I suppose you have to be positive. UK deaths now, due to Covid, over 120,000. People are getting their jabs but schools look set to return soon and you know what happened last time . . .
Life in Trefin creeps on – Spring flowers are blossoming. It’s slowly warming up – just getting to double figures now. The new batch of beer (Willl’s Olde English Ale) is done and bottled. We’re just wishing that the wind would stop (more 50 mph gales today) and gallons of rain . . .still, last Feb was far worse…..
Toby seems to be OK – getting older – he keeps us awake at night – always moving around, panting and then going out at 0400.
The many birds visiting our garden don’t seem fazed by the big, black dog watching – no threat, obviously.
Eating & drinking are the go-to activities in lockdown and we’ve done plenty of that. Still getting thru the turkey and the frozen seafood.
Necessity can lead to art. Here, to cover a nasty sharp spike, I put a block of oak. Then I painted it. A week later I added more stuff . . . . I’m sure Grayson Perry would like it . . .
Signs of Spring – the lungwort (pulmonaria) flowers – one of the earliest and a magnet for all types of bees.
Our bit of coastline – note the waterfall – not always seen and this time in quite a flood.
Steve’s obsession with chillies goes on – here a Naga pepper chutney on top of tzatziki . . .yum.
This batch of beer was a bit odd – the yeast took off within hours of throwing and then seemed to stop – perhaps it got too cold? But a gentle stir and an increase in temperature, using a heating belt got it going – Will’s Olde English Ale – now all bottled – note the use of the new bottle rack – very useful. Next batches will be: Red Ale, Bohemian Pils the Russian Stout for the winter DV.
And if you fancy a laugh and wonder what to shout at the TV when Boris comes on . . . .
A trip to Pwllcrochan to check on our friend James, saw us visiting the pond to see some new arrivals – seven swans. Looks like mute swans – two adults and their offspring – Mum, Dad and the kids!
Pwllcrochan pond – originally used, we think, for the Pembrokeshire Spuds. Pwll Deri ridge in the backgroundSmashing birds to see – not sure where they’ve flown from but it’s due to get very cold here . . ..
Toby has a new toy – the Chuck-It device, to er, chuck a ball. He really loves it. I can throw the ball so much further and also pick it up – not using my hands! But the after effects mean one very tired doggie . . .
Well, time for a blog post. I keep putting it off as, tbh, I fear that putting pen to paper will only cause an big outpouring of grief and venom but . . . it needs to be done. And one reason for this blog and the previous narrowboat blog, was to provide a visual diary for when we are (more) gaga and need a reminder of what we got up to. But in this blog, it’s more of a time capsule for those survive the virus and dig this up when we’re gone . . .any day now, if this government (UK) has it’s way.
We feel we are just sitting at home waiting for the virus to come to us. Every news story seems to be bleak. We look at other countries and are amazed at how things are back to normal – my nephew in Perth . . .back down the pub*. Only 25 dead in New Zealand. Only 909 dead in the whole of Australia. . . .here, the UK has 106,000 dead, so far . . .to us, it seems so simple, close the borders but no, it looks like they are putting the economy ahead of the people, again. I came across the Swiss Cheese model for damage control – originally for disaster analysis in health, aviation etc but much more significant for this current virus:
The original graphic that went viral – it went thru many versions – later one has a vaccine and also little mice nibbling away at the layers – these are meant to symbolise the anti-vaxxers/covid deniers/rule breakers etc. Worth a read on the virologydownunder website:
I think that this an easily to understand analogy – the trouble is we haven’t had that many layers and people need to understand that no single layer (like getting a vaccine) will be 100% successful. To be really safe you need more layers – such as CLOSE THE BORDER. The virus has no legs, IT doesn’t move – people move it! In fact today (02/02/21) we hear that 20,000 people/day are entering this country, bringing in different variants of the virus . . .thus making your recent jab less effective . . .maybe only 50-60%. But then, the main reason we are one of the worst countries in the world (more deaths per million) is that we have this chap in charge:
*more about the recent Perth lockdown – one person (yes, just one person) tested positive and Wham! The Oz gov shutdown the border instantly, tracked all his contacts – published them. When I say, shut down, I mean a hard border with barriers and police . .not a vague Tier 4… leaving it up to the populace to lockdown https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-02/this-is-perth-in-lockdown/13108940
But no one seems culpable – no one accepts the blame – no one resigns . . .this New Statesman article is brilliant at describing Boris . . .
Meanwhile, life, for the time being, goes on . . .Steve is making his 4th batch of beer and has bought a bottle washer and a bottle stacker plus some bottle caps – although unsure of the name (imported from Italy, lucky to get them but Corona?). There is some sign of Spring as we have daffodils coming up along with crocus, snowdrops and tulips . . .
Is it a new weapon? No, its a 50 bottle drier
Ah, great more bottle caps – hmm, not quite the name I was hoping for . . .
And just like the BBC News – always end with a soft item . . . . here snowdrops near Abermawr
