Corona Diaries

Bruce

“This week I had my first Zoom meeting. I found it strained and oddly quiet. Thirteen of us sat looking at

each other's kitchens or bookshelves.”

Background Information

Male, aged 65-74, Retired Commercial fitter/financial advisor, South Wales, White, Married with two

adult children.

April 2020

My wife now washes bananas three times before we can eat them. She was a nurse in the local Special

Care Baby Unit and previously instilled hygiene habits still remain with her. Our home is virtually sterile.

Nothing could enter this house uninvited and stay alive for more than a minute. Anything that comes past

our door has to be washed, wiped down, sometimes stored for days before use. Unpacking and cleaning

the shopping usually takes an hour. The mail is left in the hall disinfected for up to three days. I am now the

proud owner of my very own Marigold gloves. These are also washed each time after use.

It is her birthday today, Liz is seventy-nine. She is unpacking cards and presents and has a lot of both.

Most of our paper would normally be recycled but much of it now goes into black bags as we don't trust it to

be free of germs anymore. Even though the postman wears gloves, he is treated with suspicion.

Everything is ordered online. After early difficulties food deliveries from supermarkets are now easier

because we are on the government's 'vulnerable list'. We don't always get what we ask for and one time

our order was reduced by about 70%. Substitutions can vary too. Last week we did not receive wine we

ordered but we did get an Easter egg and a box of Weetabix. As much as I enjoyed both I felt they were

sad replacements.

We isolated weeks before the lockdown. Last year, Liz was diagnosed with lung cancer and treated in

Cardiff. We can't take any risk of infection. We could see the danger was imminent so I spent £25 on

birthday cards in March and sent them all out early to cover those due in April and May. I now wonder if I

should have sent Christmas cards too.

We are both in our seventies and I am disabled. Despite medication my legs give me constant pain and I

have difficulty walking. Nevertheless, five years ago I was advised to walk as much as possible so I did.

Sometimes I really did not want to but I went out and walked. As time went on I enjoyed the walks more

and learned to accept the pain. We live in Swansea, it is a lovely place to wander around and now I miss

my walks.

Our front door is a 'stable' type where the top only can be opened. If we have a visit from any of our family,

we chat to them from the hallway while they stand on the pavement. We blow kisses with calls of, 'moi,

moi,' and give virtual hugs. Being a normally tactile couple, this is so alien it feels comic.

We had a prescription delivery today. We never asked for one, it just turned up. The bag was filled with

medicines we have enough of already. The doctors' must have told the pharmacy to send it out. I can't

understand why, if everything is in such short supply, they send out stuff we have not asked for and do not

need. The mail arrived next then the food delivery. Most of the day was taken up wiping down each item

received.

The news on the TV is about the virus 24 hours a day. Stock-market volatility is mentioned occasionally. Oil

is now worth minus $40 a barrel. There is so much being pumped out there is not enough storage. Tankers

are docked up and being used as storage tanks so shipping companies are charging them for keeping it.

But I doubt if the forecourts will be paying motorists to fill up.

Before this lockdown began, I sent for a battery thermometer and a cheap battery haircutter from Amazon.

(Amazon's Stock has risen about 30% lately). Now these are twice the price if you can get them. I saw a

thermometer normally priced at £1 now being sold for £5. Then I saw another of the same type for £1 so I

clicked on it. The postage was £50. Someone will unknowingly click on that. Yes, they may send it back for

a refund and get their £1 back but postage is not refundable.

April 27

Liz cut my hair last week, it looks ok. When I was younger, I had a beard for six weeks until my face felt like

bramble bush and I shaved. Due to curiosity and boredom, I'm trying again. My beard is now five days old.

It is an odd way of filling the time.

Liz told me I sounded angry today. Yesterday I told her she was irritable. She agreed. We both got over it.

Seclusion must affect us in different ways. I hope we can cope. The internet is overflowing with self-help

ideas and funny clips of people and animals. It's open season on mobile phone filming.

Tonight, we open the window and give a good clap for the NHS and all key workers. This seems a strange

thing to do as they can't see or hear us. I suppose it's symbolic. And it's an excuse to see neighbours. In

Queen Street near here people go out to the street, put on music and dance. Social distancing rules may

be stretched there I fear.

The beard is gone. I looked in the mirror this morning and wondered who I was and why did I look like

something found at the bottom of a skip? Even though we have no contact with the world I still have some

vanity.

Another haircut, this time a lot closer. It's really good. Liz is getting to be an accomplished barber. I wonder

how barbers will manage when life becomes normal?

Liz's daughter, Sophia and her partner, Max live nearby. They visit a few times a week when walking the

dog. Friends phone us, we phone friends. Social media keeps dinging Liz's phone throughout the day. I

wonder if we do more socialising now than we did before, even though it is contactless. We live in a small

terrace just off the main road. Our next-door neighbour, Nia asks if we need anything from the local shops.

We leave our money on the one of the dividing walls at the front or rear of the house and she puts the

goods there for us to collect. It used to be busy most of the day with those looking for parking spaces. Very

few cars or people are seen in the street now.

President Trump has put his foot in it again and of course once more denies it's his foot print left in the

mud. He suggested we might inject disinfectant into ourselves to kill coronavirus germs? USA sales of

disinfectant have soared.

