I was asked about how other parents were managing - t is okay for us - the kids are miles away and have kids of their own ...
And for something different ...
Flight of the Bumblebee - Melodica man
Too good not to have another one ....
Barber of Seville...
Finally had the package of cardboard boxes arrive so Susie can post off the hats. Srted teh boat yesterday and all seems to be good - pumped tyres up and cleaned throughout...
Will be sorry to see her go - but she was just sitting in the warehouse and unlikely to use again.
Makes a lot of room to work in now.
Meanwhile
Serenades Number 6 : The band played Waltzing Matilda....
For my Masonic Friends - a good colleague John Watson - Provincial Almoner for West Wales penned this missive....
Charge after Corvid 9
Brethren, as you have passed through the month of your lockin, let me congratulate you on being a sensible member of our ancient and honourable institution. Ancient no doubt it is, as having subsisted from time when we used to meet, and honourable it must be acknowledged to be, as by a natural tendency it conduces to make safe those who are obedient to its guideline. Indeed, no institution can boast a more solid foundation than that on which Freemasonry rests - the practice of every safe and social distancing. And to so high an eminence has its credit been advanced that every day Grand Officers themselves, have not thought it derogatory to their dignity to exchange the black shoe for the carpet slipper, have supported our situation and not joined in our assemblies.
As a Freemason, let me recommend to your most serious contemplation the Volume of Government Guidance, charging you to consider it as the unerring standard of truth and safety, to regulate your actions by the information it contains. Therein you will be taught the important duties you owe to your wife, to your neighbour, and to yourself. To your wife, by never mentioning her choice of evening television remembering that before coronavirus that was her company for at least three nights a week, and by looking up to Her in this emergency for comfort and support. To your neighbour, keeping your distance and not returning his gardening tools you borrowed two months ago in case you may be passing on the virus, by helping him without detriment to your own health, and by doing to him as in similar cases you would wish he would do to you. And to yourself, by such a course of discipline as may best conduce to the preservation of your safety and sanity thereby enabling you to once again at some time be of service to the Brethren and Freemasonry.
As a member of the Province, I am to enjoin you to be exemplary in the discharge of your safety duties, by never exiting your house without due cause or by any act that may have a tendency to risk the health of a Brother, by paying due obedience to the guidance of any authority which has for a time become the place of your residence or afford you its protection, and above all, by never losing sight of the allegiance due to the Grand Lodge of your native land, ever remembering that its daily updates shows their indissoluble attachment towards you since your initiation.
As an individual, let me recommend the practice of every domestic' as well as public safety: let Prudence direct you, Temperance sustain you, Brethren support you, and common sense be the guide of all your actions. Be especially careful to maintain your health in its fullest splendour, which you have already amply illustrated by sobriety and temperance.
Still, as a Freemason, there are other excellences of character to which your attention may be peculiarly and forcibly directed: the foremost of these is safety. Safety consists in an inviolable adherence to the guidance you have received never improperly to expose yourself to any of those risks which have now been, or may at any future period be, entrusted to you to keep, and cautiously to avoid all occasions which may inadvertently lead you so to do. Your understanding must be exemplified by a strict observance of the Guidance of UGLE, by adhering to the directions of the document, by never attempting to evade or otherwise evading the issues raised, and by refraining from recommending anyone to a disregard of them. Your compliance must be proved by a strict observance of our directions, by prompt attention to all coughs and temperatures, by modest and correct demeanour in the virtual lodge, by abstaining from every topic of negativity.
And as a last general recommendation, let me exhort you to dedicate yourself to such measures as may at once enable you to survive, so as to be useful to mankind, and not just an ornament to the human race; to study more especially those television short information films as may be shown before your favourite soap opera, and without neglecting the ordinary duties around the house, to endeavour to make a daily advancement towards that glorious day when we all meet again.
From the very commendable attention you appear to have given to this charge, I am led to hope you will duly appreciate the value of safety, and indelibly imprint on your heart the sacred dictates of patience, of sensibility, and of survival
I also saw this -
On a more challenging picture - I saw this - find the face ....
And in summary of how the world is today - We seem to have Trump calling upon the states to "liberate" themselves from the Lock-downs...
After first claiming that it was his sole authority to open the country again (challenged by the States who claim the authority) and then back-tracking and saying that it was down to the States to do so (States claim "passing the Buck without paying the Bucks") he now pronounces upon the protests in states - (they are mainly Democratic Governors) so as to undermine...
