Mayday

We're not quite screaming out for help yet - in fact, we're coping pretty well and keeping busy with various jobs around the place and daily Zoom calls to different groups. I think Jo's trying to catch up with me - she's now got 2 regular group Zooms set up - one her swimming pals on Wednesdays and another with her church/coffee group on Thursdays.

The weather has continued to be wonderful - ironically it would have been a terrific start to the golf season had we been allowed to play. We've walked over the course down to the river a few times and it's in superb nick. Jo thinks it's wonderful to have such a beautiful "park" on our doorstep! I had to reminder her that the only reason it's looking so nice is because the members - well most of them anyway - are paying our subscriptions which go towards keeping the greens staff employed.

Unbelievably, there are some members who have stopped paying their subscriptions because they're not allowed to play golf. What do they think the club is? Some huge international corporate? No - it's a members club and there won't be a club unless we continue to pay for it. Very selfish - it means those of us who are still paying will have to face increased subscriptions in the future.

I've finished cleaning up the 3 tiers of slabs at the back of the house and I've painted the step at the rear plus the plinth on which our spiral staircase sits. The next job is to clean up the staircase itself and get rid of the winter rust stains. Of course, all this work would slow dramatically should the government relax some of the current restrictions - especially golf - but this doesn't now seem likely until at least 28th May. Already I sense the public getting a little restless - and complacent about the virus - there's definitely more traffic on the roads and more people taking advantage of the good weather and getting out and about for their daily exercise.

The Government(s) seem to be placing great store on the R number - the reproduction rate - but, as far as I am aware it's a fairly spurious calculation. There's still not enough testing going on - especially in clear problem areas like care homes, so how can they be sure about their calculations?

Enough about the covid-19 virus. Let's just hope we get a safe vaccine soon and we don't suffer a second wave - or have a covid-20 virus hit us later.

Tonight I'm organising a virtual Headbang - there's a few technical difficulties with trying to do this remotely but we think we have something worked out - let's hope it goes smoothly. I'm all set anyway - I have our office cum studio nicely set up now with good external speakers and a new large monitor. In fact, the room is now very like the way Ross had it before - the only difference being that I'm not a gamer like he is:

I went out on my bike yesterday when Jo was Zooming and cycled out past Craiglash quarry and down to Potarch, then back on the south side of the Dee to Banchory, stopping for yet another photo at one of the favourite stops where the forest trail veers upwards and away from the river and you get a nice view down the Dee:

We had a Victoria Drive FP's Zoom call last Saturday, with former pupils calling in from Australia, Canada, Coventry, Dalry, Edinburgh, Glasgow and, of course, Banchory. One of our reminiscences was this stupid game the boys would play back in the day:

Those punishments were dealt by a full pack of cards being smacked down on your knuckles. The skill was catching the edge of the knuckle and drawing blood. I don't know when this masochistic fad faded out.