England - Locked down in Poole in March and April and May 2020
Daily Exercise and life under lockdown
We should really be skiing! The everday story of coastal folk wishing the Corona Virus pandemic would pack up and go home.
We have been keeping away from gatherings for a few days now. We had our last Pub Sunday lunch on the 8th March. The Anchor at Shapwick is a lovely treat, normally reserved for Anniversaries and Birthdays and the food and beer is to die for, but not literally. After a last luxury breakfast at Rick Stein, well Poached Egg on Toast, we decided to avoid any public eating. We filled up the car with Petrol for the last time on the 11th March. TW managed to get into her Mum's Care Home on the 19th March, a special day!
With a shutdown rumoured to be imminent I had my last Monday ride on the Ferry to the Purbecks on Monday 23rd. Have to say the silence was a little eerie. No Aircraft noise or vapour trails, very little traffic.
At one point near Lulworth I hadn't seen any cars for a while, then a Saracen Army truck passed. I immediately turned for home and a last crossing for a while on the wonderful Sandbanks Ferry. No bikes or walkers to be allowed to cross after today!
Tuesday 24th March 2020 - 17,000 steps
Start of lockdown and enforcement of The Two Metre rule.
We are allowed one exercise outing per day and we need to keep our distance from everyone.
The obvious place for us Coasters to go is to our Beach. We walked to the Sandbanks Ferry and back.
We had a food delivery in the evening from Sainsbury's. A few things missing and some substitutions but it was very welcome replenishment. Actually, the Irish delivery driver was bit of a nightmare, he kept getting too close. He was friendly though and we were grateful he was still working. I did order one bottle of wine but there were none in the delivery. This isolation could be a dry do! Seems that wine and toilet rolls are the problem items - I think we could be wiped out soon. Can do without the bog rolls, but no wine! Only joking. No bread either but TW has the bread maker in production. Pity we do not have more flour, yeast and dairy-free butter. The last time we went to the shops, on the 10th March, they had already sold out of bakery bits.
Wednesday 25th March - 11,000 steps
On the waterfront again, not bored yet. This time with our newly delivered Thermos Flask. We walked to the Sandbanks Hotel and sat on the wall to drink our coffee. It makes a big difference to the enjoyment of the walks to have a break at the turnaround point.
Fresh bread on the go when we arrived home, can't beat the smell. It has risen, it's a miracle!
Thursday 26th March - 12,500 steps
Sand and sea for a pleasant walk to Sandbanks again. The Slow Cooker was in action so we had a great stew for Dinner.
Opened my last bottle of Red! Saw our first Police Patrol on the Promenade.
Friday 27th March - a bike ride plus 4,500 steps.
A super bike ride to Hengistbury Head. Jacqui had to wait in for a phone call so I pedalled off to the Head.
I took my Summer route, via the Bridge Churchill tumbled from, to Bournemouth Pier along the Overdrive and then along the Prom to Boscombe Pier. Next came the climb up for a clifftop ride to the iconic Beach huts on Mudeford Spit. Much quieter there than usual. Very much missed going into Hikers Cafe for my coffee and cherry flapjack. Tried cycling back along the Prom but it was very difficult to maintain the 2m rule when passing couples walking side by side. Boris and Matt now have COVID 19. Had some lovely homemade soup for Lunch. Did some gardening in the communal garden in the afternoon. Managed to clear quite a few weeds to put on the compost heap. TW did the edging. Finished off the Stew and my bottle of wine!
Saturday 28th March - 13,000 steps
Back on the sand for a great walk to Sandbanks and back. We took our flask of coffee and sheltered from the stiff Easterly breeze in the entrance to a Beach Hut. The Council beach warden came and checked on us. He was OK with us having a brief stop. ''No worries'' he said! Quite cool today, against the wind, so we walked back via Canford Cliffs. We are very fortunate that our local streets are very quiet.
Lovely smell of fresh bread again when we arrived home.
A truly trivial positive of the pandemic is that the scammers have stopped calling. No more voices from the sub-continent telling me they are BT and that my Internet connection is going to meltdown. No calls from Amazon Prime about an account we do not have and not a dicky-bird from Microsoft about us having a problem with our Windows.
Sunday 29th March 8,600 steps
The clocks sprang forward this morning, just by an hour, so that is even more time lost. Mind you, it would nice if we could fast forward a few months and say adios to COVID! Fairly quiet on the Prom. Runners were the only people not distancing. Two runners nearly bumped into us which is ridiculous.
Monday 30th March -5299 Steps
When all else fails paint the fence. One of the jobs we need to do every year is to paint our wooden fence. Quite a satisfying little job. Doesn't really count as exercise but hey-ho.
Tuesday 31st March - moving TMIL
TW had a major task today, moving her Mum from one Care Home to another. We have a Peugeot van that is converted to winch in a wheel chair. All a bit stressful as we needed to be certain her Mum's temperature was ok before the transfer. It was only a 15 minute journey and fortunately all went well. Now TW is self-isolating for a while, doesn't not want to pass COVID 19 to me or anyone else. That means I am the cook. We were honoured by a Sainsburys delivery today. We cannot have any more drops as, fortunately, we do not qualify as vulnerable persons. We actually received some toilet rolls. They were substitutions, they replaced the basic version with the expensive super soft variety. TW has been advised to use sparingly. Two bottles of wine arrived so things are looking up in the cellar. We might just get through this. One problem with deliveries is that you have no control over sell by dates. It's a good job we had not already had dinner as the breaded plaice was 31st March. Amazing how trivial things get so important during lockdown. Made my first ever vegetable soup, it was lovely and TW liked it. Onion,carrot, parsnip and potato with vegetable stock, made a nice late lunchtime treat.
Wednesday 1st April - Flying the Flag
Apparently Google have developed a self guided bicycle. Could be transformational! I did a circuit from home via Christchurch and Parley using my conventional e-bike. Stopped briefly at Hurn for a bit of plane spotting, BA are having a get-together of their A320/319's and 747's. Quite a sight. Told TW that as part of the deal BA would start to fly Bournemouth to New York after lockdown. She has started packing. Might tell her the date later. Nice sunny weather but cool, ideal for a ride. Still some cars on the road, bit like a quiet Sunday.
Finished off the soup, added some peas and whizzed them in, rather good.
Thursday 2nd April
Took my bike on a bit of a local tour around Poole. Headed through Poole Park then through the town. Not many people about. Very sad to see people queuing up 2 Metres apart at Sainsbury's with their empty trollies. Headed through Upton Park and down to the Lake Pier. Very tranquil. Then headed back via Hamworthy Park and the Quay. A very posh Private Yacht was tied up. It dwarfed all the Sunseekers.
Back for lunch and made soup again for lunch. Similar recipe to a couple of days ago but added some cabbage and sweet potato. Very tasty and very different to soup from a can, in a good way!
Friday 3rd April - Heading out and about
Shopping 1 - Social Chemistry
Out into the real world today. Picked up some meds for TW from the local Pharmacy. I was well organised before going into the lions den. Had my own pen and my 'touch and go' credit card. I parked my bike outside and waited for the sole customer to come out before I entered. I was waiting a couple of minutes and an elderly gent with a stick joined me outside. ''You going in then?'' No I am waiting for that chap to come out. ''They do allow two people in you know'' he replied. Maybe so but I have plenty of time so I am waiting. ''Well, I'm going in, I only want to ask a question.'' Good Luck!. He went in and got his question answered, came out and almost brushed past me. Two metres forgotten or maybe he just did not care. He wandered off. Then a middle aged Lady turned up and stood 2 metres from me. ''Are you going in?'' No I'm waiting for that chap to come out. ''I only want a nail file'' she said. I have been to Alder Road but there was a big queue there. Eventually multi-med man came out with a large bag, As he came out, he said ''they let two people in you know.'' The Lady followed me in. I was served by a Lady in a mask with fear in her eyes. Either she is getting stressed from working in the Pharmacy or she was concerned about the strange cycling fellow lurking outside for 10 minutes with a ballpoint pen, a tissue and a credit card. Anyway, she served me and I paid contact-less. No I certainly don't want a receipt. My tissue was used to open the door without touching my hand. I put the tissue in the bin up the road. I passed the nail file lady. She left empty hand and still with untidy nails. Clearly in the real world some people just don't get it. Why didn't the old geezer phone up with his question and why the hell is that woman touring the pharmacies in Poole looking for a bloody nail file. We are either all going to go to hell in a hand cart or will have a much more severe lockdown.
Shopping 2 - Braking Bad
A couple of weeks back a Pit Bull released by its owner shot off like a bullet from a gun straight into my bike hitting the front brake rotor disc and bending it. I ordered a replacement at Primera, our local bike shop, but hadn't picked it up. I had straightened the old disk sufficiently with an adjustable spanner to make by bike ride-able. However my brake pads were now down to the metal. Phoned Clive who told me the best way was to bring the wheel in and they would fit the disk. My first drive in the car for about 3 weeks. They were very organised at Primera in Branksome. A sign outside said wait 2 metres from the door. I left my wheel by the door, Clive came to the door and picked up the wheel. Five minutes later I was ushered in, paid contactless and picked up my wheel and new brake pads. Distancing maintained, happy customer.
