Sunny.

Much the same today, sunny with more clouds and a chilly breeze. There were times when grey clouds seemed to fill the sky but they cleared without a drop of rain falling.

I had intended to do some home hairdressing, in other words doing my own version of ombre'd  hair which I do every few years. Mustn't go overboard with the pampering. However having gathered the necessary equipment I read through the instructions and decided that this time I ought to follow the safety procedure and do a 48 hour patch test. I didn't bother the last time but it would be very silly to need medical attention in these current circumstances. Patch test done I'll wait the required time before having fun with the bleach stuff.

Instead I went out to the front garden and carried on weeding out some of the celandines from the flower bed. Had a chat with the couple next door which included mutual indignation at some of our neighbours who are blatantly flouting the isolation advice. This morning was wheelie bin collection day and even if I hadn't seen the reminder on FB that the bin men handle hundreds of bins and we should wear gloves and wash the bins I'd already planned to do so. Out I went with my bucket of hot soapy water and my bin got a good cleaning before being brought back to the bin store.

Sunny.

Still sunny and still cold.

After a baking day yesterday today has been a cleaning day. It was one of those days when I didn't make an early start so there wasn't much time once cleaning, exercises and music practice were done but I did get around to cleaning the orchids. There is still evidence of some woolly aphids so each plant was taken out to the front garden, every leaf surface sprayed and any aphids that I could see removed with cotton buds. (Some of the leaves are still speckled with white paint from my painting the walls with a roller.) The insecticide is nasty stuff so I wore a mask and gloves plus glasses.

Dreadful as this pandemic is there may be a few good things that come out of it. This morning I watched neighbours in three different houses standing in their front doors and chatting away. I keep thinking how lucky we are in this close where the small children can play outside in their gardens and even have a run around on the main grass or pedal their bikes and scooters along the path. People now have time to continue with hobbies and once restrictions are lifted may be more appreciative of the local beaches and countryside. Also though it's very difficult or even impossible to get deliveries from the main supermarkets there are so many independent shops offering deliveries that people may get into the habit of supporting local independent shops which would be a good thing.

Colder.

Quite sunny today with bitterly cold north-easterly winds.

This morning I was feeling sorry for myself with a headache, cough and temperature, a low temperature so it's just a cold. I've been coughing and sneezing for months if not years so I wasn't that worried. Yesterday as I stood in the queue for the till I really wanted to cough but realising it would freak everyone out I managed not to.  

Yesterday I bought some reduced raspberries and somehow a pot of double cream ended up in my trolley. Not sure how that happened. Today I thought I'd go in for some baking practice and have another go at a roulade. I scaled down the recipe to a third of the amounts and it still came out as a generous dessert. I didn't want to waste the egg yolks so looked on-line for a suitable recipe. My initial choice was crème brulee but as I began to write down the recipe I realised it was far too ambitious and settled for a simple custard instead.  

The clocks went forward this morning so the day has been a little shorter than usual. 

C-News. As usual it's becoming obvious that the politicians ignored warnings and failed to prepare with ordering equipment and tests in time. Another of their failings has come to light in that as social distancing was introduced and the general public were ordered to keep 6ft apart our Prime Minister was so convinced that guidelines didn't apply to him he was seen sitting close to other members of the cabinet and now he and one other have the virus and two more have self-isolated. 

Clouds.

 Much cooler today as the clouds begin to gather.

Today I went out shopping, an exciting event in these lockdown days. The roads were very quiet as I drove across town to Lidl's. I was able to walk straight into the shop wearing latex gloves to avoid getting contaminated. By the time I came out shoppers were being asked to wait outside until there was more room in the store. I had taken my MP3 player with me and it came in handy as I waited to check out. I couldn't get a good radio signal and listened to Dire Straits instead. One shopper wore gloves and very unusual for the UK, a better quality DIY mask. There was also one elderly gentleman who shouldn't have been out at all. People were quite good at maintaining the 6ft spacing, either waiting patiently for the person in front of them to move along or moving as close as possible to the edge of the aisle to edge past. Pasta still in short supply, ditto toilet paper though there were enough packs on the shelf. I was surprised to find plenty of paracetamol in Lidl's so two packs went in my trolley along with more of our staples. In Tesco's you could see they had set up for long queues outside with a one way system but while I was there it wasn't needed. Just inside the doors there was a table with wipes and spray to use if you wanted to clean your trolley or basket. Between Lidl's and Tesco's I found everything on my list apart from wholemeal pasta which Peter likes. Looking at our well stocked cupboards we can maintain our usual menus for two weeks and there are sufficient basics to keep us going for another two weeks. It was nice to be out and exchange a few words with other people but staying home is the safer option. On the way home I stopped to drop off a TV magazine for a friend who is self-isolating for medical reasons. 

