Storm Bella

Met office warnings for rain (yellow) and wind (amber in Cornwall). Looks like it should arrive here at about midnight. Weather wise it has been an ok year. A good summer without being too hot – what I think of a a typical English summer, bit of rain, bit of sun. Water butts did not get empty, not quite.

Bella was stormy last night, wheelie bins blown over.

Christmas Day

Chilly but no frost this morning.

Dinner prep done – 4 types of carrots, 3 types of potatoes, sweet potatoes, sprouts with bacon and nuts, peas, gravy – all good. Just thinking I might do a nut roast for tomorrow. Sunny outside – Storm Bella on its way tomorrow.

BREXIT

So a deal looks like being done. Did BonzoJ arrange the chaos at the port to enable him to placate the rebels in his own party? After all it has been a 3 way negotiation for the last couple of years!

All sides will claim victory – a bad way to think about it. If there is a deal which everyone/most are happy’ish with, it will be a step in the right direction. Industry will be happy to have fewer tariffs, although they will still have the red tape – in both directions.

COVID

So new levels imposed. Apparently the IoW ferry has been fully booked with people avoiding restrictions – and the rate goes up – shock horror! Cornwall has also seen a 217% increase in the last 7 days. So why wait until Boxing Day – BoJo has no balls! Scotland has introduced travel bans, this seems like an obvious no-brainer! The 3 main roads into Cornwall should have road blocks to ensure essential only travel. And I repeat – impose shutdown over next 10 days and declare a public holiday for a couple of extra days at Whitsun or start of August.

And can BuffoonJ stop whining that Labour are not supporting him – any sensible PM would have created a coalition to deal with this crisis. Instead of which we are all denied fast access to the statistics and facts.

And for the bozo’s who ignore all advice on distancing we should publicise the following: ‘Criminally negligent homicide occurs when the perpetrator acts in a reckless, dangerous, or negligent manner which causes the death of another person.’

I am sure the government has enough lawyers to avoid the finger of guilt pointing at them when the verdict is given.

Christmas planning

Just had a delivery of gourmet vegetables – heritage carrots and potatoes, chicory, variety of mushrooms, samphire, coriander, variety of cheeses, quince, pears, figs, bramley apples, persimmon, Jerusalem artichokes, avocado, arty lemonade, and other stuff. Yogurt made. I have not iced xmas cake as it is probably sweet enough already. I think the programme was called ‘ready steady cook’ when a variety of ingredients were provided and contestants had to come up with a meal – that is me at the moment – trying to plan what to cook. Small gammon is cooling and I will bake it later.

COVID LATEST

Firstly the stats. In parts of Essex I have looked at the infection rate is over 1000 per 100000. That is 1 in a hundred infected in the last 7 days. Surely a complete lockdown is required immediately. Travel should be heavily restricted as we have seen that a fair % of people ignoring all restrictions. On the spot £1000 fine or seizing car to a pound. harsh but necessary. In other areas restrictions need to be maintained, but at a lower level with the proviso that they could be increased with no notice.Winscombe, Langford and Blagdon have 6 cases or rate of 71/100000. A few miles away the rate is 449 – Wedmore and Mark. so restrictions need to be maintained as people travel!

VEGETABLES

Everyone bangs on about turkeys and ducks, etc. Well they can be nice, but the best bit of the meal is the veg! So below some ideas to add a bit extra without too much bother.

COVID STATS 22 DECEMBER 2020

Table was messed up before so I have revised it


27.0923.105.1119.115.1219.1222.12
North Somerset3179177304142134153
Cornwall20294790254466
Bristol46228350480168137153
Chelmsford416891150109431597
Exeter28317512816810296117
Braintree426058109104462582
Plymouth30116150225637292
IoW10244178292871
Liverpool51656833027697103138
Manchester
458466372175175173
Sunderland274297309412161151155
Newcastle445298284449156160152
Swansea

397231368756747
Cardiff

301156247629678
Glasgow

286275147148146
Aberdeen

415861142158
Belfast

317213109114140
Newry

199118113218244
Sandford





82
West Bodmin





0
Lostwithiel





55

Basically everywhere is up or the same as 3 days ago. Three days! Bungling Boris and Hapless Hancock and other cast members of the governments winter pantomime have know about this new strain for weeks, the figures have been ballistic for many days.

I do wonder about a certain level of herd immunity in the north as they have had high numbers for weeks. But increases in South East and South Wales are a bit scary. And Cornwall and IoW jumping up (from a very low base mind). Bristol and North Somerset go down a tier and numbers go up! Well f*** me, that was a surprise, especially with a new strain of the virus spreading.

Just resign and be satisfied with being one of the worst PM’s ever, and there have been a few!