Lockdown Birthday

It was Ella's 80th Birthday recently. Of course all the good stuff Tara had arranged for her had the kybosh well and truly put on it, not to mention the theatre trip Tim paid for and family gathering we were to have the Saturday before. Hopefully the two nights away in October will still go ahead. Surely we'll be back to something like normal  by then! 

T put together an photo/Birthday album for her Mum and asked all to contribute and a fine piece of work it is, Ella loved it! But even the big day's plan had to be changed. We were going to assemble outside Ella's house at 11am, then the minutes silence for Key workers who have died from Coronavirus was announced for 11am...so we moved to 11.10am!  Banged on the door and Ella came out in her dressing gown to a chorus of Happy Birthday to you  and she loved it!  Those assembled were Tara, me, Alec, Tim, Jackie, Linda and Kevin, all socially

spaced of course. Oliver had been round earlier and Gary & Beren had phoned. Weather that had been really nice was crap today! Wet and cold, so proceedings didn't go on too long, and that was it! It certainly had the desired effect and I think it was as good a birthday that we could muster in todays strange world. We'll have a get together  once we're through this madness.

Julian's Birthday is only a week after Ella so we assembled again in a socially distance kind of way to celebrate, at least the weather was nicer.

Other than I'm still working from home as sales of particularly puzzles have gone mad. Tara too is run off her feet sorting online orders, Every cloud eh!

I think its day fifty something of lockdown and measures have been eased a little so you can go out more than once there's no limit on exercise but you still  have to keep 2m away from everyone and you can meet up with one family member outside of who you live with , but only one at a time.  It looks reasonably simple written like that but with building sites going back to work but under new measures and now schools possibly starting back in some form or other if its safe there appears to be much confusion, oh yes, you can go to work if its safe....or not, and don't use public transport if you can avoid it. Simples!! 

 You know I'm not a political animal but constant carping about the Government or the 'bloody tories' online is incredibly tedious. I doubt very much whether Labour would have made a better fist of it, its the same scientists they would have been listening to. Its very boring and again I almost decided to come off FaceBook of which I am a great fan as you also know.

To more interesting things. The Herts At War group I belong to had to change their monthly talks due to the virus and decided to put them online. It's actually more convenient for me because I could seldom be bothered to drive to the University of Hertfordshire in the evening to take part, so just plugging into a webinar suits me find, and what brilliant talks they have been!  The scope has been widened since they first started (it was just about aspects of World War One) to cover all sorts. There was a brilliant talk on the Battle of Waterloo by an ex Household Cavalry officer who's talk was so animated you'd have thought he actually took part!   It was interesting to get his thoughts on a cavalry charge as he'd done it with a Squadron of Household Cavalry, it demonstrated how quickly an organised knee to knee charge soon looses its formation and this is with trained troopers.

The historian James Holland also waxed lyrical about the Normandy Campaign of 1944, another excellent speaker. Others have been about the Battle of the Somme, Battle of the Atlantic, Italy 1943/5, Battle of Berlin, Nelson, The SOE, Battle of Britain, the RAMC by Andy Robertshaw the historical advisor on the recent feature film 1917,   Battle of the Bulge, the Boer War, Operation Market Garden  with more goodies to come. Even Alec will be joining me on Sunday (so popular have they been the talks are now twice a week) for a talk on Isandlwana the precursor to Rorkes Drift, in the Zulu War. They are about an hour long, though some happily overrun with Q&A'a after. 

Well its Friday evening and I'm finished for the week and a nice bottle of red beckons to me. Keep safe folks!

Here's afew photos of recent things.

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An idiots guide to an Idiot: Groundhog Day.

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Groundhog Day.: So, another three weeks of lockdown announced by the Government. Not stricter lockdown as some thought, though there are so many bloody expe...

Groundhog Day.

So, another three weeks of lockdown announced by the Government. Not stricter lockdown as some thought, though there are so many bloody experts popping up and the media are doing what they do best and painting the blackest picture they can and really just scaremongering! Its a terrible terrible thing but people are recovering. Just seems to me we need to hear the positives as well as the negatives.

Don't know whether you've ever seen the film I used as a title to this blog. Its a comedy starring Bill Murray  who's day gets repeated time and again, and life is turning into this abit. I'm still working from home (for now anyway!) and one day is much the same as the next with the added excitement of shopping on occasion. I also had to take Ella for a blood test at the doctors. I could not believe that she announced that she'd thought she would come shopping with me to Sainsburys after!! I tell you if the virus doesn't get my In-laws I'll end up bloody well strangling the pair of them!   

