So Bonkers Johnson is going to address the nation at 8pm. As rates here (Sandford) and Lostwithiel and Bodmin are up 25% on the week to 30th Dec.` It would seem that he needs to take Starmer’s advice and a total lockdown is necessary. He also needs to clarify the death rate – too many people are still saying that the within 28 days of a positive test is wrong. It does not matter if it is wrong – covid patients are filling the beds and others are dying because of this. So Covid might not be killing them directly – but their dying is a result of covid.
HEALTHY EATING
Aaron said my pizza was the last unhealthy thing he would eat for a month! Cheeky git!
Well it made me think about what was healthy and unhealthy! I guess I would start with most, if not all, takeaways and processed foods. Then there is red meat or any non-organic meat. Then it gets a bit more complicated.
Wind trivia
Just get this bit out of the way – Farts
The Helm Wind (the only named wind in the UK) is a strong north-easterly wind hitting the southwest slopes of Cross Fell in Cumbria. When a wind blows at a constant speed and direction through a layer of stable air perpendicular to the ridge or peak of hills and mountains, the result is something called a lee wave.
PREMIERSHIP PREDICTIONS
No chance of me doing that! But what a season! Bottom 6 seem to be a bit adrift (Newcastle, Burnley, Brighton, Fulham, WBA and Sheffield Utd), they might be joined by Crystal Palace. the rest are all in with a chance of top 6 finishes. Arsenal languished but seem to be coming back. Leeds probably have not enough experience this season. It will probably be Liv, Man C, Man U, Chel, Spurs for top 4, but who knows? Transfer window to come.
Lower down – will Sunderland takeover be in time for some signings of quality? Will either Swansea or Bristol City achieve the consistency needed for promotion – doubtful!
Forest Green might make it to Div 1?
Chelmsford can only hope for survival this season! And then I win Euro millions!
JUST BE HONEST FOR ONCE
Will ministers stop talking up the end of the pandemic. We all know it will be months before anything major changes. with large numbers of people refusing to have the vaccine, Covid sceptics and right wing tory ‘freedom wallah’ nothing much will change for a long time.
With schools in disarray, the knock on impact on the economy will be huge.
Changing the times for the second dose of vaccine might make logistical sense but will not aid the take up by the sceptical.
At the very least he should now do what he should have done from the start and set up a cross-party committee to deal with the crisis. This should be composed of experts and not defined by politics or the chumocracy. Its meetings should be reported in full and dissenting voices acknowledged. Only total openness will get the situation under control.
And Brexit – already some lorries being turned away for incomplete paperwork. Do people really think private enterprise is more efficient and will sort it out! Just like test and trace!! And whether it is the French or Europeans fault no longer matters – it has to be dealt with! To my cost I have found that the emotions of a parting of ways are still virulent after 20 odd years! So they are likely to make it difficult at every opportunity, and why not! We chose to leave, and must face the consequences. Will French fishermen act to project their livelihoods – probably. Whilst successive governments seem to have suppressed the unions in the UK, protest seems alive and well on the continent.
COVID STATS 2 JAN 2021
Not looking good – and if pictures from NYE are anything to go by getting worse!
