March 31st: What a month that was

So we say goodbye to March. Or perhaps more appropriately good riddance. Saying that though, there's almost certainly worse to come, and as set out in yesterdays post, there's an awfully long way to go yet. If you can bear reviewing it, there's an article on the BBC titled "The month everything changed". Wherever we go from here, one things for sure, the world will never be quite the same.

Today's update from Chez Stats. All fit and well here. My wife and I went for a walk which turned out to be about 2.5 miles according to my iPhone. Only locally (obviously), bit it's quite interesting what you see on foot that you never really take notice of because you're in a car or a hurry to get somewhere. It wasn't a particular "lovely" walk as we are on the edge of town here, but we did see some wildlife. An R.A.T. scuttled across some grass in from of us and then poked his head back out and watched us intently for a couple of minutes affording me time to take at the following picture (I usually have my camera with me - always my phone, but frequently one of several others I own). Here's Mr Rat - not everyone's cup of tea, but this was cute a cute shot.

A local resident

Walking along a wooded path, I also spotted, though was unable to photograph due to it's speed and being tucked away in the branches, a coal tit. I haven't seen one of those for donkey's years, so counted the wildlife score on perambulation today as a good result.

My daughter is still having work IT issues - or rather her work IT is having trouble getting her connected (she's not alone in this), so her working from home is very stop start - more stop than start currently. As I mentioned the other day, I think businesses will learn an awful lot about their business continuity procedures as a result of this situation.

Otherwise it's been a day in the garden, and a lot more achieved than I set out to do. Oh - I've also booked seats and updated our Advanced Passenger Information for our holiday to Greece in June, more in hope than expectation #nochance.

Yesterday evening, all those we were supposed to be in the Peak District with this week caught up on the face to face social network app Houseparty, although I was slightly concerned about the numbers of people reporting being hacked in various ways after installing it. It seems this is slightly incorrect, although as with any app, using strong and secure passwords is key. we'll see - we intend to have a catch up once a week for a "virtual drink".

Just catching up on other news - deaths attributable (in part at least) to coronavirus in the UK are at almost 1,800. Still way short of the predicted "best case" 20,000. A new "hospital", the Nightingale has been built (or rather an existing building re-purposed) in just under two weeks, a stupendous achievement. Some supermarkets are supposedly easing restrictions on purchases - note "easing"not removing. And in one of the more amusing stories coming out of coronavirus, goats appear to have taken over Llanduno in North Wales.

The cat's had a mixed day. My wife, daughter and I attempted one of Joe Wicks workouts on YouTube this morning. That sent the cat barmy and she was running around like someone had set fire to her tail whilst we were doing that. Then she came and sat watching me gardening - we both like being outside. The rest of the afternoon, she's crashed on a sunny bed upstairs.

That's all for now folks. Check in for another instalment of #socialdistancing fun tomorrow.

March 30th: Silicone and Windows - but not that kind

So, starting with coronavirus/covid-19 because that's what prompted this renewed effort at blogging. Yesterday the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England said that it might be six months before life in the UK returns to normal. That's quite scary as that takes us to the end of September, although she did say that doesn't (necessarily) mean we'll be in complete lockdown for 6 months. And I was thinking today, that on the day that Boris (or whomever says it) says, "Ok folks, you can get out and about", where is everyone going to go first? I bet for a good many it'll be straight to the local pub (if it's still open). Those first few days post lockdown are going to be really weird I think, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
It's evident that some people still don't appreciate the seriousness of this pandemic. However, when it starts affecting those they know and love, perhaps that'll hit home. A couple of those nudged me today. First, a post on Facebook from someone I don't know, but who lives relatively locally said they had someone in there family that had "had" the virus. True or not, when it's just around the corner, it rams it home a bit. Secondly, as people that are famous (or at least well know) are reported to have been diagnosed, it also becomes a bit more scary. Obviously we've had a few politicians who have been diagnosed including the Prime Minister. Today I found out that one of my favourite musicians, American country/folk singer John Prine has not only been diagnosed, but it currently on a ventilator. That's not to say that I didn't appreciate what a terrible situation we are in before today, but this brings it home even more. As an aside, one of John Prime's songs "Ain't Hurtin Nobody" has got one of the best lines of any song ever:

There's roosters layin' chickens
And chickens layin' eggs
Farm machinery eating people's arms and legs

On the basis of that single line about farm machinery I bought his album "Lost Dogs And Mixed Blessings" which is absolutely splendid.