Back home the postman, (Rich who is Peter's friend) delivered a parcel containing 400 pairs of latex gloves. Even though we both washed our hands after handling the shopping bags I feel safer with the extra protection of gloves when out. I also washed all the door handles with hot soapy water to be on the safe side.

There was a lovely sunset last night. To the naked eye the sun was a blazing red ball sinking down behind the hill.

Sunny.

The good weather continues but the nip in the air suggests the forecasters are correct in saying things will go downhill from tomorrow.

On such a lovely day I found myself a couple of outside gardening jobs. In the back garden I cut back the ivy that was creeping through the trellis from the neighbour's fence. That done I headed out to the front garden, initially to poke in some garden sticks to support the emerging hardy geraniums. Naturally I was tempted to carry on and weed out some of the celandines that had taken over a patch of a little sedum. Happy as I was to be on my knees grubbing about in the dirt the state of my back is a reminder of the need for raised beds in our next garden.

C- News. Last night I joined in with a national 'Clap for our carers' event where at 8pm people went to their front doors (or windows as in my case) to clap or make some noise to show our appreciation of those who are putting their lives at risk to care for the rest of us. Sadly but not unexpectedly the death rate is increasing almost doubling to 181 today. We've had our first big set back with Red Roofs. Due to the window manufacturer closing for the duration nothing is going to happen with the bay/french doors or the front door until June at least. That is a blow.

Sunny.

A frosty morning developed into another lovely Spring day.

A perfect day for Spring cleaning. Everybody has been out washing cars, mowing grass, and cleaning out sheds and garages. It was recycling day today and there was an enormous amount of cardboard being got rid of. 

My very early start got the routine things done in good time after which I painted up any spots on the garden walls that needed doing. After painting the whole of the back wall the other day a lot of tiny black specks/flies had stuck to the wet paint. I tried scraping them off but ended up dabbing paint over them blending them into the rough concrete texture. Then I took myself out to the front to tidy up the lawn edges. I do have some long handled edging shears but they're not very sharp even after going over the blades with a whetstone. Instead I resorted to my gardening scissors which gave me the chance to remove some of the worst weeds. I was visited by a little tabby cat that lives a few doors down. She's very sweet even though she or the other neighbourhood cats may be the reason not so many bids are visiting the brid feeders now. Speedy was watching her closely from the open study window and I hoped he wouldn't try and leap out. Bees were buzzing around and a tortoiseshell butterfly was flitting above me as I worked. 

With the back garden looking a lot smarter it was nice to sit out in the warm sun to dry my hair while reading a book with a cup of tea at hand.

C- News. One of the two patients in the hospital has turned out not to have coronavirus and has gone home. It turns out that we cannot drive anywhere to go for a walk. Not even to the moors, beaches or other countryside places. I think that's to avoid any confusion or people using going for a walk as an excuse for being out in a car. The police made this clear on FB posts. Also on FB was a notice that the council has suspended their car parking charges. It is probably better to park in town if we have to go to the bank or Boots than try and avoid being too close to people on the walk down. 

Sunny.

The sun still shines and it feels like a summer's day. Such a shame that the car park for Saunton beach has been closed. The beach is 3 1/2 miles long so no danger of people getting too close to each other either on the sand or in the water but the company that owns the car park is notoriously tight fisted and I suppose they can't bear the thought of anyone parking for free.

First thing this morning I had a phone call from the hospital cancelling my appointment to have an ECG monitor fitted. Understandable and I'm glad not to be going near any possible source of infection. So far there are two patients in ICU with Covid 19 (can't make up my mind which name to use, Coronavirus is a bit of a mouthful.) Instead I'm waiting for a phone call from my GP to discuss the dosage of one of my medicines.