What a way to govern...
Oh, and of course we have to bring in the 2nd amendment - the right to bear arms, because that is of course relevent !!
Of course we are still trying to get to the stage of testing essential workers, let alone patients and general population - with the speculation that there may not be immunity following recover.
So Shutdown Serenade No 5: Out of Kit this time as more modern...
On lighter matters - Day 3 of the Shutdown Seranades... The Vicar and the Frog..
And since we cannot move at the moment - Krysia sent some photos of the gradens at Ffynnon Wen..
Ho Hum....
So I did another video - Bothvar ... Shutdown Seranades #4
Have two more to do today... None LARP but thought I would get them down for posterity...
Seems that the person who bought the boat will be coming to collect it on Sunday - they have a job in Pembrokeshire and can pick it up on the way back it seems so will have to go to the Warehouse today to move the tariler - swap it with the boat and check the boat over - it has been in the lock-up for a couple of ears - so will check it all out...
Will also have to check on the progress of the rotovator ...
Not so sunny today - so will be a day for doing some work - not too much - but some !!
They came to pick up the scrub bags this morning - so Susie waiting on the material to arive to start onthe scrubs themselves. She is in the sewing room at the moment putting the pattern together - it came in PDF form on 48 pages - so she has to cut them all up and stick them together to get a proper pattern - still better than wasting a forest and postage...
Seems that the pattern many have been using was designed for Male and no-one noticed that most ladies are wider around the hips - and many have not been able to be used by the female nurses - but she has the right version so all should be well.
Another lovely sunny day - so have been out and cleared the duck pen and changed the pond water, cleaned the solar fountain and cleared teh dog poo. Had breakfast and all is wellwith the world....
Sorted the BT Basic for Vic it seems - and there was an answerphone message on my mobile to apologise for delays and say that they have fixed it all now.. Also the DWP seem to have failed to get Vic's pension into the bank this mornign - but an email to warn me of the overdraft should stop additional bills. May have to chase them up tomorrow. My problems are nothing by comparison to those trying to get Universal Credit or Government Bail Out!!
Completed another video yesterday - this time the "Sloop John A" - by Les Barker..
Sloop John A
Think I will try to get one a day done for the next few days....
Saw this advert for Chinese Quality Street selection box...
For the Trekkies...
Milkshake will never be the same again ..
My Retired Police Friend made this obervation... "Quarantine has turned us all into dogs. We roam the house all day looking for food. We are told NO if we get too close to strangers. We get over excited about car rides." Personally I am looking forward to Thursday - we get to put the bins out - I am not sure what I am going to wear!
Thought for the day :"How do so many people get simple sayings wrong? Answers on a coastguard please...."
LINK JOHNS HOPKINS Office of National Statistics (new figures) Short of bubble wrap this morning as Susie has been selling so much on Ebay.so had a quick trip across to the Warehouse - looking a right mess - but managed to get some wrap. On the way back saw that Paul the mechanic was in so popped in to see him and he agreed to have a look at the rotovator. Took it around and tried a quick pull on the starter rope - and lo and behold it started !!! Didn't keep going though - so there is still a need to have a look at it, and left it with him... So, back to the grind again - BT have sent a message back saying that they cannot proceed with the application for Vic to have BT Basic as I sent them a copy application. They seem to have forgotten that they have the orginal - which is why I sent the copy to show that I applied back in March... Ho hum - will have totrythe intertweb and see if I can chase what he has on line.... Still , now that we have found an alternative place for him to live it will probably get sorted after we have left! Okay BT Basic now set up as of today - and a refund for the last month - calls will cost 15p a minute - but the monthly rental is £5.75 including £1.50 in calls, and capped at £10 so should be better witha maximum worse case scenario of £15.75 a month ..... Normal should be about £6 I think .. Now onto EE tio find out why the mobile phone will not take incoming calls.... All go today ..... In other news - saw this neat idea for wine storage...
A nice wooden Staircase..
With drawers to open..
as a wine rack !!! I approve of this ... and of this - Daleks sing Gilbert and Sullivan.. Oh Yes!
So - did a couple of videos in the "Crimson Moon" Basement - "Wizard's Knob" and the "Sloop John A" - adding them to youtube now .... Did a Facebook version and now adding the top and tail for Youtube ... Susie has started making scrub bags for the local NHS - still waiting on the material to arrive to start on the scrubs themselves...
