Changeable weather. Tiers. Kindly Peruvians.

Running in the sunshine quite early this morning I met quite a lot of people congratulating themselves and each other on the fine morning we were having. The photo shows the day reflected in the millpond. Only one dogwalker pessimistically said we should take advantage of it there and then as this was almost certainly the best part of the day. As so often happens, she was quite correct. By the time I had showered the cloud was moving in. By late morning it was raining. The forecast offers us an 80 - 90% chance of rain for the remainder of the day, tapering off to about 40% in the mid to late afternoon. How very disappointing!

Thursday looks like being the best day of the week at the moment. Perhaps I will contact the friend I was talking to the other day and suggest that we do our proposed socially distanced walk. In fact, tomorrow looks as though it has possibilities. I should be able to cycle to the market without problems and maybe our daughter can come for a cup of tea or coffee in the garden at last, now that we seem to be in  tier 3 area, on the new Control-Covid system.

It was rather a surprise to see the Manchester area in tier 2 and not tier 3 like The Liverpool area. The poor Merseysiders must feel rather hard done by. One of my neighbours was so convinced that we would end up in a tier 3 that she was predicting her twin granddaughters’ losing their jobs at one of the local pubs which would then have to close. Now perhaps they will stay in employment a little while longer. 

Scientists are saying, however, that the system is too little and too late. A shielding friend of mine agrees. Her rant on Facebook was something to behold!

 

Meanwhile over on the other side of the Atlantic the amazingly-restored-and-recovered-from-Coronavirus President Trump has been out campaigning to crowds of unmasked and definitely not socially distanced supporters. What’s more, although top health officials have indicated that a viable vaccine is unlikely to go through trials and approval processes and be ready for mass production and distribution before next spring, he has repeatedly promised a vaccine by or soon after election day on 3 November. He is as optimistic about that as he seems to be about being re-elected. I read occasional remarks about his plans for “after I am re-elected”.  Maybe he will be disappointed on both scores.

Here’s a heart-warming story about our difficult times. 

“Peru has opened the ruins of Machu Picchufor a single Japanese tourist after he waited almost seven months to enter the Inca citadel, while trapped in the Andean country during the coronavirus outbreak.

Jesse Katayama’s entry into the ruins came thanks to a special request he submitted while stranded since mid-March in the town of Aguas Calientes, on the slopes of the mountains near the site, said the minister of culture, Alejandro Neyra, on Monday.

“He had come to Peruwith the dream of being able to enter,” Neyra said in a virtual press conference. “The Japanese citizen has entered together with our head of the park so that he can do this before returning to his country.””

It’s not all doom and gloom then!

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!