Tuesday, April 06, 2021

Published Tuesday, April 06, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Easter Monday 5th April 2021

Groups of up to 6 or 2 households can now meet outside again from Monday so did a Mansfield Rd walk. M was supposed to come but had to wait in for the curtain man from John Lewis. There was me, Kelvin, Roger, Sue and John. Got a train to Mortimer and did a circular walk taking in Silchester, just over 8 miles. It was meant to be lovely warm day and after a dull, chilly start it didn't disappoint, wore shorts for tge first time this year.
Tuesday was even hotter so went for a ride out to Hartley Wintney with Kelvin, Andy and Graham. There were lots of cyclists out. Did about 36 miles. It was still warm enough to sit out and have a beer when I got back. The hotest March day since 1968. The magnolia tree across the road is at its best.
It was meant to be sunny again on Wednesday but remained cloudy. Fairly quiet day. Dug up the old rosemary bush out front. Phoned Danny in the evening and then had a goolie zoom. Tom and Sally had been asked to do lateral flow tests by the cpuncil for some reason. Both negative.
Lateral flow tests are the quick ones you can do yourself but they aren't as accurate as PCR tests. On Thursday I finished my first stop motion animation. Had a gigs and ale call in the evening. We decided the next one should be live. Tom and Sally came on Good Friday, great to see them. We sat in the garden and had the first pizzas of the year from the pizza oven. It got very cold though so we figured it would be better to move in. They had had -ve tests and we've both had jabs so we thought it would be safe. Had a bit of a lazy day on Saturday. Started on my next animation. Easter Sunday was another really nice day. Not as hot as Tuesday but very sunny. Got out sunshade. Cooked slow roasted lamb for a late lunch. Had a beer and cheese tasting with T, S, J and A. It was my bithday present from J and A. 4 beers, Fyne Ales Sunrise Bliss with cheddar, Saison Dupont with a smelly brie, La Trappe Isid'or with gruyere and Five Points Railway Porter with stilton. All really good. I think the porter and stilton won. On Easter Monday we did a society walk that I organised. It was the one I'd done for October but we had to abandon because of flooding. There were 15 walking so we had 3 groups of 5. That was the plan anyway but Nick and Becky went to Cookham Common instead of Crookham Common. It actually snowed a bit. Watched Reading beat Derby 3 1. We're still 6th but if Bournemouth win their game in hand we'll be out of the playoffs. Warwick won the University Challenge final.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Published Tuesday, March 30, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 28th March 2021

Went for a ride on Monday morning. It was a vey nice day. This was my lunch stop.
Apart from it being lovely spring day there were other signs that things are about to change. The Blue Tin Farm coffee shop reopens on Wenesday (take away only to start with). The cafe/shop in Stoke Row has a marquee outside in preparation for reopening and the New Inn at Kidmore will have the garden open all day from 12th April. We've also booked a 2hr slot in the Castle Tap on the evening of Thursday 15th. Tuesday, 23rd is a year since the first lockdown began. There was a minutes silence at midday and a doorstep vigil at 8pm but we didn't do either. Its not like clapping for the NHS a year ago. That was  positive thing that everybody got behind. Prepped and undercoared the touching up required on the outside of the windows. Worked on my animation. Did outside gloss touching up on Wednesday. I may have finished decorating for a while. Did a bit more on the animated. M cooked a really tasty fish cobbler for tea. Had a goolie zoom in the evening. Greg is away on a virtual buddist retreat. Megan's family have tested positive for covid. Only mild flu like symptoms. Went for a ride with Andy on Thursday out Henley way. He's got a dodgy hip and planning a replacement so we took it steady but still did about 26 miles. Henley was incredibly busy as there was a market going on. It was all food and drink but not sure it was in the spirit of the current lockdown rules. It was a bit weird to see that many people. Saw a very tame sparrow hawk in a hedge.
Got within about 3 meters and was reaching for my phone to take another snap when it flew off. Also saw a mandarin duck on the Thames.
Reading is on the tube map now because of cross rail so someone obviously thinks Sonning Eye is a tube station.
Spotted some banksyesque stencelling near Sonning Bridge.
Not sure what its about or if it has anything to do with Theresa May. I think she sometimes attends the church there. Popped into Lodden Brewery on the way back for some supplies. They seemed very excited about the prospect of reopening the tap room area on a couple of weeks. Had a first Thursday zoom in the evening. We're planning for the next one to be in May so it can be 'live'. Meanwhile M travelled up to Manchester to record the first round of University Challenge. They played Strathclyde. I can't mention the result but I can say M got the first starter for 10. They travelled up by train including the reserve. It was the first time they had met but they weren't allowed to sit together. They had to get separate taxis at the other end. There was no makeup because of covid and no refreshments. They even had to take their yown water. They had been having zoom rehearsals twice a week and M had but quite a lot of effort into revising stuff like UK monachs and prime ministers. We'd also watched quite a few episodes. On Friday I walked out to Shinfield to pick up my mountain bike from Rotec. I may have seen a great white egret in Green Park. They don't wear masks in Rotec but I always do. A birthday treat on Saturday morning as I was invited to join the Kelly Talk WhatsApp group, a good start to the day. Popped to BnQ for some paint for the refurbished bench. A bit of a queue outside but moved pretty quickly. Had a great birthday curry zoom in the evening with T, S, J and A. On the present front I got some headphones from M, a flask from TnS and JnA have arranged a beer and cheese tasting for Easter Sunday. Had a bit of a lie in on Sunday which also coincided with the clocks going forward. Put the bench together which wasn't straight forword and a couple of the slats needed sanding down a bit at one end. Did Ottolenghi lamb dish for tea and M made those turkish flatbreads.

