Tiers before bedtime

More bloody tiers. Call it what you like, it's just lockdown by another name and we're all going to be in tiers until the Spring. Deep joy.

Tier 2 for us and our son. As of Tuesday we can visit each other but only outdoors... in bloody December!! 

This virus is deadly, apparently, until Dec 22nd... BUT on Dec 23rd The Troops can come to ours - we can hug and kiss, they can even stay the night! - then on Dec 28th the virus becomes deadly again and we're back in Tier 2. Yeah, right! If it's as dangerous as they'd have us believe, why are schools open, why are shops, restaurants and pubs opening up again and why 'allow' us to meet up over Christmas, with no social distancing? I think we all know the answer to that. We're being played for fools.

There's a serious case of smoke and mirrors going on here. Boris has ballsed up time and time again since this whole debacle started - he's now just trying to delay the inevitable moment when he has to face the music and own up to what he's done to our country.

This lockdown has had much more of an effect on my mood than the first one. Each day is just a matter of getting through it; there seems to be no end in sight, sadly, and that only makes it worse. 

I'm not in my dotage yet, but at my time of life every year counts; I'm giving up at least a year of what's left of it to Boris's criminally poor handling of a virus. A virus which more than 99% of people survive. That's a year I'll never get back. Nine months, and counting, since I hugged my grandchildren...

I glanced out at the sky as I was closing the shutters last evening; it was really clear - looking south-easterly I could see Jupiter, Saturn, Mars and the Moon. So beautiful. The lump of rock we inhabit seemed pretty pathetic by comparison.

Made a really nice pasta dish yesterday - it doesn't look anything special but it was definitely greater than the sum of its parts. Flavoursome, creamy and easy - best of all, it's all store cupboard stuff that's always to hand - what's not to like? I should have taken a pic but I only remembered when it was half eaten... duh!

We're into December next week, almost Christmas in fact! Season of mince pies, cake, naff films and more snacks than you can shake a stick at! Maybe that'll buck me up and get me to pull myself together.

Memories of better times

Breakfast was so lovely. We were shown to a table under a parasol at the edge of the terrace; just beyond the low wall small boats were transporting goods down the canal; larger water taxis were filled with people going about their day.

We ate mango and strawberries, little jars of vanilla yogurt and warm freshly baked pastries with chilled fresh orange juice and a pot of coffee. 

Birds were darting down from the overhanging trees in the hope of finding a few crumbs. It was bliss, I could have sat there all day.

That was then...

This is now...

Porridge at the kitchen table with a view of our garden under a grey sky... and a squirrel burying a walnut in the grass. Little devil.

Everything is so crap, the best thing I can do is keep dragging thoughts of better times from the deep recesses of my memory. I've revisited all sorts of places we've been. I'd give a lot right now to go out for breakfast or lunch but, even when Lockdown 2.0 is over, it's not going to happen if we still have to wear a bloody mask or have our temperature taken at the door. 

When the whole Covid thing started back in March some people were so spooked by it they were sanitising everything that came into their house and even quarantining their post - I read today that many of them are still doing it nine months later! Are they completely mad?! 

I imagine these are the same people who want us to be locked down until any possible threat of Covid has passed or until we've all been forcibly vaccinated. They really need to grow up and have a word with themselves. It's a wonder Mr S-V and I are still standing - I've never got involved in any of that "sanitising the shopping" nonsense. Just wash your hands and wipe the worktop with anti-bac spray, for goodness sake.

People are becoming seriously fatigued with all this now - the fear narrative we've been fed is wearing a bit thin and folk are questioning the veracity of the daily "cases and deaths" figures. Boris has handled it so badly; seems we're all going through this charade to avoid us finding out just how badly.

Having Christmas hanging over us like the Sword of Damocles isn't helping. We're craving the normality of being with our family and friends, but all we hear are threats from alleged scientists about dire consequences if we do. One Prof even said "There's no point in having a very Merry Christmas and then burying friends and family in January and February". Well, isn't he Mr Cheerful?!

I imagine Boris will appear on TV at some point and, like a Fairy Godmother, say "You shall go to the ball!" He's desperate to be seen as the good guy who 'saved' Christmas... bit late for that, Matey; that ship sailed a long time ago.

Turned a bit parky this week; we woke up to our first frost of the winter on Thursday morning - very chilly! I made a vat of broccoli and stilton soup, some of which we had for lunch with warm ciabatta; it really hit the spot. If I can get some coriander from M&S on Monday I might make some carrot and coriander soup - I seem to have cornered the market in carrots! Slight case of over-ordering by the purchasing dept, I think.

Vaccine? Not for me, thanks

Well, everyone seems to be hailing the imminent advent of a Covid vaccine. Everyone that is, except me. 

I'm not an "anti-vaxxer", individuals should do whatever they want, but there is no way on this earth I'll be having any such vaccine until it's undergone a hell of a lot more testing. I refuse to be an unpaid guinea pig for a drugs company.   

There's a reason it takes around 10 years to develop drugs and vaccines; it's the only way to establish what the long term effects may be. So if anyone thinks I'm being injected with something that's been around for five minutes, they're very much mistaken. Govt keeps trumpeting how safe it is, but if they're so sure of its safety why indemnify Pfizer, Astra Zeneca, etc. against lawsuits for damages? Just asking...

