Anyway, people are buying fewer clothes. This is not just not going to the shops but they are not ordering as much online either. Consequently small haulage companies, who probably deliver for the likes of Gap, Next, Fatface and others, are struggling to keep going. Vans are going out half empty and half their fleets are remaining in the carpark. One of the unforeseen consequences!
Here’s another: the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has re-registered as a medical practitioner and will work one shift a week to help out during the coronavirus crisis. Mr Varadkar worked as a doctor for seven years before leaving the profession to become a politician and was removed from the medical register in 2013. He rejoined the medical register in March, and offered his services to the HSE for one session a week, in areas that are within his scope of practice, a spokesperson for his office confirmed. "Many of his family and friends are working in the health service. He wanted to help out even in a small way," the spokesperson added.
Good for him!
And Cuba has been reaching out and helping again.
“Britain has thanked Cuban rescue workers for a “great gesture of solidarity” in helping the stranded passengers of a cruise ship struck by coronavirus. In a glowing letter, the UK ambassador in Havana said he wanted to express his “immense gratitude and that of my country” for Cubans’ role in the operation.
Cuba allowed the cruise ship MS Braemar to dock in Havana and allow its 682 mainly UK passengers to fly home, after other countries such as the Bahamas and Barbados refused permission because of Covid-19 infections onboard. But 43 Cuban workers, including a pilot, dock workers, police, and transport staff all had to go into quarantine for two weeks because of their close contact with the passengers. All have now been released and reunited with their families.
“During Operation Braemar, I witnessed the many qualities of the Cuban people, their humanitarian principles, kindness and hard-working attitude; facets of the Cuban character that I have come to know and love since I came to the country,” British ambassador Antony Stokes said in the letter dated 2 April, the day quarantine for the workers ended.”
Good for Cuba!
And here is a story of romance rekindled. A couple of pandas in a Hong Kong theme park had been rather shy of mating, almost certainly because of the crowd of people watching out for them doing just that. Now that they have had a some privacy because of the virus-forced lack of visitors, they have been showing signs of amorous behaviour. Keepers are hopeful!
Thoughts about clouds and silver linings come to mind.
And then, to take our minds off our problems, along comes a supermoon. A pink supermoon at that! (I swear there were no supermoons when I was growing up!) Amazingly, we were able to see the moon for once. As a rule when something interesting is going to be seen in the heavens the clouds move in around here and nothing at all is visible. But we have had clear skies and so the moon, which I have watched moving towards the full, has been there for all to see most nights recently.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect here. All the reports said that the colour, more orange than pink, is best seen when the moon is low in the sky, at moonrise or moonset. Well, we have some large hills which get in the way of seeing the moon low in the sky at either end if its cycle. By the time it was visible from our windows it was just a fairly normal moon colour - but quite large and very bright!
There you go!
On the menu yesterday was a spicy sweet potato tart, made with mashed sweet potatoes, spiced up with harissa paste, and puff pastry, accompanied by scrambled eggs with ham (un revuelto de jamón) and a bit of salad.
On the menu today is left over “purple chicken” and some spicy potatoes. There is harissa paste to use up and I have just the recipe.
Stay safe everyone!
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