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Monday, March 22, 2021

Published Monday, March 22, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 21st March 2021

The big news today (Monday) is that we can announce that Amy is expecting. We've known since 6th Feb but they wanted us to wait for the 3 month period when they have their NHS scan to tell other people. They had that today and the due date is 25th September. They had a private scan on 27th Feb and sent us this video.
I went down the tip in the morning, to get rid of the wood from the benches. You still need to book your slot. They were resurfacing Castle Crescent so I was held up for a bit. Got some bark chippings from BnQ and refreshed around the raised beds.
Bob Onions came to fit the new windows in the front room on Tuesday. He was here before 7. Someone has graffitied the Banksy. Not me honest guv.
Had to get Bob back on Wednesday as the top side windows wont open. He did say this might happen. He'd just had his first jab. He is quite conscientious about social distancing and mask wearing which is good. Finished the guardian crossword for the 3rd day in a row with only a little help from M. Did a bit of bird spotting on Fobney Meadows. The widgeons have gone put I think I saw some lapwings and possibly a peregrine at a distance. Also a couple of roe deer quite near the disused railway. Watched URZ lose to Birmingham in the evening then joined the goolie zoom. Had to call Bob out again on Thursday as one of the top windows still wouldn't open. It was probably just a bit of paint. Had a gigs n ale zoom in the evening. On Friday started on touching up the windows inside and undercoated. Did falafels for tea. On Saturday finished off the windows inside. They look good.
Watched URZ draw with the false hoops. M did an exellent lamb dish for tea. Had a relatively early night. Bit of a lazy day on Sunday. Completed the 2021census. All done online. Did a bit more of the animation I'm working on. Watched Leicester beat Man U in the FA cup quarter final. No replays because of covid so extra time and penalties if needed. Cooked burgers for tea.
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Monday, March 15, 2021

Published Monday, March 15, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 14th March 2021

Schools in England go back today (Monday 8th). Popped to BnQ for some wood. Long queue outside, not come across that for a while. Fixed the other raised bed. M used the power hose thing to clean the patio etc. I'd had to order some bootlaces online and they turned up in a comparatively very large box. Realised when I went to get the cottage pie out of the oven that it wasn't working. Fortunately the top one is. Went for a ride with Kelvin on Tuesday, ended up in Frieth. Passed through Hambleden on the way. They were filming something for Disney in a house with artificial snow in the garden. How come they can still film in the pandemic? Saw at least 50 red kites in a field being ploughed. Took a photo but you cant really see. Lovely sunny spring day. Saw the first calves of spring.
Spotted some more street art in Newtown on the way out. Also noticed kids playing out in schools.
 