In #isolationlife today I've meandered between redoing the silicon sealant inside the conservatory and upgrading a laptop. You'll recall my sone was clearing out his bedroom the other day. Well he dug out his old laptop. I can't recall just how old it is (it's the one before the one he's got now), but he was going to chuck it. Ever the gadget hoarder, I dusted it down (literally), booted it up and found that it ran (almost) perfectly. I did a completer restore of the operating system (Windows 8) and today I upgraded that to Windows 10. Can't see anything wrong with the device, and it runs really well and quite fast for an machine a few years old. Bonus win as a spare machine (although I'm a Mac man).

Old laptop with W10 installed

As for the silicone..... Well I'm not the best DIY-er by a long way. But how hard can siliconing be? The professionals make it look easy. I look like I've done 10 rounds with a silicone gun and lost badly, and whilst the sealing will do a job, it ain't going to win any prizes for neatness. It's terrible stuff! And I only managed to slice my finger once getting the old stuff off. I've got a few tales about my DIY failures which I'll save for another day.

Hardly seen the cat all day.

March 29th: Curtains and quizzes

Today my wife and I should be in the car on the way to her sister's in Birmingham for a meet up with her other sister and brother, and all other halves, before all 10 of us take an onward journey tomorrow to the Peak District for 3 nights away, walking, eating and drinking beer.

But we're not. The coronavirus pandemic has put paid to that. It's really disappointing - it's been in the diary since the middle of last year, but it is what it is. Derbyshire will still be there when all this is over. So in the meantime, here's a couple of photos from our last visit there in October 2018.

Kept away from all news today - it's refreshing to take a break.

The peaks above Hathersage, Derbyshire

Derbyshire Peak District

In #stayathome mode today I've been cleaning and tidying up. Someone mused on Twitter yesterday (you understand by now that I'm a bit of a Twitter fanatic) that they were currently taking apart a p-trap under a sink having started doing something completely different, but had got distracted. That's me to a tee.I start doing one thing, then see something else and before you know it I'm taking down the curtains and hoovering them. Yes, you heard that right. I was trying to declutter my small study but went into the bedroom for something, glanced at the top of the curtains and realised how dusty they were. Is I took them down with a view to sticking them in the washing machine, but then read the label that said "dry clean only". So I hoovered the dust off. All worked ok if a little unorthodox!

We've done a couple of online (YouTube) family quizzes in the last couple of nights - another social distancing thing apparently.

The one on Saturday was a pub quiz sort of thing. Hard though. We're pretty good at quizzes (not brilliant, but not bad), and I top scored with 26/50! Rubbish effort.
Tonight we did a Monkman and Seagull one (they of University Challenge fame). This time my son top scored with 13/30 and I only got 10/30!!!! It was hard! They (or rather Bobby Seagull particularly) go off at a tangent throughout - he can talk for Britain - and the whole video is around an hour for just 30 questions. It's good fun watching though. Overall verdict on our scoring - must try harder. The cat could probably have done better.

22nd March 2020

A relatively quiet day in Chez Stats.

Anne (my wife) has been over to her mother's, partly because it's Mother's Day, but also because she's her part-time carer. Wrong though it felt, I decided not to go on the basis that really the general advice is not to visit others, even though it is my mother-in-law. I suspect however that there will be times over the coming weeks that I will have to visit. As I feel fine (as does my wife), and my mother-in-law - for an almost 94 year old housebound person with multiple pathology, it does feel wrong not to go, but that's what we're being told to do, so that's what we're doing.

I've been nowhere today, and neither have the kids. Its been another nice day if little breezy, so I've been doing some more gardening. My daughter has been trying to set up the laptop she's been given for potential home working, and despite being advised the set-up is "idiot proof" has run into an issue that requires advice when she's back in work tomorrow. Such is the nature of IT. It's supposed to be easy, but rarely is in my experience.

We've all (well me, my wife and son) had a go at Joe Wicks' YouTube "Worksout for Seniors" this morning. We chose the "seniors" version  at my wife's behest. She's only 59 😂. 10 minutes of fairly gentle exercises. Was quite funny to watch (us not the video), but on a serious note, as we move towards a more confined life for the present, maintaining any level of activity is important, and 10 minutes is nothing. What else are we going to do?

The news (and particularly social media) is still full of tales of scenes of idiocy at supermarkets and in some public spaces. Best avoided I think. Supermarkets and social media that is.

Tomorrow I have to go out as I'm due a regular blood test at the GP surgery, and to pick up my prescription.

I almost forgot. Last night me and my son watched Zombieland. Felt immensely weird watching an albeit comedy film about a zombie apocalypse give the current situation, but it was very funny. Well I thought so anyway. Reminds me, I might have to watch Shaun of the Dead (again).

The cat's been out enjoying the sun, and as per my quip yesterday that she could always go out hunting in these times of (some) food scarcity, she was spotted this afternoon coming home along the top of the fence carrying a large, dead R.A.T. Luckily we managed to catch her before she brought in indoors.