Football v the NHS

Sport.

Something that provides some normality in a sea of death and dispondency. 

Today we hear that some players are “fearful” about returning to play.

Players on silly money each week who live in their luxury mansions who cannot agree on how to defer salaries to support other staff at the club or the NHS do not want to play for 90 minutes every 3 days to complete the obligations that they get admirably rewarded for.

Thank goodness the staff at the NHS did not say the same thing. They have obligations and rolled up their sleeves under their inadequate PPE gear.

The “One” Show ........

There is only one show in town at the moment and that’s Covid19. 

You can’t get away from it. 

It’s in the news, it’s got its own daily update with socially distancing MP’s providing dull, uninspiring information in a style guaranteed to bore. The fact that they wheel out a different cast to reel out the same lack of answers to the same questions each day. 

Deaths and cases go up, or down but the drone remains the same.

At moments like these I think about the 24 hour news stations and their constant repetitive cycle that goes round in an an hour rather than a day. I mean how much of the same can you take?

In the past there has been “breaking” terrorist attacks or explosions where we have to go to our nearest reporter to give you their uninformed eye witness commentary as they speak to people who didn’t see what happened but could describe the horror of the aftermath.... as they go back to the studio where they have found someone who is an “expert” to give an informed opinion about something that we have no information about.

Spare a thought at this time to think about Sports stations such as Sky .... who have 9 TV stations for live sport.....when there is .... no live sport to bring.

We can talk about when sport will come back, if it should come back, why sport is irrelevant at this time, what elite sportspeople are doing to stay fit and ready for sport when it returns......

.....let’s listen to sports people who have no sport to talk about talk about the Corona virus ..... and it’s effect on sport.

Channel flicking ...... the NHS have no PPE........ footballers who are not working are unwilling to give up part of their £350,000 a week to .....  teams should go in for Harry Kane but it will cost £200,000,000.....

A  99 year old man can raise over £20miion by walking round his garden. There’s a sport that is worth watching.

Are you a squirrel, lemming or jack ass?

Squirrels gather their nuts for winter, lemmings follow each other over cliffs in bouts of mass hysteria and a jackass is just a jackass.

And today we have queues round the Tescos car park, security guards and police used by supermarkets as panic buying goes into turbo charge mode.

Supermarkets are not empty. There is food. Just not necessarily the basics.

Fruit, veg, meat, pasta, paracetamol and cheap alcohol have all shot from the shelves.... Don't know what kind of self isolating party these people are having but I am glad I am not invited.

As you may know, I hate the shortening of words, BREXIT Covid19 and of course FOMO. Why are people so afraid of missing out that they need to spend their entire monthly wages on stocking up their   Deep freezes and fridges to overflowing.

 If only we did our weekly shopping as we all do but stood 1 1/2 m away from each other we would all be fine. 

I always feel sorry for the items that are left on the shelves.......all the sweet corn tins had gone.....but there were loads of tins of peas......since when did they go out of fashion.

All the wine under £7 had gone but the good stuff was still bountiful. 

There were calls in a newspaper for Boris to get the wartime spirit going.........well with security outside supermarkets we already have rationing and following BREXIT our new found fear of foreigners.

Think smart. Hunker down and wait. 

Hopefully the bloke who left with an 8 month supply of toilet rolls....won't be back in tomorrow .....sadly the people who didn't get any yesterday will mutate into him in time for the tills to open tomorrow as they missed out yesterday and so the whole FOMO thing mutates.

We should have known things would be like this. See motorways......how come we all grind to a halt when there isn't an accident.....and everyone thinks that any one of the other lanes is travelling at 1/2 mph faster than theirs so they want to change lanes and then someone else wants to change and move into their space....then there's the bloke who bombs down the lane with the red T and indicates like a mad thing knowing that we will still let him in even though we have done the sensible British thing and queued up sensibly.

We need leadership,information and a clear plan........and then we all need to stick to it!

Sadly you do have the right to kill yourself .... but don’t take me with you.

Corona virus.

It’s the only show in town and at this point the only thing on tv. 

I can’t bring myself to watch the Corona virus updates which show 3 politician/medical expert/blah blah blah person with their podiums set to the recommended 2m distance for people to still socially distance.

There is very little informative to learn from them and some of these people have no bedside manner or ability to feel empathy with the people in lockdown watching them from their homes.

It’s good to know that 90% of Britons are following the lockdown order. What about the rest? Why are they not?

Did Anne Frank think , no , these Germans are not interested in me, I’ll just pop out to the Amsterdam Cornerstore for a lava lamp to make my loft hideaway more bearable. 

I love the fact that in America there are now marches to defend the people’s right to free assembly and how lockdown is “unconstitutional.”

Lockdown in the UK has been reffered to as Draconian. 

People are concerned about the long term effect on the economy....... so....just how many cases daily deaths make it acceptable for us all to return to our former lifestyles.

