Soaring Hawk

Unfortunately private hospitals aren’t set up to provide critical care; they have to have ventilators, although not many - it’s more the beds that my NHS colleagues are procuring, along with the infrastructure and staff that go with those beds. Expecting that private hospitals will have to cancel elective surgical procedures, although not yet certain of the with effect from date as wasn’t in work today. Should add that the ventilators the private hospitals have will also be required.

Good for Iceland!! I asked one of the Tesco Managers to start an Older Adult only shopping hour after I made the mistake of going into Tesco at Royston this afternoon and saw older adults wandering around in distress. (don’t use the term ‘elderly’ as patients don’t like it - my clinical background is mental health, with specialisms in victims of torture and Older Adults - no direct correlation intent I should add). I gave one frail lady something from my trolley that had been the last remaining item on shelf when I overheard her asking a member of staff if they had any more - and she cried. The staff member was almost in tears too, saying that was the first decent thing he’d seen today; that this morning was the worst day of the recent panic buying with Managers joining the floor staff to ‘throw all our stock into the shelves as fast as we could’ as customers pushed each other and the staff out of the way, totally ignoring written signs saying only a certain number of items per customer. Despite its very large size, the store looked as though a swarm of locusts had gone through. Predictably no toilet paper or tissues but the cereal aisle was bare, except for a few packets of the ‘more healthy’ options such as Grape-nuts (look and taste like cardboard that has gone through a shredder). Hardly any milk. No fresh chicken, very little fresh red meat and these are huge fridge sections! No bread flour. No soap . No paracetamol. Nor ibuprofen. Hardly any frozen food. tea and coffee shelves almost empty. Barely any laundry items. No dishwasher tablets. No lavatory cleaner or bleach - are they drinking it!!? Where are people storing all this stuff? Apologies, rant over.

So sorry to read this beatpete. I feel for you, if this wasn’t a planned choice. My son is a fine dining chef and, having built a good reputation as a young head chef, started his own business 4 months ago. It’s was all going very well but today was the first drop in business and next Sunday (Mothering Sunday and would expect to be totally packed out for two lunchtime sittings) is now getting cancellations. It’s an anxious time for so many of us, for all sorts of reasons.

But there is absolutely no reason or need to get within 1, or more, metres of anyone else when out in the fresh air walking our dogs. Unless someone chooses to get right into the personal space of me, as I walk my dog and put their face within close proximity to my personal space, then I respectfully suggest both I and my dog would have more than something to say about that. It’s far more likely that any of us will become infected in a closed environment e.g. office, crowded underground or commuter carriage - or even as we squabble over the remaining toilet rolls in a busy supermarket - but not outside while walking a dog. We need to regain some perspective please.

The CMO and CSO yesterday referred to scientific opinion that influenced their opinion of a seven day self isolation period for mild symptoms. This and other exchanges between scientists could well have been what they were referring to. They also said they have learned a lot about many aspects of Covid-19 over the last few weeks. As with any new virus the science is rapidly evolving and this is likely to contribute to what may appear as inconsistencies in approaches.

That was impressive! I have a lot of respect for how she built up to the question that could only be answered with YES. An excellent questioner. An exceptionally articulate, proactive and assertive woman.

Same here - Country file with my precious lab. Sanity restored

Yes, my daughter in law - she’s fine. I’m concerned more about all the generalisations and assumptions about what’s happening in Italy and about Italians themselves; turning away cruise ship because it has Italian nationals as passengers, Italians being targeted in the UK, Italian small businesses in London having cancellations “because we can’t risk catching the virus from you” (my daughter in law’s business) than I am about catching Covid-19 myself. All my family, and extended family, live near to ( and now in the newly quarantined areas) and they have been reporting that, yes people are concerned and worried about elderly relatives in care homes who they’ve not been allowed to visit for nearly a week now, but that food is available in the shops and people are calm.

Was watching my son’s flight into Gatwick aborting and doing a fly around just after 5am on Flight Radar 24. Heart in mouth Mummy moment!! He texted immediately they got down reporting the last moment abort, with passengers bursting into tears and terrified. Said it was the most difficult landing he’s experienced, despite flying at least once a month on business for last few years. Short video clip of runway conditions as they were heading for their gate looked like something from a Caribbean tropical storm.

The gusts here are finally getting less intense after the noisiest night I can remember for many years - lots of alarming banging so dread to think how much fencing has gone. My son’s flight safely landed at Gatwick a few minutes after 5am, having done a last minute abort and fly around. He texted to say that passengers had burst into tears and were terrified; that it was the most difficult flying experience he’s ever had (he flies constantly on business). Noticed on Flight Radar the next plane did the same thing too. Sent a short video as plane reached its gate, the torrential rain being blown sideways and off the ground looks like a tropical storm scene - horrendous conditions for travelling. Go very carefully if you have to drive in the next hours or so.

Difficult to sleep here too. Usually benign Bedfordshire seems to have deteriorated in last hour. Wind has torn down more of my fencing and the gusts becoming quite scary with several loud bangs and crashes - not going out to look though! MetO have wind peaking at 03:00 so a few more hours of this.

