying) or evasion (constantly)
• Climate change response (or lack of it)
• Support for the travel industry

I could go on, but it's too depressing.

And the problem is that despite all the above, and the sense that the country is spiralling towards implosion, there is still a significant number of people who think the Government is doing a good job. 

To be fair, the one area that they have largely succeeded in, is the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, although they appear to be incapable to reaching the (relative minority of anti-vaxers/anti-maskers) who still think that everything that's being done to protect them and the woodier population is either a conspiracy, or an infringement of their human rights or both. They're probably the same people currently queuing at petrol stations.

The end result of all this, is a country that's fast becoming the laughing stock of the world. Our Prime Minister, Boris Johnson (BJ) is being seen as the bumbling oaf that he undoubtedly is, more worried about ruffling his hair before an interview than doing something about the mess him and his party have created and overseen, supported by a cast of minions loyal to him too scared to sway from the party line or speak the truth when asked a simple, straightforward question. And in all honesty, most of them (at least in the cabinet) are probably so rich that they'd never have to queue at a petrol station, or worry about bare shelves, or how they're going to pay the bills. Meanwhile we've got Foreign Secretaries brokering trade deals with Mongolia, whilst trade with our closest and mainly prosperous European cousins is increasingly becoming harder and more bureaucratic because of Brexit. I was talking with a friend yesterday who is a senior manager for a large multi-national construction company who said that materials were costing on average 40% more than pre-Brexit - and that's if you can get them.

BJ's recent trip to the USA to broker improved trade deals hasn't gone well either, with US President Joe Biden hinting that there was a bit "to work through". It suggests that the US particularly sees us as much less of a world player than we once were.

Far from the promises of bringing back control, the Tory government is rapidly stumbling from crisis to crisis, unable to plan, or foresee solutions, making policy on the hoof. They're a disaster from start to finish, but the bigger problem seems to be that both enough people realise this, and an unnerving sense that there might not be anyone else out there that could do any better.

My musing's are borne from frustration as we seem to lurch from one crisis to the next, with poor reporting and clickbait headlines stoking the fires. 

The photo at the top of this post from the brilliant Christopher Spencer (aka Coldwar Steve) who's Twitter account @Coldwar_Steve posts brutal, funny (in a tragic-comedic way) pictures of current key topics and "leading" characters sets out some of the issues at hand far better than I ever could. Go give him a follow.

I'll leave you with this (not mine).

Covid update - my take

Blimey - missing in action again. I haven't posted since April.

Well let's ignore all the other crap going on (Brexit I'm looking at you), and concentrate on the Covid pandemic.

Last night, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson (yes, the clown really is still PM) announced that pretty much all restrictions will be lifted on 19 July, which many are referring to as "Freedom Day". Of course, this only applies to England. The Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford, was at pains to point this out, and say that he'd be looking at an announcement at the end of next week based on the latest scientific data. Read into that what you will.

It seems that people are now broadly divided into two groups. Those who think that we're fast heading towards (or are already in) a 3rd wave as cases are rising, rapidly in some areas, and that lifting restrictions is lunacy, and those who say that we just have to learn to live with Covid come what may (we do), and that although cases are rising, deaths and hospitalisations aren't, because of the massively successful vaccine rollout. There are of course the usual bunch of "others" - continuing Covid deniers and anti-vaxxers, but sadly and inevitably there will always be idiots.

Personally, I fall into the let's just get on with it  group. Yes it's a thing. No it's not going away. But deaths and hospitalisations are down. Continuing to base any decisions about management on cases rather than the latter seems illogical. We need to be cautious, but not to the point of being so risk averse we wrap ourselves in cotton wool when there's no need to do so. Continue wearing masks in crowded places and for example on public transport. Get everyone jabbed (or as many as will have it - and we're doing very well on this).

I frequently see people saying "it's not the same as flu", you can't treat/.manage it the same way. No it's not the same, but we've had years of vaccinating vulnerable people against flu - we're only just starting down this path with Covid. But the vaccine efficacy is also much higher for Covid. In the autumn we'll probably be into booster jabs for Covid, and the data already shows that vaccination is working. Lets run with it, and get ourselves back to as near normal as possible. Please.

Lockdown or Loosedown?