Back home I had to help TW set up a Skype call to her Mum. Care Homes don't allow visitors at the moment but happily her Mum enjoyed the call. She even asked the Carer if she could have a copy of the video and said she was happy to pay for it. Looks like TW's big effort to move her Mum is paying off, fingers crossed!
I am still delivering meals to the top floor. We finished off yesterday's super soup for lunch. I fitted my new brake pads and my wheel and headed off to Hengistbury Head for my exercise of the day. It's about 17 miles round trip so a pleasant ride on a 'shorts on' kinda day. Cooked up baked Salmon with baked vegetables for Dinner. It could have been better but at least it was healthy.
Saturday 4th April 2020 - Back on the fence.
Finished off my fence painting, My Quality Controller needed me to go over some more areas that she can spot from her vantage point in isolation. Lovely sunny day for it though..
Cooked lunch - a veggie breakfast of Quorn Sausages, eggs, sweetcorn and spinach. Not a bad attempt but not as good as the Cafe Velo in Ringwood or the Beach Hut at Avon Beach, two of our regular haunts.
My approved exercise was a quiet ride to Upton Park via Poole and Hamworthy. Even though it was sunny it was really cold pedaling into the wind. My hands were so frozen towards the end I could not operate the gears. Nice cuppa when I got home sorted me out.
Ocado did a food drop for us, the driver kept at a safe distance, thank you!
Normally at this time of year we would be heading back from Austria after a spell in the Alps. This COVID - 19 has turned the world upside down. No clear sign that we have turned the corner yet and cannot yet look forward to a trip in Summer. Many vulnerable people have succumbed to it so far and it's a bad experience for whoever gets it. Need to feel lucky.
Sunday April 5th - Our town is looking like a ghost town
It's Sunday, a good day for a bike ride. Bit of a strong wind from the east today. Cycled along the Prom, who should I see but Philip, back again for the Season. He is the Beach and Prom cleaner for our stretch from Branksome Chine to Branksome Dene. He is jovial, chatty and does a good job keeping the area spick and span. One swallow does not make a Summer but one Philip certainly helps. My route today took me to Christchurch, Hurn and then along the River Stour to Throop and into Bournemouth.
The Stour River Path is a very pleasant rural route to cycle into Bournemouth. Throop appears to be a very pleasant village despite being so close to the big town of Bournemouth.
Homemade Soup again for Lunch. Preparations were interrupted by the delivery of a freezer. Extra space will make us able to keep away from the shops for even longer. With no deliveries possible we have booked a Click and Collect with Tesco on the 11th April. After that, who knows?
Boris was admitted to Hospital today. His high temperature was not dropping after 7 days. The Queen gave a TV address, very good.
Monday April 6th - on a roll
Filled up the slow cooker and set it running before heading off on my exercise of the day,
My e-bike took me to Canford Heath and the Canford Magna before heading back to Poole on the Castleman Trail. Lucky to have a pleasant warm day. As usual there was a strong wind at Holes Bay. A very good circular ride. During the lockdown I try not to venture too far as I might have to walk back. We finished off yesterday's soup for lunch before my work of the day, painting a garden chair and cleaning the garden table. Every day we have press conference, today seemed to be just a holding operation. With Boris poorly, Dominic Raab was in the hot seat. Not quite sure why the Political Journalists get to ask questions? They are just trying to score points and tend to repeat the same questions over and over. Would be better to have Health Correspondents. The Peston question is always the worst, not sure why ITV employ him.
Had our Slow Cooker Beef Stew for Dinner followed by the news that Boris has gone into IC! Hopefully they have him in there early enough in the illness.
What, no money? Don't take a wallet with me anymore, no coffee stops allowed.
Tuesday 7th April
The exercise outing today was to Hengistbury Head. A very relaxed slow ride along the promenade. I used my e-bike with the power turned off for the most part. Most of the other people out walking or cycling were respecting the 2 metres. I did not see any of the scary runners with earphones and a cold stare. I did see a few people in masks. That is taking some getting used to, cannot say I like it. Smile or sneer, who knows?
It was a lovely 18 mile ride on a bright fresh day.
We had a very nice pizza with kale and baked potato for lunch. I had a go at setting up some more food deliveries but failed. I did manage a click and collect with COOK. Quite expensive meals but ideal for putting in our new freezer. They do deliver so might consider that for next time.
Mr Raab did the Press Conference as Boris still in intensive care. No dramatic news although some evidence that hospital admissions are peaking but of course deaths lag by two or three weeks. Germany seems to have handled it well so far but we will have to wait and see. I reckon that a lot of the tests were carried out on younger people bringing the infection back from Italy and Austria. By testing and contact tracing they have managed to stop the infection getting into the older population and therefore have a lower death rate. Might change of course. Anyway, tonight we finished off last nights stew with cabbage and mushrooms. My partly successful attempt at garlic mushrooms has stunk the house out. No vampires tonight!
Wednesday 8th April - 11,151 Steps
TW out of self isolation, phew. Good walk on the beach to Sandbanks in the best weather of the year so far.
Pizza for Lunch, Trout for Dinner so we are still eating well.. We sat outside on the terrace in the afternoon in the lovely warm spring sunshine. Our neighbour is hyperactive and keeps drilling and doing DIY. Bit difficult for us when we are in lockdown, no escape! Hopefully he will run out of jobs very soon.
Thursday 9th April - 12,929 Steps
We had to pop out for some food today. We had a Click and Collect at COOK in Westbourne. Not a cheap source of Frozen Meals but gives us a bit of backup grub. Having prepaid it was safe and simple to do the collection. After that it was a lovely walk on the beach. We have stopped taking our Thermos, feel a bit guilty stopping at the moment. People are getting the hang of the distancing. The local Corner Shop Deli looks to be doing a good trade, quite creative separation!
A lovely warm day for a walk on the beach. Carrot and Parsnip soup for lunch and Sweet and Sour Chicken for Dinner on the terrace. We clapped for the NHS at 20:00. Boris is out of intensive care and into a normal ward. Some positive movement on the statistics at the daily briefing.
Friday 10th April - Good Friday
Out on the Bikes today to Hamworthy and Rockley via Poole. Brilliant weather and a great ride. Very high death toll today from the virus. There is such a time lag between getting infected and passing away that its not easy to estimate when we will start to get really positive news. It can be 5 weeks. It certainly is a strange Easter Bank Holiday. With weather like this BCP area would normally be crawling with people. Fortunately most people are heeding the slogan, Stay Home-Save the NHS-Save Lives. We ate well again. We finished off the Homemade Soup for Lunch, Duck for Dinner. It was warm enough to sit out on the Terrace. Finished off my wine so the cellar is empty again. Journalists being miserable, so many negative stories in the press. We don't need it.
Saturday 11th April - 12,430 steps
Out permitted exercise today was a walk. We braved the beach and walked in the lovely sunshine. It was exceedingly pleasant. We walked back via Canford Cliffs. Our excitement for the day was a trip to Tesco Extra in Poole for a Click and Collect. Very safe and slick operation. We stopped at a drive through channel. They took our name and several boxes filled with bagged goods were placed next to the boot. The masked staff stepped away and I loaded up, waved goodbye and that was it, job done.
Ham omelette for lunch and Tesco Pizza for Dinner.
Sunday 12th April - A Sunday ride
A ride on the wild side. We took our bikes out for a pedal around our local area. From Branksome Park to Sandbanks via Canford Cliffs and then back through Evening Hill and Lilliput. Streets that normally get no footfall were quite busy as people take their exercise. Normally the beach is very busy on a sunny Easter weekend but with no incoming trippers they are deserted apart from walkers.
We avoided the Prom, we left it to the runners, walkers and newbie cyclists. Nice and sunny again but a chilly wind.
For Lunch we had a nice veggie breakfast with sausages, eggs, kale . Dinner, this time eaten indoors was Salmon Fishcakes. Boris was discharged and we now have over 10,000 hospital deaths. Survival rates, once in Hospital, are around 50% which is very frightening. Looks like borders might be closed till the end of September. Another trip to Austria will be missed. Big debate going on around PPE, bit of a logistical nightmare.
Monday 13th April - 14,110 Steps
Walkies! Another day, another good walk. Amazing to see the Beach so deserted on Easter Monday
We had afternoon tea with the Corkies in Chichester and London. Virtual of course on a Skype conference call. They had scones, we had nothing.
Wednesday 15th April - 11,000 steps
The local Golf Course has been opened up for walking so we had a wander. Gives a bit of variety t our daily exercise. Form there we walked down to the beach at Canford Cliffs. More people out walking the local streets but very quiet by the seaside,
Thursday 16th April - 30 miles
TW taking a rest day so headed off on my bike to Christchurch and then headed inland to Burton and Ringwood via Ripley. From Ringwood it was the trusty Castleman Trail to Wimborne. I then nipped home via Longham and Wallisdown to home. After a nice Tuna Pasta Lunch I read some of my latest Jack Reacher on the sunny terrace. Dinner was Steak and Chips washed down with a Sicilian Red. Very pleasant. Looks like another 3 weeks of lock-down at least.
