Week 5 - Keeping Going
Good Afternoon Dear Reader *checks time of writing. Yes, it's after noon now. Here at least.*
Hope you are surviving the form of Lockdown imposed/requested where you are and that you are enjoying all that 'free' time.
As for those who are counting down the days to Lifting (or restrictions) or actively campaigning for same - Seriously people? You want to know about the progression of such things? Look at what's happening in China.
Because in China, when the Authorities finally realised that they did indeed Have A PROBLEM, they came down Really HARD - as only totalitarian regimes can. For three months. Then, when the death toll finally came down, and remained at zero for a few days, they started letting up. Slowly.
People have started dying again as people meet up and pass on infections that have been lying quiescent, a little like land mines! Be warned.
Meanwhile in other countries, where the infection was noted somewhat later than January, Restrictions and Official Reactions may well be still in the panic-stricken flailing around falling over ahem, Trying to React Sensibly stage. Or, in the case of Some Governments, driven by Big Business (insert own choice of Nation here), advocating what amounts to wholesale Covidiocy.
Hence Italy and Germany, who have things somewhat more under control, are easing up gradually. While maintaining the option to crack straight back down should things take a sudden turn for the worse.
Here in the UK we've had the (Advisory) Restrictions (and closure of almost all potential indoor meeting places) extended for another 3 weeks. Possibly because the Government reckons that too many of the population might just not react favourably, or even sensibly, to being told we Reallly Should STAY AT HOME for the next couple of months!
For that matter, given at the last check it was impossible to get a home deliver slot from any online Supermarket before mid-May . . . Not even if you have a Certificate from your GP that you Really Do NEED to Stay In for your own health.
H and I are ok. We have plenty in the cupboards (including spiders, which I occasionally disturb when scrabbling around in the back corners to find the Really Old stuff we have there! Pasta Best Before End of 2005, anyone) We can get out to local food shops - all of which are now fully organised to protect their workers and shoppers. Even to painting stripes on queuing areas and aisles at 2m intervals to show what a 2m Social Distancing gap looks like.
H took his exercise walk in two parts today. Once to the local bottle bank to check whether there was space. Then again to make a Large deposit. We may yet generate some space on the kitchen worktops. Given that they're our kitchen worktops, we'll probably fill them again, but they'll have been clear for a bit!
We had the Recyclables collected last Thursday, so H can start on paperwork sorting again. He is putting this off. I'm not saying anything because I'm writing this as an alternative to doing the cleaning. Hey, I vacuumed yesterday. The Dyson is getting a bit Socialist again. The local Dyson Hub (repair shop) is currently closed because it's not regarded as an Essential Service. (Guess who made that decision?) Poo!
Ok, so I then get my daily exercise doing roll-downs to pick up each Dyson-rejected-bit individually, but . . . the Second Law of Thermodynamics* and all that, it seems a tad pointless at times. Though given my allergy to Too Much dust, I'd better get on it either today or tomorrow.
The knitting progresses. I've done the first heel on a pair of socks for S. I'm knitting them two at a time, magic loop, though I do the heels singley. I now have to work out how to rearrange the second sock on the needle (and possibly a few other needles) so I can knit the second heel, before galloping up the legs. I don't know why, but the legs seem to go faster than the feet, even though there are the same number of stitches and it's all the same stitch for a similar length.
The cardigan also progresses. I have mentioned this? It's based on The Cardigan I Didn't Lose At The Science Museum, which is basically a V-necked cardigan, knitted top-down and steeked once I got to the bottom of the V-neck. Knitting Readers may understand that. Confused Readers could always go somewhere like Knitty or Ravelry and look it up.
Anyhew, it's based on this pattern, which I've knitted a couple of times before so, once I remember how it goes, it's ok. What I must remember to do is make notes as I go along, for Next Time I want to knit it. As 'tis I'm doing lots of comparisons with TCIDLATSM and hoping!
Also OIF and I got out into the yard Saturday afternoon shifted stuff (including more ravening molluscs) and sowed a few seeds. We now have Sweet Peas in a big pot in the yard, wildflower mix (for shade, it's our yard after all. Also for butterflies, cos we do get them occasionally) and a small pots of tomato, Morning Glory, Calendula and courgette seeds on various windowsills. We're waiting the 7-21 days for them to germinate, then the next few days til they get big enough to be mollusc-resistant.
Cos there's no point in germinating seedlings only to put them out and have the Resident Ravenous suddenly come out one night and think 'LUNCH!'. Not sure whether our available windowsills are quite big enough for all that, as well as the perennial collection of houseplants, but we'll see. Based on previous experience, any danger of frost should be passed by the end of the first week of May.
*Checks calendar* Hmmm, the seedlings might not be quite big & tough enough by then, we'll see. Meanwhile I'm out first things most mornings trying to pick off and kill any late-to-bed creatures. I'm all in favour of Biodiversity, but I'd like the added presence of a toad, or hedgehog, to keep things somewhat more under control.
*Checks time* Right, vacuuming successfully postponed, better go see about assembling lunch. Soup or salad?
Y'all have a good day now! Stay safe. Stay sensible.
* Ahem, and there was I thinking that the Second Law of Thermodynamics was 'All systems tend to a state of maximum disorder unless work is done on them'. Cos that's Entropy, Dear Reader! Also the cause of housework, things tangling when you've left them all neatly arranged, etc, etc.
