22nd February 2021

UK Deaths: 178. Harborough Infected: 171.

Boris Johnson revealed his ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown: Pupils in England’s schools will return to class from March 8, and from April 12 at the earliest, shops, hairdressers, nail salons, libraries, outdoor attractions, and outdoor hospitality venues such as beer gardens will be allowed to reopen. From June 21 at the earliest, all remaining restrictions on social contact could be lifted, and larger events can go ahead. Unfortunately, my long weekend in Norah Batty’s cottage with friends in April will have to be rescheduled, as hotels and B&Bs won’t reopen until at least May 17.

Drizzle during the morning delayed our planned geocaching outing with Jamie, Ruth, and Joey until 11 am. However, by then, the rain had cleared, leaving a cold but dry rest of the day. We met up in the village of Harrington and, accompanied by a frisky Rocky and Nala, set off on the trail I had plotted into my GPS, taking in 11 geocaches.

We first passed through an area known as The Falls, a series of garden terraces that once belonged to a large and rather grand medieval manor house (1288), sadly long gone, but its footprint can still be seen in the landscape. The first of the geocaches set the scene for the rest—cleverly hidden and providing great fun in the hunt. The trail was just over 2.5 miles through the soggy countryside (which has become part of the new normal). The two little dogs, charging along with us, soon had muddy undercarriages, and to the dismay of their owners, seemed to relish the free mud bath.

By the time we had completed the hunt, everyone had managed to bag at least one cache, with just one cache eluding our best efforts. We registered it as DNF (Did Not Find) on the website. I noted that a previous search on the 17th had also logged it as unfound, so it may have been muggled.

23rd February 2021: UK Deaths: 548. Harborough Infected: 307.

Last night, I watched a 2011 film on Netflix called Contagion. It was a fascinating and unnervingly accurate preview of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, despite being released in 2011! If governments had taken note of this movie instead of following flip-flopping strategies, perhaps the world would have been better equipped to tackle the virus, and fewer people would have died.

Today was dry, but the wind picked up considerably in the afternoon. Following yesterday’s ‘roadmap’ to normality, I contacted the owners of Norah Batty’s Cottage to reschedule a long weekend break that was originally set for mid-March. The new date is in November. This will now be the third time it’s been changed since it was first booked in November 2019.

It seems that, in addition to providing breakfast for a pheasant, a fox, and a couple of badgers, we now have a muntjac to feed.

Jamie, Joey, and the dogs travelled from Bottesford to visit Sarah and Alice in Newbold Verdon this morning.

Charlotte spent the day pressure-washing the decking in preparation for painting.

24th February 2021: UK Deaths: 442. Harborough Infected: 231.

It’s amazing what a bit of warmth can do for the soul. Despite the ongoing wind, the temperature soared into double figures, 15°C in Harborough, while other parts of the country reached a balmy 18°C. The Palmer sisters both got out their paintbrushes and grey paint; Charlotte tackled her decking before renovating and repainting Sean the sheep, while Sarah started on her fence panels. I opted for a more relaxed activity, pruning the grapevines and contemplating the chances of another ruinous May frost that could thwart my winemaking plans.

25th February 2021: UK Deaths: 323. Harborough Infected: 232.

One of the UK’s largest care home operators has implemented a no jab, no job policy for new staff amid ongoing concerns about vaccine uptake among care workers. I would have thought that was a no-brainer!

On the first warm and pleasant day for quite a while, none of the family used Messenger all day. This now-essential little app has ‘pinged’ away daily on our mobile phones throughout the pandemic, often to the point of distraction, but not today. It’s surprising how a bit of sunshine can lift your spirits and keep you distracted.

26th February 20212: UK Deaths: 345. Harborough Infected: 239.

Over 19 million people have now received their first vaccine dose.

27th February 2021: UK Deaths: 290. Harborough Infected: 269.

After dropping Rocky and Nala off with us, Jamie, Ruth, and Joey took a trip to Swindon to have the Audi R8 checked into a specialist garage for some work (not sure what). Afterwards, they took a slight detour to the River Severn to enjoy the sun. Sarah spent the day tackling the mammoth task of fence painting, while I discovered that we had a farmer in our ancestry. Charles Parsonage (1791-1868) had a 250-acre farm in Lower Hall, Dutton Dffith, Isycoed, Wrexham, Wales.

In today’s Six Nations rugby match, England deservedly lost to Wales, though two appalling decisions from the French referee didn’t help.

28th February 2021: UK Deaths: 144. Harborough Infected: 241.

More than 20 million people in the UK have now received their first dose of the vaccine. To add to the three variants already identified in England, the Scottish Government reported that three individuals who had returned to northeast Scotland from Brazil, via Paris and London, had tested positive for the variant. Do we never learn?

On another warm day, I fired up the rotavator and planted some broad beans and shallots. Jamie, Ruth, and Joey (plus the dogs) arrived mid-afternoon to take Jamie’s quad bike for a spin. Unfortunately, the battery was flat, so they opted for a Geocaching hunt instead. Sarah and Lee took Alice to a nearby lake in Jubilee Woods. Charlotte and her family went for a walk in the Twywell Hills and came across some highland cattle.