Some days later he has come out with his usual "who can I blame to take the blame off me" tactic. To

deflect the flack of the disinfectant outcry the president now blames China for creating the virus in a lab and

setting it free. He has proof. It's odd that even in the Whitehouse no-one else has any. He is an amusing

side-track to life. But he seems a dangerous one. I keep picturing him with his finger on the button.

I have been isolating for seven weeks now, Liz for eight. She is waiting to go out for a trip in the car and

find a place without any people, possibly the beaches or the Beacons. She misses her photography. I think

mostly we have been very accepting of the general situation. Maybe it's because we're old and too tired to

rebel.

May 2020

08 May

This week I had my first Zoom meeting. I found it strained and oddly quiet. Thirteen of us sat looking at

each other's kitchens or bookshelves. Not a great success for me nor, I think, some others. I found it

disconcerting talking to a TV screen full of small pictures of people. If others feel the same way as I do then

the next innovation could be Zoom-autocue.

But this is how most interviews are now conducted on TV. Video links are on TV all day. I'm amazed how

many of us have bookshelves behind us. I've never seen so many books. The only change is when the

cookery demos are from someone's kitchen. TV companies can't make any programmes now so they're all

dredging up stuff from some a forgotten age and calling them the return of the classics. The result is that

half the actors in the country are out of work and packing parcels for Amazon or riding bikes for Deliveroo.

We have a rainbow on our window to show support for the NHS. It's the latest design drawn by children

now stuck at home. Thursdays we hang out of the window and clap and bang saucepans for the Key-

workers still running this country. It's not just the NHS, it's bus drivers, truck and van deliveries, shop

workers and many more. Our street has only eight inhabited in houses but we all take part at 8p.m. on

Thursdays. It's one of the few times we see each other now.

Listening to the daily updates of the disease is getting embarrassing. Sometimes I'm squirming as

politicians give their opinions and statistics. It's gone from "we'll all work together" back the usual blame

game. That is to be expected, they are politicians after all and point scoring is the main aim. But suddenly

the Government are terming the (up to now) 30,000 deaths as a "success", and how they were right to deal

with things as they did. Though they obviously locked down too late, misread the PPE situation and never

tested enough. Their initial estimate was 20,000 if we were not careful.

My son was on a mountaineering trip in South East Europe in March this year when he heard about lock

downs starting there. He and his friends raced to the airport and found it closed. They drove through

Poland and got the last flight out of there. All the way through these countries they were repeatedly stopped

and tested for their temperatures at check points. When they got off the plane in Heathrow they just walked

straight out and got on the train. Only now, eight weeks later, are they talking about passengers being

checked when coming in from airports all over the world. But this does not start until early June and then

they are being advised to self-isolate. No checks will be made on their movements. Around Britain's main

airports are strings of empty hotels. I see no reason why incoming visitors could not be put in them for two

weeks at a time.

We have the highest death rate in Europe now. Except that, apparently, we can't trust every other country's

figures any more. We can't compare them as they are not like for like. Odd that we could trust their figures

when the UK did not have the leading death rate but now we can't. They say we have to wait until this is

over and then look at the numbers again. This is typical of how the government has handled things. They

keep kicking the can down the road. Promises, promises, promises. Targets and targets and more targets.

But it's all jam tomorrow the one target they have reached was 1000 tests a day. But it took them two

months to reach it and they did that only once. And then only by fiddling the figures and sending out test

kits on masse by post. The kits may have all ended up in landfill for all we know. That target has not been

reached again since. Now they've upped it to 2000 a day. It's a planned exercise in making the public have

some confidence in their ability to control things. But it's short term thinking and has to bounce back on

them. Trouble is, politicians in power then stand at their lecterns and brazen it out. As career politicians

they are taught to do this with their egos specially coated in Teflon. Total arrogance seems to be a

prerequisite for the job.

They keep giving us promises that the Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for nursing staff and care staff

is being delivered by the billion but they don't mention that the staff can need to change these outfits about

eight times in a full day. Care homes can't get any. Care homes now account for a third of the deaths in

Britain. They have been totally ignored in their pleas for PPE.

I know this sounds like I'm anti-government. I'm not. They've done a good job on the furlough enterprise.

And the Nightingale hospitals, although not needed as spare capacity now, were a great idea. They had to

do it, we may still need them as a reserve and I wouldn't want to dismantle them yet. But as with Brexit,

most of our politicians are in power now because the public were fed up with distant bureaucracy and

politicians in ivory towers who promise anything and do nothing. This aspect went away for a while when

BoJo forced the Brexit deal through but it's in danger of coming back if ministers keep giving out these

blatant mis-promises with such obvious disregard.

12 May

From mid-March up to May 1st 2020 the expected, normalised total figure at this time of year would have

been almost 100,000. National Statistics Office figures now show that there were 150,000 deaths in the UK.

Of these, during their afternoon televised briefing, the government attributed 28,000 to Covid. However,

death certificates mentioning Covid amounted to 36,000. This not only shows how misleading government

figures are but also leaves an unexplained figure of another 14,000 deaths. These statistics were given by

the BBC today. One explanation is that people aren't going to A&E as they normally would because they

are now fearful of catching the disease there. (This is another major lesson in the lack of isolation

techniques by hospitals.) Also, A&E department admissions are down by 50%, all general and planned

operations are suspended and cancer patients too are in danger of being ignored. Coronavirus is obviously

killing many by indirect means.

The world is giving us bags full of useful tips, learn a new language - why? we can't go anywhere. Learn to

bake, but it's impossible to buy flour anywhere. Spend more time in the garden, but only if you have one.