We are not in normal circumstances. Yes Americans have the right to assemble in the constitution ..... during the blitz in WW2 you have the right to set fire to your waste in your garden at night as the German bombers flew overhead but I hope that none of your neighbours choose to.

In the UK we have been told that some of us are TOO good at staying in. 

It will be interesting to see how we react when we are told that lockdown is over. Some will run out into the sun to reclaim their lost time.... some will peek out, gently adjusting their eyes to the change and some will not want to stick their heads out at all.

It’s also good to know that several months into this pandemic and with  over 12,000 deaths in the UK

That the Government has put together a corona virus vaccine task force.

This is not the “shall we or shan’t we” invest in salt and gritters when it may or may not be a cold, snowy winter.

You can’t always plan for worst case scenarios.... although someone, somewhere earns big bucks to run theoretical scenarios. Why are we so far behind the curve that rather than flatten it, we have let it climb higher than it should?

Not a lot of those “Keep calm, thrive in Lockdown and carry on” memes.

Car crash tv....

Here we are in self isolation for 3 weeks. Many people are struggling to find things to do or are “bored” with having to spend 3 weeks in a house that they have bought, decorated and furnished with things to make it comfortable. Why don’t people do something rash like use the opurtunity to do something positive? I don’t mean learn a new language or write a book but play with their kids or make plans-start projects with their spouse or partner.

The media is full of celebrities and their struggles as their selfies show how they are coping in their 10 bedroom mansions with swimming pools.....

Others have to go out shopping with their designer face masks .........but I digress.

Having gone through the news which has for the most been repetitively similar for the last month ... I clicked on the US showbiz section of the Daily Mail online ....I know....

Isn’t it amazing how “showbiz” or “celebrity” takes on a whole new meaning.

Amidst articles about Brad Pitt, John Travolta and Angelina Jolie are loads of others

I still don’t understand the fixation with the Kardashians/Jenners. The fact that you get screen time for overacting badly in front of cameras by talking loudly and controversially whilst being a designer coat hanger is something I will never get.

This has spawned “Real Housewives” from a variety of different places from New York,Orange County and Beverly Hills........people.... these are anything BUT real housewives as their plastic surgeons will testify to. Real housewives of the Bronx or Nowhere special  Arkansas probably wouldn’t get ratings because those are real people with real everyday issues.

Whilst we have “Strictly” the Americans gave dancing with the stars.....where it seems compulsory for marriages to fall apart after hours of dancing together..... dancers names appear regularly in the media..... for those of us old enough ..... can you remember any dancer from Saturday night Seaside Special?

 

Teen mom, 90 day fiancé, for the US whilst we have loads of news from stars of TOWIE or Love Island. There was an article about how someone from Gogglebox had passed away ..... a program which watches people watching tv and talking through it ......I mean anyone who wants to talk through tv should be sent to their room.

My big fat Gypsy Wedding or dear god ....the Tiger King, appear to take the most dysfunctional examples of humans and give the world access to them for the viewing world to watch in shock and awe.

The more of this ....cheap tv that there is , the less time broadcasters have to develop a fine historically accurate costume drama.

 

It is all car crash tv. Something that is horrible but that   once seen, cannot be unseen.

In a world where people are famous for being you tubers, social influencers, gamers.....can we take a moment and understand that tv’s idea of reality - just isn’t!

The byways pecking order....

As we get deeper into the pandemic that is corona virus I still take my dog for a walk. Normally at 6 in the morning thus avoiding as many people as possible. Living in the country does have some joys as, unlike cities, I have loads of space to work with. With the parks and communal spaces closes the Flitch way.... the old railway line that is on the other side of the road from my house provides a scenic East-West straight walk.

There are the occasional others seen, even at that time of day. There seems to be a higherarchy of Flitch users. First there is the solo walker or dog walker who is wrapped up warm, occasionally with a dog on a lead who are always capable of a smile and/or a knowing brotherhood of walking nod to fellow walkers.

Then there is the runner. These are normally dressed in something bright neon, frequently a “I finished the .....insert venue here...10K” just to let you know that they are professionals and have done this sh!t seriously. Rarely time for a not for these guys. Oh no, there are times to be met and no socialising to be done.

Then there is the cyclist. The off roader with their thick tyres and supercharged suspension with their muddy fox waterproof top and clingy black Lycra leggings. They need no high visibility gear as they do not go on the road and mingle with the polluting cars that are even higher up the food chain.

No smiles behind their Oakley sports sunglasses, even though it’s 6am only an inconvenient grunt should your pooch stray into their path.

Then there is the horseman. Haven’t seen one yet but the trail of u’s and steaming brown heaps let you know where they have once been.

How do path users fit into this sidewalk social groupings. Is it the amount of gear required to complete the task of going from A to B from comfortable shoes through to lightweight trainers to  5 gazillion speed gear bike or horse and horsey paraphernalia?

Or is it speed? The faster you go the more important your sidewalk status?

