Diary of a self-isolator – week 62

Diary of a self-isolator week 62 – A light-hearted look at a few memories and the situation over the last seven days in our house.

Sunday 16/05/2021 – Day 423

Here we are at the start of my 62^nd week in self-isolation, well, that isn’t actually true to be quite honest, last week Mrs H and I popped out to the garden center, though, I have to admit that we both felt like escaped convicts and couldn’t get used to seeing other people around, so, this begs the question – Am I still a self-isolator? – over to you.

Sarah rang yesterday, she sounded really chirpy and upbeat, she thinks that she may have found the thing that was making her feel sick all along, watch this space. I will be nipping around this week (if it ever stops raining) to give her lawns the once-over.

Mrs H and myself were confined to barracks yesterday because of heavy rain, but just after lunch there was a lull, we rushed out like excited children on the first day of snow and finished off putting up all the nick-nacks in the Summer house. It is now ready for us to sit and listen to the water gently trickling into the pond, and to admire all our hard work of the last few weeks.

Did you know that Thomas Edison the inventor of the incandescent light bulb was a Nyctophobe, he was afraid of the dark.

Today in 1908 Britain’s first diesel submarine was launched; I just want to know how they refuelled it.

On this day in 1943, the famous ‘Dam Busters’ raid by the 617 Squadron of Lancaster bombers led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson breached the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams in Germany using the ‘bouncing’ bombs developed by Dr Barnes Wallis. The Dambuster Pilots practiced their techniques at the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire where there is a memorial to them. Regular practices also took place at Eyebrook Reservoir in Leicestershire. Of the 133 aircrews that took part, 53 men were killed and three became prisoners of war. On the ground, almost 1,300 people were killed in the resulting flooding. Although the impact on industrial production was limited, the raid gave a significant morale boost to the people of Britain. The Eder was Europe’s largest dam, and massive damage and loss of life were caused by flood water, as well as a serious loss of hydroelectric power for the German industrial area of the Rhine.

The Dam Busters (1955) was the very first film I went to see with my older brother Mick in 1959, I was just seven years old but that stirring music had such an influence on me that even when I hear it today it makes the hairs on my neck stand up. The PC brigade got on the case when it was discovered that Guy Gibson’s black dog was named ‘offensively’ and cast Gibson as a racist. The dog’s name was changed in the film to ‘Trigger’.

But still that didn’t satisfy the PC brigade, the dog was buried at Scampton, Lincolnshire back in 1943, dying on 16 May, the same day his owner was leading an attack against the Germans. The dog was hit by a car back in Lincolnshire, but he had earned his place as the mascot for the RAF squadron over the years, being the Wing Commander’s loyal pet. The gravestone in Scampton bore his offensive name since his burial, but on Thursday 16 July 2020, the RAF confirmed the original headstone has been removed and been replaced with a more suitable one.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the other film playing with the Dam Busters was a family film called The Shaggy Dog, mmm methinks that name should be changed eh?

Finally on this day in 2013 Following earlier government plans to raise the state pension age, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA basically a bunch of well overpaid fat cats who won’t have to worry about eking out a living on a state pension), a ‘think tank’, found that retirement resulted in a ‘drastic decline in health’ in the medium and long term. Many of us who are retired would disagree! This was by far the biggest con since decimalisation, it robbed hundreds of thousands of women of their right to retire at a decent age.

I’ve discovered that as I get older I just want the same thing from my underwear that I want from Mrs H – a little bit of support, and a little bit of freedom.

There were 1926 new cases today with four deaths registered.

Monday 17/05/2021 – Day 424

There is a strange object up in the sky, it seems warm and is a round orange thing, most local people were stunned when it first appeared, Countryfile last night suggested that no-one would see such an object and it really did not exist, but, here it is and people are once more wandering around holding hands, soaking up its rays with no signs of headwear or domed objects over their heads in order to stay dry, long may it remain – but don’t hold your breath.

Sarah’s health continues to improve but sadly her thinking is deteriorating rapidly, she has started to ask for a roast dinner, that is not so bad I hear you say, but it gets worse – she is craving one of Mrs H’s roast dinners – I don’t think there’s a tablet available for these hallucinations is there?