A chap came to look ate the oven on Wednesday. They had sent an email with very detailed covid safety instructions. As it was when the guy turned up he asked if he could take off his visor as it would be uncomfortable working in the oven also paid by card even though over the limit. On the Berks Birds website it mentioned sightings of peregrines on the gasometer so went for a look late afternoon. No sign so wandered round Newtown looking for more street art. Found 4 or 5 but they're not as good as the others. Some look quite old and some very recent. Took a picture of the last gasometer anyway as its due for demolition.
Had a goolie Zoom in the evening. John is planning to go out for a McDonalds tomorrow as its William's birthday. On Thursday went for a ride down to Fobney meadows. Just the usual suspects birdwise but you can now get though to Coley. Headed off down the Kennet and a lot of work is being at the Jolly Anglers for the reopening of pubs.
Spotted this in the housing estate at the other side of the river.
When I got back spotted a stock dove in the garden,  never knowingly seen one before. Had a zoom down the Hop Leaf in the evening. Went for a ride to Bracknell on Friday. Out by my old work route a back by a route we often took for our evening rides. Russ has told me Northgate have moved to smaller offices as post pandemic there will be a lot more home working so went to check them out. Watched URZ play Forest on Saturday. A good game we went 1 0 put pulled it back to 1 1. Normally when we go down we capitulate so it was good to see. 3 strickers on at one point. Made pizzas in the evening. I dont think the replacement element is up to scratch. James phoned M on Sunday morning as its Mother's Day. I've been doing these posts for almost a year now as the first one I did mentioned Mother's day. Its also just over a year since we went to see Tommy Tiernan at the town hall (13th March). The last time we went out to anything. Who would have thought it.
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Monday, March 08, 2021

Published Monday, March 08, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday March 7th 2021

Took the car in for a service and MOT first thing on Monday. Sally had sent a WhatsApp about a possible Banksy appearing on the prison wall so went to check it out on the way back.

M got here NHS jab letter and has booked in at Basingstoke on Friday at 5 15. Did a circuitous walk to pick up the car through Lousehill Copse. It was almost like normal rush hour in town. Not sure if its a covid initiative but they found a couple of issues with car and sent me a text with a link to a film of the car up on the jack. Not sure how long the link will last. Went on a ride with Kelvin on Tuesday. We went out east, a combination of my work rides to and from Bracknell and Slough. 51 miles in all. Saw the first lambs of the spring.
Spotted lots of painted street furniture in town.
M was a victim of an attempted scam. Got a text supposedly from HSBC asking if we had authorised a payment of £240 if not log in and let them know. The URL wasn't HSBC but looked like it, they obviously just wanted you to type in your username and password. Watched URZs beat Blackburn 1 0 in the evening. On Wednesday heard that Dave Kirkham had got his NHS jab letter and had managed to book at the Mad Stad. M didn't get the option. Bit of a dull day but went for a local walk to photo more street are. A young lad about 7 or 8 was a approaching me down a norrow pavement. As we got closer he stepped into a gateway so we wouldn't be too close. I didn't expect it but it just goes to show how we have adapted to the situation. Snapped these.
Had a goolie zoom in the evening. Our new rug for the front room arrived at 7am on Thursday morning. I really like it but it makes the curtains and settees look out of place now. They are to be replaced though. Finished off my Counting Salmon. It was  bit rushed in the end but its been hanging around for ages and I wanted to finish it off. Ralph mentioned there was more street furniture painting in the the town centre on olympic themes so I went for a look. He thought it was a community project. I could only find this and it looked a bit old.
Think the new ones are different. It has been confirmed the mural on the prison wall is a Banksy Had an ale and ale zoom in the evening. Penno had made a really good animation as part of her course. I'd include a link but you need an app. She's going to he a double grandma. Both hers and Adrienne's bithdays next week. It was nice and sunny on Friday morning so M went for a run and I went for a ride. It had clouded over by the time we set off though. I did the loop out fown the A4  Sulham, Pangbourne and back via Mapledurham. Another Banksy?
M had jab, a relatively painless experience all round. It was AstraZeneca. She had a slightly saw arm on Saturday morning and felt a bit groggy later. Watched Reading beat the owls 3 0 on iFollow. M made excellent, hummus, salad, lamb tagine and flat breads. A good start to the day on Sunday, M's reaction to the jab cleared up. Pottered in the garden, removed the slats from the metal ended bench with a view to replacing them. Had a zoom with James and Amy in the afternoon and played Sherlock. We drew. Did salad nicoise for tea with leftover flatbreads.
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Sunday, February 28, 2021

