Another week of semi-lockdown and we are watching other European countries as they start to impose stricter lockdown rules. Austria has found that due to the low uptake of vaccinations they are introducing stricter measures to try and curb the increase in people getting ill with Coronavirus. Germany and The Netherlands are looking at the same situation. Set against this are demonstrations against further lockdown restrictions where people are taking to the streets in protest.
They should read a recent Guardian article written by Anonymous stating that most of the people he is treating in ICU in the UK are unvaccinated, e.g. pregnant woman worried about effect on the baby, fit young male who 'never gets ill', etc.
Yes, people who are vaccinated can get infected but they tend not to end up in ICU; if they do they often have underlying health problems.
In the meantime we note that this is the week of Thanksgiving in Alastair's part of the world. We had a meal here on Sunday where I don't use the word 'Thanksgiving' but did try out my own pumpkin pie. Iain eschews it as "highly over-rated". He may even be right but both Ishbel and I thought I did a 5 star job as I produced my mother's version (1950s Chatelaine magazine) using evaporated milk and a tin of Libby's (UK is Baking Buddy brand) pumpkin.
Tastes Trigger Memories: I did a taste test on John and Iain asking if they could recognise the flavour (of tinned milk, i.e. Carnation Evaporated Milk). Yes, John did and associated it with camping. Me? I associate it with every home in my youth having it (i.e I am talking about 'Pacific Milk' brand here) on the table where the top was punched open with triangular 'can opener' and appeared at every coffee time. I recall my father... if he wanted a fill-up in his coffee cup he would rattle the tin back and forth to send out a signal. [Grounds for divorce nowadays!]
I also recall that is was standard practice to use evaporated milk for baby formula (mixed half evaporated milk and half water). And while we had milk delivered every day in glass bottles (homogenised where the cream rose to the top) lots of communities had nothing but evaporated milk e.g. visiting the Messers in late 60s in Newfoundland.
Otherwise we are all well and so are the family... for which we are always very thankful!
On other matters ... Iain had a wee bit drama to report Friday morning November 19th:
He was sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen when this large (39" x 34") very heavy picture on the wall fell off smashing various items on the sideboard below.
Upon closer inspection he found both the screw holding the picture (not a nail) and the professionally framed piece of double string at the back were both intact!
Two days later it emerged that there had been an earthquake Nov 19th which showed the centre to be Lochgilphead. It must have been an aftershock. Iain thinks that the string on the nail was in a 'critically unstable' position, i.e. just took a minimum of force to cause a catastrophic failure.
I know people who are like that; one small event is all it took to push them over the edge; the proverbial Last Straw!
* * * * * * * * * * * *
UPDATE:
The picture is back up on the wall and a friend gave me a plate to replace the one that was broken.
I filled in a form on the website of
British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre, Research Avenue South, Edinburgh EH14 4AP, UK
They replied:
I've scrutinised the signals from the nearest BGS seismograph sites to you [...] for around an hour either side of the date and time stated (19 November 2021 @ 09:40 BST / UTC) and can inform you that there was no evidence of a seismic disturbance, detected by the BGS seismograph network, in your area.
It's a mystery!
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