On this day in 1861, A group of holidaymakers set off from London on the first foreign ‘package trip’ arranged by Thomas Cook. It was a six-day holiday in Paris. Cook began his pioneering tour business 20 years previously when he organized the first publicly advertised railway excursion from Leicester to a temperance meeting at Loughborough (11 miles away). I wonder if Boris had realised the significance of his travel restrictions being lifted on such a day, we can also of course pop out to lunch in a pub, or go out and have a drink this evening, we can go to the gym – wherever that is.

George popped around this morning, he was telling us how Rose had been to WeightWatchers to enlist, she accidentally dropped a box of Maltesers from her bag, they rolled everywhere, she said it was the best game of Hungry Hippos she’s ever witnessed.

I was sat here wondering why so many people don’t like Monday mornings, I have always loved them myself, the start of a fresh week, putting all the misery of the previous weeks well behind us, Mrs H abhors them but can’t really explain why, she hates it when I get out of bed all chirpy and ready for anything (don’t go there). I mean, if you go back in history I could understand our mother’s or our Grandmother’s hating Mondays, it was always washday. Everyone back then had massively large families, therefore, with what was available, dolly tubs and mangles,  washday for our grandmother would be a very long day, even after she’d washed it she would then have to iron it by heating an iron on a large black lead grate. Our mothers were a bit better off, they had the good old twin tub, but it was still hard work, the stuff had to be literally boiled, then put through a wringer, hung out to dry (had that done to me a few times) and then ironed, I remember my dear old mum plugging her iron into the light socket. Don’t forget, I had four brothers and five sisters so my mum’s day was as long as her mother’s even though things had improved. Today of course, the dirty washing is thrown into a machine which does all the work, but then – it still has to be ironed, Mrs H calls her ironing board ‘The rack’ because it reminds her of those medieval stretching machines used to torture people. Now I’ve actually written it down I can understand why you lovely ladies hate Mondays.

I was looking in a mirror combing my hair this morning when a Rod Stewart song came into my head. No, not  ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ but ‘Maggie May’ especially the bit that says, ‘The morning sun when it’s in your face really shows your age’.

A further 1979 new cases were reported today and 5 more deaths were registered.

Tuesday 18/52021 – Day 425

The sun is out once again this morning, but we don’t hold our breath, it started like this yesterday, then we had torrential rain, followed by more rain, followed by thunderstorms, followed by hail the size of marbles (which I seem to have lost temporarily), so no, we won’t get too excited.

Between all the downpours Mrs H and I managed to get a few jobs done outside, Mrs H was planting up her baskets while I spent the best part of two hours looking for an elusive leak on the garden room roof, there was one screw that hadn’t quite gone down all the way, so it was a bit of a Eureka moment when I discovered it, alas I obviously didn’t do the job correctly, because as soon as it rained again the inevitable drip, drip drip returned, I will have another go this morning, that is, if the sun continues.

The young tree in our front garden has had an attack of little round mites on all the branches, after further inspection I realised that I could brush them off with a broom, I was doing exactly that when a lady walked past and said —

“That’s taking Spring cleaning to the extreme!”

Sarah continues to improve, according to Mollie she ate like a horse yesterday,, she did have one bout of sickness but it was her insulin intake that was too blame, Mrs H is cooking them a much craved for roast this week, and if it ever stops raining I’ll cut the lawns for her.

Mrs H and I have been waking up aching every morning now for some time (don’t go there) I put it down to my bad shoulder, but Mrs H is aching as well, last night was the final straw, I woke at about 2.30am and woke Mrs H as well (I said don’t go there) the result was that neither of us got much sleep. So, it was straight on the old computer this morning in search of a half decent mattress topper, after about 30minutes research the name that kept popping up above all others with rave reviews was the Panda. It was £139.99 on the official site, but after shopping around a little we got it £20 cheaper, it will arrive toward the end of the week, watch this space!

New cases rose today by almost 500 to 2412, there were 7 registered deaths.

