1st January 2021 (New Year’s Day)

UK deaths: 613. Current Market Harborough infections: 448 (up 152 from last week). An eight-year-old child in England tragically died after testing positive for coronavirus. A sobering start to the year, and not the fresh beginning we were hoping for.

A dull and frosty morning saw Sue and me don our wellies and head off to Great Glen for an invigorating 4.5-mile walk. We’d feared the underfoot conditions might be mud-suckingly treacherous, but the frost had kindly transformed the once squelchy terrain into a rutted but solid surface, ideal for a winter stroll.

Parking in the centre of this ever-expanding village, we set off along a well-used path following the course of the River Sence, making our way towards the abandoned site of Stretton Magna. The scenery, though draped in a somewhat uninspiring gloom, was still interesting enough, but it was the exercise and conversation that were the real highlights. Before we knew it, we had reached the deserted medieval village.

Pausing on the path, we peered over the hedgerow at the extensive earthworks and the moated site, where remnants of two fishponds and part of the medieval field system lay scattered around the 12th-century St. Giles’s Church. After a brief debate, we decided to deviate from our planned route and pay the church a visit. It seemed a shame to come all this way and not have a proper nosy!

I’ve passed this ancient monument countless times on my way to play rugby in Scraptoft, often spotting people trudging along the field path towards its entrance. But not today. The high, thorny hedge that once loosely guarded the church and its yard has now been reinforced with a sturdy metal fence, making it clear that visitors are no longer welcome. A small sign stated the obvious, Derelict and Unsafe, as if the crumbling brickwork and gaping holes in the structure weren’t already a dead giveaway.

Undeterred, we traced the barrier around to the rear, where we discovered a convenient gap. With a bit of effort (and some mild trespassing), we squeezed through and found ourselves in the churchyard, surrounded by a small, rather melancholy cemetery. The brickwork of the church was in a dire state, and any potential entry points had been robustly boarded up, ensuring that even the most enthusiastic explorer (or reckless thrill-seeker) would be kept out.

As I surveyed the area, I noticed an extensive rabbit warren nestled beneath the tower. I couldn’t help but wonder if their relentless burrowing had granted them access inside. The thought of a congregation of rabbits, a choir of twitching noses harmonising in the pews, and a chief coney clad in vestments delivering a sermon amused me far more than it should have.

Sue, ever the practical one, pointed out that most of the graves dated back to the 1700s or earlier. However, her sharp eyes soon found a couple of much more recent headstones, the most modern one from 2004. It marked the final resting place of a Justice of the Peace and his wife. We assumed they must have lived nearby and had requested to be laid to rest in this peaceful, if somewhat neglected, spot. How lovely, we thought, though hopefully, they hadn’t had to squeeze through the same gap in the fence to get here.

The rest of our route took us through the Stackley House estate, past a couple of its cottages towards Burton Overy, and then on through a sprawling housing estate on the edge of Great Glen. Once again, conversation and exercise took precedence over the scenery, such as it was, and as the drizzle set in, we were soon back at the car, damp but satisfied.

Later in the afternoon, I made a mercy dash to Jamie’s with a sump plug; he was changing the oil on his Citroën and had somehow managed to leave it in my toolbox. As he battled on in the dark, I had a chat with Ruth, and in doing so, she inadvertently solved a long-standing family mystery.

In the garage, I have a deep inspection pit, so deep, in fact, that its base sits below the water table. Despite supposedly being tanked, it has a habit of filling up like a particularly inconvenient wishing well. Years ago, when the children were young, I drained it to do some car maintenance, only to discover two catfish wriggling about in the mud at the bottom. The entire family was baffled. How had they got there? Were they an evolutionary offshoot of the common British puddle? Had they been smuggled in by a rogue heron? The mystery endured for years.

Today, thanks to Ruth’s accidental exposé, the truth finally emerged. Jamie, it turns out, had secretly caught the fish in the river and decided that the pit would make a fine home for them. He’d been lifting one of the planks to feed them with our goldfish food, running his clandestine aquarium right under my nose. You have to admire the dedication; he kept that secret longer than most government policies last.

2nd January 2021: UK deaths: 445. Current Market Harborough infections: 435 (up 101 from last week). The government has announced the closure of all primary schools in London for the next two weeks. The newly-approved Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has begun arriving at hospitals ahead of its rollout.