Devolution means Wales, Scotland, N. Ireland and England have different laws. Garden centres are now

open in Wales. In Wales we can now go outdoors twice a day to exercise but cannot drive to beauty spots

to do it. In England they can drive anywhere they want as far as they want. Boris wants people to return to

work if they can. But he would prefer them to walk or cycle instead. Or maybe not. His direction is unclear.

Buses will have a maximum safe number of ten passengers. Roads in England are already starting to clog

up as no-one wants to share cars or use public transport.

I'm wondering if I can actually stay under house arrest for months more. Some days I feel afraid of the

world out there.

21 May

A big event yesterday. We went out in the car to visit our daughter and her partner. Luckily the car started.

We haven't been anywhere for ten weeks. Five metres apart, we all sat in the sunshine drinking our own

tea and eating our own biscuits. It was such a change of scene and really brightened us up. It felt like two

weeks all-inclusive in Corfu.

England, Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland still have different rules. The general public in Wales are now

allowed to go to garden centres. Not us of course, as we're 'shielded' in isolation. BoJo wants the children

back in primary school as he thinks it will be safe for them to do so. Do teachers think the same way a him?

Has he tried keeping kids two metres apart? Some parents have an option of sending their kids to school,

some don't. It depends on the school. At least I think this is what has been decided as everything is pretty

vague as usual. The real reason they want the kids back in school is not because they need to keep up

with their education, it's because if they do go back then the parents won't need to stay home looking after

them and they can return to work. It's another typical example of government roundabout thinking. The

economy is getting to be a bigger worry every day. We know we can't keep on taking from it without putting

something back. When the country does start to get back on its feet taxes will have to increase. But there

has been no mention of this yet. Nor will there be until it has to happen. I think it's still too early for schools

to do this. There are daily photos showing public transport already packed full of commuters, half of them

not wearing masks.

The sunshine helps during this time. It lifts the spirits and lately things have been getting me down a little

bit. This is unlike me. I normally can power on through things most of the time. I thought previously that I

could handle the situation. I'm wondering now how long I can do it for. Some days are not so great. I try to

make the best of things but there seems to be little recovery in sight. The figures are coming down every

day now but the decrease is very gradual. And when they say the figure is nought, will that be safe? Who

knows?

We don't get much sun in our garden (it's a small square). People living in flats have a more difficult time,

especially if they have a balcony that runs along the row of front entrances. They can't even sit outside for

fear of someone passing to get to their flat.

Five million cases recorded today worldwide. It's racing through Africa, India and South America. North

America has the highest deaths, about 100,000 from a population of 400,000,000. President Trump has

announced he has been taking an anti-malaria drug to prove it works. At least he's stopped advocating the

drinking of bleach.

25 May

One name hovers through the airwaves this week. Dominic Cummings. He drove to Durham from London

(500-mile round trip) with his wife and small son to stay at his parent's estate as he thought his wife may

have Covid 19. They were also seen thirty miles from there on a day trip some weeks later. There are

constant calls for his resignation. He is the P.M's. senior adviser in Downing Street. An unpopular man

before this event, for whatever reason, he never gives interviews, but he was forced to today. About ten

journalists interviewed him today, one after the other in Downing St. gardens. He is not a naturally articulate

man, lots of pauses, back tracks and stutters. But each person got the same answers. Mind you, they all

asked the same questions. It was a real grilling and I assume Boris had arranged it as his punishment.

However, BoJo thinks the man is wonderful, so it looks like he stays even though he has bent the rules he

helped to make. This is another sad outcome to what was previously a step up for politicians of all kinds.

Boris came along and got Brexit done. The country, in agreement or not, applauded his tenacity. Other

politicians were forced to support him to save face. He did a reasonable job of cleaning off the usual

coating of hypocritical slurry that is a main feature dripping off Westminster and indeed politics worldwide.

However, public opinion must now revert to its previous stance of, "it's them and us". Because of this,

public respect has been lost for all politicians again. In effect, it is another example of the elite thinking they

can do what they like while the rest of us follow the rules they make for us.

I'm so used to staying indoors I now feel nervous outside our front door. We drove the half mile to our

daughter's house again today. It was lovely. Well, if it's good enough for the country's elite ....

Daily life consists of cleaning, ordering stuff online, cleaning it when it arrives then not touching it again for

three days, and watching TV repeats about Covid 19 figures. A highlight this week was when the sink

blocked. Though I've worked as a fitter most of my life I now call in tradesmen due to arthritis in my hands

and my back. I can't get into small spaces to work. This time I had to. The water spilt over me, the floor and

the clean towels I should have removed but did not. It stank. Oh yes it did. It was foul. More washing of

course. It passes the time.

This week we managed to get two bags of flour for £14 through Amazon. Normal cost would be about £4.

Who says British business is on its arse? It looks like it's blatantly thriving.

This is really interesting and is scientific.

https://www.facebook.com/scientistsforeu/videos/2664289803816535/

June 2020

We Have Two New Buzzwords - Airbridge and BAME.

