welsh hills again

Once again what coronavirus lockdown looks like in the UK depends on where you are.  Many more relaxations in England, to be honest so many (and none of them applicable to us in Wales) that I have lost track of them.  This has been accompanied this last week by some major disruptions. In Bournemouth in Dorset, in Manchester in the North West and at Ogmore in South Wales there have been large gatherings, parties and public disorder.  It seems like another world from our quiet rural life and it does not make me want to rejoin it.  Pubs and other hospitality venues will be opening on 4th July in England.  Death rates have fallen but are still in three figures.  In Wales we wait for the dropping of the "stay local" requirement on 6th July.  What will we do?  Where will we go?  I have tried to shut off from thinking about it.  I am sure we will make plans to try to see our children and grandchildren but for me the secret of a reasonably happy lockdown has been taking it a day at a

Is it easing a little now?  Watching the news on television it certainly looks like it.  Living up here under Welsh rules in a rural part of the country it doesn't seem very different.  Hospital admissions are slowly decreasing as is the daily death total.  There is more traffic on the roads.   I have given up watching the daily press conference from Westminster.  This is partly news overload, and partly an irritation with politician speak.  There seems to be a refusal to admit mistakes, and a weird tendency not to make changes in a clear way but to trail changes that will be made as though testing to see if they will be palatable.  I read an article in the Times about the money being spent on polling at present by government and it seemed to fit that sense of a government which is almost too reactive, being led by rather than leading public opinion.  I am not making a party political point here.  I remember having a similar sense when Tony Blair was in power of government by focus

What's new here up our hill in North Wales? Not a lot.  Last week we had a socially distanced cup of tea outside in the garden with some friends.  On Friday we bought take away fish and chips from our local cafe, brought it home and had a post fish and chips zoom call.  This was the first food we had eaten since lockdown which had not come out of our kitchen.  It is a good job that I generally like cooking.  On Friday lunchtime we sat down to listen to the First Minister's press conference, hoping to hear of some further relaxations to lockdown rules, only to realise that it is another week until the review date.  If we lived in England we would now be able to see our children and grandchildren, in a socially distanced way and outside, but here very local restrictions remain in place.  I don't generally have a problem with the slow and cautious way in which Wales is approaching its lockdown rules, indeed whether you agree or not, there does seem to be a more coherent and pl

Big differences at the moment between Wales and England:  Welsh lockdown continues with the minor tweaks which allow you to meet one household outside within five miles of home.  England has greater freedoms with fewer restrictions on travel although many businesses in both countries remain closed.  Schools are reopening partially in England with wide variations throughout the country.  It is planned that schools in Wales will reopen from 29th June for all ages but with much reduced numbers allowing only part time attendance.  Our own children are considering the position for their children.  Each family is differently affected and the parts of the country they are live in might also lead them to make different choices. Face masks will become compulsory on public transport in England.  Wales is still considering its own position but we have made facemasks for ourselves having done some reading and research of our own.  There does seem to be some protection provided by facemasks, both f