26th June 2020

The Department of Health and Social Care reported a further 186 fatalities across all settings in the UK on Friday. Scotland is “not far away” from eliminating coronavirus, the country’s First Minister has predicted. Nicola Sturgeon made the statement as she announced that no deaths had been recorded from confirmed cases of the virus in the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the United States has recorded 2.4 million confirmed infections and 122,370 deaths, more than any other country.

On 20th March, when I first began tracking the progress of coronavirus, I quoted H.G. Wells from The War of the Worlds:

“With infinite complacency, men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter.”

Little did I imagine that I would go on to dedicate 39 blog entries (so far), covering 98 days and documenting its impact on the Palmer family. As individuals, we have long since settled into our routines, using common sense (most of the time) and prioritising personal safety before taking any action. Though the UK appears to have the virus on the run, I suspect, as other nations are finding, that a much-predicted second wave is likely.

As the shackles of lockdown are eased, there is a strong temptation to abandon the measures society has painstakingly put in place. Not just to help the economy, but to reclaim the freedom to do what we want, when we want. Remember those days? Yet, if we get it wrong, if we ‘jump the gun’, even more lives will be lost. This country is approaching a crossroads, and I can only hope that another H.G. Wells quote will also prove true:

“For so it had come about, as indeed I and many men might have foreseen had not terror and disaster blinded our minds. These germs of disease have taken toll of humanity since the beginning of things, taking a toll on our prehuman ancestors since life began here. But by virtue of this natural selection of our kind, we have developed resisting power; to no germs do we succumb without a struggle.”

Perhaps it is time to adopt some Trumpian logic: “If we didn’t do testing, we’d have no cases.”

These blogs have chronicled our family’s experiences under lockdown, but they are, by familiarity, becoming repetitive and unremarkable with such frequent updates. The UK, wisely or unwisely, has set 4th July as the date to cast off many lockdown constraints. From that point, I will transition to monthly updates, focusing on key family events. After all, if Trump is correct and I stop commenting on COVID-19, it won’t exist. Simples.

So… what happened today?

The predicted thunderstorms never arrived. Sue continued working on her family history, while I did some gardening and painted a bit more of the fence.

See what I mean?

27th June 2020

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has reported that 100 people have died in hospitals, care homes, and the wider community across the UK after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the official total to 43,514. Meanwhile, the government has revealed its traffic light system for international travel. Rather than negotiating separate agreements with different nations, each country will be rated green, amber, or red, depending on its Covid-19 prevalence. Quarantine measures will apply only to nations rated red.

Nordic authorities have detected a slight increase in radioactivity levels in northern Europe this month. Dutch officials suggest the source may be a site in western Russia and could potentially indicate damage to a fuel element in a nuclear power plant. With Chernobyl in mind and Putin currently engaged in elections, I have little faith in the Russians admitting to any similar issues within their nuclear industry. Let’s hope there is a less catastrophic explanation for this rise in radiation levels; Europe already has enough to contend with amid the COVID-19 pandemic!

A blustery day with frequent showers. In the morning, Sue stocked up the larder with a trip into town for shopping. Between showers, I planted a row of leeks. Charlotte messaged to say their garage door wouldn’t open, leaving her without access to the chest freezer or her gardening tools for work.

After lunch, Sue and I drove to Jamie’s to feed Maddie, the mad rabbit, while he and Ruth were away in Bottesford for the weekend. Once the rabbit was satisfied, we continued to Rothwell to see if we could help with the garage door. On arrival, we found the problem had already been resolved; a locksmith had been called out, who, for £45, opened the door and fixed the culprit: a bent metal locating rod.

That evening, we watched The Frozen Ground. Based on the crimes of real-life Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen, the film follows an Alaskan State Trooper, played by Nicolas Cage, as he attempts to apprehend Hansen by working with a young woman who managed to escape his clutches. It is believed that Hansen murdered more than 30 women.

28th June 2020
Thirty-six people have died in hospitals, care homes, and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, one of the lowest figures since the start of lockdown. The official total death toll now stands at 43,550. The Home Secretary has confirmed that Leicester could become the first city in Britain to face a localised lockdown following a surge in coronavirus cases. Leicester has a large Asian population, predominantly living in multi-generational households. BAME communities are known to be at far greater risk from the virus.

Michael Winterbottom is set to direct a TV drama about Boris Johnson’s handling of the coronavirus crisis. The series will reportedly follow the Prime Minister from his appointment to office through to the height of the pandemic, including his hospitalisation after contracting the virus. If any of us are still alive by then, it could make for compulsive viewing.

A very windy Sunday, though mostly dry and sunny. Sadly, the highlight of my day was picking broad beans and carrots from the garden for lunch. Sue returned to her sewing and, after lunch, worked on her tapestry.

I spent much of the afternoon tracking down the Welsh 70s rock band Man and listening to them on Spotify. For some reason, they popped into my mind after nearly 40 years since I last heard their music, on cassette, no less. It became the focus of my coronavirus-lockdown-boredom day. It’s good to reminisce while you still have a mind to do so.

At 4 am this morning, Sarah took Alice out in the car in an attempt to get her to sleep. She eventually nodded off at 5 am. I hope that wasn’t a full hour of driving!

Later in the day, the family tackled the allotment I had strimmed for them last week. There’s quite a lot of work to be done to get it into shape for next season. With travel restrictions easing and hotels and holiday destinations reopening, they have booked a few days away in mid-August at Paignton in Devon. While there, they plan to visit Sue’s sister, Philippa. We’ve been enlisted to look after Mia while they’re away.

Sue and I have also arranged a short stay in Cheshire at Peckforton Castle in early August. We plan to visit Caergwrle at the same time to see relatives. We’ve visited the castle a couple of times before, but this will be our first time staying there. Despite concerns over COVID-19, we’re looking forward to it and trusting the virus will behave itself!