WEEK 57 CORNAVIRUS: LOCKDOWN EASING: HAIRDRESSERS RE-OPENING

Lockdown has eased enough for hairdressers to open.  Thank goodness! We still have to keep 2 meters apart, wear masks in shops or crowded places, wash hands and think about ventilation e.g. open windows etc.   

We have been able to meet up outside in the garden or park bench but no cafes, pubs, restaurants are open yet.

Tomorrow, April 26th, non-essential shops, cafes etc open.  I notice that coffee shop tables and chairs are now starting to appear.  While they have maybe been serving outside, the inside places are now being arranged as before although lots of hand sanitisers, floor markers etc in place.

Certainly lockdown has worked to reduce transmission and also hosptilization of people who are getting infected. 

After waiting patiently I was able to get my hair cut yesterday. If I had naturally curly hair maybe it would have been easier during Lockdown.  Be that as it may I am happy with what David, the hairdresser at Bearsden Cross.  My mantra is:  "Do whatever you like... I am a 'Wash 'n Go Girl."

WEEK 56 CORNOVIRUS: LEVEL 4 LOCKDOWN EASED - OUTDOORS SOCIALIZING POSSIBLE NOW

The bunting came out this week as we can now officially have 6 people from different households to visit as long as it is outside.  So Maggie and Brian came over with their bottle of NZ New Marlborough wine.  The sky was the bluest I've seen it in months!  We had a debate about this: is it because we have just come out of winter? Is is because restrictions are now starting to ease and it reflects (sorry for the pun...) our ache for freedom of movement? Is it because of the lattitude we live? It is to do with the nature or quality of the air, i.e. fresh, a certain level of humidity due to the climate?   In any event we sat in the back garden and just soaked it up as well as the ever-increasing heat of the afternoon sun.

The children of all ages go back to school on Monday - roll on the day!  They have been in a state of pseudo-hibernation for months.  To that end Ishbel and I went out for an 'inventure'... which means we don't quite know where we are going but will see what turns up.

We ended up at the Forth and Clyde Canal just east of Kirkintilloch.  I took these photos.

This is exactly how it appeared i.e. no Photoshoped adjustments. It is early afternoon facing east about 1 mile east of Kirkintilloch.

As we walked along the canal I was reminded of the above painting which is in the Burrell Collection. It is by a Scottish landscape artist:

The Last Turning, Winter, Moniaive by James Paterson (1854-1932). Painted in 1885, it depicts a woman walking along a riverbank towards the village of Moniaive in Dumfriesshire.  

[Burrell Collection Photo Library]

* * * * * * * * * ANOTHER CANDIDATE FOR THE BOOK OF BAD DESIGN ** * * * * * * * 

Ishbel and I are aching for the Braehead Mall to open which means a trip to Waterstones and then a pizza at Cafe Nero.

She reads avidly; I less so.  That being said recently I have enjoyed 3 Alexander McCall-Smith books I picked up in Tesco's in their Take One-Leave One bookshelf opposite the checkout.

Last month I heard one 15 minute episode of the above book called The Snow and the Works on the Northen Line on Radio 4.  It is by Ruth Thomas and published by Sandstone Press of Inverness with the publication date of 2021.  Editor: Moira Forsyth.

I was reading it in bed and found two things: I can't recognise the story ... very odd... but leave that aside just now....and secondly, I  just couldn't get the book open enough to read the text on the inner left side. Huh?  What's all that about?  I have just about had my fill of books with typos, poor grammar which,  on my most recent experience, was a self-published or should I say 'hybrid' book.  But this book had a cover which was not cheap and the type was clear; certainly no typos. Paper quality - not CheapO.

I looked up the printing details: 'Typeset by Biblichor Ltd, Edinburgh' and 'Printed in Poland'.  Well, somebody, somewhere has done something amiss here. And the book cost £8.99..... The photo shows an outside margin of 5/8 inch on left and right pages.  The inner margins are 1/4 inch. 