Published Sunday, February 28, 2021 by with 1 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 28th February 2021

We had been doing the Guardian crossword regularly but have got out of the habit. Started the prize crossword on Saturday and managed to finish it on Monday morning. I then did the cryptic all by myself before I got up. I've still got it. Weather-wise I think today must be the dullest day ever. Heard they have now opened a vaccination centre at the Mad Stad. Went to BnQ for stuff to repair the raised beds and spotted the vaccination centre signs. Boris announced the plan to move out of lockdown. Hidden away in there it says the rule of 6 or 2 households will be allowed indoors in step 3, no earlier then 17th May.  Shortly afterwards M found out that the UC team has made it to the TV stage. I fixed one of the raised beds but found an issue with another. Had an FLF zoom in the evening to practise setting up stages. After some teething issues all went well. On Tuesday I put on my wellies and went to explore Fobney Meadows. Apart from the usual I thought I saw shovelers, gadwalls, teals and wigeons and this was confirmed to me by a birder. He also said peregrines could quite often be seen on the pylons as well as St Giles church spire. Later saw a greater spotted woodpecker and a buzzard. You can't get through to the Coley side because of the flooding. I went round to that side to see what it was like and spotted the deer Sue had mentioned. I reckon they are roe deer. I also went along to the place on the disused railway line where I'd seen groups of people hanging around but they weren't there this time. M has made plans to visit the boys. Had an FLF zoom in the evening for more testing. All OK after some teething issues. We had Nigel on to talk about the comedy. On Wednesday morning I got up quite earliy and went to St Giles to see if I could see the peregrines and amazingly there they were perched near the top one on the north side and one on the east. They are a pair and the females are larger so I suspect the female is on the east side.
This is taken from the north, you can see them both.

This is taken from the east with better light. Later I cycled out to Hosehill Lake near Theale for a bit of combined cycling and bird watching. Spotted a green woodpecker, tufted ducks, wigeons and fieldfares. Bumped into Kelvin and Graeme on the way out. Spotted a field of strange cows on the way back.
Had a zoom with the goolies in the evening. Did a ride out to Stanford Dingley on Thursday. I noticed they had planning applications up to hokd events at the Englefield estate.
They must have gone up after Boris's announcement. Getting loads of stuff from listing sites as well. Saw some odd geese in a field, found out they are chinese geese.
Bumped into Kelvin on the way back. Had virtual pints with Kelvin and Andy in the evening. Andy thinjs he needs a hip replacement. This was then followed by a zoom call with Kelvin as he is showing The Cure at the FLF. Did a northern loop to the Liddon Brewery on Friday. Amazingly bumped into Kelvin and Andy outside Binfield Heath PO. They had been out walking. That's 3 days in a row I've met Kelvin when ouf cycljng completely by coincidence. Finished off prepfor the FLF. Got all the stages set up except one. Cooked pizzas. M had UC practise followed by an online lecture. Then had a zoom with the J, A, T and S. T and S have finished decorating their study and hope to finish the dining room tomorrow. Saturday was mostly taken up with preparing and executing the FLF. It went really well. I wont go into details as most of it can be found here. Didn't get to bed til 4:30 as a result. I did manage a bird spotting trip to Fobney meadows in the afternoon. Nothing new to report but I may have seen a peregrine on one of the pylons.