Wednesday 19/05/21 – Day 426

It’s a beautiful sunny start to the day, not a cloud in the sky got the sun in my eye, Ooops, apologies, slipped into Carpenters role for a moment, our local weather girl Shefali Oza (who couldn’t lie straight in bed) has assured us Midlander’s that this will remain so for the rest of the day. However, overnight and all day tomorrow the wrath of God will descend upon us for daring to have a sunny day in mid-May, all hell will break loose with the odd passing thunderstorm, hail as big as golf balls and torrential rain – did I tell you that Shefali has applied to Drama school?

Sarah is continuing to improve; her medication seems to have settled down and she is getting regular visits from nurse Colin who is worth his weight in gold. However, the carers just continue to do the basics and refuse to do anything outside their contract – carers?

It seems that our own dear Prince Harry is facing condemnation in America after he described the First Amendment as “bonkers” during a podcast last week. This was the equivalent of John Lennon telling them that “We’re more popular than Jesus now”. The Duke of Sussex made the comment while speaking to actor Dax Shepard, who hosts the Armchair Expert podcast.

During the chat, Harry said: “I’ve got so much I want to say about the First Amendment as I sort of understand it, but it is bonkers. “I don’t want to start going down the First Amendment route because that’s a huge subject and one which I don’t understand because I’ve only been here a short time.

“But you can find a loophole in anything. You can capitalise or exploit what’s not said rather than uphold what is said.”

The First Amendment protects the freedom of speech, the press, assembly and right to petition the US government.

Mrs H and I were so fed up with the weather yesterday that donned raincoats and brollies and took ourselves off to the Garden centre as we needed something for Mrs H to do on a sunny day like today, between dodging heavy downpours we bought half a dozen trays of plants which she will miraculously turn into a wonderful display of hanging baskets and pot displays.

I don’t want to speak too soon, but after hours of inspection and umpteen attempts, I may have finally fixed the infuriating leak on the Garden room roof, fingers crossed.

On this day in 1536 Anne Boleyn, King Henry VIII’s second wife, was beheaded in London. She was 29 years old. Although the evidence against her was unconvincing, the charges brought included incest with her brother and no less than four counts of adultery. Anne was almost certainly born at Blickling Hall as a statue and portrait of Anne can be found at Blickling Estate which carry the inscription, ‘Anna Bolena hic nata 1507’ – Anne Boleyn born here 1507.

There is outrage on Social media sites about the upcoming Channel 5’s drama Anne Boleyn, is an upcoming 3-part British historical psychological thriller with colour-blind casting starring Jodie Turner-Smith as Anne Boleyn. Why the outrage? Well, the beautiful Jodie is black, and historians feel that this is a step too far in changing British History as there are portraits of Anne shown as a white woman, does it really matter? If you don’t agree then don’t watch, simples dot com.

Also on this day in 2014 Britain’s longest-serving postmistress retired, after 61 years in the job. Esther Brauer, 83, ran the business, first from her home in Kylesku in Sutherland, and for the last 31 years from a wooden shed in her garden. She said she had finally made up her mind to stand down because of her computer ‘going doolally’. The 87-year-old said that she planned to make the most of her retirement and added ‘I think my husband and I will go away more often.’ Sadly, Esther died three years later in 2017.

I have put our scales in the corner of the bathroom today, and there they will stay until they learn to tell the truth!

New cases rose again today to 2696, but registered deaths fell to 3.

Thursday 20/05/21 – Day 427

I am sat here looking out of the window and it is dull but calm, Oops, apologies – a leaf just moved on our Acer tree down the garden, no, false alarm it was yet another pigeon building a nest. Shefali Oza told us last night that we would be waking up to 50mph winds and torrential downpours, well Shefali – it hasn’t materialised yet – just saying.

Mrs H and I went around to see Sarah and Mollie yesterday, both are well, as the sun was streaming down I took the opportunity to cut her front and back lawns which were already six inches high, I actually filled her green waste bin (which is brown,) to the top with grass cuttings.

I thought that this week’s nostalgia we could look back on Coronation street.

Just over 60 years and around 10,326 episodes on from when Tony Warren’s creation first hit our screens, Corrie is a ratings winner with millions of people glued to the events of fictional northern town Weatherfield. Although, they have lost millions of older viewers due to recent controversial storylines aimed at a much younger audience.