1) Airbridge - Britain and Portugal are discussing an agreement whereby the two countries can accept

tourists without quarantine or checks on their health. This is presumably for the airlines to get back into

business. Airline companies have been lobbying hard to get back in the air as they are haemorrhaging

money at an unsustainable rate. So, from a commercial point of view it makes sense, at least in the short

term. Expected customers are mainly of the 18 to 30 group who seem to regard themselves as immortal in

today's world. However, though this age group have not suffered greatly with the disease they can be

carriers. It was said last week that up to 70% of people with covid19 don't even know they have it and show

no effects. This whole episode is one more frightening aspect for the rest of us wrinklies. (It is also stated

that over 90% of deaths have been over the 65 year olds.) If foreign holidays start again there could well be

a second wave of disease and it will carry through to the winter. So far, thankfully, the Nightingale hospitals

are virtually unused all over Britain. And so far, thankfully, there is no mention of them being dissembled at

the moment.

2) BAMEs are Black and Asian Minority Ethnics. This section of people is somehow 60% more liable to

contract the disease. It is not known why. Possibly it is genetics or living conditions due to different cultures

or that they have more employment as key workers. Though, this being the case, one would expect this

group to be warier of joining mass demonstrations where they are crammed together.

Keyworkers are ranging across the board in terms of jobs. Although the NHS is doing an immense job,

others like postmen, delivery drivers, bus drivers, utility workers, food producers, retail staff and many more

have had little recognition from the media.

A US senator and close aide (up till now anyway, they change so frequently) of President Trump has said

that if Britain or the US get the vaccine then there is an agreement to share it. He has knowledge, he says,

that China has tried to sabotage the US vaccine trials. In his opinion if China gets it first then they will not

share with anyone as they want to dominate the rest of the world. Presumably this would be an opportunity

for them to move into other countries and buy up any bankrupt companies when the economy collapses.

Trump has also stated that he has "knowledge" the disease began in a Chinese laboratory though there is

great doubt over there being any truth in this. China has of course denied all allegations. The cold war gets

warmer.

The trouble (or one of them) with Mr. Trump is, he is up to his neck in stupid remarks again. There are riots

throughout America due to the killing of a black American, by a white policeman. When being arrested

George Floyd was held down by the policeman's knee on his neck despite saying he could not breathe. We

are live in the most recorded age in history so it's no surprise that all this was captured on video. When it

went viral all hell was let loose, and rightly so. It was possibly assisted by the fact that people are already

pent up with anger at being held captive in their homes and want an emotional outlet. Strangely, the

policeman was using an accepted and long-standing procedure in that state. It has since been stopped.

Peaceful protests, as usual, turned into riots. Mr. Trump gave a speech saying George Floyd was probably

looking down at the world and saying, "It's a great day, a great day," because unemployment was down.

This man's indifference to any other human being is staggering. He then also went on Twitter with, "When

the looting starts the shooting starts." An obvious red rag being waved there and American police don't

seem to be known for their understanding of anyone else's ethics but their own. It appears that the whole

American government's attitude to anyone with a different opinion to theirs has always been to, "Nuke the

bastards". Similar protests are now going on through the Western world even though this really is not the

time for close contact. From the pictures I see, most are aged in the 18 to 30 group again and seems

another major worry regarding the spread of Covid.

It was such a fine day we ventured the few hundred yards to the nearby Castle. People were friendly and

most complied with the two-metre rule. Then a young jogger appeared out of nowhere running past us with

sweat, spit and snot bouncing everywhere. Thanks again 18 - 30. group.

The NHS Thursday evening applause has finished. We all knew it had to end sometime and better to end

on a signal than to die out slowly gasping for extended life.

It is said again how the testing figures are being rigged (as well as the other figures). Tests are sent out

incomplete so they can't be returned. This way, they are recorded as being given but positive tests are

lower than they would otherwise be. Tests are also taken in pairs, from the mouth and up the nostril on

each person. Somehow this is counted as two tests. So, the government target of 100,000 tests actually

becomes 50,000 or even less.

On the subject of tests. Mr. Trump has put his foot in his mouth again, or maybe he should do. He started

his campaign for re-election with a statement that they had a million requests for tickets to see him speak.

Then he stood on a podium in front of a half-filled arena and told the world of America's testing programme.

Because the number of positive tests was so high, he said, he told his teams to, "slow the testing down".

That way the numbers would show a lower level of Covid sufferers. He actually stood up and said this on

worldwide TV. (?) Next day (presumably after fearful and timid coercion) he said he was making a sardonic

joke. It seems the main joke is Mr. Trump.

Covid is raging through North America with 2.5 million cases. Indian medical capacity is overrun. South

America has literally stopped counting. Figures here in the UK are down but they are falling very slowly and

virtually flat-lining. However, the economy has to be kick started soon. The economy is set to drop by 10%

this year. Huge numbers of people have already lost jobs and many more will join the dole queues.

A new rule could come in next week for one metre distancing. Pubs can serve outdoors, non-essential retail

shops can open, flights to Spain are being advertised. Planes are already fully booked, probably by the 18 -

30 group.

It took Covid to get the homeless off the streets. At last, we are told, they have been housed in Wales a nd

England "to keep them safe". Another underhanded tick box exercise for governments everywhere. What a

kind and thoughtful gesture this was by our leaders. They never bothered about them before but these

people were now in the front line to catch the disease and become super spreaders in city centres. The

truth is blatantly obvious. The government's arrogance is so irritating. Why don't they tell it as it is and take

some credit for their forethought instead of building themselves up as paragons of virtue on plinths of

bullshit?

