WEEK 102 CORONAVIRUS THAW CONTINUES. * OUTBREAK OF WAR IN EUROPE

The Covid Thaw continues with schools no longer requiring students to wear masks anymore. We are able to hold a children's orchestra live rehearsal this week, the first in a bit over 2 years.

While we watch and wait to see what happens with the Ukrainian situation we have to carry on with life one day at a time.

Litter picking along the Leven near Dalreoch BR Station

Ellie, aged 7 years old, after school

Harriet, 8.75 years old, after school (experimenting with a hairdo)

Sign of Spring: Primulas in Milngavie Precinct

Sunflowers for Ukraine

WEEK 101 CORONAVIRUS: SCOTLAND'S RESTRICTONS REMAIN UNCHANGED BUT NOT FOR LONG

We are still wearing masks in public places.  However the UK government has announced that people will not longer need to socially isolate after a positive test. Travel restrictions are being lifted.

In Scotland no such lifting of restrictions yet but it looks like it is just a matter of time now.

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Petroc Trelawny on Radio 3 reminded listeners that today's date cab be written as 22.02.22 .... a palindrome. 

Some listeners contributed the following stories:  some Glasgow University students meet every time there was a palindromic year (which is every 11 years).  They have a location to meet near the university and simply wait to see who turns up!

Haydn wrote Symphony No 47 Minuet and Trio called The Palindrome.  The second part of the Minuet sounds exactly the same played backwards as it does forwards.  Someone has even checked it digitally; it is, indeed, the case!

Early morning light

Cat jigsaw which I bought for Ellie and Harriet to try.  No takers; we finished ourselves after dinner on Sunday. 

Renfrew blue sky on Thursday after visiting Bob and Kate

Snowdrops outside Gavins' Mill

 

WEEK 100 CORONAVIRUS: LOCKDOWN EASING - HALLS AND CAFES GETTING BACK TO NORMAL

The sun is shining! Spring is just around the corner!  

Things are opening up.

 Lovely concert of Friday. Church halls are now opening up and there is talk of the catering facilities becoming available (after just under 2 years when they closed the week before national lockdown was imposed).

Our local Waitrose supermarket has now opened its cafe.  Back to meeting and greeting again, albeit we still have to wear masks in the store (but not when having coffee).

Bread baking roughly once a week.  The sun is now shining through the kitchen window. This fork turned up in some of Big Ish's cutlery... along with 2 of my (paternal) grandmother's large serving spoons.  This fork and several others were also from her.  And several of our camping spoons also turned up!  So that's what happened to them!

Litter picking along the banks of the Leven.  Lots of mallards on the river; 2 males and 1 female groups.

Even burdocks looked good in the February sunlight.

I thought this jigsaw from Oxfam would be of interest to Ellie (as part of my 'Quiet Zone' strategy).   No go.  I think she's grown out of this now.

Iain and I finished it off but it took a week!  (There is often nothing that interests us on TV but we like to sit in front of the fire in the evening. We have to admit that it keeps the brain from stagnating!)

WEEK 99/2 CORONAVIRUS: THE ENDGAME

I would like to think that we are nearing the end of this pandemic.  Denmark has announced that all restrictions are to be lifted "we are simply going to have to live with this, like the common cold".  Apparently Sweden is due to do the same this week. However New Zealand, while it has rising Omicron numbers, is going the ease things too. So falling numbers in one area and rising in another but same strategy.

Time to celebrate: I must get out some of those bottles of wine that I have found in the cupboard very much needing to be opened.  (Mairi gave me 12 of Auntie Iseabail's wine glasses and that is to be their new home.)

In the meantime the 2 Munchkins keep us on our toes.  Here they are 'modelling' as they were with us on a very wet Saturday afternoon.

* * * * * * THE GARDEN * * * * * *

WEEK 99/1 OF CORONAVIRUS: GRADUALLY RE-STARTING CONCERTS, EXTRA-CIRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Today is young Alastair's birthday.  He is 14 years old.

We had a birthday tea for him last night which is our usual Tuesday after-school collection and meal. The menu (at his request) was steak and chips and Spiderman Cake.  Alastair loves green olives and also has the habit of splootching everything liberally with ketchup!

Ellie, now 7 years old, was enjoying the Spiderman cake. Chocolate everywhere, of course. 

Alastair made me laugh when from across the table he piped up in his supermarket tannoy public announcement voice "Clean-up needed in Aisle 5!".  

Harriet 8 years old and getting taller every day.  

Two things special about this lad's day:

[1] The date this year is 02/02/2022 

[2] This day is marks the exact half-way mark between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.