Friday 17th April
It's raining! This was not supposed to happen during lock-down. Exercise to day was a short blast on the bike to Poole and back. Homemade Soup for Lunch and Ginsters with veggies for Dinner.
Saturday 18th April
Still a bit dull and overcast. I headed across Canford Heath on a new route to Canford Magna and then home via Ferndown and the River Stour route from Parley to Bournemouth. The roads were pretty quiet so it was pleasant. Quite a queue for Wilko in Ferndown, didn't think they sold food.
Bacon,Egg and Beans for Lunch. Dinner was a Gammon Shanks, very tasty. Government getting a lot of flack over Virus handling. Bit depressing really, trying score points does not help at the moment.
Sunday 19th April - 20 miles
The excitement for the day was a trip to Asda for Click and Collect. We booked it for 11am. Not a great idea as the queue for Sunday opening had already formed. With 2 metre distancing it snaked around the car park. We manged to avoid flattening the curve with the Nissan and picked up some more provisions.
The daily exercise was a quick thrash down to Hengistbury on the bike. The weekends are a little busier than during the week so the prom is a bit of a no-no.
Monday 20th April - 55 miles
Pedalled to Knoll Beach today. A lovely ride overall. Headed to Poole and then through Hanworthy and Upton to Lychett Minster. Then made my way to Wareham and crossed the heath to the seaside. The NT Area at Knoll Beach was like a ghost town, a bit eerie. In normal times the Car Park and Cafe would be full of life. Sad. Very strong head wind on the way home, glad to be back. Finished off my latest Jack Reacher. Lamb Shank for Dinner.
Tuesday 21st April - 10,300 steps - every day is like an old fashioned Sunday
We had a good walk along the beach. Lovely sunny weather but a cool wind.
The Ferry is now closed due to lack of customers. Such a shame, last year it was closed due to maintenance issues and now this! Pasta for Lunch and pulled pork for Dinner.
Wednesday 22nd April - 40 odd miles on the bike
Out on the bike today for my exercise. Headed East. Bournemouth, Christchurch, Highcliff, Barton on Sea to Milford on Sea. At over 40 miles it was a decent ride. Wind against on the way out and behind on the way home. We had an ASDA delivery which was great, well stocked on Frozen veggies now.
Thursday 23rd April - Fish and 13,000 Steps
A walking day today, down to Sandbanks for a coffee. Only from the Thermos of course but it makes the long walks much easier when you have a short stop at the turnaround. We clicked and collected from Sainsbury, mostly fresh meals and veggies. Bit strange driving the car. Everyone goes so fast!
Friday 24th April - 54 miles on the bike and back bin Friday
Looked like a good day for a bike ride! The Purbecks called so I headed for Wareham. Then via Creech to Corfe over the top of the Hills. Then climbed up again and headed over to Studland for a quick snack before turning for home across the Heath. 54 miles, very good apart from it getting quite chilly for the return journey. The sun deserted us for once. Missing the Ferry. Very quiet everywhere.
While I was out I also missed the excitement of the delivery of a new pair of shoes. Made use of an on-line Clarks Sale. We try and use traditional UK companies whenever we can.
Saturday 25th April - 11,000 Steps
Wow, the month is flying by.
Bit of an adventure today. We went out in the car! We had been trying to avoid going to the old Care Home to pick up some belongings but they were getting a bit impatient. We stopped off on the way back at Highcliff and did our daily. Nice walk through the golf course and then along Avon Beach to Mudeford Quay. Normally Children would be crabbing on the Quay. The Crabs are getting a bit of a rest this year. The Car Park is always packed. It was Dry but cool today. Would have liked to have popped into the Beach Hut Cafe or the Noisy Lobster but hey-ho. Need to be patient. We had a nice all-day breakfast when we reached home.
Sunday 26th April -14,500 Steps
Walkies! A walk down to Sandbanks and back today. Sunny again but a slight chill in the air. We took the waterside route to avoid the Sunday crowds. Sandbanks was pretty much deserted so we were able to break out the Thermos for a coffee. Over 20,000 have now died in Hospital. We seem to be getting to a very high total compared with other countries. Not sure why. Maybe there are more people with underlying conditions here? It's a pity the stats do not show where people are picking up the infection. Hope someone comes up with a vaccine. Beef Bourgignon for Dinner, a Cook Shop frozen meal, very tasty.
Monday 27th April - Hello to Harry - 53 miles on the bike
Weather forecast not great but it turned out fine. TW having a rest day so I saddled up for Old Harry Rocks and Ballard Down. Still no Ferry so it means a ride around the Harbour. The great advantage of going over to the Purbecks is the space. Distancing is not a problem. It's a bit of an awkward ride for the first hour to Wareham. Mostly on cycle paths though. Normally my route would be via Holes Bay and Upton but the path is a bit tight. So, I go via Hamworthy and then join the main road via Policeman's Lane near Lychett Minster. The road down to Wareham is quiet at the moment and cycling is mainly on a safe path. At Wareham I headed for Arne and bounced across the Heath to Studland and Old Harry then over Ballard Down to Corfe Castle.
It does not make a lot of sense to cycle on the prom these days as you cannot avoid people, particularly the manic runners and groups of cyclists.
We had pulled Beef for Dinner followed by Strudel.
Tuesday 28th April - a wet one
April showers, right at the end of the month. Quite a lot of rain kept us indoors.
At least my bike had a good clean and service. TW was industrious and did some spring cleaning. Media have their teeth into the supposed failings in the care sector.
Wednesday 29th April - Extra mobility
The doorbell rang today! Exciting, who can it be? It's a delivery of TW's new mobile phone from John Lewis. It cost a little more from them but we like to think we are helping to keep the business going. As it was raining it was a good use of time to transfer all the Apps and data from the old one. The old Samsung was a hand-me-down and kept running out of memory. A nice little job for lockdown. Took a while, the worst bit was cutting down the simm card to nano simm size. Bit tricky but TW helped, she has much better scissor skills than me.Not letting her loose on my hair yet though. Had visions of it not working afterwards which would be a bit of an embarrassment, not sure how easy it would be to get a new one.. We were doubly lucky today, we had a trip in the car to ASDA for a click and collect. They had moved the pickup point downstairs to the bowels of the multi-storey Car Park. Bit gloomy down there. A long queue of shoppers waiting at 2m intervals. Still it's a trip out and we did it without mishap. Wine and Beer back in stock! No sign of the end of the lockdown. Personally I would like to see where the new infections are coming from, is it from Hospitals or Care Homes or people sitting on buses or people working. Are we locked up and achieving very little?
Thursday 30th April
Just a short walk today due to the wet weather. Captain Tom is 100 today. Boris back on the Downing Street briefing. Some evidence we are through the peak but not sure how the lockdown is going to be eased. Slow cooker set to work for our Dinner. Used up a lot of our older root veggies. I opened a bottle of the Furlough Merlot, very pleasant. Binge watching Death in Paradise Series 1 at the moment. Very good. We missed it when it was originally broadcast. Did our Clap for Carers at 8pm. Someone always lets off a rocket. Nice to hear the ships horns from the Quay.
Friday 1st May - Mayday - Blue Bin Friday
TW doing on-line Zumba with her normal instructor Helen. She seems to enjoy it, I stand well clear from the manic moves inspired by a You Tube video.
Weather still unsettled so we just had a short walk on the Branksome Dene circuit. Now on to Series two of Death in Paradise. They are dropping thick and fast in Guadaloupe.
Saturday 2nd May
Bike ride with TW to Mudeford. We stopped on Stanpit Marsh to see if we could spot any birdies. Our feather friends seemed to be having an away day. Quite a few Swans and Gulls though. Should have taken my Binoculars to spot the waders. We had a coffee and biscuit down there. Pity the birdies choose to poop on our seat, not the best welcome.
Sunday 3rd May - Lazy Sunday
Monday 4th May - 56 miles
A little pedalling jaunt to Lulworth Cove today. Did not realise how cold the wind was so did not stay very long at all. My route was via Wareham then NCN 2 before a left turn took me down to Lulworth. My route home was on the range road past Tynham to Church Knowle and Corfe Castle. I went up on the Purbeck ridge but it was too windy heading south so I peeled off and crossed the Heath near Arne and on to Wareham. Bit of a head wind all the way home so not too warm, used a bit of cheeky battery!
Lulworth Cove is normally so popular and teeming with visitors. Not today, just a few locals walking their dogs and chewing the fat. Never seen it like that before, it's how it ought to be really. A nice little corner of Dorset with a bit of Fishing and a couple of pubs. I suppose I was lucky to see it like that. Its 2020 and a very strange time.
Tuesday 5th May
Had to do some liason to get our back step sorted out. We want to add an extra step to make it safer but after getting agreement we still need to get some bricks to achieve this. Did a short walkie circuit to Branksome Dene
Time to crack open the Furlough Merlot again... Lockdown lingo - are you fully conversant with the new terminology?
