17/06/20 In the UK as of 5pm on Tuesday, 184 people have died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for corona-virus, bringing the official total to 42,153.

If you’re thinking about travelling to Cambodia  you are going to be required to pay a $3,000 deposit upon arrival at the airport. Cambodian officials have said the mandatory deposit is refundable after fees are deducted for COVID-19 tests or quarantine and medical costs. Every visitor will have to  pay for transportation to a testing center, the test itself, a one-night stay in a hotel while waiting for a result, and three meals during the mini-quarantine, which comes to  $165. However, if one passenger on a plane tests positive, everyone must quarantine for 14 days and take a second test, bringing the cost up to $1,276.  For anyone

who tests positive, the cost will triple. Finally, should a visitor die from the corona-virus while in the country, $1,500 will be taken out of the deposit for cremation. Not a move that will stimulate their tourist industry, but regrettably necessary for such a poor country to tackle this pandemic effectively.

Another day of sunshine and showers, with a thunderstorm during the afternoon. While I was on my morning cycle, Sue went for a wander around Harborough town centre. She reported that though quite a few retail shops were open, they didn’t seem that busy, none of the many charity shops were open.

Probably because the people that staff them, do so voluntarily and are maybe reluctant to put themselves at risk.

 

Despondently I spent a couple of hours pruning and training the grapevines. A hard frost in May really knocked them back in their development of fruiting bearing shoots, the poor things had to start again and despite the recent rain, haven’t caught up yet. I fear there will not be enough of a summer to ripen what will already be a ‘thin’ crop. On a more cheerful note, everything else (apart from the frosted potatoes) seem to be doing rather well.

After a week of trying, today I eventually managed to photograph our elusive pheasant family.

18/06/20 As of 5pm on Wednesday, 135 people had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for corona-virus, bringing the official death count to 42,288.  A 13-day-old baby has become one of the youngest to die with corona-virus in the UK. The child had no underlying health conditions. In contrast, Dame Vera Lynn has died aged 103.

Today was one of those long, wet and miserably days that just seem to sap the soul. I got thoroughly soaked on my morning ride and apart from a run to the recycling centre in Sue’s car to off-load the hedge trimmings, I spent the rest of the day moping around the house, not really concentrating on anything for long. While the rain continued to trickle down the windows, Sue was more gainfully employed, she made a great deal of headway towards finishing her tapestry. Millie the cat discovered the hutch I had made last year (used when we look after Jamie’s rabbit) and she took up residence inside for the entire day.

19/06/20 The death toll from confirmed cases of corona-virus in the UK rose by 173 to 42,461, health officials said on Friday. The UK’s chief medical officers have agreed to downgrade the threat level to level three, as cases start to decline. A microbiologist suggests that people working in refrigerated environments in food factories could be at a higher risk of contracting corona-virus, after three meat factories in England and Wales close after infection. The death rate from COVID-19 in England and Wales is higher among people who identify as Muslims, Jews, Hindus or Sikh than Christians or those with no stated religion, Britain’s statistics office said on Friday.

A drizzly morning was followed by a dry and windy afternoon. Today, between 9.45 and 10am I was expecting to take another load of hedge trimmings to the Recycling Site, but after packing the car with as much ‘green stuff’ as I could, I discovered its battery was flat!!! The last time I had used my Fiesta was on Sunday and annoyingly I forgot to switch off the Tom-Tom (I think it is a consequence of getting old, when your  brain operating system is still windows 3.1, there is less room to store such trivia). Plan B would be to transfer the contents to Sue’s car, but that was parked up outside Foster’s Factory Shop waiting for Sue to fill it with cut-price goodies. With no other choice; I connected a battery charger, unloaded the car, cancelled my appointment via the app and went for my morning cycle.

This too didn’t go without issue. I had decided on a long route, in order to fully soothe my frustration at the earlier misfiring.  In the middle of the usually quiet village of Oxendon, I was amazed at coming across an albino pheasant, standing nonchalantly in the middle of the road, uncaring as I passed by with mouth agape,  breaking the 2m social distancing rule. I should have taken this as an omen, shortly afterwards, I had to curtail the rest of my intended route. Turning down a lane that took me through Waterloo Lakes I was greeted by signs notifying that fishing was not allowed, then immediately after wards was faced with with several people being careful to keep their distance, shouting, “You can’t go that way.” At this, I spotted a barrier across the gap in the fence which was my intended entry onto the next section of my route. Then a pleading, “New Corvid-19 restrictions, mate, sorry!” Those magic words elicited, “No problem,” from me, and I turned around and headed off back up the lane. I now suspected there was a case of corona-virus in one of the fishing lodges or caravans parked up around the ponds. Having passed along the same route every week for the last twelve years, I didn’t need to be told twice that

something was amiss. I headed straight home, to change and wash my hands thoroughly, no point in taking risks.

After plundering Foster’s for their bargains I was delighted on my return to discover that Sue had managed to acquire nine tins of my current, favourite flavours of soup. Yes, the day is starting to look up I thought.

As the afternoon was dry I chose to ride my luck and trim some more of the hedge and re-booked an appointment at the Recycling Site for tomorrow. Fingers crossed that the battery remains charged overnight.

In Newbold Verdon, Sarah went to see the allotment she has taken over. It has certainly become overgrown with all the recent rain we have been having and is in need of a good strimming, I have just acquired the kit to do it! Sue and I are planning a visit early next next week to see Alice and take Mia for a walk, I shall add the allotment to the ‘to-do’ list.