My 'angry old person ire' was well and truly stirred up this morning listening to Radio 4. They were interviewing the chap who is the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, not too sure what that is exactly but I bet he gets a big fat salary and he admitted that he doesn't have any clinical expertise. He first tried to justify why in this country doctors and other staff looking after patients with Covid 19 only need a plastic apron, gloves and a surgical mask for protection when the World Health Authority stipulates full overalls, eye shield and non porous mask. He then went on to say 'people who are asymptomatic generally will not give you the virus' which I felt was extremely dangerous and contradicts everything the experts have been telling us. I went back and checked his exact wording to make sure I hadn't misheard. Then blasted off an email to The Today (news) programme and posted a comment on FB.

That off my chest I got on with using up the last of the stain on the top decking. Some bits are a little orange but I'm not doing any more. Let's face it house viewings aren't going to happen for a long time. I had to hunt around for some washing, the weather was too good to miss, and found some tops and t-shirts which are drying nicely on the line.

Lockdown.

It happened. Last night a broadcast from the Prime Minister put the country into what is basically a lockdown. Everyone except key and other essential workers has been told to stay home. We're allowed to go outside once a day for exercise, shop as infrequently as we can, go out for medical appointments or medicines and carry on with staying 2m from anyone apart from our own household. All shops except those selling food or medicines, and building supplies/hardware are now closed.

Now that it's so serious my first thoughts were that one of us should go shopping first thing today but then I thought that we haven't run out of anything and I expect a lot of people might also head for the shops. We can go next week. My next thought was that my pack of 20 latex gloves wouldn't last very long. That had me getting out of bed, turning on my PC and ordering a box of 400 ex-large gloves which should arrive in a couple of days.

I saw this on FB and thought it was worth sharing again here. 

It has been another lovely sunny day. I had a very early start to my day and saw a woman walking her dogs at 5.30. I was up not much later and for once did my floor exercises, went on the exercise bike and put washing in the machine before breakfast time.

Before painting on the final coat of wood stain I gave the tin a very good stir until the orange sediment had blended with the purple liquid. As I sploshed the stain on the wood (and whatever got stuck down yesterday) I could hear the sounds of work going on all around. Our next-door neighbour was repainting all their decking and the chap from the big house behind us sounded like he was giving his greenhouse/shed some spring maintenance while in the distance was the sound of mowing. I hung the washing up before starting painting and while resting my aching back after the painting was done I noticed some small raindrops on the window and a grey cloud overhead. The sight of my neighbour's husband taking in their washing was the final straw. I had to work out a way to cross the newly painted decking. My solution was to use some pieces of baking parchment, now blown away to step carefully on to the almost dry decking.

I spent the rest of the afternoon resting my back which has been bad after so much painting on my knees. Maybe I should have split the work up into shorter sessions but then it would just go on that much longer. Peter's lumps on his knees from his arthritis means he can't do any work on his knees and it would be silly to get somebody in just to paint the decking. Once rested I got the ironing done as another neighbour who lives next door but one to us on the right used his petrol mower to cut another big section of the grass.

Sunny.

It's been another lovely sunny day. Perfect for drying washing, paint and wood stain.

Peter gave our lawn its first cut of the year then went on to tackle the central grass. Our neighbour borrowed the mower and cut her section as well. Now there is plenty of room for the children to play. Peter bagged and loaded the cuttings straight into the car. However when he got to the dump he found a previously unknown extra long queue of cars waiting to get in. He went and did his supermarket shopping, few shoppers but a lot of empty shelves and tried the dump afterwards but the queue was just as long. He gave up on the dump and will try again tomorrow, earlier this time. I'm not surprised about the dump. Not only is it the time of year that people start working on their gardens but with people being stuck at home lots of sorting out of cupboards, sheds and garages is going on. 

My first job this morning was to scrub the outside painted walls close to the kitchen prior to painting. They looked so good after the cleaning that they don't need painting. However the very back garden wall was very patchy so I gave that a fresh coat. I then used the orange stain to go over the back third of the recycled decking. I'm hoping that as it dries it won't look so orange and I also tried to shade it into the rest of the wood. The last dregs of stain were just enough to tidy up the wooden planters. Peter bought another tin of stain which should be enough for a final coat over the lower decks.

Today on the news there have been a lot of complaints about people going to popular beach/tourist spots forming crowds and not sticking to the 2m spacing between people not from the same household. I looked for some photos but the only UK ones I found seemed to show couples walking at a reasonable distance from other couples.

Vytas phoned last night and we had a lovely long chat. His card arrived today and after putting the envelope in the recycling I gave my hands a good wash singing the reccomended two verses of Happy Birthday.