*Coronacoaster*
The ups and downs of your mood during the pandemic. You’re loving lockdown one minute but suddenly weepy with anxiety the next. It truly is “an emotional coronacoaster”.
*Quarantinis*
Experimental cocktails mixed from whatever random ingredients you have left in the house. The boozy equivalent of a store cupboard supper. Southern Comfort and Ribena quarantini with a glacé cherry garnish, anyone? These are sipped at “locktail hour”, ie. wine o’clock during lockdown, which seems to be creeping earlier with each passing week.
*Le Creuset wrist*
It’s the new “avocado hand” - an aching arm after taking one’s best saucepan outside to bang during the weekly ‘Clap For Carers.’ It might be heavy but you’re keen to impress the neighbours with your high-quality kitchenware.
*Coronials*
As opposed to millennials, this refers to the future generation of babies conceived or born during coronavirus quarantine. They might also become known as “Generation C” or, more spookily, “Children of the Quarn”.
*Furlough Merlot*
Wine consumed in an attempt to relieve the frustration of not working. Also known as “bored-eaux” or “cabernet tedium”.
*Coronadose*
An overdose of bad news from consuming too much media during a time of crisis. Can result in a panicdemic.
*The elephant in the Zoom*
The glaring issue during a videoconferencing call that nobody feels able to mention. E.g. one participant has dramatically put on weight, suddenly sprouted terrible facial hair or has a worryingly messy house visible in the background.
*Quentin Quarantino*
An attention-seeker using their time in lockdown to make amateur films which they’re convinced are funnier and cleverer than they actually are.
*Covidiot or Wuhan-ker*
One who ignores public health advice or behaves with reckless disregard for the safety of others can be said to display “covidiocy” or be “covidiotic”. Also called a “lockclown” or even a “Wuhan-ker”.
*Goutbreak*
The sudden fear that you’ve consumed so much wine, cheese, home-made cake and Easter chocolate in lockdown that your ankles are swelling up like a medieval king’s.
*Antisocial distancing*
Using health precautions as an excuse for snubbing neighbours and generally ignoring people you find irritating.
Wednesday 6th May - Covid under a cloudless sky
We now have a new much safer step. Had to go to Jewsons to pick up some bricks, a bit of early morning excitement. Distancing was well organised.
We had two trips in one day as we also had a Sainsbury Click and Collect in the late afternoon. Picked up some Haddock in breadcrumbs so that was Dinner sorted. It was such a beautiful sunny day.
Thursday 7th May-Life in Paradise
Our exercise for the day was a very pleasant trip to Hengistbury Head. It was fairly quiet along the prom from Bournemouth. It's great to see people out on their bikes and walking. Not sure how long it will take to re-adjust to traffic jams and queues. Quite liking the on-line shopping. I suppose there is more variety if you visit the shop. Often we spot something that would make a nice change. Sell by dates can be problematic. On a visit we would select the longest date. Our latest click included Sainsburys Kale that we had to bin as it was too tired.
Still watching Death in Paradise. Big shock of the night was the untimely demise of Insp. Richard Poole. When one fictional death is a shock, how should we feel when 30,000 poor souls have succumbed to the darn COVID monster.
Friday 8th May - VE Day and Black Bin Friday
Nice to wake up to the sound of bin men. Always a bit worried that they are going to look inside and reject this week's offering to the mighty jaws of the bin lorry. To be fair we are pretty good now with our recycling and composting. Would not like to be penalised for a momentary lapse - Oh the shame of it. We headed for a lockdown ride to Lake Pier in Hamworthy. We passed a lot of houses decked with Union Jacks and settling down for their distancing parties.The Lake hasn't really changed in my lifetime. We sat on the pier and enjoyed a cheeky coffee with our legs dangling over the edge, just where we used to go crabbing so many years ago. Only a short stop you must understand!
Back home for Pasta in the Rooftop Restaurant. We had a bit of a Garden Party in the evening. Residents were out in force for a socially distant VE Day get-together. One resident draped a huge White Ensign over their balcony. All we could muster was an old England Football Beach Towel. Oh well, at least we tried.
Saturday 9th May
The hottest day of the year so far. Good day for a, Ride to Paradise, the Purbecks!
Cycled back via the Quay which was busting with folks sitting out, enjoying the weekend sunshine. I think the lockdown might be starting to unravel. Deaths and new infections have dropped but people still need to be careful. To be honest, my impression is that being out and about is pretty safe in the outdoors as long as you keep your distance. I think a lot of the new infections are from Care Homes and Hospitals but might be proved wrong.
We Click and Collected from ASDA in the evening, danger lurks behind every trolley! Just a top up order as we have been to Sainsburys this week. Even so, supplies of Porridge are getting dangerously low. With our next shop a week away I might have to eat Muesli for Breakfast! The biggest Penalty imposed by the COVID monster so far. How did it come to this! Pasta with Tuna for Lunch and Cod, Chips and Peas for Dinner.
We watched Darkest Hour, a very good film about Winston Churchill. A lot of it was fictional but we enjoyed it.
Sunday 10th May
Homemade Soup for Lunch. Had a bit of a tidy up on the upstairs terrace. A few of the plants are in intensive care. Nothing to do with COVID, not sure they liked the wet and windy winter. A big change in the weather is expected today and the wind is already getting up. Homemade Soup for Lunch and Roast Chicken for Dinner. Boris did a broadcast, Stay Alert is the new slogan. Looks like we will be able to drive somewhere for our exercise from Wednesday. BBC slagging off already. They don't get that people need to see progress. Have to put the tow-bar on the car.
Monday 11th May
Very pleasant walk to Canford Cliffs. A lot cooler today with a strong wind.
Watched some Parliament.
Big news is that we are now watching series 4 of Death in Paradise.
Tuesday 12th May
Getting a bit lazy. We stayed home today. Had a few jobs to do which included painting some railings with some anti-rust protection. Media very irritating. TW has sore knees. Big change of the day, we watched two of episodes of the Mallorca Files. Quite good, we will watch more. Lovely to see the scenery in Mallorca. When we went to the North of the Island we had rain and cloud.
Wednesday 13th May - Lockdown eased.
We are now able to go out in the car and go for walks. We responded by not going out at all.
Mind you, did do some painting of the metal railings and TW still has sore knees so cannot go for long walks.
Thursday 14th May
Had a ride down to Hengistbury. It seemed to be bitterly cold, particularly against the wind. Lots of BCP staff were out sweeping sand and scraping the beaches. Some of the Cafe's are now open for Take-Away. Hope people are still mindful of the the COVID monster. They seemed to be distancing OK. TW is making Flapjack and bread. A fine pursuit on a cold day in easy lockdown. Finished off the Kindle book TW bought for me, The Last Runaway. An interesting fictional story about slavery in the USA.
Friday 15th May - Blue bin day
Started a new book, a John Grisham. I have probably read it before so it is quite appropriate for easy lockdown.
Saturday 16th May
First trip out in the car following the easing. We headed for Pamphill. Too late for the bluebells. Sat by the cricket ground and drank our coffee and imagined a cricket match. Nice that we are now legal.
Sunday 17th May - Back to nature
Biking on the Purbecks and a look at the beach. Its quite a rarity to see the Beach so quiet. With the Knoll Beach Car Park closed until next Wednesday it means a long walk to the lovely sand. No problem social distancing here.
Monday 18th May - when the boats came home
The Cruising Fleet is also in lockdown. Around 6 of the best are moored along the coast at Osmington. We took a drive out there and had a picnic on the beach at Ringstead. Queen Mary 2 looks the part. Some of the P&O ships and Queen Victoria look like floating blocks of flats, bit harsh maybe. We wondered what life would be like for the, presumably, skeleton crews on board. They could be living it up or they could feel isolated.
Big day for us as we actually went into a shop, well a garden centre to be precise. Dobby's on the way home.
Tuesday 19th May
Sandbanks on the bike for a paddle in the sea. Quite busy with a few groups of young people clearly not distancing.
Wednesday 20th May
A good ride to the Purbeck Isle. Met up at Studland for a picnic near the cricket pitch. The ride home over the Purbecks was magical. Warm sunshine and a following wind.
Thursday 21st May
Hengistbury Head on the bike. Back to basics today on the old mountain bike. Its getting busy now. Time for people to go back to work and school. Most people distancing OK. Some boozers at Boscombe near the Pier getting stuck into the nectar though.
Friday 22nd May - Black Bin Day - - we'll drink again, but not today.
Our new found freedom to use the car found us at Fordingbridge for a walk by the River Avon. Bit of a windy day but still warm. Fordingbridge looked a bit tired. Always seems to be quite a bit of traffic going through. Big news is that we have finished Death in Paradise Series 4. Government to introduce 14 day quarantine for anyone entering the country. Not sure that policy will last very long but if no other countries are open to us its pretty irrelevant.
 |
| Dorset on the rocks |
 |
| We are staying home |
We should really be skiing! The everday story of coastal folk wishing the Corona Virus pandemic would pack up and go home.
 |
| A Herd before the Lockdown |
We have been keeping away from gatherings for a few days now. We had our last Pub Sunday lunch on the 8th March. The Anchor at Shapwick is a lovely treat, normally reserved for Anniversaries and Birthdays and the food and beer is to die for, but not literally. After a last luxury breakfast at Rick Stein, well Poached Egg on Toast, we decided to avoid any public eating. We filled up the car with Petrol for the last time on the 11th March. TW managed to get into her Mum's Care Home on the 19th March, a special day!