Although we are shielding we went out for a short walk again last night just to see if the world was still

turning. It took me an hour to decide to go. I am so fearful of contamination after hibernating all this time I

am now afraid of the very air around me. But we went. It was six thirty, a normally quiet time. In fact, there

are no more quiet times around us anymore. Streets are filling up daily. Some people are aware of the

threat this disease brings some seem to coast through life without giving it a thought. The two-metre rule is

a broken mantra. There seems to be a sliding scale from terror that reaches all the way to apathy.

As she can be slow to walk and change direction sometimes, I held Liz's hand to guide her. We managed

the walk of about three hundred yards around our block. But with every step I just wanted to go home. This

is not a natural feeling for me. As an older person, my balance is not great and I am always wary of falling

or bumping into someone. But to keep relatively fit I have always walked every day. Since I do not walk as

much as I would normally I am now physically weaker and even more concerned with this further threat

when someone walks near me. Liz says I'm paranoid. I'm think I'm getting there.

An estimated half a million people on the beaches at Bournemouth left 33 tons of rubbish behind them.

Ogmore beach had a mass brawl with two tons of rubbish left. A Medical spokesman says today that he

does not expect another lockdown. That's good to know. Just what is it he does expect?

When we have a job, we have structure in our days. Without that shaping we can get bored, listless, even

irritable. We can lose self-discipline. The early holiday feeling goes after a while. There is no awareness of

time. I've been retired for nine years but before that I worked self-employed from home for ten years. I got

used to being at home but still had lots of social contact. Previously to that time I worked with other people

in garages. Work is a social experience. Without that contact with others there can be an isolation that

takes time to adjust to. Lockdown is like that now for me although being used to the home lifestyle I would

still be out walking and meeting people, if only neighbours and shop workers. I miss that.

Sometimes I get up in the morning and don't know what day it is. I have to check the TV programmes I saw

yesterday, or the computer. We are a physical species. We have to be to survive. Humanity needs many

things to combine and form a complete being. This is how we have evolved. Take one away and the bricks

start to totter. There is nothing tactile about life anymore. Will we shake hands, hold hands, kiss, hug in

future? Without physicality we can lose emotions. Yes, we adapt and evolve and will continue to do so. But

who knows if this short episode of unsocial humanity will change personalities for the future? And how will

they change. Who knows how long that might take to happen and will things revert to what we were?

Keir Starmer has taken over Labour leadership. I am impartial in politics but he seems a sensible man. This

is an obvious but unusual asset for a politician. He wants to work with the government, he says, on

defeating Covid. Yes, it is his job to knock Bojo off his perch but he has a more diplomatic approach, I think.

I have long believed that politics is about egos and not much else because of their parliamentary debating

system. Debates are a great tradition with us. We are taught in school how to debate. We can learn both

sides of the argument this way, we are told. But though we may learn, we do not ever believe the other side

is right. Debate is about winning, nothing else matters.

I believe we don't need to debate as much as we need to negotiate. Arguments between national leaders in

places like Westminster should be behind closed doors. Show the world an example of good nature and

courtesy. If we had good negotiators in this country Brexit might have been fixed by now. We may not even

have needed Brexit. Debates do not achieve anything. Negotiating does. Negotiating sells. We need to sell.

Sorry. Rant over.

July 2020

I'm wondering how long we must keep hibernating. We have started to go out for short walks and been the

only ones wearing masks. This lack of general public concern is worrying and, to me, has no logic. Or am I

being over protective and paranoid? Normally if I have to say to yourself, 'Is it me,' then yes, it is. Now I'm

not so sure. Most of the time when we are out walking all I want to do is get back home and lock the door

behind me. We drove to the beach, a few miles away, one evening, just to sit and breathe the sea air. It

was full of people standing around chatting without a care.

We have 'air bridges' with most of the world again. Basically, with a few exceptions, anyone can go

anywhere they want. This is due to the heavy lobbying by airlines and holiday firms. July and August flights

are almost fully booked. Here we go again. Wales had signs up on roads and villages, 'Go home, Wales is

closed'. Now suddenly we go global. What we have we will take over there. What they have we will bring

back here. There is already serious talk of a second wave in the winter. It's accepted that it will be one with

a possible death toll between 25,000 and 120,000. I'm not sure it will wait until winter arrives before

happening. I know the economy is vital but I'm not sure this will do it any good apart from a short term burst

of cash. I'm wondering if the 'herd immunity' factor is being used again. Or it may be a way of giving the

public a long-awaited break from being stir crazy so we don't all rebel and rush to blow up Westminster

properly this time. TV news film recently showed the slogan 'Bring back Guy Fawkes'. Maybe BoJo saw this

and it got him worried.

Wales still lags behind England a few weeks on policy changes. And that's ok by me. Holidays are starting

to happen. Staycation sites in Britain are flooded with orders. Wales has relaxed rules so that self -

contained cottage holidays are allowed now. England has open air pubs. Some already have seen trouble.

One of the best and worst mixers available with alcohol is the drunken human. Politicians have remarked

that they have been disappointed by peoples' inability to behave according to the rules when drinking.

Really? Where have our great Etonian leaders been living all their lives, Ivory Towers? England also has

'nonessential shops' open. I have to ask myself, if a shop is nonessential why do we need it anyway?

Figures coming from America now show that the under 35s are getting Covid as much as anyone else.