Sunny.

A lovely sunny day today. It's Mothers' Day and for many people concerns about coronavirus have drastically altered their plans for the day. All restaurants closed and the advice  to self isolate for the older generation has stopped many people from visiting their mothers. I had a chat with Romas on the phone this morning and he explained that his fear that the virus can be transmitted on any surface halted the sending of a card. I hadn't really thought about that. For me, as usual it's a day like any other.

Today was the perfect day to continue staining the decking. I had a bit of a surprise as I got down to the last quarter of the tin as the colour suddenly became very orange. I thought I'd been stirring the stain sufficiently but obviously not. A swish around with the cane revealed that the orange pigment had sunk down to the bottom. So I ended up painting the wood with a much more orange colour. It doesn't look like the decking colour will be that uneven but I'll have to wait until it's all dry.

Two of the neighbouring families are enjoying the good weather playing or sitting out in their front gardens. Close enough to chat but a safe distance apart. They've also been letting the older children out to play on the main grass supervised by an adult. In the news today were calls for the better off people who have second homes in rural areas not to move out to them. Firstly because they'll be spreading the virus into unaffected areas which secondly have limited medical facilities. Doubt if they'll take much notice. From what I could see the shops aren't running out of food though we may have to change some of our choices. Today a company that usually supplies restaurants and hotels posted on FB that their refrigerated lorry would be in the cattle market car park selling a variety of basics as well as frozen food. They showed their prices which seem comparable to the supermarkets. After stories circulated of health workers finding nothing to buy at least one supermarket is offering separate slots for heath workers and then the elderly, disabled, carers etc. The National Trust have now closed all their outdoor spaces as well as their properties which they closed a few days ago. I wonder if we'll get a refund of our year's membership.

Windy.

Even brighter again with a strong wind.

It was a good drying day but instead of hanging out washing which would have got caught up in the pots and chairs moved off the decking I set to with painting on the decking stain. When I went to B&Q my spirits were raised by the sight of a tin of 'cedar' quick drying stain only to have them dashed by the realisation it was the only tin on the shelf. I ummed and aahed, so much so that a chap asked if I needed help getting something down from the shelf. Instead I settled for a different make of 'golden cedar' which looked to be similar. When I opened the tin this morning I realised that I had probably used this make before. What gave it away was the bright pinkish mauve colour of the stain in the tin which I remember seeing before. Happily it dries to an acceptable orange colour.

Having the decking already cleared I was able to get to work straight away. I splashed on as much of the stain as I could especially on the original decking. I don't remember the wood being in such a state last year and it all still needs at least one more coat. Something else that will have to be done soon is cutting the grass. I keep hoping that the council will come and cut the central grass as it has got very long. Just now one of the neighbours who usually just cuts his front lawn has gone over a lot of the grass in front of his house so his little boy (5/6years old) can play on it more easily. On the other hand one of the other neighbours mowed his grass again to bowling green perfection and ignored the central grass.

While I was out yesterday I saw somebody give a homeless person as small bottle of alcohol get which I thought was very kind. Since hearing that programme about how even giving food or a hot drink acts as a disincentive to the homeless getting more all round help from local shelters I've not done so. Here the Salvation Army run a shelter and one of their members was out collecting so I gave my help that way. FB and the radio (my main sources of information) are full of on-line sites giving practical help or ways to occupy the time being spent away from other people. I might even be tempted to watch one of the big theatre musicals that are now on-line. Yesterday evening a friend of mine posted a video of herself and neighbours all standing out by their front gates, many with glasses and bottles of wine having a sing song led by a chap with a guitar. So far none of the restrictions make any difference to my daily life though the charity shops might all be closed when I need to visit the bank or the chemist.

Social Distancing.

A little brighter today with strong icy winds.

I had another early start to my day, and set off in good time to walk to town. Much quieter than usual, Friday is the main market day in the Pannier market but as can be seen above it was almost deserted. Whenever I can I try to support the farmers' tables and today I bought a cauliflower which is being cooked for supper. These tables, usually run by Mrs. Farmer hold a few things either home baked/made or grown. The table I visited just had half a dozen cauliflowers and some baskets of sprouting broccoli. While the numbers of people in general had lessened there were quite a few elderly people ignoring the stay at home advice.

