Tonight was Quiz Night – and guess who were Quiz Masters? Yes, you’re right, it was us! I had noted the fact, of course, and had planned to set the questions over the last week. However, being a ‘last-minute Joe’, there I was this morning, sweating cobs in case I didn’t sort it in time…..
However, I did sort it in time and, although it felt like I’d been on it all day long, it actually didn’t take the six hours that I thought it would, and I was done in a couple (or so).
The thing is, with these things, is that you spend hours thinking about the questions in the weeks beforehand, noting down good ones to ask, and then, when you come to check what you’ve got, you find you seem to have focussed on only one category…….. ah, well, it was fun doing the research today – even if there was a heated debate about which country has the most pyramids. And it’s not Egypt, if that’s what you are thinking…..
In addition to quiz-mastering, I spent a little time tidying up bedrooms today. Goodness me, what a mess I’ve got them into!! I say ‘I’ because it is mostly me who pulls stuff out of cupboards, looking for things – ‘I’m sure I’ve got one in here somewhere…..’ and then failing to stuff it all back in, in good order. I still haven’t finished sorting Mum’s papers, which are strewn across the floor, in piles, in the computer room. Mostly, it’s papers that need to be shredded or simply thrown away, but I am keen to check them all to be sure – and that takes time. Ah, well – maybe tomorrow?
I think Thomas is going to take after me……. he’s found something, but I wonder what, exactly, he’s looking for? Gorgeous boy.
John spent the day concentrating on his projects and doing the research for them, his finger hovering over the ‘order’ button. Honestly, that computer fairly hums with activity. But what a blessing it is. To be able to just look something up in an instant is a marvellous thing. Long gone is the time when you’d lumber through pages and pages of an encyclopaedia or a catalogue for an answer and still not be sure that it was up-to-date. And t’internet certainly helped in the pyramids discussion this evening – at the touch of a button we had the answer we were looking for. Marvellous.
On the COVID front, Lily texted me this afternoon: ‘Hi Anne I just wanted to update you…..I got my PCR test back and it’s negative so I don’t have COVID. Phew’. Phew! Phew, indeed. I am so pleased for her – it’s certainly something she wouldn’t have wanted to be suffering from again.
But, conversely, my dear friend Louise texted to say that her son, John, and his family had all gone down with it following a family holiday. Lou and Dave are still isolating because they’d had the grandchildren down for a few days, but so far, so good, with negative tests. Keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t succumb.
Meanwhile, I was delighted to see that everyone was wearing a mask in the chip shop this evening when I went up to get some fish ‘n chips for tea. Couldn’t quite believe it, but perhaps some people are finally realising it’s a good thing to do for mitigation purposes and it’s not all over. Hope so anyway.
In the COVID numbers game, we have the following: 30,597 people having tested positive for the virus in that last 24 hours. The rolling total over the last seven days is down by 18.5%, which is encouraging.
However, the time lag between infection and hospitalisation means that deaths are now showing an increase: 201 people having died in the community in the last 24 hours and 57 in hospitals in the previous 48 hours. The rolling total for deaths is showing an increase of just over 4% in the last seven days. To be expected, but nevertheless, the infections and deaths could possibly have been avoided if the messaging to the general public had been clearer with no inference that we are doing well. We are not.
Rant over.
Take care everyone. Masks, hand-washing (yes, it still helps), keeping your distance and through-ventilation in a room are key to keeping us safe. I pray that you do keep safe. God bless.