Statisticians point to the crowds in city centres marching in protest about Black Lives Matter (BLM) and the

protesters parading banners proclaiming they will not wear masks, want the shops open and businesses

back up and running. Trump has told them that Covid is just a cold (cured by disinfectant) and they took his

words as gospel. Parts of Europe and Israel too have also started to rebel against lockdowns. Some states

in America that opened up are closing down for a second time as cases have spiked. However, the latest

photos of the president show him wearing a mask, though he said he never would do that. It's good to see

him concerned about something at last, even if it's only his own health. He seems to drift through life in a

dream of ultimate power and denial of responsibility. BoJo now wears a mask in public too.

A relative of ours went to the hospital for tests today. She really did not want to go there but felt she had no

option. As she got in the lift it filled up with people. There was nothing she could do but stand in there with

the crowd. She was the only one wearing a mask.

Yet again, we have one more example of the government's slighting of the country's intelligence. We have

a new method of giving out Covid statistics. Figures of deaths over and above the average for this time of

year since March are in the region of 65,000. Last week figures given by the government for hospital, care

home and community deaths were over 45000. They are always lower at the weekend for some strange

administrative reason, and today's figures were 16. That brought the total to over 29,000. How many? Yes,

statistics show that deaths due to Covid are now 29,000. But these are now hospital figures only, and are

those only in England. This thereby saves 16,000 from the previous figure and 36000 unaccountable

deaths from the actual figure.

Well we all know what they say about statistics.

It's been a worrying week, and stressful. My wife, who is shielding due to having radio therapy last year,

has been unwell this week. She has been tired and breathless. G.Ps.' visits are almost impossible to

arrange and consultations are by telephone. She was given a date for a scan at the hospital which she

must have. This has its difficulties even though the staff are now trained to cope in accordance with Covid.

So, she had the scan. We must then wait for the result. More worry. The scan meant she needed an

infusion. Her blood pressure and heart rate start to vary in a huge range. This was on a Friday. Everyone is

terrified of being ill on Fridays because our GP surgery is closed at weekends and the only other help is at

a hospital. Over the phone the GP prescribed another tablet. This caused extreme lethargy and

drowsiness. Saturday, we phoned 111. A locum turned up and came in the house, suitably garbed up in

mask, gloves, and apron. He tells her to stop taking just about everything.

At the same time --

Don't Panic. Don't Panic. The dishwasher broke down. It's ten years old so not worth getting fixed. Some

households manage without them very well. Ours' won't of course. We order a new dishwasher. This is not

without its problems. Not only must the new one be delivered and fitted but the old one must be taken away

and disposed of. This means people must enter the house. We order it online anyway. The men arrive

(without masks, gloves or plastic aprons) and carry it into the house. (They'd lost their trolley. It's true.) I

wear a mask and stay far away from them. Thankfully the rain stopped so every window in the house is

wide open. The whole thing takes only about ten minutes and they're gone again.

When the doctor comes back downstairs he wonders what the noise was all about.

We have the scan result. Everything looks good. Thank You. NHS.

Liz was still unwell this week. Her heart rate was over a hundred, blood pressure was sky high and

fluctuating. She spent a night in hospital with no visiting allowed. We leave a bag of clothes for her at the

door to be collected. All very understandable and the staff were excellent. Today we had a team of mobile

carers calling. First a male nurse for over an hour. Then a phlebotomist. Then a nurse with a mobile body

scanner. Each one was careful with everything they touched. No-one wanted a drink as they weren't

allowed to go to the toilet during visits. Considering we're shielding and seen nobody for four months we've

had quite a few callers this week.

It's known that decisions cause stress. At the moment we stay at home, avoiding the world. There are few

decisions to be made apart from what to eat or what to watch on TV. We are now so out of practice I

wonder how we will manage any sort of stress after the Covid episode.

Conceptions were expected to rise during the lockdown. Instead, divorce rates are climbing. Reports of

physical abuse at home have rocketed. No sport to vent excess frustration. No pubs to go out and socialise

or pour your heart out to friends and sympathetic bar staff. When people get back to their workplaces will

they celebrate by working harder? Or will their lockdown rage still be there to take it out on colleagues?

Being out of physical contact with the world as we have been, it can be difficult to adjust to the demands of

others when you have no-one telling you what to do for so long.

The planes are filling up again and heading for the Costas. But Spain is having a spike in case numbers.

Jet2 have told passengers to cut their holidays short and fly back early. That's a brave decision. When

holidaymakers return they will have to quarantine for two weeks. They can't understand why.?? But no-one

checks on them anyway so it may not matter.

UK Covid case numbers have started to rise again. Last weekly average was about 650, this week it's 750.

Viva Espana.

August 2020

Liz, my wife, has not been well lately and we had a nurse call to attend to her. I asked her how the area

was coping with Covid. To me, things seem very quiet. She said there were five cases in Swansea. That's

not many. But it's still five people. How do we know where they are? We don't. I'm also told that in

Swansea, where I live, there have been four connected deaths. Where were they? We don't know.

Information is power and the authorities seem to be keeping that power.

When I go out to walk, which is not often now, I wear a mask. I don't see many other masks. I would say

there is an increase in complacency. Even people who look to be in their fifties and sixties and older don't

wear them. We have a false sense of security which might bite back when we are not looking. We may get

away without an autumn/winter rush on hospitals. I don't know, but if we are lucky then all it will be is luck,

not planning. The government is taking a punt on this being controlled within the next few months.