Another brilliant family quiz last night with Laura in the chair. Teams being Tara, Alec and I (ATM), Gary & Ellie (Bucks Quiz), Oliver & Laura (their quiz name escapes me)

Another good laugh and good evening, with us coming second (again!) to Bucks Quiz win (again!). Olly & Laura are doing next weeks quiz. It wasn't purposely going to be a weekly thing but I'm glad it is. It's a way of seeing everyone which is great! 

The Herts At War Project I belong to has for some time now run a series of lectures about World War One and now opening out to include other conflicts. With things as they are the lectures aren't taking place but the organisers arranged to run them on line instead. This has proved very successful. Now they are very week (shortly to be twice a week) all by leading historians who, like us are on lockdown. The talk on the Battle of Trafalgar had about nine hundred people listening from all round the world! Go to  www.hertsatwar.co.uk/  to find out more.

A talk a couple of weeks ago was about the Battle of the Bulge in March 1945.  When asked the question what did he think of the film of the same name the speaker said it wasn't very accurate but did say 'Band of Brothers,' was a very good portrayal of Easy Company, 506th Infantry Regt of the US 101st Airbourne Division. I've never seen this series but Alec has and likes it. he also has it on his laptop so we started watching it this morning. I have to say it is very absorbing viewing, can't think why I've not watched it before. There is an interesting piece at the start of each episode of veterans talking of their experiences, it is they who are portrayed in the series though you don't find out the vets identities until the end of the series. It's about  Alec's sixth time of watching!

Alec is cooking dinner today, the romantically named of 'Chicken with a can of beer up its arse.' 

Said chicken with a can of beer up its arse.

 

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Continued strangeness

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Continued strangeness: Day 21 of lockdown (I think!) A routine has taken over in these strange times. People still shop, there's no food shortages to speak of,...

Continued strangeness

Day 21 of lockdown (I think!) A routine has taken over in these strange times. People still shop, there's no food shortages to speak of, though I go shopping as little as possible. Tara had a nice idea of sending Olly & Gary & Beren a bottle of gin for Easter (we got Alec some beers) as we won't be meeting up, we'd originally planned a get together here. Had a really nice day on Good Friday. Got the BBQ going and cooked sausages ( a given for any bbq!), chicken drum sticks, pork chops and bacon, had some salad and as a sort of starter a carrot dip with veg. Played a game called Flickin Chicken in the garden, it was a beautiful day, then later on played a board game of QI which was very good. It's National Camping Day and Paul & Kate were planning to camp in their garden, Kate even rigged up an outside shower for them, so we thought we'd have the BBQ today to show solidarity with them though they ended up doing it the next day, Kate is very clever as she also made a kind of cooker out of a couple of tins. Very enterprising!

On  Alec's suggestion  we watched a Danny Boyle directed film called 'Yesterday' a couple of days ago. What a great little film! Basically a small time musician  gets knocked off his bike during a freak power cut across the world. He wakes up in hospital and although everything appears normal the world has never heard of The Beatles or coca cola. Although I'd say I'm not the greatest Beatles fan , the music was great. Basic feel good film, the girl who has loved him for years of which he is oblivious , eventually gets him. Do watch ! In these strange times we are living through abit of uplifting fluff like this is just great!

Also watched 'Emma' the screen adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. It starred Bill Nighy, twitching away as only he can, also Miranda Hart being, well Miranda Hart really. Didn't mind it though it was bit of a slog at times. Tara, who wanted to watch it more than I wasn't that keen which is a shame. It was never an Alec film though he sat through most of it. The musical accompaniment  was of the period (Regency) and T thought it sounded like Maddy Prior, on waiting for the credits it was indeed Maddy Prior and the Carnival band!

Another film Alec suggested was 'The Gentleman.' Bit of a gangster geezer type film and not generally a genre that would interest me but this wasn't bad at all. Hugh Grant can play characters other than a confused English toff as he displayed here. Though he was in a sort of Michael Caine warp for the film but it worked well. Chases, shoot'em ups and geezers. Enjoyed it!

Ida is on anti inflammatory tablets. The vets as everywhere are having to do things differently. So a phone consultation was the order of the day! Having described Ida's limp best I could the Veterinary thought it was probably a pulled ligament or muscle so no walks for a week and this medicine. Difficult of  course as it could also be just a bit of old age creeping in.  We're back walking her now and have done a maximum of 4 miles. She would seem OK. Getting the medicine from the vets was also unusual. Got to the car park, phoned to let them know I was there I'd already paid by card, a nurse lent out the door and put Ida's prescription on a chair then I could retrieve it. 