We're being given the sweetener that if we're good boys and girls and have the nice new shiny vaccine, we might... might... be able to hug our loved ones sometime next year....maybe. Naff off, Boris, and don't patronise me.

I saw that weasel Hancock on TV saying any vaccine will not be made compulsory but, like the rest of them in Westminster, he's a liar so I'll take it with a pinch of salt. They'll probably make it almost impossible to not have it by putting conditions on those who refuse. We'll see.

I'm so sick of this Covid business. I'm being eaten up with rage and resentment; I'm sure it's not good for me. Govt ministers are all running around like headless chickens when there's absolutely no need. I hope they never have a real crisis to deal with if this is the best they can do. Thank god there's not a war on.

Woke up this morning to rain absolutely hammering on the window - typical November weather. It then turned into brilliant sunshine and a cool breeze! I think the weather's confused and a bit tired and emotional, just like the rest of us.

Mr S-V has taken it into his head to give the hall a lick of paint so, while he was doing that this morning, I've been tidying up the freezer to make room for a few Christmas treats; I've already made some little Cheese and Onion Quiches and a batch of Not Sausage Rolls which are stashed safely in the frozen depths. Waitrose and Betty's can make the pudding, mince pies and cakes - there's a limit to how far my Christmas spirit will stretch this year... not very far at all, actually.

More lies

One thing that really surprises me about this virus is how willing people are to put their lives on hold. Politicians lie, no-one ever believes anything they say, that's a given just as night follows day... so why are people suddenly so keen to believe the guff being spouted by Govt? The evidence for Covid being a serious threat to life is, at best, flimsy and, at worst, a pack of downright lies, but people just lap it up. They nod their heads sagely and blindly go along with it all. Why?

When Boris called a second lockdown he said infection rates were rising and there was "...no alternative". Not Actually True. Infection rates were already falling. His decision for Lockdown 2.0 was based on figures which were inflated to 'prove' his point and then quietly changed again. See what I mean about politicians lying...? Has this knowledge of his lies made any difference to a gullible Joe Public? No, not at all.

All it took was a single press conference to influence people's thinking and scare them into compliance; it'll take a hell of a lot longer for them to see sense and realise this isn't about controlling the virus... it's about controlling them. More fool them for falling for it. They'll wake up one day and realise they've been had.

Sad to see even HM the Queen has been sucked into this lunacy and has worn a mask in public for the first time. She was a small beacon of normality while she was holding out against it, but I suppose she has to be seen to support the line being peddled by Govt... no matter how dishonest it is.

I watched the Remembrance Day Service from the Cenotaph this morning and observed the Silence. The Queen was there as were most members of the Royal Family. Very moving, as usual, but very different and somehow even more poignant without the marchpast of veterans. It must have been hard for them to be excluded, particularly as some of the older ones won't be around for the next one. This was entirely Boris's doing - I lay the blame squarely at his door. It will not be forgotten.

Strange times we live in. Donald Trump is out of the White House and Joe Biden is in... Good Luck America, you'll need it.

We did a bit of gardening yesterday before the garden goes into its own winter lockdown. Just a bit of cutting back, some tidying up and Mr S-V transplanted some strawberry plants. There were eight tight little buds on my white rose, looking a bit sorry for themselves - they clearly weren't going to bloom stuck out there in the cold so I brought them indoors and put them in a jug on the mantlepiece. They started to open today... the last roses of summer.

Here we go again... Round 2

                         Remember, remember the Fifth of November

                               Gunpowder, treason and plot 

                         I know of no reason

                               Why the Gunpowder Treason

                                        Should ever be forgot

Well, here we are... Lockdown 2.0, day 1 and Bonfire Night. Quite apt that both should fall on the same day; just a shame we don't have a modern day Guy Fawkes to hand who could sort out Parliament with a barrel or two of gunpowder...

Once again, we're all being prevented from seeing our friends and loved ones; we're effectively in prison even though we've done nothing wrong.

I am forbidden by British law from seeing my son. I know... it sounds utterly impossible, but that's where we are right now.

Truth be told, apart from not seeing the Troops, lockdown won't make a lot of difference to us - we've been nowhere much since the middle of March - but some poor souls are having to go through the pain, again, of having their livelihood whipped from under them. Quite how long the country can go on like this is anyone's guess. I dread to think of the state of people's mental health when this is all finally over... not that Boris or the NHS gives a toss.

Traffic volumes today are right down, it's a case of 'spot the car' - the only people out and about are delivery van drivers and lorry drivers.

Once again supermarkets are running out of certain items because stupid people insist on stockpiling stuff. Just what the hell are they doing with all those toilet rolls? Actually, no... don't bother, I'd rather not know!

Our usual dinner out before Christmas, euphemistically known as the "office party", is just one more thing in a long list that's cancelled this year. Our favourite restaurant emailed me today to say how sorry they are to have to close again, but they "...hope to welcome guests back before Christmas". I sincerely hope so too, but I have my doubts on two counts... will they still be in business and will we still be in lockdown?

My lovely neighbour texted me yesterday offering help with shopping if we need it during lockdown. How nice is that?

Regardless of all the Covid nonsense, we still have to make some sort of plan for Christmas; luckily I've managed to book a Waitrose slot for Sunday 20th. There may also be a small delivery from Bettys and perhaps a little something from Hotel Chocolat...!