I woke up early and uploaded today's reflection before 'Thought for the Day' on the radio, then dozed off again for another hour. A beautiful, if chilly sunny day, perfect for walking, so after our Saturday lie-in and pancakes, we crossed over to Bute Park via Blackweir Bridge, and returned via the Millennium Bridge, enjoying the woodland area for the first time in a year, hearing a woodpecker, seeing an elusive wren and hearing several of them, in addition to robins and tits. I walked the long way round the length of Bute Park half a dozen times in the past year of bridge closure, but avoided the woodland trail because of the mud. After a few days without rain, well trodden paths are firm underfoot, no longer treacherously slippery, a pleasure to walk on again.
It's good to hear that infection rates continue to decrease, apart from in a few hot spots. The sixth person to be infected with the Brazilian variant of coronavirus has been traced after five days of post-test tracing, made necessary because an incomplete track 'n trace form was accepted. Mercifully the person in question was conscientiously self-isolating and their contacts were identifiable, so nightmare scenario avoided.
Our First Minister, Mark Drakeford is back in self-quarantine for ten days because he'd been in contact with an infected WAG official - apparently there's been a cluster of people with covid in their workplace, which says something about the fitness for purpose of government offices they inhabit. Can they / do they really open the windows I wonder? Anyway Mark, who I believe has had the job, is setting a good example by sojourning in his garden shed again.
Our National Census letter arrived in today's post. It's an invitation to take the census questionnaire on-line, with an unique, house specific access code provided. You can request a paper version by 'phone, but are urged to save the government money by going digital. Refusal to fill one in carries a thousand pound fine. A measures to ensure that homeless people are included in the census are based around the range of social service centres and (presumably) mobile outreach teams which provide for them. It's important that the Office of National Statistics has as full and detailed picture as possible of people with no place to call their own.
We've been wondering if an Easter family gathering will be possible, for an outdoor picnic if nothing else, somewhere between Cardiff and Kenilworth. Monmouth or Ross possibly, if we're allowed to travel that far by then. My birthday is on Low Sunday this year. We'll just have to see if the progress made in curbing infections is sustained. It's impossible to know, however much today's statistics may encourage, we have no idea what tomorrow's or next month's figures will be like.
We watched an interesting archaeology programme this evening about uncovering traces of Lenton Priory in Nottingham, which was destroyed after the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530 - its monks were executed for treason, and its lands redistributed. The Priory area has long been covered by houses, so the excavations took place in residents' gardens. The modern ground level is two metres above the fragments of the buildings which were identified from an assortment of pottery, bones, a fragment of lead from a stained glass window, cobblestones from a pavement which ran along an external Priory wall. The site of a Lady Chapel extending beyond the sanctuary, also the site of cloister were also identified. On the basis of seemingly slender evidence, an educated guess can be made of what the place looked like, based on knowledge of 12th century Cluniac Benedictine monastic architecture.
This was followed by an hour of classic laugh out loud comedy from Irish comedian Dave Allen, fondly remembered from fifty years ago. He often poked fun at Christianity, describing himself as a practicing atheist, and there was often a grain of truth in his irreverent mockery. This reminded me of our dear friend David Barker, Owain's godfather, who died thirty five years ago. He'd tell Dave Allen jokes, and would imitate Ronnie Corbett superbly. He was a lovely guy. We still miss him.
On tonight's news feed, intimations that if progress in suppressing covid contagion continues, hairdressers and some non-essential shops will re-open on March 15th. That's great news. I so much need a haircut!
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