Which makes us in week 8 now. Boris’s big announcement was to move from ‘Stay home’ to ‘Stay alert’. There seems to be a little confusion for some over what things might have changed, or not. We can go out more now, but shops wont open until June 1st at the earliest and there is a system now in place where guidelines can change based in reporeted infection rates.

For our family, I don’t think it changes very much at all. So, I think I’ll start blogging a few times a week rather than every week day as….well, we’re not doing a lot, like most of the country (should be….not all are…but I’ve done enough ranting here…)

That said, last Friday was a bank holiday – moved for VE Day. I felt sad that it’s the last big opportunity to celebrate with people who remember it first time round (I mean generally – not in my family or anything. My parents wont thank me for suggesting that). But a weird thing did happen. I imagine that had everything been normal we probably would have gone to the pub down the road for a drink or two…but not really spoken to anyone, because we don’t really know anyone. Instead though, someone down the road sent a message on out Covid What’s app group (a group to help people out when they have to isolate etc) said they would be in their front garden at 4pm and all were welcome to wander down with a drink and say hi. So before I could think too much I said I would. And Himself and I wandered down the road at 4pm. We missed the right house the first time and joined another group (from way more than 2 meters away) and then joined the family that sent the message. Then more people joined. It looked a lot busier than it was as we were all so conscious of standing far apart, but essentially, we met more neighbours than we have in the last two years…And they were lovely. So thank you VE Day and thank you Covid…kind of.

And apart from that, Dad has grown beans at a rate of knots in 24 hours. From left to right:

• 

• 

Sister 2 had courgette seeds shoot up:

And Sister 1…well, she ‘grew’ potatoes:

From a wild life perspective she did better though, rescuing this black toad:

And Max, the increasingly tame pheasant has started knocking on Mum and Dad’s back door requesting breakfast:

Dad sent me a great photo of Mum in her dressing gown filling up Max’s bowl with seeds but I don’t think I’d ever be forgiven if I posted that…

So there you go. We’ll be back in a day or two.

Stay safe, lovely people. x

United Kingdom: New cases today+3,924; Total cases220,449

Global: New cases today+77,774; Total cases4,100,543

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