Intense 15 minutes (started at 15:40) of vicious rain hitting west facing windows so hard it got through the frames. Weather station measured gusts of 46 max with around 4 minutes between 39 and 46, reducing to mid 30’s and finally now the black sky has cleared to average over last 10 mins of 19.8 mph. Arrived home lunchtime (had been kitten sitting in Kingston Upon Thames over w/e) to find a 20 foot length of 6 ft fencing gone Son’s Kingston fence also needs replacing. 6C here at the moment so no snow for me.

Sorry, wrong thread!

Conditions at Heathrow challenging. Watching big jet.tv live and am exceptionally grateful not to be a passenger today. So many last minute aborted landings and go around. Quantas 787 to Perth - QF10 has just had a tail strike on takeoff- is at 6,500 ft circling to come back in to assess/deal with damage. Poor passengers; lets hope it gets down ok

Currently in Kingston Upon Thames babysitting son’s kittens. Have only heard two planes at around 7am and nothing since. Normally there’s a regular stream as they come in to land. Wind gusts in this built up area are getting very unsettling. In the meantime am getting reports from Beds/Cambs border of trees down and wishing I was there at home, in case the big trees close to my house land on the conservatory.

Great idea! D’you mind if I join you? Should be in time for early supper with friends in north east Scotland

You’ve brought back great memories with this post and photo Catch - have enjoyed your photos and it’s been a real trip down memory lane as know all the places you e visited - thank you! Did you go to the Old Bank restaurant for lunch?(feels more like a coffee shop/cafe, but in a good way). Many a time I’d drive from Fenwick to enjoy the best high tea I’ve ever had anywhere, either side of the border. Have many pleasant memories of sitting by the roaring log fire eating a huge amount and having all the lovely cakes I couldn’t manage put into a box for the next few days. Then a waddle walk around the delightful town to ease my conscience. One day I took my daughter there (all visiting family and friends were taken to Callander, whether they wanted to go or not, and she casually said, ‘I think the chimney’s on fire.’ We told the staff then just carried on eating - food was far too nice to mess about with a chimney fire

I too sincerely hope so. Have family on north shore of Sydney, northwest near Penrith and in Blue Mountains. My sister has taken her two young granddaughters down to her house as there’s a fire close to their Blue Mountain location, that although under control is still burning. Her own house backs onto the fairway of BIL’s golf club and the bush starts on opposite side of fairway. They’ve had grass fires close to them today but firefighters and volunteers managed to deal with them before they spread. She said her neighbourhood is anxious, not sleeping much, although remaining mostly calm due to the extraordinary efforts of the NSW Rural Fire Service who are instilling confidence and viewed with the highest respect. However, I can’t help remaining concerned for all in the fire areas.

Lost most of mine too and my Father’s one and only (tree very heavily endowed this year) was blown over. I’m hoping you aren’t apple farmers, losing that many?

Mild but very noisy night, had to get up at 5 to close the window as wind/trees thrashing had become so loud I couldn’t sleep. MetO has gusts of 43 in my location but I can’t stand still in my garden so I think they are higher. Weather station isn’t working - what timing! Fearful for three of my big trees, have never seen them battered this violently in full leave - and the wind hasn’t peaked yet.

Thank you @shotski for reminder that I haven’t yet got my logs ordered and neatly stacked. Will ring supplier tomorrow Morning dog walk was unpleasantly hot and humid. Steadily increasing cloud has blocked sun, although not the heat. Currently 25c, humid and unpleasant for weeding the garden - so have stopped!

St Neots in Cambridgeshire at 11 to 11:30 had big storm; with rain so torrential I pulled off A1 as it was unsafe and waited it out. Lots of spectacular lightning with thunder shaking the car - far easier to sit and marvel at nature’s fury than driving blind through it A whole line of us came off A1, hung around then back on, once the rain reduced to a more manageable downpour. Anyone travelling on A1 today? In a word don’t - closed until 4:30pm for emergency repairs between Sandy and Black Cat roundabout (A421 west to Bedford, Milton Keynes and M1).

Similar room temp here Dami, also thunder rumbling from 2am on and off until 7 - I was up, standing in the rain with my dog in that heavy shower around 7. Hope you feel better now; I haven’t shifted my dreadful headache yet.

My, admittedly tired old, weather station showing 27 in garden at 00:30 I back onto open paddocks in village setting. Bedrooms all west facing and currently showing 35+ C (house clearly designed by Sadistic Evil Fatherless Architect). The fan feels like a hair dryer on max setting as it hits the bed. Earlier video of torrential rain and thunderstorms in village just to the east of me sent by a friend; fantastic video of lightening and torrential rain in Norwich at 23:30 sent from son. Clear evidence of spiteful taunting. Dry as a bone here so have deleted them from Christmas card list. Can’t sleep in this oven. Will it snow tonight?

Will it snow ️ tonight? Please?