With a shutdown rumoured to be imminent I had my last Monday ride on the Ferry to the Purbecks on Monday 23rd. Have to say the silence was a little eerie. No Aircraft noise or vapour trails, very little traffic.
At one point near Lulworth I hadn't seen any cars for a while, then a Saracen Army truck passed. I immediately turned for home and a last crossing for a while on the wonderful Sandbanks Ferry. No bikes or walkers to be allowed to cross after today!
Tuesday 24th March 2020 - 17,000 steps
Start of lockdown and enforcement of The Two Metre rule.
We are allowed one exercise outing per day and we need to keep our distance from everyone.
The obvious place for us Coasters to go is to our Beach. We walked to the Sandbanks Ferry and back.
We had a food delivery in the evening from Sainsbury's. A few things missing and some substitutions but it was very welcome replenishment. Actually, the Irish delivery driver was bit of a nightmare, he kept getting too close. He was friendly though and we were grateful he was still working. I did order one bottle of wine but there were none in the delivery. This isolation could be a dry do! Seems that wine and toilet rolls are the problem items - I think we could be wiped out soon. Can do without the bog rolls, but no wine! Only joking. No bread either but TW has the bread maker in production. Pity we do not have more flour, yeast and dairy-free butter. The last time we went to the shops, on the 10th March, they had already sold out of bakery bits.
 |
| Branksome Beach - Poole |
Wednesday 25th March - 11,000 steps
On the waterfront again, not bored yet. This time with our newly delivered Thermos Flask. We walked to the Sandbanks Hotel and sat on the wall to drink our coffee. It makes a big difference to the enjoyment of the walks to have a break at the turnaround point.
Fresh bread on the go when we arrived home, can't beat the smell. It has risen, it's a miracle!
 |
| Another Sunny Day |
 |
| Walking Fluffball |
Sand and sea for a pleasant walk to Sandbanks again. The Slow Cooker was in action so we had a great stew for Dinner.
Opened my last bottle of Red! Saw our first Police Patrol on the Promenade.
 |
| Hello from Sandbanks |
 |
| Feathered Friends - Black Headed Gulls |
 |
| Not seen this before - Police Patrol the Promenade |
 |
| The iconic Beach Huts at Canford |
Friday 27th March - a bike ride plus 4,500 steps.
A super bike ride to Hengistbury Head. Jacqui had to wait in for a phone call so I pedalled off to the Head.
I took my Summer route, via the Bridge Churchill tumbled from, to Bournemouth Pier along the Overdrive and then along the Prom to Boscombe Pier. Next came the climb up for a clifftop ride to the iconic Beach huts on Mudeford Spit. Much quieter there than usual. Very much missed going into Hikers Cafe for my coffee and cherry flapjack. Tried cycling back along the Prom but it was very difficult to maintain the 2m rule when passing couples walking side by side. Boris and Matt now have COVID 19. Had some lovely homemade soup for Lunch. Did some gardening in the communal garden in the afternoon. Managed to clear quite a few weeds to put on the compost heap. TW did the edging. Finished off the Stew and my bottle of wine!
Saturday 28th March - 13,000 steps
Back on the sand for a great walk to Sandbanks and back. We took our flask of coffee and sheltered from the stiff Easterly breeze in the entrance to a Beach Hut. The Council beach warden came and checked on us. He was OK with us having a brief stop. ''No worries'' he said! Quite cool today, against the wind, so we walked back via Canford Cliffs. We are very fortunate that our local streets are very quiet.
Lovely smell of fresh bread again when we arrived home.
 |
| Old Harry still standing |
 |
| Our local Beach today at Branksome Chine |
 |
| Branksome Chine Car Park is now closed to keep the numbers down. |
Sunday 29th March 8,600 steps
The clocks sprang forward this morning, just by an hour, so that is even more time lost. Mind you, it would nice if we could fast forward a few months and say adios to COVID! Fairly quiet on the Prom. Runners were the only people not distancing. Two runners nearly bumped into us which is ridiculous.
 |
| Our Beach at Branksome Chine |
When all else fails paint the fence. One of the jobs we need to do every year is to paint our wooden fence. Quite a satisfying little job. Doesn't really count as exercise but hey-ho.
Tuesday 31st March - moving TMIL
TW had a major task today, moving her Mum from one Care Home to another. We have a Peugeot van that is converted to winch in a wheel chair. All a bit stressful as we needed to be certain her Mum's temperature was ok before the transfer. It was only a 15 minute journey and fortunately all went well. Now TW is self-isolating for a while, doesn't not want to pass COVID 19 to me or anyone else. That means I am the cook. We were honoured by a Sainsburys delivery today. We cannot have any more drops as, fortunately, we do not qualify as vulnerable persons. We actually received some toilet rolls. They were substitutions, they replaced the basic version with the expensive super soft variety. TW has been advised to use sparingly. Two bottles of wine arrived so things are looking up in the cellar. We might just get through this. One problem with deliveries is that you have no control over sell by dates. It's a good job we had not already had dinner as the breaded plaice was 31st March. Amazing how trivial things get so important during lockdown. Made my first ever vegetable soup, it was lovely and TW liked it. Onion,carrot, parsnip and potato with vegetable stock, made a nice late lunchtime treat.
Wednesday 1st April - Flying the Flag
 |
| Hello Jumbo - traditional paint job |
Apparently Google have developed a self guided bicycle. Could be transformational! I did a circuit from home via Christchurch and Parley using my conventional e-bike. Stopped briefly at Hurn for a bit of plane spotting, BA are having a get-together of their A320/319's and 747's. Quite a sight. Told TW that as part of the deal BA would start to fly Bournemouth to New York after lockdown. She has started packing. Might tell her the date later. Nice sunny weather but cool, ideal for a ride. Still some cars on the road, bit like a quiet Sunday.
Finished off the soup, added some peas and whizzed them in, rather good.
 |
| Probably been on one of these to Salzburg |
 |
| Lake Pier |
Took my bike on a bit of a local tour around Poole. Headed through Poole Park then through the town. Not many people about. Very sad to see people queuing up 2 Metres apart at Sainsbury's with their empty trollies. Headed through Upton Park and down to the Lake Pier. Very tranquil. Then headed back via Hamworthy Park and the Quay. A very posh Private Yacht was tied up. It dwarfed all the Sunseekers.
 |
| All quiet at the Poole Arms |
 |
| Poole Quay Lockdown |
 |
| Very posh - Jumbo on the Quay |
 |
| The Fishing Harbour |
Friday 3rd April - Heading out and about
 |
| Mudeford Spit Beach Huts |
 |
| Two for one shot - An Egret and a Black Headed Gull |
Out into the real world today. Picked up some meds for TW from the local Pharmacy. I was well organised before going into the lions den. Had my own pen and my 'touch and go' credit card. I parked my bike outside and waited for the sole customer to come out before I entered. I was waiting a couple of minutes and an elderly gent with a stick joined me outside. ''You going in then?'' No I am waiting for that chap to come out. ''They do allow two people in you know'' he replied. Maybe so but I have plenty of time so I am waiting. ''Well, I'm going in, I only want to ask a question.'' Good Luck!. He went in and got his question answered, came out and almost brushed past me. Two metres forgotten or maybe he just did not care. He wandered off. Then a middle aged Lady turned up and stood 2 metres from me. ''Are you going in?'' No I'm waiting for that chap to come out. ''I only want a nail file'' she said. I have been to Alder Road but there was a big queue there. Eventually multi-med man came out with a large bag, As he came out, he said ''they let two people in you know.'' The Lady followed me in. I was served by a Lady in a mask with fear in her eyes. Either she is getting stressed from working in the Pharmacy or she was concerned about the strange cycling fellow lurking outside for 10 minutes with a ballpoint pen, a tissue and a credit card. Anyway, she served me and I paid contact-less. No I certainly don't want a receipt. My tissue was used to open the door without touching my hand. I put the tissue in the bin up the road. I passed the nail file lady. She left empty hand and still with untidy nails. Clearly in the real world some people just don't get it. Why didn't the old geezer phone up with his question and why the hell is that woman touring the pharmacies in Poole looking for a bloody nail file. We are either all going to go to hell in a hand cart or will have a much more severe lockdown.
Shopping 2 - Braking Bad
A couple of weeks back a Pit Bull released by its owner shot off like a bullet from a gun straight into my bike hitting the front brake rotor disc and bending it. I ordered a replacement at Primera, our local bike shop, but hadn't picked it up. I had straightened the old disk sufficiently with an adjustable spanner to make by bike ride-able. However my brake pads were now down to the metal. Phoned Clive who told me the best way was to bring the wheel in and they would fit the disk. My first drive in the car for about 3 weeks. They were very organised at Primera in Branksome. A sign outside said wait 2 metres from the door. I left my wheel by the door, Clive came to the door and picked up the wheel. Five minutes later I was ushered in, paid contactless and picked up my wheel and new brake pads. Distancing maintained, happy customer.