| 27.09 | 23.10 | 5.11 | 19.11 | 5.12 | 19.12 | 22.12 | 2.1 | ||
| North Somerset | 31 | 79 | 177 | 304 | 142 | 134 | 153 | 188 | 256 |
| Cornwall | 20 | 29 | 47 | 90 | 25 | 44 | 66 | 79 | 173 |
| Bristol | 46 | 228 | 350 | 480 | 168 | 137 | 153 | 166 | 217 |
| Chelmsford | 41 | 68 | 91 | 150 | 109 | 431 | 597 | 751 | 878 |
| Exeter | 283 | 175 | 128 | 168 | 102 | 96 | 117 | 144 | 147 |
| Braintree | 42 | 60 | 58 | 109 | 104 | 462 | 582 | 709 | 910 |
| Plymouth | 30 | 116 | 150 | 225 | 63 | 72 | 92 | 107 | 219 |
| IoW | 10 | 24 | 41 | 78 | 29 | 28 | 71 | 110 | 253 |
| Liverpool | 516 | 568 | 330 | 276 | 97 | 103 | 138 | 171 | 242 |
| Manchester | 458 | 466 | 372 | 175 | 175 | 173 | 196 | 208 | |
| Sunderland | 274 | 297 | 309 | 412 | 161 | 151 | 155 | 176 | 267 |
| Newcastle | 445 | 298 | 284 | 449 | 156 | 160 | 152 | 139 | 147 |
| Swansea | 397 | 231 | 368 | 756 | 747 | 696 | 400 | ||
| Cardiff | 301 | 156 | 247 | 629 | 678 | 684 | 460 | ||
| Glasgow | 286 | 275 | 147 | 148 | 146 | 151 | 194 | ||
| Aberdeen | 41 | 58 | 61 | 142 | 158 | 174 | 171 | ||
| Belfast | 317 | 213 | 109 | 114 | 140 | 150 | 225 | ||
| Newry | 199 | 118 | 113 | 218 | 244 | 236 | 256 | ||
| Sandford | 82 | 106 | 201 | ||||||
| W.Bodmin | 0 | 62 | 62 | ||||||
| Lostwithiel | 55 | 99.8 | 190 |
Local figures show increase, I hesitate to say exponential, but they have doubled in actual number in last week. Cornwall figures seemed to take a hit from half-term holidays and the same for the Isle of Wight. What has happened in Essex in December? There must be an explanation better than a new variant on the virus. Was it Xmas shopping?
Why has the government. … an idea…… – why not get volunteers (young and foolish!) to wear gps monitors and follow them for a week. Monitor absolutely all their contacts and movements – they would not need to take risks, but maybe could be Uber drivers or delivery drivers – those who have no choice of isolating due to economic circumstances. This would be so much cheaper than the billions (I cannot believe the figure for test and trace is so high (and they called it NHS test and trace when the NHS were not allowed to participate – corrupt bastards!).
MORE TRIVIA – WALLS
Time for some trivial knowledge about walls. Why walls, why not?
Twelve-angled stone – found in a wall in Cuzco, Peru, how this stone was cut so perfectly is not fully understood.
When Donald Trump’s hero, Hadrian built his wall the Romans had no aubergines, peppers, courgettes, green beans, or tomatoes, staples of modern Italian cooking.
Dry stone walls have different designs in different parts of the country, often due to the types of stone used – Cornish Walls are often herring-bone.
THE WALL THAT SURROUNDS THE ancient fort of Kumbhalgarh is one of the best-kept secrets in India and perhaps the world. Protecting a massive fort that contains over 300 ancient temples, the wall was constructed half a millennium ago in tandem with Kumbhalgarh Fort itself.
The Berlin Wall was in existence from 1961 to 1989 and divided / isolated part of the city from Soviet influenced East Berlin.
Western (or wailing) Wall – Built by Herod the Great in 19BC, this ancient limestone barricade once formed part of an important Jewish temple.
Great Zimbabwe Walls – Great Zimbabwe was the onetime capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, but today this former city lies in ruins. Those ruins are, however, surrounded by towering walls, which stand as a formidable reminder of the might of this once great empire.
The medieval city of London had 7 gates (and some water gates). The gates were Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Moorgate, Cripplegate, Aldersgate, Newgate and Ludgate.
When is a wall not a wall? When it is a Ha-ha.
And finally the best song title with wall in it! Another brick in the wall – Pink Floyd
RANDOM NONSENSE
Green Eggs and Ham by Dr.Seuss was written as a bet to contain less that 50 different words.
The Doomsday Book was kept in Bodmin Jail during WWII.
Hot water freezes faster than cold water!
I am is the shortest sentence in the world.
The recipe for Irn Bru is known by only 3 people.
All smartie flavours are the same except for the orange ones.
Smarties were originally called rabbit droppings (in French).
Bacon frazzles are suitable for vegetarians.
Jelly Babies were first launched in the UK by Bassett’s as “Peace Babies” in 1918
Kia-Ora takes its name from “kia ora”, a Māori language greeting that means “be well/healthy”.
BREXIT AND GEOGRAPHY
Someone should have bought the cabinet an atlas for Xmas! Shop local is a growing trend, and supported by brexiteers, so far so good; but then they tell us we can have great deals with the USA and Japan – please look at a map. Distance equals pollution – simple. We do not want deals with far away countries, just the closest.
Scotland wants to be able to determine its own future. How is that different to Brexit?