Hope you are surviving the form of Lockdown imposed/requested where you are and that you are enjoying all that 'free' time.
As for those who are counting down the days to Lifting (or restrictions) or actively campaigning for same - Seriously people? You want to know about the progression of such things? Look at what's happening in China.
Because in China, when the Authorities finally realised that they did indeed Have A PROBLEM, they came down Really HARD - as only totalitarian regimes can. For three months. Then, when the death toll finally came down, and remained at zero for a few days, they started letting up. Slowly.
People have started dying again as people meet up and pass on infections that have been lying quiescent, a little like land mines! Be warned.
Meanwhile in other countries, where the infection was noted somewhat later than January, Restrictions and Official Reactions may well be still in the panic-stricken flailing around falling over ahem, Trying to React Sensibly stage. Or, in the case of Some Governments, driven by Big Business (insert own choice of Nation here), advocating what amounts to wholesale Covidiocy.
Hence Italy and Germany, who have things somewhat more under control, are easing up gradually. While maintaining the option to crack straight back down should things take a sudden turn for the worse.
Here in the UK we've had the (Advisory) Restrictions (and closure of almost all potential indoor meeting places) extended for another 3 weeks. Possibly because the Government reckons that too many of the population might just not react favourably, or even sensibly, to being told we Reallly Should STAY AT HOME for the next couple of months!
For that matter, given at the last check it was impossible to get a home deliver slot from any online Supermarket before mid-May . . . Not even if you have a Certificate from your GP that you Really Do NEED to Stay In for your own health.
H and I are ok. We have plenty in the cupboards (including spiders, which I occasionally disturb when scrabbling around in the back corners to find the Really Old stuff we have there! Pasta Best Before End of 2005, anyone) We can get out to local food shops - all of which are now fully organised to protect their workers and shoppers. Even to painting stripes on queuing areas and aisles at 2m intervals to show what a 2m Social Distancing gap looks like.
H took his exercise walk in two parts today. Once to the local bottle bank to check whether there was space. Then again to make a Large deposit. We may yet generate some space on the kitchen worktops. Given that they're our kitchen worktops, we'll probably fill them again, but they'll have been clear for a bit!
We had the Recyclables collected last Thursday, so H can start on paperwork sorting again. He is putting this off. I'm not saying anything because I'm writing this as an alternative to doing the cleaning. Hey, I vacuumed yesterday. The Dyson is getting a bit Socialist again. The local Dyson Hub (repair shop) is currently closed because it's not regarded as an Essential Service. (Guess who made that decision?) Poo!
Ok, so I then get my daily exercise doing roll-downs to pick up each Dyson-rejected-bit individually, but . . . the Second Law of Thermodynamics* and all that, it seems a tad pointless at times. Though given my allergy to Too Much dust, I'd better get on it either today or tomorrow.
The knitting progresses. I've done the first heel on a pair of socks for S. I'm knitting them two at a time, magic loop, though I do the heels singley. I now have to work out how to rearrange the second sock on the needle (and possibly a few other needles) so I can knit the second heel, before galloping up the legs. I don't know why, but the legs seem to go faster than the feet, even though there are the same number of stitches and it's all the same stitch for a similar length.
The cardigan also progresses. I have mentioned this? It's based on The Cardigan I Didn't Lose At The Science Museum, which is basically a V-necked cardigan, knitted top-down and steeked once I got to the bottom of the V-neck. Knitting Readers may understand that. Confused Readers could always go somewhere like Knitty or Ravelry and look it up.
Anyhew, it's based on this pattern, which I've knitted a couple of times before so, once I remember how it goes, it's ok. What I must remember to do is make notes as I go along, for Next Time I want to knit it. As 'tis I'm doing lots of comparisons with TCIDLATSM and hoping!
Also OIF and I got out into the yard Saturday afternoon shifted stuff (including more ravening molluscs) and sowed a few seeds. We now have Sweet Peas in a big pot in the yard, wildflower mix (for shade, it's our yard after all. Also for butterflies, cos we do get them occasionally) and a small pots of tomato, Morning Glory, Calendula and courgette seeds on various windowsills. We're waiting the 7-21 days for them to germinate, then the next few days til they get big enough to be mollusc-resistant.
Cos there's no point in germinating seedlings only to put them out and have the Resident Ravenous suddenly come out one night and think 'LUNCH!'. Not sure whether our available windowsills are quite big enough for all that, as well as the perennial collection of houseplants, but we'll see. Based on previous experience, any danger of frost should be passed by the end of the first week of May.
*Checks calendar* Hmmm, the seedlings might not be quite big & tough enough by then, we'll see. Meanwhile I'm out first things most mornings trying to pick off and kill any late-to-bed creatures. I'm all in favour of Biodiversity, but I'd like the added presence of a toad, or hedgehog, to keep things somewhat more under control.
*Checks time* Right, vacuuming successfully postponed, better go see about assembling lunch. Soup or salad?
Y'all have a good day now! Stay safe. Stay sensible.
* Ahem, and there was I thinking that the Second Law of Thermodynamics was 'All systems tend to a state of maximum disorder unless work is done on them'. Cos that's Entropy, Dear Reader! Also the cause of housework, things tangling when you've left them all neatly arranged, etc, etc.