Back home I had to help TW set up a Skype call to her Mum. Care Homes don't allow visitors at the moment but happily her Mum enjoyed the call. She even asked the Carer if she could have a copy of the video and said she was happy to pay for it. Looks like TW's big effort to move her Mum is paying off, fingers crossed!
o |
| Isle of Wight and the Needles in plain view today |
Saturday 4th April 2020 - Back on the fence.
Finished off my fence painting, My Quality Controller needed me to go over some more areas that she can spot from her vantage point in isolation. Lovely sunny day for it though..
Cooked lunch - a veggie breakfast of Quorn Sausages, eggs, sweetcorn and spinach. Not a bad attempt but not as good as the Cafe Velo in Ringwood or the Beach Hut at Avon Beach, two of our regular haunts.
My approved exercise was a quiet ride to Upton Park via Poole and Hamworthy. Even though it was sunny it was really cold pedaling into the wind. My hands were so frozen towards the end I could not operate the gears. Nice cuppa when I got home sorted me out.
Ocado did a food drop for us, the driver kept at a safe distance, thank you!
 |
| Beach Huts at Hamworthy Park |
 |
| Lake Pier in Hamworthy |
Normally at this time of year we would be heading back from Austria after a spell in the Alps. This COVID - 19 has turned the world upside down. No clear sign that we have turned the corner yet and cannot yet look forward to a trip in Summer. Many vulnerable people have succumbed to it so far and it's a bad experience for whoever gets it. Need to feel lucky.
Sunday April 5th - Our town is looking like a ghost town
 |
| I have never walked down this street before! |
 |
| River Stour |
 |
| Throop Mill |
 |
| The Vitality Stadium - home of the Cherries - in limbo at the moment |
Boris was admitted to Hospital today. His high temperature was not dropping after 7 days. The Queen gave a TV address, very good.
Monday April 6th - on a roll
Filled up the slow cooker and set it running before heading off on my exercise of the day,
My e-bike took me to Canford Heath and the Canford Magna before heading back to Poole on the Castleman Trail. Lucky to have a pleasant warm day. As usual there was a strong wind at Holes Bay. A very good circular ride. During the lockdown I try not to venture too far as I might have to walk back. We finished off yesterday's soup for lunch before my work of the day, painting a garden chair and cleaning the garden table. Every day we have press conference, today seemed to be just a holding operation. With Boris poorly, Dominic Raab was in the hot seat. Not quite sure why the Political Journalists get to ask questions? They are just trying to score points and tend to repeat the same questions over and over. Would be better to have Health Correspondents. The Peston question is always the worst, not sure why ITV employ him.
Had our Slow Cooker Beef Stew for Dinner followed by the news that Boris has gone into IC! Hopefully they have him in there early enough in the illness.
What, no money? Don't take a wallet with me anymore, no coffee stops allowed.
 |
| Dorset Cottage at Canford Magna |
Tuesday 7th April
 |
| Huts on the Mudeford Spit at Hengistbury |
 |
| Our Beaches are quiet |
The exercise outing today was to Hengistbury Head. A very relaxed slow ride along the promenade. I used my e-bike with the power turned off for the most part. Most of the other people out walking or cycling were respecting the 2 metres. I did not see any of the scary runners with earphones and a cold stare. I did see a few people in masks. That is taking some getting used to, cannot say I like it. Smile or sneer, who knows?
It was a lovely 18 mile ride on a bright fresh day.
We had a very nice pizza with kale and baked potato for lunch. I had a go at setting up some more food deliveries but failed. I did manage a click and collect with COOK. Quite expensive meals but ideal for putting in our new freezer. They do deliver so might consider that for next time.
Mr Raab did the Press Conference as Boris still in intensive care. No dramatic news although some evidence that hospital admissions are peaking but of course deaths lag by two or three weeks. Germany seems to have handled it well so far but we will have to wait and see. I reckon that a lot of the tests were carried out on younger people bringing the infection back from Italy and Austria. By testing and contact tracing they have managed to stop the infection getting into the older population and therefore have a lower death rate. Might change of course. Anyway, tonight we finished off last nights stew with cabbage and mushrooms. My partly successful attempt at garlic mushrooms has stunk the house out. No vampires tonight!
Wednesday 8th April - 11,151 Steps
 |
| Branksome Beach |
Pizza for Lunch, Trout for Dinner so we are still eating well.. We sat outside on the terrace in the afternoon in the lovely warm spring sunshine. Our neighbour is hyperactive and keeps drilling and doing DIY. Bit difficult for us when we are in lockdown, no escape! Hopefully he will run out of jobs very soon.
 |
| Quiet again on the Avenue |
 |
| TW back on the walking path |
We had to pop out for some food today. We had a Click and Collect at COOK in Westbourne. Not a cheap source of Frozen Meals but gives us a bit of backup grub. Having prepaid it was safe and simple to do the collection. After that it was a lovely walk on the beach. We have stopped taking our Thermos, feel a bit guilty stopping at the moment. People are getting the hang of the distancing. The local Corner Shop Deli looks to be doing a good trade, quite creative separation!
 |
| Keeping their distance |
 |
| Azalea still blooming |
 |
| Quiet on the beach |
Friday 10th April - Good Friday
Out on the Bikes today to Hamworthy and Rockley via Poole. Brilliant weather and a great ride. Very high death toll today from the virus. There is such a time lag between getting infected and passing away that its not easy to estimate when we will start to get really positive news. It can be 5 weeks. It certainly is a strange Easter Bank Holiday. With weather like this BCP area would normally be crawling with people. Fortunately most people are heeding the slogan, Stay Home-Save the NHS-Save Lives. We ate well again. We finished off the Homemade Soup for Lunch, Duck for Dinner. It was warm enough to sit out on the Terrace. Finished off my wine so the cellar is empty again. Journalists being miserable, so many negative stories in the press. We don't need it.
 |
| Lake Pier with Cube Bikes |
 |
| Our exercise for the day |
Saturday 11th April - 12,430 stepsOut permitted exercise today was a walk. We braved the beach and walked in the lovely sunshine. It was exceedingly pleasant. We walked back via Canford Cliffs. Our excitement for the day was a trip to Tesco Extra in Poole for a Click and Collect. Very safe and slick operation. We stopped at a drive through channel. They took our name and several boxes filled with bagged goods were placed next to the boot. The masked staff stepped away and I loaded up, waved goodbye and that was it, job done.
Ham omelette for lunch and Tesco Pizza for Dinner.
Sunday 12th April - A Sunday ride
A ride on the wild side. We took our bikes out for a pedal around our local area. From Branksome Park to Sandbanks via Canford Cliffs and then back through Evening Hill and Lilliput. Streets that normally get no footfall were quite busy as people take their exercise. Normally the beach is very busy on a sunny Easter weekend but with no incoming trippers they are deserted apart from walkers.
We avoided the Prom, we left it to the runners, walkers and newbie cyclists. Nice and sunny again but a chilly wind.
For Lunch we had a nice veggie breakfast with sausages, eggs, kale . Dinner, this time eaten indoors was Salmon Fishcakes. Boris was discharged and we now have over 10,000 hospital deaths. Survival rates, once in Hospital, are around 50% which is very frightening. Looks like borders might be closed till the end of September. Another trip to Austria will be missed. Big debate going on around PPE, bit of a logistical nightmare.
Monday 13th April - 14,110 Steps
Walkies! Another day, another good walk. Amazing to see the Beach so deserted on Easter Monday
We had afternoon tea with the Corkies in Chichester and London. Virtual of course on a Skype conference call. They had scones, we had nothing.
 |
| Cherry Blossom Time |
Tuesday 14th April
Today the exercise of choice was a bike ride. We headed through Poole to Upton and then along the Castleman to Wimborne. At Wimborne we headed along the River Stour to Canford Magna before going cross-country across Canford Heath and Ashley Heath to Branksome. It was a cool but sunny day, ideal for cycling. We have had a amazing weather for our lockdown. My ambitions to learn more German and paint some doors have gone out the windows. Some positive signs that social distancing is having an impact. Can't see us getting any loosening of restriction in April though. We had a delivery from Iceland. TW did most of the ordering so we ended up with Crisps and Chips!
Wednesday 15th April - 11,000 steps
The local Golf Course has been opened up for walking so we had a wander. Gives a bit of variety t our daily exercise. Form there we walked down to the beach at Canford Cliffs. More people out walking the local streets but very quiet by the seaside,
 |
| Parkstone Golf |
 |
| Loch Fyne is boarded up |
 |
| Heading for the Ocean |
 |
| Empty Beach! |
 |
| Easter Message |
 |
| Planted |
TW taking a rest day so headed off on my bike to Christchurch and then headed inland to Burton and Ringwood via Ripley. From Ringwood it was the trusty Castleman Trail to Wimborne. I then nipped home via Longham and Wallisdown to home. After a nice Tuna Pasta Lunch I read some of my latest Jack Reacher on the sunny terrace. Dinner was Steak and Chips washed down with a Sicilian Red. Very pleasant. Looks like another 3 weeks of lock-down at least.
