The leader of the opposition has taken the Prime Minister to task. He has asked questions about why the UK has such high rates of the Delta variant of COVID-19, but the Prime Minister has refused to answer that.
Freedom day has been delayed. I understand the frustration of employers who were to have opened and now have had to change things as those who they employ, not counting how people have had issues with mental health due to all this. But I think that this is the right decision.
A lot of people have talked about deaths being the reason, but due to the ages being affected by COVID now, it is more about stopping the NHS being overwhelmed with patients requiring oxygen rather than people dying. Yes, there will be deaths, but I suspect that there will be a greater proportion of those in hospital needing oxygen as this is affecting younger people than before who have not been vaccinated, or have just had the one vaccine dose.
Our local hospital over winter was so affected that they were only doing emergency operations at one point, and then stopped doing those, only doing life or death operations instead. The children's ward had adults on oxygen on it, and radiology and staff were being redeployed to look after those on oxygen. If we do not flatten the curve, we risk this being an issue again, and that means longer waiting lists for "routine" issues such as hip replacements, gall bladder operations and the like.
Saying that, it may be that the government are being too hasty for this, but I would prefer a cautious approach rather than a careless one. After all, if the government had placed India on the red list at the same time that Pakistan was placed on it, we would have less cases of the Delta variant circulating and we would have been able to have Freedom Day on the 21st as planned!
Last of all, a reminder;
1 - COVID kills. I have treated people who survived as well as too many who died. A nursing home I am involved in looking after has yet to become full again after COVID killed many of the residents there last year.
Today, my wife and I went back to Mersea to see my brother. Although my children loved meeting my brother yesterday we left them at home as my daughter had to revise and my son needed to look after Leia (David's dog did try to breed with her on Friday).
It was a relaxing lunch, my brother is certainly different when my mother is not about. The sun was amazing and I played a bit with David's dog when he tried to eat my toes. He certainly is heavy and has a lot of momentum when he bounds into you!
Saw my brother today. The older of my two. He had come down from Manchester with a long time friend of ours (and his) and we ate outside in the garden of the cottage they hired. It was good for the kids to see them and Leia got to meet David’s dog.
The problem is that every historical figure will have a shady past. If we cancel one, where is the line drawn where another is not cancelled. An example of this is Gandhi, a proponent of peaceful protest and the father of India, but viewed by many as racist.
Due to this, I think that it is important that history is taught to have the bad remembered along with the good, and that means not tearing down statues.
The truth is relative, that being that there are two sides to any story. This episode shows that, but also shows how one side can be a deliberately twisted form, designed to ensure that the person telling this comes across as looking good, or at least, not looking bad. In this episode the He Said, She Said tale demonstrates one of the reasons why so many allegations of rape are not taken to court.
On a lighter note, my son and I watched an episode of The Bad Batch afterwards. I do like this series looking at life soon after the Galactic Empire was formed. Also, it was good to catch up with Trace and Rafa Martinez. It will be interesting to see if they are seen more often in the Star Wars Universe.
This was all after our return home from Devon. We left at 0530 in the morning and had a clear run home, my wife and I swapping over our drive so that she and the kids could eat breakfast (I ate some cereal before we left). I miss Devon, but it is great to be home again.
Today I was a taxi service for my wife. Well, in the morning after getting back from a walk with Leia.
Leia went a bit mad on the walk, running around in a field. Being the morning it was full of dew and she ended up soaked. When I got back, that meant that she needed a bath. She is so well behaved, mostly (she does not return) and her behaviour when it comes to baths is so much better than she was on her first night with us.
Afterwards I drove my wife back to South Moulton so that she could collect an urn that I told her not to buy. We were tempted to try to collect the glasswork that she and my son had worked on. But we needed to get to Appledore so that we could have lunch there. We went to The Beaver, next to The Royal George. While I did not like the food, everyone else did. The service was what we expected at The Royal George (which we had intended to return to) and I am sure that we will come back when we return to Devon.
Anyway, the roof rack is packed. Time for an early rise tomorrow morning to get back home.
