Had a bit of a lazy day on Monday. In the evening we went to the new cinema called The Reading Biscuit Factory to see Summer Of Soul. Its an interesting place, got a bar and stuff. It was a bit quiet but if was a wet Monday evening. As far as covid goes the staff were all wearing masks. In our screen there were probably about 15 people, about half wearing masks. We chose not to. There was no one near us on our row but there was a couple in front and one behind, neither wearing masks. So its probably the riskiest place I've been for a while covid wise. The film was exellent though. Did a good ride out to Skirmett on Tuesday with Kelvin and Graham. We had planned to have lunch at The Frog but they were full which must be unusual for a Tuesday. Went to The Stag And Huntsman at Hambleden instead. We popped into the Loddon brewery on the way back for some supplies. That was quite busy too. Presumably this busyness is because people are not going abroad on holiday. Kelvin's grandson Reuben had got his A levels. 2 A*s and an A. He's taking a gap year then going to Bristol to do film studies. There was a bit of a kerfuffle about him getting his results as a mate had tested +ve for covid but he'd done a test and was -ve so had been able to go to the school. We went to Andy's for a beer afterwards. He's doing remarkably well after his hip hop. Spent most of Wednesday tidying the house and garden. Went round to Peter and Fiona's in the evening. Brillant Turkish themed meal that it must have taken all day to prepare. Felt slightly hungover on Thursday morning but managed to go for a swim that made us feel better. Checked out my covid pass in the NHS app and shortly afterwards got an email from EOTR saying you need proof of 2 jabs, negative test or immunity to get in.

We went to visit Martin on Monday. He's in the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney. 2 visits are allowed a week, each for up to 2 people. It doesn't have to be close relatives anymore. We needed to do a lateral flow test but could do it at home and show the result. Had to wear masks all the time we were there and they even provided us with new paper ones. He was sitting up which I didn't except. He's lost weight since last time I saw him which would have been March 2020. He breathes normally but has a tracheostomy by which I guess he's fed. It also needed to be cleared whilst we were there as I guess swallowing can be a problem. His mouth was open which was a bit off putting. Mentally he seems pretty much the same. The place itself is excellent on the face of it. Staff extremely friendly and helpful and you got the impression he is very well cared for. Felt OK going up to London and travelling on the tube. The vast majority if people were wearing masks. Fell foul of the off-peak ticket restrictions on the way back so had to pay for an upgrade. It doesn't take long to start getting pissed off with the railways again. Very quick journey though, 22 mins. We won another gold in the team 3 day eventing. Had the new settees delivered. We won a couple of golds in sailing. On Wednesday we walked the Thames path from Windsor to Maidenhead. Spotted this church near Boveney run by The Friends of Friendless Churches.

We may not have had much rain yesterday in Reading but they did in London. This was Sally's sister's garden.

Today is so called Freedom Day as the majority of covid restrictions have now been lifted. Stuff like mask wearing and social distancing are no longer mandatory in most situations. There are no limits on the numbers of people that can meet, people are no longer encouraged to work from home and most businesses can open as normal. Infections are still very high but hospitalisations and deaths are low due to the vaccination program so the idea is we can get through it without it screwing up the NHS.

A bit of a lie in on Monday. There has been

Finished off the potting bench on Monday

As I haven't done much cycling in the last couple of weeks I thought I'd do some morning rides this week. On Monday did about 20 miles out towards Ufton Nervet. Watched Spain v Croatia and France v Switzerland in the evening. Both games followed a similar pattern. The underdogs went 1 0 up. The faves pulled it back to 3 1 and then the underdogs pulled it back to 3 3 late on meaning extra time. Spain went on to win 5 3 but the other game remained goalless in extra time and Switzerland won on penalties. Did a ride out to Pangbourne and back through Mapledurham on Tuesday morning. Spotted a family of what I assume were stoats at the end of the track down from Hardwick Stud. Very unusal to see one let alone 5 or 6. Did some gardening in the afternoon during which I received a test alert from the government on my phone. Then watched Ingerland beat Germany 2 0. Wembley at 50% capacity. We'll be playing Ukraine in the quarter finals. They beat Sweeden 2 1 aet. Amazingly Mark Cavendish won another stage of the tour. That's his 31st. There doesn't seem to be any social distancing in the crowds, some wear masks and some dont. The riders dont wear masks when racing but they do when on the podium or being interviewed. On Wednesday went for a ride out to The Bell at Aldworth with Andy, Kelvin and Graham. They aren't open indoors at the moment  only the garden. Went swimming on Thursday morning. Had first Thursday drinks in the evening at the Greyfriar. JR couldn't make it. He'd been to pick his son up from Leeds uni. His son's girlfriend had tested positive and although his son was negative as he'd spent 4 hours in the car with him he thought he'd better not risk it. It was fairly quiet in the pub. The bar chap put it down to the fact they hadn't been showing the Euros as their TV area is too small for adequate social distancing. Maybe some pubs take a bit more notice of the rules than others. Popped out to BnQ on Friday morning to get some bits for a potting bench I'm making for the garden. Then went for a swim. M's first UC heat will be on 12th August.