Sue reported that the town was eerily quiet on her morning shopping run, and when I returned from my cycle ride, the streets were still largely deserted. Perhaps, at long last, people are taking this virus seriously. About time!

3rd January 2021: UK deaths: 454. Current Market Harborough infections: 382 (down 85 from last week). The UK has recorded another daily high in cases, with 57,725 new infections. In response, the government has reactivated the Nightingale emergency hospitals and shut primary schools in London.

Sue and I had planned to meet Sarah and Alice for a walk around Fosse Meadows Country Park near Sharnford, but this morning, Sarah developed a cough and wisely decided to cancel, opting for a COVID-19 test instead. Fingers crossed for a negative result.

With our plans abruptly changed, I turned my attention to more digging, while Sue took the opportunity for yet another shopping run; there’s always something, isn’t there? Later, we officially declared Christmas over by taking down all the decorations, including the external snow projector, and packing everything away in the loft, hoping for a better celebration in 2021.

To round off the day, we video-called the family on our Google Home Hubs, one of the few times you can say technology is both wonderful and not trying to sell you something.

4th January 2021: UK deaths: 407. Current Market Harborough infections: 526 (up 8 from last week).

Scotland is heading into lockdown from tonight, with schools staying shut until February. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has announced that England will also enter a strict seven-week lockdown starting at midnight. Everyone must stay at home except for permitted reasons, and all schools and colleges will close to most pupils, switching to remote learning until mid-February.

Here we go again… I spent my time making some cheese to supplement our dwindling supplies.

5th January 2021: UK deaths: 830. Current Market Harborough infections: 517 (up 93 from last week).

As expected, yesterday’s goat cheese attempt didn’t quite separate into curds and whey the way it should have. So, unlike Donald, I admitted defeat and handed it over to Sue for the hens at Charlotte’s house to enjoy. While Sue went on her chicken run to Rothwell (returning with a small mountain of lockdown jigsaws), I got back to digging and chopping because, well, routine is routine, isn’t it?

In the afternoon, I finally had success with a batch of creamy Cheshire cheese. It’s now sitting patiently, maturing, but I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how that will pan out either! At least it’s one less thing to worry about in this new wave of chaos.

On a less cheesy note, Sarah’s COVID test came back negative, thank goodness! And while out for a walk this morning, Harry, the greyhound, managed to perform his best impression of a wrecking ball by sending Charlotte flying. A trip to the hospital revealed her ankle ligaments were damaged, thankfully, no breaks, though. Harry is undeniably the clumsiest dog I’ve ever met, but somehow, still lovable.

6th January 2021: UK deaths: 1041. Current Market Harborough infections: 582 (up 95 from last week).
Charlotte is still feeling delicate after her unexpected flight yesterday. Her back and legs are quite sore, and she’s doing her best to rest up. Harry, on the other hand, is feeling rather guilty, so much so that he’s refusing his treats as a form of recompense. You have to admire his sincerity, even if his form of penance is a bit of a letdown for him!

In other news, Professor Chris Whitty has warned that the UK is facing a “really serious emergency” right now, with one in 50 people thought to be carrying the virus. Meanwhile, China has blocked a WHO team trying to investigate the origins of the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t reflect too well on them. If there’s nothing to hide, why not cooperate with scientists trying to uncover how the virus made the leap from animals to humans?

7th January 2021: UK deaths: 1162. Current Market Harborough infections: 503 (up 110 from last week).
The UK now has the highest new COVID-19 case rate per capita among major countries, nearly four times the rate of Italy, Spain, and France, with only the US matching us. This evening, ‘Clap for Heroes’ was resurrected in recognition of those on the front lines, but with temperatures at -2°C, we decided not to freeze ourselves in the process. Instead, we used the house’s external alarm for 10 minutes to show our appreciation. After all, we didn’t want to risk burdening the NHS with frostbite!

On a much heavier note, Angela Merkel’s words are sadly more relevant than ever: “A fundamental rule of democracy is that, after elections, there are winners and losers. Both have to play their role with decency and responsibility so that democracy itself remains the winner.” It’s a shame that such principles seem entirely lost on Trump. After his supporters stormed Capitol Hill, egged on by his refusal to accept the legitimate 2020 election results, it’s not just the right-minded citizens of the US who have lost. Democracies worldwide have been shaken, especially those that have long relied on America for protection from less democratic regimes like Russia and China.