Taken by bino's on one of my walks with Alec, didn't really see anything though it was a delightful walk. The blossom is coming out and the Blue Belles are showing too, Alec has seen a couple of Hares on his early morning walks. I was pleased to hear this as its sometime since I've seen any in the general area of Church Bottom. It's still strangely quiet even when on walks as there are very very few aircraft flying because travel has pretty well stopped. We're only half an hour from Luton Airport so regularly saw and heard the planes around yet now its hard to find  even a vapor trail. Oh, nearly forgot! A Sparrow hawk actually took a Pidgeon  and devoured it in our garden! I got a couple of rather naff photos, there as alot of feathers! Paul told my about the British Trust for Ornithology's weekly garden bird count. They usually charge to do it but Paul thought as they'd made it free I'd be interested, which I was, so the count that week was abit more interesting. 

What else has happened? Oh yes, Beren did an excellent quiz for us all on Sunday night. We all connected on Skype and played in houses so Alec Tara & I were a team, as were Gary & Ellie, Olly & Laura and Alec's Laura played on her own as no one there wanted to do it. Beren had worked hard to make it varied and also a good balance of difficult and less difficult questions. The cleverest round  was one where all the answers were our names! It whiled away most of the evening and was a great laugh.

Just finished watching 'Rocketman' the Elton John biopic. A good film with some great music but not one I'd watch again I shouldn't think. If half the film is true to his life then he really wasn't very happy and certainly had a very odd and unloving family, felt sorry for him to be honest.

     

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Still Strange

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Still Strange: So it goes. Day 9 of lock down  and in some ways its getting like Groundhog Day and in others a routine is setting in. I'm still working...

Still Strange

So it goes. Day 9 of lock down  and in some ways its getting like Groundhog Day and in others a routine is setting in. I'm still working from home, for now sales of games and particularly puzzles are going well. Customers are doubling, quadrupling what they'd normally order if they are on line that is, as of course most shops are closed. There's a hardcore of customers that are doing well, all garden centres for instance are closed but it means I've been working daily and kept that routine going.

Alec has been walking Ida every day, if anyone, he is becoming alittle stir crazy. Both him and Laura have come from travelling the world, going to exotic places and I guess never a dull moment to lockdown! Very frustrating for them, I go with him at the weekend we are getting to know the walks round the quarry quite well.

Alec is a very good cook so he's cooked us some really nice meals. He's also done one of my 2000 piece puzzles and a 3D puzzle of the Man Utd stadium, he's just started another puzzle today.

Tara quite likes not going out! Which Ok to be honest as with asthma and fybro its not a good combination,  however she should probably get out sometimes. My exercise today was a trip to the supermarket. It was very civilised and calm. I got to Sainsburys at 8am, there was an orderly queue stretching around  the building but it only took about 10/15 minutes before I was in the shop. Staff were pleasant enough, everyone tried their best to keep distance, sometimes easier said than done with the inevitable bottle necks. I was able to get everything I wanted with the exception of gluten free flour and one or two unimportant items. By the time I got round to the pharmacy to collect prescriptions for both of us they were shut! New hours dictate they shut between 9& 10  to sort out drugs and re stock shelves. Got a couple of odds & sods for Ella & Julian, delivered them having a conversation with Ella from a safe distance, then back to Sainsburys for the pharmacy. I didn't have to queue again though, I just told the security bods I only needed the pharmacy and they let me in, I mean, why would I lie?   Then to the post office to send off Taras eBay sales which are buoyant at present and then home.

Alec helped unpack and £249 later we were sorted.  Alec was out with Ida before I left this morning, she'd developed a limp in her front left leg, its been on and off for a while so phoned the vet today. They too are obviously doing things  differently. A nurse took details and a vet will phone me tomorrow to discuss. Ida is probably aged somewhere between 7 or 9 ish so it could well be a touch of arthritis, I expect she'll get some tablets of some kind. This evening I did a film quiz  Oliver's friend Brandon had made. You had to identify the film from little pictures. 30 questions, there was 5 I couldn't get anything for, answers sent to Oliver and I am awaiting results. Tomorrows excursion will be to Holland and Barrett where they should have had some gluten free flour delivered so another fun packed day. 

Currently listening to 2112 by Rush having had an evening of Saxon, Iron Maiden, Magnum and Nighwish. So it goes.

      

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Strange

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Strange: Events are moving so fast that a blog I started to write yesterday is out of date but I leave it here for you to see: 'Strange times. ...