Friday 17th April
It's raining! This was not supposed to happen during lock-down. Exercise to day was a short blast on the bike to Poole and back. Homemade Soup for Lunch and Ginsters with veggies for Dinner.
 |
| A new arrival in Poole |
Saturday 18th April
Still a bit dull and overcast. I headed across Canford Heath on a new route to Canford Magna and then home via Ferndown and the River Stour route from Parley to Bournemouth. The roads were pretty quiet so it was pleasant. Quite a queue for Wilko in Ferndown, didn't think they sold food.
Bacon,Egg and Beans for Lunch. Dinner was a Gammon Shanks, very tasty. Government getting a lot of flack over Virus handling. Bit depressing really, trying score points does not help at the moment.
Sunday 19th April - 20 miles
The excitement for the day was a trip to Asda for Click and Collect. We booked it for 11am. Not a great idea as the queue for Sunday opening had already formed. With 2 metre distancing it snaked around the car park. We manged to avoid flattening the curve with the Nissan and picked up some more provisions.
The daily exercise was a quick thrash down to Hengistbury on the bike. The weekends are a little busier than during the week so the prom is a bit of a no-no.
Monday 20th April - 55 miles
Pedalled to Knoll Beach today. A lovely ride overall. Headed to Poole and then through Hanworthy and Upton to Lychett Minster. Then made my way to Wareham and crossed the heath to the seaside. The NT Area at Knoll Beach was like a ghost town, a bit eerie. In normal times the Car Park and Cafe would be full of life. Sad. Very strong head wind on the way home, glad to be back. Finished off my latest Jack Reacher. Lamb Shank for Dinner.
Tuesday 21st April - 10,300 steps - every day is like an old fashioned Sunday
We had a good walk along the beach. Lovely sunny weather but a cool wind.
The Ferry is now closed due to lack of customers. Such a shame, last year it was closed due to maintenance issues and now this! Pasta for Lunch and pulled pork for Dinner.
Wednesday 22nd April - 40 odd miles on the bike
 |
| Pebbles at Milford on Sea |
 |
| Quick Stop at the turnaround |
 |
| Highcliff |
 |
| Highcliff with Hengistbury in the background |
Thursday 23rd April - Fish and 13,000 Steps
 |
| A sea full of fish during lockdown |
A walking day today, down to Sandbanks for a coffee. Only from the Thermos of course but it makes the long walks much easier when you have a short stop at the turnaround. We clicked and collected from Sainsbury, mostly fresh meals and veggies. Bit strange driving the car. Everyone goes so fast!
Friday 24th April - 54 miles on the bike and back bin Friday
 |
| Up on the Purbecks, approaching Corfe |
 |
| Add caption |
While I was out I also missed the excitement of the delivery of a new pair of shoes. Made use of an on-line Clarks Sale. We try and use traditional UK companies whenever we can.
Saturday 25th April - 11,000 Steps
Wow, the month is flying by.
 |
| Keep your distance |
 |
| Only gulls parked |
 |
| Paint a rock for the NHS at Avon Beach |
 |
| Saw this on the path, probably as close as we will get to Australia this year |
Sunday 26th April -14,500 Steps
Walkies! A walk down to Sandbanks and back today. Sunny again but a slight chill in the air. We took the waterside route to avoid the Sunday crowds. Sandbanks was pretty much deserted so we were able to break out the Thermos for a coffee. Over 20,000 have now died in Hospital. We seem to be getting to a very high total compared with other countries. Not sure why. Maybe there are more people with underlying conditions here? It's a pity the stats do not show where people are picking up the infection. Hope someone comes up with a vaccine. Beef Bourgignon for Dinner, a Cook Shop frozen meal, very tasty.
Monday 27th April - Hello to Harry - 53 miles on the bike
 |
| Old Harry Rocks |
Weather forecast not great but it turned out fine. TW having a rest day so I saddled up for Old Harry Rocks and Ballard Down. Still no Ferry so it means a ride around the Harbour. The great advantage of going over to the Purbecks is the space. Distancing is not a problem. It's a bit of an awkward ride for the first hour to Wareham. Mostly on cycle paths though. Normally my route would be via Holes Bay and Upton but the path is a bit tight. So, I go via Hamworthy and then join the main road via Policeman's Lane near Lychett Minster. The road down to Wareham is quiet at the moment and cycling is mainly on a safe path. At Wareham I headed for Arne and bounced across the Heath to Studland and Old Harry then over Ballard Down to Corfe Castle.
It does not make a lot of sense to cycle on the prom these days as you cannot avoid people, particularly the manic runners and groups of cyclists.
We had pulled Beef for Dinner followed by Strudel.
Tuesday 28th April - a wet one
April showers, right at the end of the month. Quite a lot of rain kept us indoors.
At least my bike had a good clean and service. TW was industrious and did some spring cleaning. Media have their teeth into the supposed failings in the care sector.
Wednesday 29th April - Extra mobility
The doorbell rang today! Exciting, who can it be? It's a delivery of TW's new mobile phone from John Lewis. It cost a little more from them but we like to think we are helping to keep the business going. As it was raining it was a good use of time to transfer all the Apps and data from the old one. The old Samsung was a hand-me-down and kept running out of memory. A nice little job for lockdown. Took a while, the worst bit was cutting down the simm card to nano simm size. Bit tricky but TW helped, she has much better scissor skills than me.Not letting her loose on my hair yet though. Had visions of it not working afterwards which would be a bit of an embarrassment, not sure how easy it would be to get a new one.. We were doubly lucky today, we had a trip in the car to ASDA for a click and collect. They had moved the pickup point downstairs to the bowels of the multi-storey Car Park. Bit gloomy down there. A long queue of shoppers waiting at 2m intervals. Still it's a trip out and we did it without mishap. Wine and Beer back in stock! No sign of the end of the lockdown. Personally I would like to see where the new infections are coming from, is it from Hospitals or Care Homes or people sitting on buses or people working. Are we locked up and achieving very little?
Thursday 30th April
Just a short walk today due to the wet weather. Captain Tom is 100 today. Boris back on the Downing Street briefing. Some evidence we are through the peak but not sure how the lockdown is going to be eased. Slow cooker set to work for our Dinner. Used up a lot of our older root veggies. I opened a bottle of the Furlough Merlot, very pleasant. Binge watching Death in Paradise Series 1 at the moment. Very good. We missed it when it was originally broadcast. Did our Clap for Carers at 8pm. Someone always lets off a rocket. Nice to hear the ships horns from the Quay.
Friday 1st May - Mayday - Blue Bin Friday
TW doing on-line Zumba with her normal instructor Helen. She seems to enjoy it, I stand well clear from the manic moves inspired by a You Tube video.
Weather still unsettled so we just had a short walk on the Branksome Dene circuit. Now on to Series two of Death in Paradise. They are dropping thick and fast in Guadaloupe.
Saturday 2nd May
Bike ride with TW to Mudeford. We stopped on Stanpit Marsh to see if we could spot any birdies. Our feather friends seemed to be having an away day. Quite a few Swans and Gulls though. Should have taken my Binoculars to spot the waders. We had a coffee and biscuit down there. Pity the birdies choose to poop on our seat, not the best welcome.
 |
| Stanpit Marsh |
 |
| On the birdie trail at Stanpit |
 |
| Mudeford Quay |
 |
| Mudeford Spit at the mouth of Ch-Ch harbour |
Monday 4th May - 56 miles
A little pedalling jaunt to Lulworth Cove today. Did not realise how cold the wind was so did not stay very long at all. My route was via Wareham then NCN 2 before a left turn took me down to Lulworth. My route home was on the range road past Tynham to Church Knowle and Corfe Castle. I went up on the Purbeck ridge but it was too windy heading south so I peeled off and crossed the Heath near Arne and on to Wareham. Bit of a head wind all the way home so not too warm, used a bit of cheeky battery!
Lulworth Cove is normally so popular and teeming with visitors. Not today, just a few locals walking their dogs and chewing the fat. Never seen it like that before, it's how it ought to be really. A nice little corner of Dorset with a bit of Fishing and a couple of pubs. I suppose I was lucky to see it like that. Its 2020 and a very strange time.
 |
| A gloomy day at Lulworth |
 |
| All quiet at Lulworth Cove |
 |
| Lulworthian Cottage - like the gnomes |
Tuesday 5th May
Had to do some liason to get our back step sorted out. We want to add an extra step to make it safer but after getting agreement we still need to get some bricks to achieve this. Did a short walkie circuit to Branksome Dene
Time to crack open the Furlough Merlot again... Lockdown lingo - are you fully conversant with the new terminology?
*Coronacoaster*
The ups and downs of your mood during the pandemic. You’re loving lockdown one minute but suddenly weepy with anxiety the next. It truly is “an emotional coronacoaster”.
