10th June 2021

UK Deaths: 4. Harborough Infected: 10. Covid-19 alert level moves from level 4 to level 3. As from next Monday, people in England will be able to enjoy a pint or a meal indoors, hug their loved ones, return to cinemas, meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 people, and meet indoors in groups of up to six people, or as two households.

11th June 2021: UK Deaths: 20 Harborough Infected: 12

Government figures show that there have now been over 4.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK, with more than 127,000 lives lost. Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has confirmed plans to reopen all 860 of its pubs. Under new rules, customers will be required to scan the NHS Covid app upon entry and wear masks when not seated.

A Vaccine Queue Calculator is now available for those living in the UK, predicting when individuals are likely to be offered their vaccine doses.

On a showery day, the family seems to have succumbed to a variety of ailments. It began with Joey experiencing repeated nosebleeds, quickly followed by Suraj developing a particularly nasty ear infection, severe enough to require a hospital visit and a three-week course of antibiotics. Sarah then joined in the discomfort with a wisdom tooth extraction, while Charlotte booked an appointment for a sore arm following her first vaccine dose. Thankfully, both Sue and I remain in good health!

12th June 2021: UK Deaths: 11 Harborough Infected: 17

From Thursday, people aged 38 and 39 will be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, rather than AstraZeneca. Margaret Keenan (91), the world’s first recipient of a COVID-19 vaccine, met a giraffe calf named after her during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that an inquiry into the UK’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic will begin next year. It is expected to focus on why the UK suffered Europe’s highest death toll and one of the world’s deepest economic downturns.

While Sue joined a U3A ramble through the villages of Cottingham and Middleton, I supervised the installation of a gas and electricity smart meter by an engineer, which took a leisurely 2.5 hours. We can now monitor our energy usage far more accurately (it costs just 1p to make a cup of coffee!), but the biggest benefit is that I no longer have to read the meters and submit readings each month to our supplier, Outfox the Market.

In the afternoon, I planted more broccoli and Cape gooseberries in the vegetable plot. I noticed that the vines have just started to burst their buds, fingers crossed for no late frosts!

Poor Suraj’s ear infection seems to be worsening and is causing him considerable pain. Hopefully, the antibiotics will soon start to do their work.

13th June 2021: UK Deaths: 11 Infected: 19

Boris Johnson has stated that health officials are “anxious” about the COVID-19 variant first identified in India, and he refused to rule out the possibility of localised lockdowns to prevent its spread.

Meanwhile, new data suggests that at least six in ten adults in the UK now have COVID-19 antibodies. A vaccine developed by CureVac and GlaxoSmithKline, designed specifically to target coronavirus variants, has reportedly produced a strong immune response in trials conducted on rats.

I’m betting this particular vaccine is being tailored especially for politicians… Though I suppose we mustn’t forget that even rats have rights—perhaps even political ones!

Today brought a mix of sunshine and heavy showers. Sue managed to avoid the downpours during her U3A Nature Group foray to Summer Leys Nature Reserve, a former gravel pit near Great Doddington. As expected, there was an abundance of watery wildlife to see and enjoy.

As one of the original volunteers for coronavirus research, I’ve been randomly selected to take an antibody test, and the kit arrived today. After successfully pricking my finger to extract a small blood sample and placing it on the testing stick, I was pleased (and slightly relieved) to see a positive result for coronavirus antigens after the ten-minute wait. Reassuring to know that both vaccinations seem to have done their job! I completed the online questionnaire and submitted the result, along with a photo of the test stick, to Imperial College London.

Sarah, Alice, and Mia visited the Rothwells to collect some clothing Sarah had pre-ordered from an outlet in Desborough. On their way home, they popped in to see us and reported that Suraj’s swollen ear appeared to have gone down a little. Before they left, I helped Sarah load the boot of her car with wood chips for the garden. I’m beginning to suspect that both Sarah and Charlotte feel a visit to Dad isn’t quite complete unless it involves touching wood!

14th June 2021: UK Deaths: 17 Harborough Infected: 21

The end of lockdown next month may be in jeopardy, after Boris Johnson warned that the surge in the Indian COVID-19 variant had created “the risk of disruption and delay.” Meanwhile, the number of recorded infections in India has climbed above 24 million.

You know there’s a gardening gene in the family when your eldest daughter announces on Messenger: “My very first tree peony head after about 6 years of growing… excited!!!!!” I’m not sure I could muster that level of enthusiasm over a flower, but upon doing a little research, I discovered that while the roots and seeds are edible, the blossoms can also be added to salads, or lightly cooked and sweetened as a treat. They apparently impart a beautiful pink hue to jellies and cocktails, and peonies taste just like they smell. So perhaps they do have a use after all!

We’ve been waiting for at least a couple of years, and through two cancelled operations, for Jamie to be given a date for surgery on his knee, damaged while playing football. Quite unexpectedly, given the 4.5 million procedures still in the NHS backlog due to COVID-19, he was informed today that (fingers crossed) he’ll finally go under the knife on 28th June. It’s certainly been a week of medical ups and downs for the family.

On what was a chilly day, I found time to help Mike next door with his garden fencing. I saved him a fair bit of time by using my sliding mitre saw to cut the tricky angles on the cross-members and support blocks. I also bagged the off-cuts for my wood store, waste not, want not.

Update on Suraj’s ear infection: the swelling has greatly reduced, suggesting the antibiotics have kicked in. Like a true NHS hero, he’s continued working from home throughout. I only hope the NHS higher-ups are paying attention to his dedication!

15th June 2021: UK Deaths: 7 Harborough Infected: 23

A smugly quiet sort of day, made all the better by a double sporting triumph: Leicester Tigers beat the London-based Harlequins, and Leicester City won the FA Cup final against Chelsea, for the first time in their history. Well done, lads, we gave those Londoners one hell of a beating!

Today, while exploring the Welsh branch of my ancestry, I discovered that my 13th great-grandfather was a knight. “When Sir Roger Nicholas Parsonage was born on 1 January 1520, his father, Roger, was 25 and his mother, Agnis, was also 25. He married Joane (Joozijne) Gillisse Heuse, and they had six children together. He also had one son from another relationship. He died on 15 May 1566, aged 46.” He was born in Alvechurch, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

16th June 2021: UK Deaths: 4 Harborough Infected: 24

More than 20 million people in the UK are now fully vaccinated, having received both doses. The Government claims there is “increasing confidence” that the vaccines are effective against the Indian variant, and that most of those hospitalised with this new strain had declined the jab. Let’s hope their optimism is well-founded. I must admit, I have little sympathy for those foolish enough to reject vaccination.

Tomorrow sees a further easing of Covid-19 restrictions, with pubs, restaurants, and other venues permitted to trade indoors. Time, as always, will tell whether this proves a rash move that forces us back into lockdown.

Despite a forecast of showers, the day turned out to be quite settled, weather-wise. I planted out beetroot plugs, potted on the courgettes and pumpkins, and mowed the lawns.

Now that Suraj is finally on the mend from his ear infection, Ellis has gone down with tonsillitis and is feeling very poorly. Unfortunately (and somewhat amusingly), poor Harry found himself in the firing line while snuggling up to Ellis, and ended up covered in sick. Ergh! Poor Harry.