O'Shea's webcam Barry Island

The above image was taken the Sunday after Christmas when Wales was supposed to be a couple of days into its latest and more severe national lockdown (now along with the rest of the UK). However, the evidence of many is that the current restrictions are far from tight, and certainly in my experience with adherence levels nowhere near those we experienced in the first lockdown back in March 2020.

With the current surge on Covid cases across the UK, the constantly repeated 'stay at home' message seems to be flying tight over the head of many.

Perhaps its down to fatigue. As a nation, the UK has endured almost 10 months of differing levels of restriction. Confusingly different messages depending on which parts of the county you live in. Statements from the Prime Minister that Christmas would be 'near normal'. People ARE fed up, but we have to hang in there.

The brilliant news of several vaccines being approved and starting roll out is cause for optimism and hope. But it's going to take time. Todays news in Wales at least, is saying that the plan is to have offered/given all adults a vaccine by the autumn (though whether that's the start or end of autumn isn't clear), but who's arguing about three months here or there?

But that means we are still going to have to live with restrictions of some degree until then at least, and let's not fool ourselves - the Governments ability to deliver on it's promises and timelines hasn't been great these last few months.

So whilst there is light at the end of the tunnel, we're stuck with the restrictions for now. People need to listen and abide by them. But there are things happening that perhaps contribute to the idea that things aren't quite as bad as they are being reported.

Elite sport is one. In the first lockdown pretty much all sport stopped. Now we've got football wall to wall every day, international rugby is around the corner and so on. Yes, they're (supposedly at least) in contained, controlled "bubbles" and are being regularly tested, but it's evident that this isn't wholly working with many players contracting Covid, in some cases enough to have matches called off through lack of players or putting out makeshift teams as Derby did in the FA Cup this weekend. Whilst there are still no crowds (save a short period for some clubs just before Christmas), watching the players you'd be hard pushed to think there's still a global pandemic. And watching scenes from Crosby at the weekend of Tottenham's visit to Marine FC in the FA Cup, with people lining the streets, there was definitely no 'stay at home' going on there. Worse, there have been several reports of footballers breaching guidance to varying degrees. I'm not just picking on Crosby, and I'm not just picking on football - I'm a fan and season ticket holder myself and would be desperate to get back to watching Cardiff City (well perhaps not so much at the moment the way they're playing). No, my general point is that there's enough "stuff" going on to make people think there's near normality in some areas, which may then be impacting their own behaviours and bending the restriction guidance. It certainly gives ammunition to the 'covid deniers'.

I don't like the restrictions. I'm fed up of them, but if it helps keep the NHS from being overwhelmed (although I think they're pretty close to it now), I'll do my bit. I wish others would too.

I'm still here! Unfortunately so is Covid and Brexit

I've done it again....

My last post was on 28th October where I opined about the frustration of not being able to play golf in a local (well Wales wide) lockdown. Well a lot's happened since then.

The Wales' "firebreak" lockdown ended (yay!) and my good lady and I managed to get away for a couple of days to Pembrokeshire in West Wales for a couple of days after the firebreak ended. We had three days of glorious weather and the place almost to ourselves. As well as being away in a fabulous place with my wife, it was a release from looking at the 4 walls of the house and staying broadly within this locality for the last x months which was certainly good for the soul.

I got back on the golf course and shot my best ever score both gross (91) and Stableford points (43) and in doing so won the day's Men's Handicap competition. I won't be flying off to enjoy retirement in the sun on my £17 winnings though I'm very proud of my achievement. Breaking 90 is my next target.

Then as we approached Christmas it started to become apparent that despite all the local lockdowns and firebreaks, Covid cases were ramping up again, and despite advice that up to three families could meet up for up to 5 days over Christmas, that quickly became no meeting up (more or less) at all.

We, like most families therefore experienced a strangely quiet Christmas seeing no-one, and conducting  Zoom calls with our families rather than having them round the table tucking into turkey, and following Christmas Day we lurched into the next lockdown/firebreak/tiered restrictions (I't getting hard to remember the terminology now).

We're seeing more and more medics (genuine practising medics and healthcare professionals) stating the severity of the situation and the pressure on the NHS, especially emergency and intensive care services, with the concerns that this is likely to get much worse before it gets any better. Compounding the problem is the identification of a new variant of the Covid virus which is proving far more transmissible (though not apparently more severe) than the original. This seems to be exercising lots of people, but this is what viruses (virii?) do - they mutate all the time. That's why we need a flu jab every year (those of us old enough, or at risk enough to need one that is).