I have no doubt that Putin, with his subtle machinations, has been the real winner of Trump’s term. The US citizens will have to be the ones to fix this, if they’re willing to confront the consequences of their own choices.

Today, the temperature didn’t rise above freezing, so Sue and I kitted up as if we were heading to the Arctic. We made our way to Kibworth to follow the Kibworth Beauchamp Heritage Trail, one of three trails that meander through this ancient village. The trails were developed after Michael Wood’s Story of England, a six-part TV series (and accompanying book) aired by the BBC in 2010. The series took a deep dive into the 2,000-year history of one English village, and it made for a fascinating exploration of how the past shapes the present.

We figured a village walk along solid surfaces would be much more pleasant than battling through muddy fields in soggy boots. As it turned out, the fields were frosty and firm, but the thick fog made any distant views impossible to enjoy. So, we definitely made the right choice.

The trail covers 35 historical highlights, starting at the 18th-century coaching inn, the Coach and Horses, located on the old Leicester turnpike road. It eventually ends a short distance away at Navvies Row, a line of cottages built to house workers constructing the nearby Midland Railway. Our first stop was the traffic island in the village centre, once known as the Bank or Cross Bank, where a market cross stood. It was here, in 1221, that Henry III granted Walter de Beauchamp a licence for a Monday market. Later, in the early 19th century, a statute fair was held to hire servants and labourers. These days, many of the village’s shops are clustered around the island, and today, it was bustling with masked shoppers and traffic.

I had printed out the trail description, so at each location, Sue read aloud (teacher-style) what we were looking at. Our walk took a brisk, chilly two hours, and although the fog kept the scenery at bay, we found it incredibly rewarding. Back in 2010, we had watched the original TV series with great interest, and visiting these locations 11 years later made it all the more fascinating. It was well worth the frostbite!

8th January 2021: UK deaths: 1,328. Current Market Harborough infections: 608. UP from last week: 160. A third vaccine, the Moderna jab, has been approved for use in the UK. It’s 94% effective at preventing disease, even in the elderly.

Today, Donald Trump struck an unapologetic tone following the riot he incited, tweeting on Friday morning that his loyalists were “great American Patriots” who “will not be disrespected,” even after many of them had stormed Congress and five people had died. Surely, the average American must realise this is a betrayal of their Constitution. “We the people…” perhaps now needs to read, “I the powerful…” Is this not a crime on a scale greater than that committed by Benedict Arnold, the infamous American hero who saw the advantage of switching sides (and why wouldn’t you)? The real question is, will America have the courage to enact the 25th Amendment or impeach him? As shown by the statue of Benedict Arnold near the Saratoga battlefield, they haven’t had much leg left to stand on. Perhaps Trump will follow Benedict’s example and solve the problem by fleeing to… well, who knows where?

Today in pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9th January 2021: UK deaths: 1035. Current Market Harborough infections: 559. UP from last week: 124.

In November (BLOG: Too many tiers, or is it tiers?) I volunteered to provide blood and stool samples for COVID-19 Research, and today I received an email with one of the results.

Your blood antibody result: Thank you very much for taking part in our first flagship study as part of the CSS Biobank. Your blood test did not show a detectable level of antibodies against the virus responsible for COVID-19. We believe this means that you have either not been exposed to COVID-19 or that at the time of testing, your body was mounting a minimal antibody response against the virus (below the level of detection in this research project). It is important to note that if you previously had a positive test but now have a result below the level of detection for this research project, your body’s immune system may still be able to respond promptly and appropriately if you are re-exposed to this virus. Hmmm… mixed feelings……… It would have been brilliant to have discovered I’d had the virus with no perceivable reaction. So, like Sue, we wait for the vaccine and stay safe as best we can.

10th January 2021: UK deaths: 1,035. Current Market Harborough infections: 559. UP from last week: 124. Tested positive in the UK today: 59,938. Total UK active cases: 834,408. The Queen and Prince Philip received the vaccine today, and the Pope is scheduled for next week.

Today, Jamie drove Ruth to Cheltenham to pick up her new car. I bet my little Fiesta could carry more sacks of grass cuttings than her new ride!

10th January 2021: UK deaths: 563. Current Market Harborough infections: 508. UP from last week: 127. Britain is now vaccinating 200,000 people a day against COVID-19 and is on track to hit 2 million a week. It’s encouraging to see the pace picking up!