I am going to have to add it to my list of Bad Design which is so often about really basic stuff either missing or badly done.  Yawn....

WEEK 55 CORONAVIRUS: PRINCE PHILLIP 1921-2021 - MY MEMORIES

At midday today Buckingham Palace announced that The Duke of Edinburgh died in the morning. 

He was residing at Windsor Castle with the Queen and had been poorly for a couple of months.  There had been no particular news about his health in the past few weeks so the announcement was unexpected.

It is  ironic that because of the lockdown restrictions the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have actually had more time together in this last year than they might normally have had.  Sadly, however, like most families, they have not been able to have family members (or anyone else) to visit because of restrictions.

People will, of course, remember him in their own special way... as will I.  Did I ever see him? Did I ever meet him to speak to? Yes to both of these.

[1] As a child in 1951.  Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip toured Canada and they arrived on the CPR train and paid a visit to Salmon Arm in October. The day was wet and I recall puddles in the CPR station yard where we school children awaiting the arrival of the CPR train. We were given flags to hold. Here we are below!

This photo is from The Salmon Arm Observer newspaper: "Princess Elizabeth Visit to Salmon Arm in 1951".  I recall being in this crowd as a Grade 2 child along with the other school children. I recall being about 5 rows back by the time the Royals had arrived.  Having looked carefully at this excellent photo taken from The Observer archives' website I cannot see myself.  But hold on.... what's this I see in the front row, or should I say "Who is this!? I reckonize that boy wearing that shirt...  my brother Don! I would have been 7 years old and he was 6 years old so that must be the Grade 1 class in the very front row.

[Later] A comment from JB on The Observer website next to this photo:  "October 25, 195l issue of the Observer and it mentions Mary Meek making a presentation. She was a great favorite grade one teacher of many of us 70 something kids. Looks like a young Marion Reece next to the princess. There was a much better photo of a sea of kid faces (I'm front and center next to Mary Jamieson and David Askew.)"

I have put a red circle marking him but it is very hard to see. However, the photo is very sharp especially of the children in the front rows. To clearly see faces it really would be necessary to copy it into something like Photoshop and blow it up. (The resolution is high so it will not go blurry.)

A second photo from The Observer for the same occasion.

[2] In the mid 1970s at Paisley College of Technology where Iain was Head of Department of Civil Engineering for 7 years.  The Duke of Edinburgh was there to confer the degrees at a June graduation ceremony.  Before the actual ceremony members of staff and their wives were invited to meet in an upstairs side room beforehand.  We were told he would be circulating in the room, with his aide, to meet people.  

I recall standing in a group of about 12 people, all staff and wives (there were no women staff in Engineering in those days) chatting while we awaited the Royal party moving through the room.  I am the sort of person who will easily chat to anybody so was eagerly awaiting his arrival.  Iain, on the other hand, had absolutely no time for any member of the Royal family and certainly would not push himself forward to speak!  

So what happens when Prince Phillip arrives to our little circle?  His aide introduced to him to all of us in the circle. He chatted to Iain who found that he was very well informed and asked perceptive questions about Scottish education in general and education of engineers in particular!  They then had this animated conversation; no one could get a word in edgeways!  Meanwhile, I stood there noting that (a) he was extremely smartly dressed with a beautiful light blue tie and (b) he had clearly done his homework! I was quite awestruck ... and, believe it or not... never uttered a word!

[3]  The Scottish TV News had lots of coverage of his life including funny stories that people recall.  For example one man recalls the time when he was being briefed  about The Duke of Edinburgh who was due to arrive for the opening of the Queensferry Bridge in 2017. "Whatever you do don't walk slowly and don't treat him as an old man!" (He was only 94 years on that occasion!)

And lastly, where I was and what I was doing on this particular day? 

Answer: getting my second jab of the cornovirus Astra-Zeneca vaccine at Milngavie Town Hall.