Ordered some nice bottle brushes as susie had lost her ones and she was making wine for me and it seemed only the right thing to do - arrived today - I thought they were good value - a set of 6 for under £4. I realise why now - when they gave the size - I thought it was the size of the brush area - about 6 inches - which was the size of the lost brush - came back - they were 6" in total - the brush part was only one ince long - not much good for doing the bottles - had to revert to a Susie to get the correct size - I tried !!! New Cover Picture and Profile .. seemed appropriate ...
So - will add the videos when completed - and for now ..
Thought for the day: "Thieves have stolen all the road signs in West Yorkshire. Police are looking for Leeds."
LINK JOHNS HOPKINS Office of National Statistics (new figures) Back from the Bank Holiday and no movement on the solicitors. Contacted my Premier Property and managed to speak to someone in the office - but not a conveyancer - so asked for someone to phone the solicitors but have no way of knowing what may happen. Left a message for the Purple Bricks Agent in case they can gee things up - buit only going to answerphone so I am presuming she is not working at the moment. All very frustrating .. as we are now on the dates that they were execting to complete. Ho Hum Sunny day though a little cold today ... Managed to do my video of teh Maiden's Cream story and hoping to have it as a Video Wtach later on this evening - not sure how that wokrs but will find out today ...
In other news ... Trump has declared war on the media - no change there - has claimed that he has ultimate authority to re-open the USA - despite the governors, that will be an interesting one to watch.... here we get some statisticis whic start to sho w how bad things are in the Care Homes... Luckily - we still have Vic isolated in Burry Port, though we have now shown him the new complex up in Llanybyther and he is excited about a move when safe.....
I need to head out today to try to get my prescription drugs renewed, also have a pile of drugs we have discovered in clear down to hand back to the chemist. Not sure where they came from but all out of date. Saw this litle missive - though in reality people are now starting to keep home - not sure how long it will last. France has shut down until May 11th. Don't think that we are saying any dates...
In other news - we have bought 30 metres of cotton so Susie can start making Scrubs - we have foudn that much of the material is not available - so she has gone for bottle green for Paramedics and we think we have found some blue for nurses.
Thought this was quite apt for the Easter seasion ... And so we are just sending a message to stay at home ..
Well, having lambasted the US over the last few days - it is time to have a closer look at the time scale in the uk and the missed opportunities that have led us to where we are today...
Ian Sinclair and Rupert Read original in the Byline Times... (for bias : Rupert is is an academic and a Green Party campaigner and a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion. Ian Sinclair is a freelance writer based in London, UK.)
But a summary here for posterity... as news often changes later.. (my red highlighting)
October 2016: Exercise Cygnus, a three-day training on how to deal with a pandemic, is carried out, involving all major government departments, the NHS and local authorities. “It showed gaping holes in Britain’s Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response plan.” A report on the exercise has never been published, with a senior former government source with direct involvement saying the findings were deemed “too terrifying” to be revealed. A senior academic directly involved in Exercise Cygnus and the current pandemic said: “These exercises are supposed to prepare government for something like this – but it appears they were aware of the problem but didn’t do much about it.” (Sunday Telegraph)
14 September 2017: National Risk Register Of Civil Emergencies published by the Cabinet Office. The report notes “there is a high probability of a flu pandemic occurring” with “up to 50% of the UK population experiencing symptoms, potentially leading to between 20,000 and 750,000 fatalities and high levels of absence from work.” (Cabinet Office) 30 July 2018: UK biological security strategy published, addressing the threat of pandemics. It “was not properly implemented, according to a former government chief scientific advisor… Prof Sir Ian Boyd, who advised the environment department for seven years until last August and was involved in writing the strategy, said a lack of resources was to blame.” (Guardian) 2 January 2020: “Chinese authorities have launched an investigation into a mysterious viral pneumonia which has infected dozens of people in the central city of Wuhan.” (BBC News) Mid-January 2020: “From about mid-January onwards, it was absolutely obvious that this was serious, very serious”, notes John Edmunds, a professor of infectious disease modelling and a key adviser to the government. (Reuters) 21 January 2020: “China’s health ministry has confirmed human-to-human transmission of a mysterious Sars-like virus that has spread across the country and fuelled anxiety about the prospect of a major outbreak as millions begin travelling for lunar new year celebrations.” (Guardian)