Corrie which hit our screens on 9^th December 1960  was originally going to be called Florizel Street but the story goes that the title was changed after a Granada TV cleaner remarked on how the name supposedly sounded like a disinfectant.

Episode No 1 was filmed live and opens in the shop where Florrie Lindley (Betty Alberge),  has bought up the local Corner Shop from Elsie Lappin (Maudie Edwards), she  has just retired after working there for many years. Elsie warns Florrie about the residents and stays around to show her the tricks of the trade.

Meanwhile down at No.11, Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) is lecturing her 18-year-old son Dennis (Philip Lowrie), who has recently been released from prison. She wants him to find work, which is not easy for him because of his criminal record. Because he went to prison for theft, she also accuses him of stealing two shillings from her purse. Elsie tells Dennis that she wishes they were more like the Barlow family, who apparently do not argue all the time, she couldn’t have been more wrong.

At No. 3, 21-year-old student Ken Barlow (William Roache) is eating dinner with his parents, Frank (Frank Pemberton) and Ida (Noel Dyson). Frank starts accusing Ken of being too snobbish and being embarrassed by his working class family. Ken’s younger brother David (Alan Rothwell) arrives home from work and tells his father that his bicycle has got a puncture, which Frank is more than happy to repair. David sits at the table and asks Ken what is wrong and Ken tells him about the argument between him and Frank, which David is not surprised about. The two brothers seem to get on fine despite their differences.

Ken heads to The Rovers Return Inn, run by Annie Walker (Doris Speed). Ken orders cigarettes, while Dennis enters and orders a half pint of mild. Annie seems to approve of Ken more than Dennis. Dennis begins to wind up Ken about him being in University.

Meanwhile, Elsie’s daughter Linda Cheveski (Anne Cunningham) arrives to inform her that she’s separated from her husband Ivan (Ernst Walder) and is planning a divorce. Elsie decides to let Linda stay at No. 11. At the Corner Shop, Florrie serves her first customer, Ena Sharples (Violet Carson), the live-in caretaker of the nearby Glad Tidings Mission Hall, who fiercely questions her about her background and religious values. Ken goes to Number 1 to visit his friend, pensioner Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth).

And so began the longest soap opera of all time, with real characters that people could believe in ad care about, characters like Jack and Vera Duckworth, Bet Lynch, Eddy Yates, Betty Turpin and probably the soap’s best loved characters Hilda and Stan Ogden.

Deaths greatly outnumber births – 160 people bumped off, to 47 babies born. There have been 93 weddings. Mike Baldwin and Jackie Ingram had the shortest marriage, their wedded bliss lasting just seven days in 1991. Married seven times, Steve is the most-wed character

Famous people you may have seen treading the famous Weatherfield cobbles include Davy Jones (later one of the Monkees); Joanna Lumley; Ben Kingsley; Ian McKellen; Stephanie Beacham; Patricia Routledge; Patrick Stewart; Martin Shaw; June Whitfield; Anna Friel; Nigel Havers; Gordon Kaye played Elsie’s nephew Bernard for 38 episodes in 1969.

As the show’s sole-surviving original character, Ken Barlow has spent the longest time in Coronation Street followed by Emily Bishop. Ken Barlow’s son Peter Barlow is the character to have been played by the most actors. The current performer Chris Gascoyne is the seventh to have had the role.

Sadly, todays street is nowhere near as good as it used to be, ratings before believable writing and storylines seems to be the order of the day.

Another rise in new cases today, there were 2874 reported, there were also 7 new deaths registered.

Friday 21/05/21 – Day 428

A very blustery and stormy start to the day here in downtown Kidderminster, but we are promised a sunny start to next week and even – wait for it – a sixteen-day heatwave! I have no idea how they know this. They struggle to predict what happens in three day’s-time.

Yesterday was a catch-up day. It was a complete washout anyway, so I spent a few hours getting some of those niggling little jobs done. Those jobs that Mrs H had been collecting for such a rainy day. You know the ones, you keep putting them off because it is a Mrs H’s ‘five-minute job’ that usually translates into half a day of your life going down the plug hole, or at least a visit to the dreaded B & Q. Anyway, I got most of them done, but I know deep in my heart, that the new list has already started in Mrs H’s list.

