Today's early news announced that three households can meet from 24th to 27th December to celebrate Christmas together, all over the UK. Given that restrictions on indoor home meetings seem to be a key factor in curbing infection rates, according to epidemiologists, this is something of a risk. In the other hand, the Oxford research group has produced a vaccine which is 70-90% effective, according to how it is administered. It's easier to produce in volume, and distribution can begin one regulatory approval has been granted, possibly as early as next month. Is this part of the Christmas risk assessment I wonder? Everyone is desperate for some sign of hope that his plague can be brought under control.
Having kept an eye on all scientific developments in the news since the outset of the pandemic, I thought early on that instead of taking several years to roll out a new vaccine, we'd see first signs of progress by the end of this year, but the pace of research and development leading to roll out of effective products, and several of them, has amazed and delighted me. If only the world's political leaders could collaborate as effectively as its scientific leaders!
After Radio 4's 'Thought for the Day', I uploaded to What'sApp the first of my daily reflections to the Parish daily prayer group. Image and text must be added separately. The first time I got it wrong and had to delete and start again. Luckily I started on time because I remembered. The daily notification I put on my phone last night didn't materialise and I had to add it again. I have no idea why this happened. It's reassuring to think that at least some of the time, my brain is more reliable than my phone.
I cooked lunch again and went for a walk into town again. A lot of work is being done on new footpaths in and around the SWALEC stadium, Sports Centre next door and the temporary Sophia Gardens coach station site. Whilst it's a good idea to improve safety with by separating vehicles and pedestrians in the public realm, it does mean tarmac covering more soil, less surface area to soak up torrential rain, with the prospect of run-of adding to flood water levels in the Taff. Surely there must be a better way?
I took more photos in town, especially of the bus station construction site. A huge high rise building is rising above the entire ground level area given for a new bus and coach terminal, apartments and offices apparently. It'll be much bigger than I thought, overshadowing the BCC Cymru HQ next door, now in use at last, and totally dwarfing the main railway station, dating from Brunel's day. It was called 'Cardiff General' when I was growing up, but re-branded 'Cardiff Central' by British Rail in 1973. Prefer 'Cardiff General', as it's more distinctive, but that's not a name Brunel would have known as it wasn't changed until 1924. Before that it was simply 'Cardiff'.
In the evening, we watched a fascinating programme on BBC Four in the 'Britain's Lost Masterpieces' series, showing how cleaning and restoration work on a painting in Derby's museum revealed that a landscape without provenance was an authentic painting by eighteenth century English painter Joseph Wright, whose portrait and narrative paintings are considered on a par with that of Rubens. More great detective work, and for once, nothing to do with crime!
Before turning in for the night I decided to work on the end of my novel. Half an hour turned into an hour and a half, but when I had written the final sentence at half part midnight, and re-read it, I realised it brought the story to the end which had been eluding me for some time. At last it's possible to discern a shape to the entire narrative. It will need much revising and re-ordering in due course, but this was an important moment for me, as if a weight had been lifted off my mind.
I've done a lot of writing in my life and still enjoy it enormously. I have a one work of Christian apologetic, written and revised up to publication stander over fifteen years, for which I couldn't find a publisher, some children's stories not revised to publication standard, and several other unfinished projects which never completely took shape. To have reached a point where the novel has a shape which I can recognise is good place to be, even if it requires a lot more work and may never find a publisher.
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