There's a large on emphasis on everybody employing social distancing though the distance we should stay apart varies from 1m to 2m. This afternoon I spotted a couple of my neighbours having a chat outside standing 2m apart. All the shops I visited had signs up reminding people to keep apart and also requesting restraint when buying items. People in queues did stand farther apart and even further where the person in front was elderly. In the Pound Shop they had stuck down tape on the floor to keep the queue spread out. I looked but didn't find any paracetamol before I had to pick up a prescription at Boots which as usual took ages. First I waited behind 6 people in the queue and then was asked to come back a bit later which entailed another long wait.

About half the charity shops were closed. In the others the staff wore latex gloves and there were signs asking people to pay by card if possible. I don't have a contactless card so that would still involve touching the number pad. Today I paid with cash. I didn't find any suitable beach themed items but I did buy this trinket box for £4. The little books are A6 size and it was quite heavy in my backpack along with a bottle of milk. To go with my generous cauliflower I also had a white cabbage in my bag and in my other hand was a bag with 2 outdoor chair cushions for our small wood and metal chairs. One has been scribbled on and I'm trying some carpet cleaner to remove the red and green marks though I shall make new removable covers anyway. I also had to go to the bank to pay some bills including a large one for the central heating; oil tank, boiler and radiators.

Social Distancing involves a lot more than not standing too close to people. Right now pubs, restaurants, gyms, sports facilities and any form of entertainment have been told to close and the general advice is to avoid any contact where possible. Today we've been told that this will continue for at least 12 months with the degree of social distancing being reduced and then increased so that the number of severe cases needing ICU beds doesn't number more than the beds we have. That's the theory but I suspect the practice may not be so simple. Because so many people are in danger of losing their jobs the govt. has announced a scheme where 80% of wages of threatened workers will be paid by the govt. Otherwise it will be total chaos. Transportation is also being closed down. Yesterday London which is weeks ahead of the rest of the country in terms of infection, began to close down the buses and trains. 40% of train stations were closed and buses reduced to weekend levels. Today the train service for the rest of the country has begun to be reduced as well. Usually when we listen to/watch The News it's from a point of observation but now what we hear is having a direct impact on our lives. Very different indeed.

Grey.

Grey again with some drizzle. I woke before 5.00 and had done my exercises by 7.00 which left me feeling very self-satisfied. I was able to get out for some shopping at a reasonable time.

Lidl's wasn't too bad in terms of what was on the shelves. Lots of shoppers but for once they had every till manned, usually it's one or maybe two, and I got my £13 of shopping through quite quickly. I just bought some of the things we would need if we had to stay at home for two weeks. Even got two bottles of milk to put in the freezer.

Tesco's was also very busy with many shelves empty. Top photo shows the hand soaps all gone and the one below once held pasta sauces. Lidl's had a limit of four of any item and Tesco's limit was three. I only failed to find two things on my list which were both in-case items, honey which I use to make a honey and mustard dressing and peanut butter for home baked cookies and as a guilty pleasure. Paracetamol had all gone but we have some at home and are limited in how much we can take because of our other tablets.

Tesco's aren't usually very good for reductions but occasionally there are some bargains. Today I found these gift bags and sparkly tissue paper. They had been reduced to 10p and when I scanned them the 3 for 2 offer still held so you got three items for 20p. Not bad. Then I spotted a reduced climber in somebody's trolley. I looked in the plant section and even got the security guard to watch my trolley while I went to check the racks in the entrance before I found them along with the reduced fruit and veg (no bargains there). At £1.50 each I thought they were a good buy though sadly the special offer didn't come up on the scanner. I bought two varieties of honeysuckle, three of passion flower and five clematis. They are destined for the enclosed back garden in Borth which by my rough reckoning is 12ft x 30ft. The back garden has a hodge podge  of fairly high walls and fences so my plan is to put trellis panels over the whole lot and grow climbers. They are all in the conservatory for the moment and I shall harden them off as the weather improves.

The windows chap phoned this morning after measuring up the hole for the front door. Because we've chosen a composite door there isn't enough room for the side panel. This is because it comes up wider than a standard plastic door (plastic is not as strong) but also means you can get a wheelchair through it should we need. So the side panel has gone and also the problem of visually centering the door from the outside when we have the porch built.

