A New Zealander living in Scotland who loves cargo bikes
There is a new outbreak at a chicken processing plant in Perthshire. It’s disappointing that we use the euphamism “chicken processing plant” rather than slaughterhouse which is what it is. … Continue reading Privacy versus lockdown
Aberdeen is going into its third week of lockdown now. Nicola Sturgeon announced today that although cases have fallen here there are still too many to lift the restrictions. According … Continue reading Test and trace needs to be better
There’s lots of news today. We got woken by a massive thunderstorm this morning with torrential rain. The rain was so heavy that many streets in Aberdeen and Stonehaven flooded. … Continue reading Lake Polmuir
Another lockdown has been imposed on Aberdeen today after a local outbreak starting at The Hawthorn Bar on Holburn Street. This is actually very close to us but none of … Continue reading Aberdeen back in lockdown
The lockdown has mostly ended here insofar as much as it can end. Things won’t return to normal until there’s a vaccine but shops are allowed to open and people … Continue reading Be cautious, COVID app, wild swimming, and distance education
There’s a conspiracy theory that the new coronovirus which has brought the world to a halt was engineered by Chinese scientists in a lab in China. This has received heightened … Continue reading Did the virus come from a lab?
I got myself a face mask. They’re not required here but it is recommended by the Scottish government and also now the WHO. I have been secretly wanting a face … Continue reading Face masks
A hospital in South Africa recently published a remarkable account of how a single patient in the emergency department (ED) introduced Covid-19 to the hospital which then managed to spread … Continue reading Adventures of a virus in a hospital in South Africa
Eating animals poses a major global health risk and the costs are enormous and they’re not borne only by the meat-eaters themselves nor by the animals but by everybody on … Continue reading The future of meat
There was a good article in The Times last weekend – Coronavirus: The new rhythms of life will jolt and jar as we try to live with this horrible teenager. … Continue reading Would you agree to quarantine in a “facility”?
There’s a Chinese curse, may you live through interesting times. On a personal level, the Christchurch earthquakes make this pandemic seem like a walk in the park because that was … Continue reading May you live through interesting times
I’m sorry if everyone is getting sick of reading about the pandemic but a paper was published in Science yesterday which is worth sharing. It’s called Projecting the transmission dynamics … Continue reading What happens next?
It was kind of surreal to see headlines this week like, “Prime Minister is breathing on his own” and “Prime Minster able to take short walks“. No one could ever … Continue reading There’s no escaping the trade-off
Some music. This is Elizabeth playing The Blue Danube. I learned recently that Aberdeen has been through all this lockdown business once before. In 1964 there was a typhoid outbreak … Continue reading Music, privilege, and virus incubators
I think Prince Charles made a grave misjudgment in coming to the Highlands last weekend. He was apparently well when he travelled last weekend but the key point is not … Continue reading On escaping to the Highlands during a pandemic and preparedness
I just watched the BBC documentary, Contagion: The BBC Four Pandemic. It’s very good and I can’t believe I hadn’t seen or heard of it before. In 2018 the BBC … Continue reading BBC Four Pandemic and something to do this weekend
The Prime Minister now has coronavirus, as does the health secretary, and the chief medical officer is isolating after experiencing symptoms. They’re dropping like flies. It begs the question of … Continue reading Outbreak #COVID2019
I’ve got aches and pains all over and am hobbling around like a wounded animal. No, it’s not coronavirus. It’s because I’ve been doing Joe’s PE lesson at 9am with … Continue reading Lockdown updates
It’s the first day of homeschooling and the kids have been following the timetable they created yesterday. It’s likely this will change as we figure things out but it’s working … Continue reading Resources for kids at home #COVID2019
I got stung by a bumblebee yesterday for the first time in my life. Since all our usual Saturday activities were cancelled I took the opportunity to do some gardening … Continue reading A bumblebee, extraordinary changes for the UK, and thoughts on mother’s day for the most abused of all mothers
