Lockdown day #69

The news breaking today is that Dominic Cummings, the Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, broke the lockdown rules.  Apparently while having symptoms of Covid-19, and his wife having symptoms too, he drove 264 miles to Durham to "self-isolate" with his parents, who are in the high risk category being over 70.  This is contrary to the specific rule from government - do not visit family who are not part of your household.  Not only was his journey unnecessary, but he exposed his parents to risk - what kind of man would deliberately put his own parents at risk of catching Covid-19?  Unbelievable!

The Prime Minister has defended him, and I suspect that is a serious miscalculation of the part of the PM, given to widespread anger at this incident.

After getting up this morning I watched two films of YouTube - one entitled "Buses of the North East during the late 70s and early 80s" (watch a catchy title) and the other entitled "Aloud" being the story of a young boy in an orphanage who joins the choir, but can't sing - his reason for joining the choir is that choir members get adopted.  It was quite a sad film.

Buses of the North East during the late 70s and early 80s

Aloud

 I met up with Alan and we walked round Boggart Hole Clough; the walk was 3.7 miles and it was good fun, even though it was fairly cool.

I watched another short film on YouTube called "The Living Word"

I then did a lockdown quiz in the Midland Red Group on Facebook having people guess the various MAP designs for local bus networks introduced in the 1980s.  It was good fun.

Lockdown day #63

I got up late again - seems to be a recurring theme.  Sometimes I wonder why I bother getting up at all. 

I watched two films today - both are on a theme of someone trying to find themselves - both had elements of loveliness, and elements of utter despair.

Firstly - "The Fruit Machine", and secondly - "Aleksandr's Price" ... both worth watching.

I watched a Socially Distanced performance of the march "The Red Shield" performed by the New York Staff Band.

I also downloaded a book from the Super Prestige Series which is being made available for those of us in lockdown.  The book is about Rossendale Transport and was released for their centenary in 2007.

This week I had hoped to go the theatre to see Arthur Miller's "All My Sons".  I saw "A View from the Bridge" at Farnworth Little Theatre a while ago.  I wonder if the artistic director there took the same English Literature A-level course that I did!  Of course the play was cancelled due to the need to keep a distance from each other - and that little theatre relies on every seat being sold to break even.  I do hope these small theatres rise from the ashes when we are able to get out and about again.

Our government is claiming that there will be 30 million vaccines available by the autumn - I do hope so, but I wonder where I will be the priority for one of these?

Lockdown day #55

Had a bad night, couldn't sleep, got up at 2am and did a jigsaw online, courtesy of Jigsawplanet.com (the jigsaw was about buses - surprisingly).  I also downloaded a copy of the British Journal of Photograph - the edition who's feature article was "Masculinities: Liberation Through Photography", this time courtesy of issuu.com.

I went back to bed and got about around 7am.

I chatted with friends on facebook, and had another ring me up for a nice chat.  I then made my Sunday lunch (this week chicken, with mashed potatoes, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower).  Then I took a postprandial walk, and boy it was cold out there.  Yesterday there men on the allotments near me shirtless, today ... it was a blast of winter returning.

I watched a couple of films - The Exception on Amazon Prime, and Straight A on YouTube.

Then was time for "May You Rejoice and be Brave" - which I didn't enjoy.  I was sent, however, a chapter of Mark Pack's book "Bad News - What the headlines don't tell us" designed to whet my appetite into buying the actual book ... I may do that ....

A little sorting out of files followed, together with a decaffeinated coffee - and now feeling tired need to wend my way to bed!