What's in a name ? Schizophrenia.

 In the seemingly never ending progress of Covid 19 new terms and buzz words keep popping onto the scene.  As I write in October 2020 the phrase to be heard and read everywhere is ' local lockdown ' It has a melodious sound to it but the reality is not appealing. The idea is to restrict the inhabitants of a specific area in the way they can interact  with each other So you may be banned from meeting people from other households indoors and restricted to a number who can meet outdoors.  Similarly you should sit in cafés and restaurants only with those in your household. The decision to lock down is based on the rate of the R Number . This means the rate t which one person with Covid 19  will infect others. The idea is to keep the number down to 1. If it claims as it has to 1.6 or 1.7 then the virus is spreading more quickly. Here in Wales we are told not to leave our local authority area except for named purposes such as work, medical needs, caring for someone v...

 Today I attended my local GP surgery for my annual vaccination against influenza , the 'flue jab as we call it. As a reluctant member of the over 65 club I am entitled to this. So I had phoned for an appointment earlier in the week and was given a 9.10  a.m slot for myself and my husband.  As we drove up to the building we could see lots of people arriving at the door and being sheperded in  in fairly quick succession. A security  guard in a yellow tabard and black mask stood at the entrance. Goodness knows why they were expecting trouble.  The whole process was slickly organised like a military operation.  A masked lady at the door asked if we were well that is free of covid symptoms. Then we were each  directed to a different desk where we were asked our names and date of birth then given a white paper form with that information on it. We then went in different  directions. I followed stars on the floor around the waiting room and down the...

 What would David Lloyd George think of the Internet ? Where would I have my conversation with David Lloyd George ? Maybe at the top of Snowdon , the highest mountain in Wales . There is a café  up there  where we could escape from the mist and cold drizzle and enjoy a cup of  tea together. He would prefer something stronger I think but he would make do if we could have a plate of welshcakes as well. Much as I would have liked to speak to him in Welsh, his first language , I would  not feel confident to do so as Welsh is my second  language and there are many differences between the Welsh spoken by a North Walian like D. L .W ( I’m going to abbreviate his name from now on ) and the Welsh of South Wales where I live. So in English it would have  to  be. There would be so many things to discuss.  I share a love of Wales and its language with him. He believed in devolution of government to Wales and would be very happy to see how the welsh langu...

 Why do I continue to reread ' Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen  time after time ?  It is now more than fifty years since I first read it this novel.  Yes that's right 50 years . I read it as my set text novel for my 'A level studies at my South Wales grammar school. I remember liking it then and appreciating many of its features. I can't  recapture exactly how I felt about it then because of the infinite number of people whom I have  come across , the places I have seen and the  emotions I have enjoyed or suffered since that far off time.    I  was 18 and looking forward to life and relationships and romance and so free of prejudice or unhappiness borne of experience.  So now in 2020 I am rereading it during a pandemic when everything seems uncertain and circumstances keep changing. I think I appreciate it now for its changelessness. It is the same text now  as  it has been since 1813 , or in the prototype ,  'Fir...

 A summer's day in August. It feels warm. The wind must be blowing from the south. A strong sun is shining over the pebble beach at the Knap and the wide sands of the old harbour. Too silted and shallow for boats it is now being used as a place to sit, play and swim. Across the channel Somerset is clearly outlined. The cafe has reopened after a long lockdown but with all the trappings of covid- socially distanced queueing, hand gel and screens. Seating is outside, with the shelter of an awning if you are lucky.  Up above the clouds are gathering and changing colour. White becomes  grey becomes purple. The leaves on the trees are blowing steadily and blowing back. A few warm globules of rain fall on my skirt. Gradually , as the spots of rain become a steady drizzle , Somerset disappears into the mist. We are no longer close to another stretch of coastline. People get up from their tables in the café garden, push back their chairs, drink the last of their coffee. Time to he...

- RUGBY IS BACK 2020  Professional rugby is back in Wales as part of the Pro 14 competition. The first matches were played over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd August. These were local derbies : the first between the Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets of Llanelli and the second between the Ospreys of Swansea and the Newport Gwent dragons . Nearly six months have passed since a professional match was played  in the U.K and thanks to Covid 19 everything has changed.  The first enormous difference is that there are no longer spectators at the stadiums. The only people present are the players, the coaching staff and the officials plus a couple of comentators from the media.  The coverage of the matches is now via a pay to view channel , Premier Sports. It's sad that the BBC no longer shows these matches. However we are fortunate in Wales to have Welsh language commentary from S4C . They do not supply English commentary or subtitles so you have to speak Welsh or just watch it wi...

What is normal anymore when a pandemic is raging across the world ? The numbers and statistics of cases and fatalities are overwhelming. It is impossible to process the tsunami of information which comes 24 / 7 from all corners of the globe.  I can only write at first hand about what is happening in my small corner of south eastern Wales. Restrictions are still in operation here that have been lifted in England.  Here are some examples of how life as changed .  We cannot yet go inside cafes pubs and restaurants to eat and drink. Instead an alfresco culture has sprung up where possible. The weather has been largely favourable to this in the spring and summer months since lockdown. Everywhere chairs and benches are filled with groups enjoying a coffee, a beer , a pizza or a pie. Social distancing is in use so that we sit at a distance from people we don't know.  We have become accustomed to sanitizing our hands on entering a café to place  or collect an order and ...