Schools out, in, out, and shake it all about

Spent the day working from home.  I was on standby to possibly work at the vaccination hub, but instead of going into that, did some work helping workers at a care home get vaccinated this week.

The kids are at home now, lessons being on Zoom, or on Microsoft Teams.  The kids have had issues when it comes to Leia and my wife and I are going to have to sort this out later.  My daughter was not happy when the lockdown news came, especially when it came to the cancellation of GCSE's as she this means that her mock exams are going to probably be her final grade in the exam she was meant to sit later this year.

As my children where on a staggered return to school, things are not as bad for them as in this video, but I do feel for teachers having to work on constantly shifting sands.  A bit like how things have been in the NHS...

Interfering with elections

The US as posted before, has a history of interfering with elections.  Now it appears that the president wants to overthrow the democratic result in the 2020 US elections, but he is justifying it based on hearsay and rumour.  I am sure that there will be many on the US right who will attempt to justify this, and it will be interesting to hear the excuses.  I am sure that many will say that the Democrats had no first hand witnesses when it came to the Ukraine impeachment, but that is only the White House not only blocked first hand witnesses from attending, but Trump, the main witness, did not attend.

I am in two minds as to if Trump should face charges for this.  If he does, it risks dividing an already divided nation more, but if the authorities decide to ignore this, many will see a rich white man getting away with corruption, when others do not.  Justice is meant to apply to all and while Trump has got away with things before, it makes a mockery of the law if he gets away with this as well.  

There are times I hate to lose

Board game day today.  We took Leia to see some horses, but spent the last day of the holiday playing Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Pointless and Risk.  We tried playing a quick version of Risk, but time went on and and it went into when I should have fed the kids what my wife had made.  She had played the other two games, but had had a bath while the rest of us vied for world domination.  My daughter gave in despite being in a winning position as this was going on too long and my son ended up winning instead.  Git.

Note to self, do not start it so late in the day again.

On another note. Leia and I had loads of fun in the morning having a socially distanced dog walk.  I have not seen Adam in ages, his dog Phoebe loved meeting Leia and the two of them just ran and ran.  I have to learn to train her better.  She does not like walking in the dark and hates being driven in it more, but she loved the break having a run with her new friend on The Commons.  And it was great for me to meet Adam and catch up.  We need to make this more regular.  For the dogs obviously! 

Holidate

Well, I liked the film.  It was, as my wife said, corny in places, and it was predictable.  But it was funny, and appealed to my twisted sense of humour.  It was too much for my daughter who fled upstairs when some of the more intimate scenes took place.  I am glad we watched it and I do recommend it to others.

As for the rest of the day, we relaxed.  We got food from Brightlingsea and went for a walk there afterwards.  We would have walked for longer but for the cold and the weight loss of my wife meaning that her trousers do not fit and kept slipping down!

We made it

We made it through the year.  While my father passed away, no one I know personally outside my job has died of COVID yet.  I am very grateful for that.  Needless to say, 2020 has been a scary year.  Today when at work, I found out that a patient I saw on a home visit in December did have COVID. Fortunately the bin liner that I wear as an apron protected me, along with my flimsy mask and surgical gloves.  

Having two wonderful kids, my main worry is that they will be left with no parents due to COVID, something that has happened to far too many people across he globe. My wife works on he frontline as well, not in hospital but I worry for her as I think that she has greater exposure to the plague compared to me.

At work, we have had two people with it last year, and at present we have another member of staff off with it, one isolating as their spouse has it and one is waiting for test results.  

I know that I have a lot to be grateful for. But I want more, specifically I want my family to get through his period of history intact.  A wish that many up and down the country want as well I suspect.

Well, 2020 was an interesting year

Just a few more hours to go and I can say we survived 2020.  The last time this planet faced such a plague was in 1918 with the Spanish Flu.  

Here in the UK, things look scary with our infection rates and hospitals becoming overwhelmed.  But we have hope with vaccinations.  I have been vaccinated and was due to have my second dose in about two weeks time.  Instead, I am going to have to wait three months for my second dose, and we do not know if the first vaccine will cover me for that long.

But I am a patriot.  I know that it is more important to the nation for more people to get one dose, rather than for me to get better protection.  This means that my wife and friends will get one dose, and therefore some protection sooner than otherwise.

Fingers crossed that all my friends and family survive to see the next Nee Year.

I am proud to be British, most of the time.

Right now, I am ashamed at the acts of some of my fellow Brits.

Our nation has a lot to be proud of, as well as things that we need to remember so that we learn from and never repeat.  An example of this is the actions of the UK when it came to the transatlantic slave trade.  The UK profited from it, and despite the huge profits made (something that not everyone agrees on), ended it and tried to end it abroad as well.     

It was reported, that due to the new variant of COVID, Switzerland placed British holidaymakers in quarantine.  Despite the risks posted to others, many Brits decided to flee, some using the lateral flow tests as proof that they were not infectious.  (These tests are good for screening but are not good for testing if someone with symptoms has COVID or not.)

If that was not bad enough, loads of Brits decided to attend a super spreader event in Australia.

Living in Colchester, I can see how most are obeying the restrictions.  But it only takes a few morons to infect and kill others.  I am proud about how most people in Britain are obeying the rules, but I am so ashamed at the actions of this idiotic minority.