WEEKLY CHAT (Non-Osprey) JULY 18, 2021

Good Morning. Dull skies here and more 'normal' temps at last.

Thank you for news of OG - sounds mixed really, as sorry she is in such pain but good that she may soon escape hospital. Please give her our best wishes if you can.

AQ -- I have watched with dismay the slow progress of your vaccinations programme, and am at a loss as to why they didn't get moving faster. Keep safe - having two jabs will help I'm sure.

I heard from my brother in S. Africa this morning: he has been in hospital for an operation and thinks he probably caught covid there, as all of his family came down with it on his return home. His daughter, who lives with them, is now recovering, and he himself is not too badly ill, but his wife is very poorly and in hospital where they are so overwhelmed that they are only taking in those really badly affected. We shall have to wait and see how things develop.

LINDY I had forgotten that you had a brother in South Africa ! Seem to remember a few problems....

Good morning everyone from very rural ... Somerset. A six hour crawl yesterday, with part of the M3 closed due to an accident - I was due to turn off before then but the tail-back was several miles and stationary. Finally managed to find my way on to the dreaded A303 and crawled again. Was very glad to get to my sister's! An average speed for the journey of 26mph ... much of it static. Most on their way to Devon and Cornwall, which I reckon will be sinking from sheer weight of numbers. Thunderstorms overnight, and lots more forecast for today - when we are having a barbecue for my great-nephew's fifth birthday. I have all the wrong clothes - I packed when the weather was steaming. Oh the joys of British weather and school holidays ...!

dibnlib - Thoughts and prayers flying in your direction, and especially to your OH. Such a difficult time for him and for you.

AQ - Such a shame that the virus seems to have got out of control in Australia. They were doing so well at the beginning - the envy of most of us.

Good to hear better news of OG - thank you, Heather. Hope she will be home again soon, and her pain will be under control. Support and strength to her, and to EE and J.

Aussieland’s vaccination rate is poor partly because we did not approve AZ & Pf until February – our situation was not then an emergency as was UpOver. After that came the AZ clot problem, anti-vaxxers, covid deniers, etc. We produce our own AZ (Melbourne labs) but Pf is imported but other countries needed it more when our numbers were low. We were probably doing nicely until Delta variant which can infect with a mere fleeting contact. Today our state announced one new case, Victoria 12, but numbers still climbing in NSW 163.

Morning all:

Heather:  Thanks for passing on OG update.  And yes, please do pass on our best wishes. I really hope they can control her pain, which seems be constant so much of the time.

PatO:  Arghhh.  Traffic! HOw many miles at 28 mph was that? Maybe you can borrow a cardigan/raincoat, etc from family.  When are you headed back home?

AQ;  Seems like you're getting some good rainfall?   Arizona contingent are thrilled that the monsoons have shown up this year after nothing last year and not much the year before.  

Lindybird:  Is the South African family vaccinated?  Fingers crossed your SiL is okay.

Vacuum cleaner is still parked where I left it Monday.  Must get going today or the back part of the house will need another go over...

Greetings from a damp and thundery Somerset. Annette - it's 140 miles ... and sometimes I was doing 70mph, but my average speed over the journey was 26mph. I hope that by the time I leave in the middle of Monday that most people will have got where they're going and I can get home in reasonable time!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Still thinking about dibnlib's OH - hoping the journey was not too stressful.

And wondering whether OG has made it home yet, or whether she is still depending on secret snacks provided by EE and J?

Pat, what a dreadful journey. So tiring when it takes ages. Hope you can enjoy your visit.

It's been nice not to be weary with the heat, today. I looked back at my emails and found that my brother had been dithering about which kind of jab to have, back in May when he last wrote. They are both in their late 70s and had been urged to register for a vaccination soon, but I expect he did nothing about it. I would not be surprised that they never had even one of the jabs. <sigh>

Edit:  His wife, who I only met twice on a short visit here in 1986, just before they married, has Alzheimers now which must make her nursing care doubly difficult. My brother sounded weary and will be glad to have his daughter at hand to help him at home.

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