At the same time, we continue to see Covid deniers in mainstream media and unfortunately on the streets including the horrific sight of a protest outside a London Hospital on New Year's Eve with protesters chant "covid is a hoax". Honestly, this is beyond deplorable, and if I had my way we'd lock these people up, or take them one by one unmasked and un-PPE'd into a Covid pressured ITU to show them how bad things are. Sadly, whatever response is given to these people (and there are some well known and high profile people amongst them), they just won't believe anything that's said - they seem to be beyond all reason. As an aside, I think much of the media has behaved very poorly throughout the pandemic, reporting often for clicks/views than sensible and clear reporting and holding powers that be to account for their actions and decisions.

And now we are all back in some sort of national lockdown for the foreseeable future. Personally I can't see anything changing before February at the earliest. Annoyingly everything varies a bit from region to regions and UK country to UK country (I can't play golf in Wales in effectively a Tier 4 lockdown) but I could if I was in England for example. Travel (even local) is advised against unless deemed essential and all non essential retail, and hospitality (restaurants, pubs etc) remains closed - although thankfully you can still get a takeaway. Currently there's also a massive hoo-ha going on about whether schools should return this week and the risks and or impact on children getting or transmitting the virus. 

My main consolation with everything being shut is that I got a rather severe haircut just before Christmas so I'm good for a few weeks yet!

* as an aside, my earlier post about golf still stands. It's brilliant for my mental health to get out in the fresh air playing golf with a couple of mates, and the chances of transmitting or getting Covid out on the course must be negligible. Why can't we do this? Its got to be better for you than being cooped top indoors.

On the brighter side (if there is actually one), two vaccines have been approved in the UK and roll out has started. However, it's going to take months yet before we see the benefit of this as we'll need a significant number of the population vaccinated before we can start to reap the benefits of these vaccines. Even the vaccination programme has changed though - the Pfizer vaccine is a two dose 21/28 days apart protocol, but now the view is that we should vaccinate as many people as possible once and then worry about second doses. Sensible I suppose, but for those that have had one jab, this was on the basis they'd be getting second one. There is no data (that I'm aware of) about whether delaying a second jab of the Pfizer  vaccine for at least 12 weeks is acceptable, bad or not ideal but ok. I suppose we'll see.

And then there's Brexit (or Brexshit as I like to call it). We're officially out of the EU now, and whilst the "deal" we've got has been lauded in some quarters, we're still going to be a damn site worse of now, after the last four years buggering about than we ever were before it. But it's done, and we just have to live with  it. (it would be interesting to see how many of the covid deniers voted for Brexit).

So ultimately, we're still in the shit, but at least there is a (faint) light at the end of the tunnel. If we're anywhere near normal by June it'll be a miracle, but hey ho.

Anyway, I'll try not to leave it so long until my next post.

Happy New Year folks.....(I said that last year and look what happened.....)

Haven't we all had enough of this?

Well, lockdown is back at least in Wales For 17 days (at the moment). But we're not calling it that. It's a circuit break, or fire break or loo break or something like that. 2020 has been bloody horrific so far, and there's no sign it's going to get any better soon. The UK Government and devolved administrations seem to be playing off against each other to score points causing confusion, irritation and general disbelief at how uncoordinated they are in dealing with a global situation, and frankly, nothing's really working. Statistics are being cast about left, right and centre and pretty much every theory, approach, or proposed solution has an alternate viewpoint with social media and the media in general being cast along with those who supposedly govern us as the triumvirate of fuel to the fire. 