Putin says Russia has the vaccine now. If they do they're not giving it to us or anyone else, of course. Do

we believe that? Well the stock markets rocketed two and three percent on the news. We'll see. The

internet is awash with disposable masks and gloves lately. Supply and demand rules.

Schools are going back in September. I'm not sure if the two-metre rule will apply. It won't do much good

anyway as groups of teens, up to a dozen a time, are walking around here without a care. Children are

safe, apparently. But they can carry the bug to (and from) their parents and family. I'm wondering again if

I'm getting paranoid. Are we being split into two camps here? Either the 'don't cares' or the 'totally terrified'.

I know which tee-shirt I'm wearing.

In normal times, (remember them?) I would walk around the corner to my barber, sit down and wait my

turn. Now we must book on line. A huge notice on their door outlines new practice. It's a 'one in one out'

system. Hand gel is everywhere. Masks and visors are worn by staff. Hair must be washed before cutting.

And the price is no longer £7.50 it's £20. I suppose they have to get the money back that they lost this year.

But what happens once we get used to paying £20?

It's a strange world where we must put on a mask to enter a bank.

Apparently, the Coronavirus death statistics have been wrong all the time There are now 5,000 less

RECORDED deaths than before. Yes, these poor people did have the disease and yes, they did die. But

they did not die to the government's timetable so they can't be counted. Statistics, aren't they wonderful? If

you juggle them enough you can make then do anything. 65000 deaths have been reduced to 41,000 at a

stroke of the pen. Amazing.

August 16th was the day the Welsh Assembly decided our shielded section of the community could all

mingle together again. They also said that four families could bubble up. Now they have changed their

minds. That's fine, every decision must be based on conditions at the time. Families cannot now bubble up.

But there has been no mention of the shielded. Why is that? Personally, I feel strongly that I'm not ready to

mingle, and from people I've spoken to, no-one else who is shielded is ready either. Supermarkets are

continuing to keep shielding customers on a priority list. It looks like we need to stock up for the winter. A

leaked government document warns of a possible 80,000 casualties of second wave Covid.

My wife has had breathing difficulties lately. We were asked to have Covid tests at the test centre. The

result was texted next day, and we were clear. But we need some help at home now. So, our one

concession to shielding is having a cleaner come in once a fortnight for an hour. We stay upstairs while she

cleans downstairs.

Nine cases in Swansea area.

Two weeks ago, there were about 650 new cases a day. One week ago there were 800 new cases a day.

Today August 14 2020 there are 1441 new cases a day. But it's OK as separate statistics (from where?)

say that it's under control. (Ref. Wales Online. 140820)

Because the death rate is down to single figures some days this seems to cause widespread relief and

complacency, but the death rate has a lag of four to six weeks. At the end of August there are over 1700

new cases a day. If we go outside for any reason, and there aren't many, then we wear masks. People look

at us as though we are mad. Hardly anyone else wears a mask.

Another new word for the dictionary COVIDIOT.

Seven passengers arriving at Cardiff from Greece have tested positive since last week. Few passengers

wore masks on the plane. Some others complained. At the time of writing there are now 17 confirmed. All

198 have been told to self-isolate.

Universities are gearing up for the new term. Students are criss-crossing the UK like hungry ants. This

appears to be an ideal method for super-spreading. University campus is up the road. I'm staying inside

until next spring.

Fifteen cases now in Swansea area.

September 2020

In the first week of September in Swansea there were 5 Covid cases. This week there are 26. Last week in

the UK there were 1000 new cases a day. One week later there are three thousand a day. The government

still urges office workers to stop working from home, get on public transport, go to work and support inner

city cafes and retail outlets. This seems very short term thinking by Bojo and his boys.

Britain is now hitting over 4000 cases a day. Bojo says he's thinking of a circuit breaker. This sounds like it

would be a short sharp period of tightened restrictions for everyone. Though there are no specifics on this

as usual and Covid continues to be fought with a fist full of promises and rhetoric. Whether or not this circuit

breaker would mean keeping people home from work he hasn't said.

Breaking news - yes Bojo now asks that people work from home again.

A friend of mine in his mid-sixties told me this week he is going to Kos, Greece, which so far is not on the

UK quarantine list. He uses two walking sticks and has lifelong medical conditions. He said he is not

worried as he is only going for a week. How long does it take to catch the disease? As much as I loved

visiting Greece I would no longer wish to sit in an aeroplane for four hours breathing the same air as two

hundred others. That's apart from waddling through customs magnet machines with my belt in a plastic bin

and my trousers round my ankles. He also related tales of travellers given forms last week to fill in stating

that they would not be landing in the UK after the 4 a.m. time limit for some quarantined countries.

Apparently, people were filling in time slots of 3.59 a.m. landings. Some gave incorrect addresses. Others

didn't care as they believed there can be no way that voluntary quarantine can be policed. They may be

right.

One man came back from a holiday abroad to Bolton then went out with friends on a pub crawl. He

developed Covid and passed it on to others. Bolton is now in lockdown. Last week there were 31 cases.

This week there are 546 cases. He might even get a fine for not going into self-quarantine. That will teach

him. The R rate is now between 1.2 and 1.4.

Today, 6800 new cases in UK. Swansea now has 157 cases and counting. Along with Cardiff and Llanelli,

Swansea is told to go into lockdown but for some odd reason not until two days’ time.

I just watched the International Space Station fly over from west to east. 250 miles up at 27000 m.p.h. It's

an incredible achievement. The trouble some people go to in order to avoid Covid.