I don’t know. I think that in these uncertain times that Me and my dog prefer the silence and social distancing that early mornings bring.

A dog owners Christmas tree

I am a dog owner and a proud one at that. If you had told me that having a cute dog was a great way to meet new people I would have got one in my teens. I am never happier then when Lulu and I are out on walks .... we did 55,000 dad steps one day ... about 26.2 miles. Enough to complete a marathon. As a responsible dog owner, yes I do clean up after my pampered pooch. Normally about 300-400 yards into our long walk.

Occasional I will “stick it and flick it” if I am somewhere far from the madding crowd rather than leaving a soiled footpath.

My dog is a tiny dog so doesn’t really leave something you need a wheelbarrow and shovel for. 

It does however never cease to amaze me that the larger the dog, the less likely the owner is to pick it up judging by the large species faeces we have had to navigate round this week.

I forgot my bag......we’ll surely it can still be moved subtley.

The thing that I really don’t get is the dog own who watches their pooch do what comes naturally ... then get out their multicoloured, sweet smelling, designer poo bag, pick up the said poo ......... and then leave it hung on a tree branch or a gate........ why..... is it a warning to other dog owners that dogs business is not welcome here?

I hope that in any fair world that said dog owner gets up on Xmas morning to find their Christmas tree sparkling and bedecked with all the sharny poo bars hey left for unsuspecting others to find throughout the year .

...

Teaching teachers

Thanks to friends who mistakenly think that as teachers, for us, the holidays have started.

They have not.

In strange circumstances, we are in the process of rolling our sleeves up, keeping calm and carrying on.

As  maths teachers, we are ahead of the curve as our weekly homework tasks are set and monitored online via show my homework and Hegarty maths.

In business, you have the experience of group conference calls for meetings straddling continents.

We are adapting / learning /setting up google classrooms and will meet on Monday and Tuesday to set up training and strategies to try and move forward as seamlessly as possible. 

Resources will be prepared and shared as we evolve our online classrooms to support all our students using the technology available.

The next two weeks will probably more strenuous than normal as educators get educated to keep education moving forward.

Spare a thought for teachers who are also parents so will see this from both sides at the same time.

Holidays? Don’t think so! The hard work is just beginning.

My my my my ...corona

Remember how Britain’s exit from Europe (Brexit) divided the nation? In? Out? We still disagree and I am still no better off understanding the reasons why. If someone can explain to me how I/we will be better off then I am sure I could support the idea based on actual facts.

Climate change (whatever happened to global warming which from a UK point of view sounded like a good thing) hard to believe that when we look at typhoons, hurricanes and flooding that there are still people (many in places of power) who could take actions to slow down the effects of this but choose not to. Information and misinformation. Yet it’s hard to deny what you see with your own eyes.

The Corona virus (Covid19). Shorten it (like Brexit) to make it easier to say especially when it’s something we will be saying a lot. 

It has been interesting to watch its rise, development and spread. PotUS refers to it as the Chinese disease. I’m sure that the people of Spain won’t appreciate associations with previous flu epidemics.

It was a disease that was “over there” and we watched as it moved slowly and deadly across the world. 

Then it was in Europe, in Italy  and Spain and finally here.

For politicians to be unsure of what needs to be done is alarming. Unlike a tv program that has been shown in another country first ..... everyone should know what happens before it gets here rather than ignoring all information and waiting to see for ourselves.

Again we live in a nation divided between those who are in “self isolation” or “social distancing” from others versus those who want to go down the pub for a drink or see the coming months as a holiday.

We have seen the best of people who are sharing what food they have and looking after the elderly and infirm, doctors, nurses and medical professionals working excessive hours to support patients.

We have seen the worst of people who have “stockpiled” products and emptied supermarket shelves, possibly forcing ill families out of future self isolation to forage for what is left to support their families.

We have seen kindness of some who have given the use of closed hotels to support exhausted NHS workers.

We have seen others cruelly sack and evict employees with no notice.

Now we are in gradual enforced lockdown. Many could not see the importance of self isolation as the need to “go out for a pint” was their right or that they think that they won’t get the disease or that if they did that it won’t be “that” bad since they are neither old or sick.

A bit like bad drivers. They have never had an accident but have seen loads happen around them. 

Whilst we just don’t know what the outcome will be, what further restrictions will need to be put in place or when life will go back to a new normality. 

There are many who are projecting two weeks, two months, three months , a year. Illness and death tolls are all based on projection , algorithms and opinions.

We have all been shocked by videos and reports from China, a communist state of the forced isolation, but their statistics appear to show that with this first wave of the illness, they are turning a corner.

Recent figures showing mortality rates since the 10th death in countries around the world that the UK has the second highest.

Our leader has talked about “squashing the sombrero” of the virus curve. In order to do that you need to act early and effectively, yet most things have been done retrospectively rather than proactively.

What do the next few months hold? 

I don’t know.

We live in interesting times.

Let’s make sure that we work together to emphasise the “live” part.