Had a lazy day on Sunday but it was so nice I did a walk to the Coley water meadows. The gate issue seems to have been sorted
Amazingly saw an Asda add about going back to school on 8th March. And another Elexa one about home schooling.
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Monday, February 22, 2021

Published Monday, February 22, 2021 by with 0 comment

Coronavirus - Sunday 21st February 2021

Played around with the FLF and then went for my jab. Drove to Bagingstoke and picked up signs for the vaccine centre. It wasn't where I expected but assumed there would only be one. Parked up and was soon called from the car only to find I wasn't registered there and there was another centre. Followed Google Maps to the other one. This was a different story with a long slow moving queue outside.
I was told it would be an hour and fifteen minutes before I was done. You need to wear a mask not unexpectedly. We were told the queue was because of an IT issue earlier. No one seemed to mind, everyone accepted the situation. Staff were also very helpful, e.g. a woman behind me had a walking stick so they got her a wheelchair. They also told us when asked it woukd be AstraZeneca. When we got just outside the centre we were asked a few questions about symptons and stuff then asked for the time we were due and name. It didn't matter that I was now significantly late for my 3 45 slot. One chap was with his wife and asked if she could have a jab as well but thus was not allowed as she didn't have an appointment, she was still allowed in though and there were other couples that both seemed to have appointments. Inside there was a reception stage where you were asked for your booking ref and if you had any symptoms. They also fave you a leaflet about the vaccine. Then there was an assessment stage. Here they wanted your time of arrival and name again. They asked stuff about allergic reactions and mentioned side effects etc. No photos allowed inside. Then you got your jab which was painless. You also got a card with the batch number on. This is to be produced when you go for the second jab. They are both booked together so mine is the same time on 3rd May.
Apart from the long wait it all went quite well considering a lot of people involved are volunteers and all relatively new to the process. A very successful process I would say. When I got back found the St Barnardus I had ordered had arrived. One of the antique tables M had ordered for the front room had also turned up and looks really goid. In the evening Dylan and Tony joined a zoom meeting I had set up to test screen sharing for the FLF. After a few teething problems we got them up and running. We then did mine only to find the picture broke up. I tried on M's mac and few other things but still got the same problem which is odd because it alk worjed fine last year. After I thought the cause may been because M was watching via the network on the TV. On Tuesday I had a mild bruisy sensatation where I'd had the jab but no actually bruising. Apart from that no side effects. M had a dental appointment in Oxford so drove her to the station about nine as it was raining. It is earily quiet considering it was what would normally be rush hour. Roger popped round with the GOB I had ordered plus some samples of other stuff so I now suddenly have a lot of beer. Saw Kelvin heading off up North, he's put his cottage on the market. Spent most of the afternoon putting the stage times on the FLF website as tables need to be done using HTML. Listened to some records. They sound good but I'd forgotten about the business of having to turn them over. Had another FLF zoom in the evening. Very positive, 7 of us, all managed to share successfully. On Wednesday did a clash finder for the FLF. We had a problem with the upstairs loo. Handle doesn't go up and sometimes overflows. Tony came round to fix. Had a gigs n ale zoom in the evening. Went for my first ride in a couple of weeks on Thursday. Headed for the Lodden Brewery via Wargrave and Henley. The shop is open again but only Thurs, Fri and Sat. One of their employees had had covid. Not at shop worker but he'd been in the shop. Picked up 2L of Dragonfly for tonight's FT zoom. The second table for the front room arrived, this is a sowing table. The FT zoom was very amusing. Everyone OK. Karen has had a Pfizer jab. Dave Barlow and his wife have got their appointments even though they are under 65. They think it may be because the South African variant has been found just up the road in Bramley. Did a bit of FLF stuff and guitar playing on Friday then did the Southcote Lock walk. This was uneventful except for the fact that on the disused railway line I've seen a group of people hanging out along the same place of a side path each time. What are they doing. Bumped into Sue Thomas on the way back. She had seen some deer in the same area. The saga of the gate at the end of Coley Ave continues, its all gone now and been tarmaced.
On Saturday I cycled up to the Mad Stad before watching the game. I was told I wasn't allowed to be there.
We were well beaten 2 0 by Colin's Middlesboro. M cooked really good patatas bravas and homemade pasta puttanesca. On Sunday morning found a couple FLF sign ups in my spam. Good job I looked. We drove to Prospect Park so we could walk the green space just to the north which we hadn't done before. Weren't sure we'd be able to park as there is a testing centre in the car park but it was fine.
The walk was a bit slippery for M so abandoned and drove to Calcot to walk along the linear park and Kennet. Cooked a curry when we got back with poppadoms and pickles.

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