Good news on the Sarah front, her diabetes is now back under control and therefore back to its proper levels after a scary couple of days. The poor girl still cannot sit up without the room spiralling though, otherwise all is good.

1946 A world wheat shortage led to bread rationing in Britain.

1950 Two people died and more were injured as violent storms and a tornado swept through counties around London.

On this day in1966 American boxer Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) ended the hopes of British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper winning the world heavyweight titles when the bout was stopped in Round 6 because of a severe cut above Cooper’s eye

Clay’s first knockdown had come as a young contender against Sonny Banks in 1962; the second would come just a year later. By the time Ali–still Cassius Clay in 1963, as he hadn’t changed his name yet–fought Henry Cooper in his first overseas fight in London, he had a record of 18-0 and was expected to get a shot at the heavyweight title soon. Cooper was an interesting opponent. He had a record of 27-8-1–good for the average fighter, not so good for a contender–and he held the titles of British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion. His greatest strength was one of the best left hooks in the division; he had one punch knockout power. His greatest weakness is that he was a terrible “bleeder.” Cooper cut and bled very easily, and the bulk of his losses had come when his vision had been impaired by blood. Ali–as boisterous in his promotion of a fight as ever–declared repeatedly that he would knock Cooper out in the 5th round. But Clay couldn’t knock ‘Our Enry’ out, the fight was stopped in the sixth after a bad gash opened up above Henry’s eye, but Cooper had already put Clay on the canvas in the fourth, the first Boxer to do so.

Once again, a high number of new cases which were 2829, the number of deaths was the highest of the week at 9.

Saturday 22/05/21 -Day 429

For the first time in a week I’ve woken up and it isn’t raining, it makes you want to rush outside and do the work that’s been building up all week. Although I don’t think the neighbours would appreciate it, perhaps I should get dressed first.

Looking forward to going around to Sarah’s tomorrow, Mrs H is cooking her and  Mollie a Sunday lunch, Sarah has requested roast parsnips, one of my pet hates.

Not looking forward to the Eurovision contest tonight. Mrs H and I are having a bet to see who is nearest to how far down the list we will end up, I have second from bottom, and reckon I am on to a winner. Neither of us have any idea who is representing the UK, and neither of us have heard the song yet.

Well here we are at the end of yet another week and day 429, which sounds like the shift I was doing in 2014 at Sainsbury’s. My work started at 4am and I had to rise at 3.am. I truly hated that job, it was basically slave labour, I had a huge trolley which I had to select goods from all over the shop to fulfil online shopper’s orders, it was constant pressure and thank goodness it was a short shift, finishing at nine, trouble was, by the time you got home you were too knackered to do anything all day. I take my hat off to all those lovely people who do this job every day, you are all hero’s in my eyes.

The greatest understatement of the century came on this day in 1981 when Peter Sutcliffe, known as the Yorkshire Ripper, was sentenced to life imprisonment after the judge described him as ‘an unusually dangerous man’. He was found guilty of killing 13 women and the attempted murder of 7 others.

Today we think of a special man who on this day in 2013 was just innocently going about his business. British Army soldier, Fusilier Lee Rigby was attacked and killed near the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich. Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, British and of Nigerian descent, ran the off-duty soldier down with a car, then used knives and a cleaver to hack him to death. The two men made no attempt to flee, encouraged people to take pictures of them and their victim and told passers-by that they had killed a soldier to avenge the killing of Muslims by the British armed forces. We pray that those 2 animals never see  daylight again.

And on a lighter note a word of advice to my male readers. If, after an argument she say’s

“Whatever, just do what you want”

Do NOT, under any circumstances do what you want. Stand quite still, do not blink, do not answer, and do not breathe. Just play dead!

There were 2694 new cases reported today, that brings the total for the week to 17410, 1648 up on last weeks total. But registered deaths continue to fall an are almost half of last weeks total at 41. Meanwhile recoveries are up by 26,448.

Well here we are again at the end of yet another week. Have a wonderful week ahead, stay safe and stay well.

It’s been emotional…….