Strange

Events are moving so fast that a blog I started to write yesterday is out of date but I leave it here for you to see:

'Strange times. Shops with no karzi paper, empty isles that should be full of pasta and rice, working from home, gigs cancelled, sports cancelled, empty streets and now pubs, clubs, theatres etc told to close. Strange times indeed.
Pleased that Alec & Laura are home safe even though of course the last few months of their world tour have been completely buggered up. Alec & I took Ida for a walk this morning and he remarked that only a couple of weeks ago he was the only one that wouldn't have been  at home for Mothers Day and now he's the only one who is! We were going to have a family dinner here but thought better of it, just in case. Laura as a qualified teacher will be looking after key workers children for the foreseeable and popped in yesterday to more or less say goodbye for the next couple of months as she will be at risk of catching the virus and doesn't want to pass it on. Gary says Hilton Hotels are losing billions, with only one person staying at the Hilton on Lake Como last week its hardly surprising. I stayed in Lincoln earlier this week in the Doubletrees Hotel. Very new, multi story.....empty hotel! There was only seven people in the bar and no one at all in the restaurant.
In an unpreceded move the Government have said they'll pay 80% of peoples wages who can't work. Not sure how long it'll be before I get an extended un paid holiday so this is good news. There will be the detractors on FaceBook of course, there always is. But then you know my opinion of any politics on FB. It just doesn't belong there. Everyone is entitled to believe in whatever they want politically or otherwise but I don't need to know their opinion! FaceBook for me will always be the social side of social media and nothing more, as much as I really enjoy FB I've nearly left it a couple of times recently because of all the crap that's on it.
 Maybe they should have closed schools & pubs etc earlier but would any other party have done any better under these circumstances? I very much doubt it.'

Now today 23rd March 2020  the Prime Minister has put Britain on lockdown. I've had to re-read that sentence as I can't quite believe what I've written!
 Britain is all but on a war footing, it isn't nice and I'm worried but I know we will get through it. Mostly worried for my Love Tara who has health complications  that aren't good and worried for my dear In Laws who despite being old and venerable are  daft as brushes and don't get 'staying in' or 'isolation.' It nearly killed me ( and I nearly killed them!)   in trying to explain WhatsApp to them. Ella is trying really hard to get it and it shows, she's doing brilliantly.....However my Father in law isn't interested. What can you do old fruit?
Dark days ahead? Wish I knew, hope not. Hoping very much 3 weeks in lockdown will see it off so restrictions can be lifted to a degree. We have so many celebration this year , leave aside the gigs  that have been cancelled there's Ella's 80th Birthday, Julian's 77th Birthday, Laura's 30th Birthday, Tim's 85th Birthday ( :) ) . New Forest Folk Fest, Glasto,  our holiday escape to the Cotswolds. Nothing has ever turned life upside down as this. I hate it  and aside staying in there's bugger all I can do to help. Even if volunteers are requested  to do  things how can I if I bring home a potential virus to Tara!  As a Dad  you always look to keep everyone safe, hey, the boys don't need an old git like me but that doesn't matter,. I am there for them, as is Tara. Always. No questions. Always. But I can't protect anyone and I think that bothers me more than anything.
Our first night on lockdown was bit of a laugh tbh, played a game, had a drink. Blimey it was a good night! Moments after the PM spoke I felt compelled to send a quick WhatsApp  to our loved ones. I print it here:
'Unfortunately we are all involved in something that will go down in the history books. It will get better and we will have our family get togethers soon again. Keep safe. keep in! Love you all!!'
Never have a sent a more heart felt message to those I love. Funnily enough it then started a very quick fire bit of banter!
 I can only hope things don't get too much worse. We are all warm, got enough food and drink, plenty of games to play and our dear Ida to walk for exercise.  Keep safe folks!

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Sea

An idiots guide to an Idiot: Sea: I must go down to the sea again,     to the lonely sea and the sky; I left my shoes and socks there -     I wonder if they're dry?...

Sea

I must go down to the sea again,
    to the lonely sea and the sky;
I left my shoes and socks there -
    I wonder if they're dry?

So wrote the great Spike Milligan who lived in Rye only a few miles from where we are staying with our special chums Stan, Kas & Dan. Ida and I did go down to the sea today for a walk which turned out to be about four and a half miles. We headed off in the direction of the power station, a real blot on the landscape in my opinion but some of the locals think differently. The power station does guided tours which I'd like to go on but haven't organised yet, anyway, we trudged in that general direction and past various bits of flotsam and jetsam including a cormorant that had I'd imagine become a victim of nature  and a bloody great fish. No idea what type it was as it was in quite a decayed state but the pile of chips you'd need for it!
Turned back after a while and walked towards Greatstone Life Boat Station intent on having a pint at The Jolly Fisherman. Not so jolly when we got there as it was shut! However it was a very pleasant walk.