My daughter and family visited us this week. They came from England. All we could do was chat from two

metres away as we sat in the doorway and they sat on picnic chairs on the pavement. Then it rained and

they sat under an umbrella a while longer. Life from a distance is unnatural. It makes you want to reach out

to touch, to hold. Some instinct inside us needs to be comforted. Our tactile senses are being teased to the

limit. Soon they might be eroded.

We are pack animals. There are no packs anymore for those of us who must isolate. Sometimes I feel that I

just want to walk amongst people, any people, be in a crowd. It's as if I need some kind of emotional fix by

being swallowed into the rest of the world. I've never felt that need before.

Having handled the situation reasonably well for the last six months there is now talk of another six months

isolation. I consider myself a patient man but I know I've become irritable at times. It took a little while

before I realised how quickly I became irritable at tiny, irrelevant happenings at home but at least I did know

it was happening. Therefore, I now try to address these feelings. But irritability is not a planned thing. It is

spontaneous, without time to think. I tried to meditate but kept going to sleep. Sometimes I clamp my mouth

shut and count to ten. I'm getting better. But another six months?

Mental health is becoming is popular topic with the media now. Sometimes I wonder if the situation is

getting to me. Exercise is important. It not only keeps the body fit but somehow also helps with our thought

processes. My thought processes are slowing noticeably. I can't think as fast as I used to and my memory

is not good now. I used to remember figures and phone numbers in seconds. Not anymore. OK I'm 74 and

some may say that's normal for my age. But it's a "lately" thing and been too quick to happen. I have to get

out more. I miss my daily walks. It's easy to sit and read or veg out in front of TV. But I have to exercise

more. I know I wasn't like this six months ago. I tell myself it's good that I'm aware of how I feel. But it

doesn't help much.

October 2

Late news. Mr. Trump and his wife have Covid 19. What this will mean for his ratings? Will he get the

sympathy vote or the thumbs down for being so lax with the masks? I wonder if he could swing things his

way. That's his style. Ratings are all he cares about. Maybe he's tweeting from his ventilator now.

December 2020, written with hindsight, February 2021.

Our son was a chef many years ago and he still loves cooking. As usual our family were due to visit him for

Christmas dinner. Instead he cooked the dinners and brought them round to each of us. He stood on the

doorway and we gave each other virtual hugs.

Telephone and Zoom conversations this year were not about the weather and the gifts but focused on

chances of the vaccines getting through supply chains quickly. Bojo did his best to not be the man who

cancelled Christmas but as usual changed his mind when it was too late for everyone else to change theirs.

We spent Christmas at home, just the two of us, and Zoom. Technology has leapt up to the plate and

changed the world.

Everyone had five days to visit their families and give pass on the disease properly then he decreed that

only one day was allowed. I'm not sure what difference one day or five would have made but the numbers

shot up again as expected by everyone except him. On the 10th December there were 20,000 cases a day.

By the 8th January over 68,000 cases a day were being reported. It seems Christmas was a joyous

occasion for many people in 2020. But the New Year was not such a great success. The good news is that

although deaths are higher than ever, more patients are being saved due to the recent experiences of the

NHS and the use of existing drugs found to help. Science has been tested in these difficult times and found

to be incredibly resourceful. The NHS began last year underfunded and staff are now ready to collapse in

heaps in hospital corridors.

We shop for everything on line. Almost all traffic on the roads is delivering something. Drivers are in

demand as never before. Everyone from over qualified lawyers to film actors to musicians and waiters are

driving vans about the country like wasps around jam pots. Jeff Bezos, owner of behemoth Amazon, has

become the world's richest person with so much money it would take him a million years to spend it. This

highlights another problem. The gulf between those with and those without has widened ever more.

Those out of work (now 5%), are struggling to get by. The self-employed, 3 million, are on the verge of

revolt as most have been ignored despite the distinct and loudly proclaimed promises of politicians earlier

that, "we are all in this together". It seems we aren't. Food banks are being overwhelmed. Major

supermarkets are giving away masses amounts of food to keep them going. I have stated before that I am

not a political person but it looks like this is a double tragedy combining Covid with governmental ineptitude.

My wife recently had the vaccination as she is in the 75 - 80 bracket. It should be my turn next in the 70 -

75. People are invited by letter to attend the vaccinations at a given date and time. Take up is high

apparently but the younger people are, the lower the take up rate is expected to be. Someone told me they

won't have the vaccination as it has a micro-chip to trace your whereabouts. Honestly, yes, they said it.

April 2021 Easter

The weather has brightened up lately so I've been out for short walks more often. We have both had two

vaccinations but are still wary of the outside world with its breathy atmosphere. We venture quietly, steadily

into the local supermarket after booking a time slot but it's not easy. It's not normal.

My wife and I have maintained a good relationship throughout this time and chat together regularly, though

mostly about Covid. But while talking on the phone and Skype to family and friends has been our main

communicative route, speaking to others face to face has become so rare as to feel like a forgotten art.

After the past year of hibernation, I now have some contact with neighbours again. But I find it difficult to

carry on a conversation now. Words don't appear in my head like they used to. When they do, the actual

speech is not readily available. My mouth and brain have a partial disconnect somewhere. I've even

started reading aloud to back into practice of using more unusual words within my speech. But speaking to

other people, and with a mask on? That might take some time.