Latest covid news- No cases yet in North Devon. All schools in the country will close on Friday indefinitely though children of key workers and vulnerable children will be able to go to school to be looked after. It's all a bit unclear. Teachers are supposed to provide on-line lessons and/or resources though how well Broadband will hold up to everybody using the internet all day is doubtful. Also this year's GCSE and A level exams have been cancelled. University places are usually given according to A-level grades so what's going to happen there? Right now I've got my window open and there is a noticeable reduction of traffic noise. I'm guessing a lot of people will have done their shopping earlier in the day. I've noticed some of my neighbours who are definitely over 70 still coming home with bags of shopping. 

Grey.

It's been a grey day with a pretty constant drizzle so I wouldn't have been able to stain the decking anyway. 

I haven't done very much at all today except the usual cleaning and exercises. 

The corona virus situation continues to worsen. All travel out of the country has been advised against. Schools in Wales and Scotland are closing and don't expect to open until summer at the earliest. No word yet on schools in England. Glastonbury has been cancelled and so too the Eurovision Song Contest. Nooo... mind you after all the fuss about Brexit I don't think the UK would get a single vote. (Never worked out how Australia and Israel get to be in the competition.) The govt. is frantically trying to work out ways of keeping people in work as after so many years of 'austerity' people have no savings or ways to pay their basic bills.

Grey.

Today has been grey with some drizzle in the afternoon.

Peter went out shopping this morning and found shelves stripped bare and a noticeable increase in the numbers of older people shopping. Not surprising when the govt. is now recommending that older/vulnerable people self-isolate for 12 weeks.  Peter ended up having to buy milk at the garage. Now that we no longer have a 6ft chest freezer we're limited to the amount of stuff we can freeze. The latest restrictions, some voluntary some compulsory are no theatre performances, galleries and museums closing though I see there are more virtual tours on-line, sporting events cancelled, C of E church services cancelled, mosques advised not to have meetings and no elective surgery for the next three months. 

While Peter was out I prepared the lower decked areas for staining. I moved everything off and then brushed and wiped away most of the algae. Peter went to B&Q to pick up some more deck stain but they had sold out even though the website said they had it. He couldn't find any even in other brands that roughly matched the orangey/red 'cedar' I've been using. Surely they must know that this is the time of year everybody begins to freshen up their decking. They can't blame the shortage on panic buying.

I also made another batch of chocolate and peanut butter cookies which necessitated some tasting just to make sure they were alright.  

Tonight I spoke to the chap from the window company to place the order for the new front door. As the inside wall has already been insulated and boarded it would be a lot more work to extend the door opening to fit a glass panel on either side of the door so I agreed to having a panel on one side. Unfortunately I had to make another compromise with my perfect design regarding the handle. I'd wanted a long bar, it looked much better and could double as a grab handle when we get a bit unsteady. But, first of all it would cost around an extra £500, gulp! but also we can't have that handle with a door lock that doesn't lock shut when you pull the door to and can only be opened with a key. Knowing our way of popping in and out either to get to the garden or to chat with people it wouldn't be long before we locked ourselves out. So we're going to have a standard curved lever handle with a latch that you open without a key.

Sunny.

The day began with a frosty morning which was followed by a lovely sunny day.

We got a phone call at 8.30 from somebody with an Indian accent claiming to be 'Justin' wanting to 'fix' our computer. He got short shrift from Peter. An hour later a second call was a much more pleasant one arranging a viewing for later in the day. Not only that but this was a second viewing by the chap who came the other day when the house was untidy. This time he came with his dad as well as his mother. They kept saying how much bigger the rooms were than they remembered. From our experience the first viewing gives a general impression while the second fills in the details. Also general clutter tends to make rooms look smaller. With the lovely weather they were able to see right out to Hartland and overall it all seemed very positive. But there's no point in getting our hopes up yet.

It's been a perfect day for carrying on with staining the decking and apart from one tiny corner the top deck is done.

I was chatting to my neighbour who works up at the hospital and she told me that all the bottles of hand sanitizer kept at each patient's bed have been stolen from the wards she works in. How despicable is that? I suppose that those selfish people assume the hospital has unlimited supplies which it doesn't. Listening to the radio earlier it seems that in some places slots for home deliveries from supermarkets are full for at least three weeks. So much for thinking that we could simply have food delivered if we get ill or have to self-isolate. Might have to do a bit more in-case shopping. Sadly there are already reports of evil people knocking on the doors of the elderly, telling them they can't go out and then obtaining cash or bank details. More than half the people in our bit of the road have lived here for over 20 years and there's quite a community spirit so I think the older residents will be well looked after.