As I sit down to write, the promised blue skies and sunshine have been and gone. It was nice while it lasted. I was going to tell you what time of day it was, but when I looked at my wrist I realised that I didn’t have a watch on. In fact, now I come to think about it, I haven’t worn my watch for nearly two weeks. There is no need to wear a watch when you can check a clock, and I haven’t been far from a clock in the last two weeks.
It’s 13.15 according to the computer, and time, I think, to post. Once the posting is done I can get on with…er…
There isn’t much to do. I know I should be cleaning and organising and writing but it’s hard to motivate myself when I’m enjoying the loafing so much. Normally when I’m on holiday I end up more tired than I would if I was working, having tried to cram in a full week of activity, but this “holiday”, being longer than normal, is giving me time to relax.
I spoke to Number Two Son last night on something called WhatsApp. It’s not very grammatical, but it is, I’m told, free, and it allows voice calls via the Internet. It is a miracle of modern technology and is very much like the old international phone calls we used to make using satellites. You may remember them. They were generally crystal clear, suffered from lag and cost quite a lot. WhatsApp is muffled, breaks up and suffers from lag, but it is free.
He tells me that he is planning on staying in Canada. He still has just over a year left on his visa and is enjoying it, plus he has unemployment pay in Canada, which would not be the case if he returned to the UK. It’s a worry to have him 3,000 miles away at this time, but nice to know he’s enjoying himself.
One interesting bit of news is that the USA seems to be cornering the world market in surgical masks. Reports indicate that the President has banned the export of masks to Mexico and Canada, that the US government intercepted a consignment of masks on its way to Germany and that unidentified Americans bought a consignment of masks destined for France by offering the suppliers more money.
Dig a bit deeper it becomes more interesting. The Germans, it seems, intercepted a cargo of masks that was on its way to Switzerland a couple of weeks ago. And the French government requisitioned an export order of millions of masks being made in France for an NHS.
This seems to be a clear case of pots and kettles, particularly when you read that Germany banned exports of masks before America did, though they now seem to have modified this to allow export to EU countries. It’s a shame we left, isn’t it?
What is strange here is that none of the news is fake, but the way the facts are presented gives a very misleading picture.
Photo by Gustavo Fring on Pexels.com
I just used the free photo function on WP. Do you mean I’ve been taking my own when there are loads out there I can just use? What an idiot…
He is OK then: https://youtu.be/7yeA7a0uS3A
He is OK then https://youtu.be/7yeA7a0uS3A
Yes. He’s had to give up beer and takeaways and is feeling slimmer and better as a result. 🙂
Thanks for digging into the mask story.
It shows how we all depend on each other, doesn’t it?
Yes, we do and yes it does 😊
We have had the last laugh here though with the chief medical lady who has been on Scottish telly telling us to stay at home caught out by a tabloid newspaper nipping off to her country cottage at the weekend. Do as I say but not as I do obviously. I might have done the same but fortunately I don’t have a second home. Phew.
I just posted about that. Prince Charles, as someone pointed out, does have a second home. 🙂
I thought your comment on the free photos was funny. The rest of it, not so much.
I’m so glad to hear your son is happy and doing well, but I can surely understand the discomfort with the distance. My eldest is just two hours away, but she’s in New York City which sounds like Hell right now. I am at least comforted that if she ever feels unsafe that we can go grab her.
We are planting an extra big vegetable garden this year in case it’s all we have to eat.
Hang in there, you guys!
We’re hanging. 🙂
Glad to hear your son is safe in Canada, has unemployment pay and is enjoying himself there. 🙂
It is a rather crazy worldwide show going on right now. My concern for the stability of the power grid and communications infrastructure is right up there with the virus. If those go down, we are all in for a really hard time.
Yes, with the internet and TV I can get through. Without power I would be lost.
Hope you and Rick are staying well.
The whole situation seems surreal, with our country doing its best to remain first place in being ridiculous. Glad your son is doing well in Canada, land of my ancestors. How I wish I were there, too.
It’s difficult – the more centralised a country, the better it seems to cope. There is always a tendency to think you are doing worse than others.
Hope you, Clif and the family are all staying safe.
So far, so good!
🙂