Here's just some of the things that whatever happens, we'll remember 2020 for:

• Australian wildfires (nothing to do with coronavirus, unless you know different) but still pretty shit
• UK floods (as above)
• Coronavirus
• Covid-19
• Pandemic
• Herd immunity
• No PPE
• Wrong PPE
• Stay home
• Work from home
• Lockdown
• Government briefings
• Close the pubs
• Social distancing
• 2m or 1.5m or 1m (depending where in the world you live)
• R-number
• Toilet rolls
• Common sense
• Shielding
• Close the schools
• Covidiots
• No masks
• Next slide please
• Stay at home, Protect the NHS, Save lives
• Furlough
• Led by donkeys science
• Bleach
• Masks
• Anti-maskers
• Conspiracy theorists/deniers
• Stay alert, Control the virus, Save lives
• Rule of 6
• Go back to work (but work from home if you can)
• Stay local
• Open the schools
• Eat out to help out
• Household bubbles
• Support bubbles
• Extended houselholds
• Hands, face, space
• Track and trace
• Test and trace
• £12bn track and trace down the drain
• Leaks
• Local lockdown
• Tier 1, 2 and 3
• Circuitbreak
• Firebreak

Until next time.... #isolationlife #staylocalsavelives

More money please - its for your own good

Some years ago, our dental practice went private. At the time I didn't think too much of it. The cost for my wife and I as patients wasn't wholly unreasonable, and the kids were still free. Costs have risen over the years. Not horrendously so, but enough to notice. My son who turned 25 last birthday now has to make a choice of staying with this practice or trying to find an NHS dentist accepting new patients. My daughter at 23 will be at that stage soon.

Obviously, during the pandemic, dental practices like most businesses had a hiatus. But now they're back and catching up. My practice which is now a BUPA one, wants - no, requires - that when patients visit the surgery they pay towards the costs of the PPE required over and above the normal treatment/plan costs under the guise of it being a "safety tariff". This is a minimum of £7 per visit and could rise to £25 depending on the reason for the appointment. They're arguing that their PPE costs have gone up a hundred fold and that this is only a temporary measure. I can accept costs may have gone up, but so has PPE for most businesses - hairdressers, restaurants, shops etc, most of whom never needed PPE or other safety measures in the first place, and they're not charging their customers for the privilege. The good old NHS isn't levying a tariff either. But it seems good old "private" healthcare customers are ripe for fleecing for a few extra pounds - it's not like private healthcare companies are short of a few quid either. 

We all have choices, and so it's hard to complain I suppose but this just seems unreasonable to me.

The older (oldest) generation

Tomorrow marks a sad and poignant day, but one to remember good things too. It's my mother-in-law's funeral, a lady I've known for almost the last 30 years. As a devout Catholic, stalwart member of her local church and matriarch to a large family, she would have wanted a proper send-off, something that's been denied her due to the Covid restrictions on funerals. There will be no church service, and a limited family and closest friends gathering at the crematorium. We will hopefully get a memorial mass at some point when churches re-open fully, so all is not lost, and despite the restrictions in place tomorrow we'll all do our best to remember her life and the wonderful lady that she was.

It also draws a line under her generation within both my wife's and my families. My wife lost her Dad in 2017, whilst my Mum died in 2002 and my Dad at the end of 2016. That means we, along with our brothers and sisters are now the elder (senior?) generation in both our families. Yikes!

Normality? Not yet, but it's getting there

Things are slowly creeping towards some sort of post lockdown normality. It's certainly not the normal we knew before Covid-19 appeared, but but it's most assuredly better than effectively being confined to quarters for the best part of three months.

Here in Wales we've looked in with a mixture of astonishment and jealousy as England has fairly speedily unlocked the various restrictions associated with lockdown. The Welsh Government has taken a much more cautious approach, welcomed by many but ridiculed by some, although I think the over-riding view has been that a steadier line is the right line.

Anyway, we can now travel pretty much anywhere (within reason) although the advice is as always, be sensible. Non essential retail shops have already opened, and this week sees the much anticipated re-opening of two of the most wanted services - pubs and hairdressers (my wife is delighted - about the hairdresser that is, and already has her appointment!).

Also good news for those looking for a break as self contained accommodation gets the green light  this week and campsites with shared facilities can get going from the end of the month. Our break away to Pembrokeshire is therefore a go-er, and I have to say I'm delighted, relieved and very much looking forward to getting away. Who knows, we might even get to a pub for beer and food!

Finally, team sports are also now allowed, and my cricket club sees it's first action next weekend in a season where frankly, we didn't think we'd see any cricket. I spent most of yesterday afternoon with others from our club helping to prepare the ground for next Saturday, and frankly that's the closest I've felt to normal in a long time.

Preparing the cricket pitch - a semblance of normality