*Quarantinis*
Experimental cocktails mixed from whatever random ingredients you have left in the house. The boozy equivalent of a store cupboard supper. Southern Comfort and Ribena quarantini with a glacé cherry garnish, anyone? These are sipped at “locktail hour”, ie. wine o’clock during lockdown, which seems to be creeping earlier with each passing week.
*Le Creuset wrist*
It’s the new “avocado hand” - an aching arm after taking one’s best saucepan outside to bang during the weekly ‘Clap For Carers.’ It might be heavy but you’re keen to impress the neighbours with your high-quality kitchenware.
*Coronials*
As opposed to millennials, this refers to the future generation of babies conceived or born during coronavirus quarantine. They might also become known as “Generation C” or, more spookily, “Children of the Quarn”.
*Furlough Merlot*
Wine consumed in an attempt to relieve the frustration of not working. Also known as “bored-eaux” or “cabernet tedium”.
*Coronadose*
An overdose of bad news from consuming too much media during a time of crisis. Can result in a panicdemic.
*The elephant in the Zoom*
The glaring issue during a videoconferencing call that nobody feels able to mention. E.g. one participant has dramatically put on weight, suddenly sprouted terrible facial hair or has a worryingly messy house visible in the background.
*Quentin Quarantino*
An attention-seeker using their time in lockdown to make amateur films which they’re convinced are funnier and cleverer than they actually are.
*Covidiot or Wuhan-ker*
One who ignores public health advice or behaves with reckless disregard for the safety of others can be said to display “covidiocy” or be “covidiotic”. Also called a “lockclown” or even a “Wuhan-ker”.
*Goutbreak*
The sudden fear that you’ve consumed so much wine, cheese, home-made cake and Easter chocolate in lockdown that your ankles are swelling up like a medieval king’s.
*Antisocial distancing*
Using health precautions as an excuse for snubbing neighbours and generally ignoring people you find irritating.
Wednesday 6th May - Covid under a cloudless sky
We now have a new much safer step. Had to go to Jewsons to pick up some bricks, a bit of early morning excitement. Distancing was well organised.
We had two trips in one day as we also had a Sainsbury Click and Collect in the late afternoon. Picked up some Haddock in breadcrumbs so that was Dinner sorted. It was such a beautiful sunny day.
Thursday 7th May-Life in Paradise
Our exercise for the day was a very pleasant trip to Hengistbury Head. It was fairly quiet along the prom from Bournemouth. It's great to see people out on their bikes and walking. Not sure how long it will take to re-adjust to traffic jams and queues. Quite liking the on-line shopping. I suppose there is more variety if you visit the shop. Often we spot something that would make a nice change. Sell by dates can be problematic. On a visit we would select the longest date. Our latest click included Sainsburys Kale that we had to bin as it was too tired.
Still watching Death in Paradise. Big shock of the night was the untimely demise of Insp. Richard Poole. When one fictional death is a shock, how should we feel when 30,000 poor souls have succumbed to the darn COVID monster.
 |
| Mudeford Spit |
 |
| Christchurch Harbour |
 |
| Beach Huts at Mudeford |
 |
| View across the Harbour to the Priory |
Nice to wake up to the sound of bin men. Always a bit worried that they are going to look inside and reject this week's offering to the mighty jaws of the bin lorry. To be fair we are pretty good now with our recycling and composting. Would not like to be penalised for a momentary lapse - Oh the shame of it. We headed for a lockdown ride to Lake Pier in Hamworthy. We passed a lot of houses decked with Union Jacks and settling down for their distancing parties.The Lake hasn't really changed in my lifetime. We sat on the pier and enjoyed a cheeky coffee with our legs dangling over the edge, just where we used to go crabbing so many years ago. Only a short stop you must understand!
Back home for Pasta in the Rooftop Restaurant. We had a bit of a Garden Party in the evening. Residents were out in force for a socially distant VE Day get-together. One resident draped a huge White Ensign over their balcony. All we could muster was an old England Football Beach Towel. Oh well, at least we tried.
 |
| The end of the Pier Show - his and hers Cube |
 |
| The Flags are out |
Saturday 9th May
The hottest day of the year so far. Good day for a, Ride to Paradise, the Purbecks!
Cycled back via the Quay which was busting with folks sitting out, enjoying the weekend sunshine. I think the lockdown might be starting to unravel. Deaths and new infections have dropped but people still need to be careful. To be honest, my impression is that being out and about is pretty safe in the outdoors as long as you keep your distance. I think a lot of the new infections are from Care Homes and Hospitals but might be proved wrong.
 |
| The seaweed has come back at Knoll Beach |
 |
| Bit of haze but a restful scene on the lush Dorset pasture. |
 |
| My commute today |
We watched Darkest Hour, a very good film about Winston Churchill. A lot of it was fictional but we enjoyed it.
Sunday 10th May
Homemade Soup for Lunch. Had a bit of a tidy up on the upstairs terrace. A few of the plants are in intensive care. Nothing to do with COVID, not sure they liked the wet and windy winter. A big change in the weather is expected today and the wind is already getting up. Homemade Soup for Lunch and Roast Chicken for Dinner. Boris did a broadcast, Stay Alert is the new slogan. Looks like we will be able to drive somewhere for our exercise from Wednesday. BBC slagging off already. They don't get that people need to see progress. Have to put the tow-bar on the car.
Monday 11th May
Very pleasant walk to Canford Cliffs. A lot cooler today with a strong wind.
Watched some Parliament.
Big news is that we are now watching series 4 of Death in Paradise.
Tuesday 12th May
Getting a bit lazy. We stayed home today. Had a few jobs to do which included painting some railings with some anti-rust protection. Media very irritating. TW has sore knees. Big change of the day, we watched two of episodes of the Mallorca Files. Quite good, we will watch more. Lovely to see the scenery in Mallorca. When we went to the North of the Island we had rain and cloud.
Wednesday 13th May - Lockdown eased.
We are now able to go out in the car and go for walks. We responded by not going out at all.
Mind you, did do some painting of the metal railings and TW still has sore knees so cannot go for long walks.
Thursday 14th May
Had a ride down to Hengistbury. It seemed to be bitterly cold, particularly against the wind. Lots of BCP staff were out sweeping sand and scraping the beaches. Some of the Cafe's are now open for Take-Away. Hope people are still mindful of the the COVID monster. They seemed to be distancing OK. TW is making Flapjack and bread. A fine pursuit on a cold day in easy lockdown. Finished off the Kindle book TW bought for me, The Last Runaway. An interesting fictional story about slavery in the USA.
Friday 15th May - Blue bin day
Started a new book, a John Grisham. I have probably read it before so it is quite appropriate for easy lockdown.
Saturday 16th May
First trip out in the car following the easing. We headed for Pamphill. Too late for the bluebells. Sat by the cricket ground and drank our coffee and imagined a cricket match. Nice that we are now legal.
Sunday 17th May - Back to nature
Biking on the Purbecks and a look at the beach. Its quite a rarity to see the Beach so quiet. With the Knoll Beach Car Park closed until next Wednesday it means a long walk to the lovely sand. No problem social distancing here.
 |
| Knoll Beach Studland |
Monday 18th May - when the boats came home
The Cruising Fleet is also in lockdown. Around 6 of the best are moored along the coast at Osmington. We took a drive out there and had a picnic on the beach at Ringstead. Queen Mary 2 looks the part. Some of the P&O ships and Queen Victoria look like floating blocks of flats, bit harsh maybe. We wondered what life would be like for the, presumably, skeleton crews on board. They could be living it up or they could feel isolated.
Big day for us as we actually went into a shop, well a garden centre to be precise. Dobby's on the way home.
 |
| P & O Britannia |
 |
| Queen Mary 2 |
 |
| A very smart Pony near Osmington |
Tuesday 19th May
Wednesday 20th May
A good ride to the Purbeck Isle. Met up at Studland for a picnic near the cricket pitch. The ride home over the Purbecks was magical. Warm sunshine and a following wind.
 |
| Old Harry - Studland |
 |
| Social Distancing |
 |
| Studland Bay and Beach from the Purbecks |
 |
| Swanage from the Purbecks |
Thursday 21st May
Hengistbury Head on the bike. Back to basics today on the old mountain bike. Its getting busy now. Time for people to go back to work and school. Most people distancing OK. Some boozers at Boscombe near the Pier getting stuck into the nectar though.
Friday 22nd May - Black Bin Day - - we'll drink again, but not today.
 |
| Fordingbridge bridge |
 |
| The pub on the bridge at Fordingbridge - we'll drink again |
Saturday 23rd May 2020 - New Forest
Brockenhurst for a wander in the Forest.
Sunday 24th May - Picnic at Highcliff
I took the bike and TW in the car for a walk and a picnic at Highcliff. We sat in Mr Selfridges Castle Grounds and had a delightful picnic. Had a swim in the sea on the way home.
Monday 25th May - Purbeck riding
Tuesday 26th May
Picnic on the Heath near Wareham
Wednesday 27th May
Picnic at Studland
Thursday 28th May - Old school cycle to the Purbecks
I took my old mountain bike on an outing to Studland and met up with TW for a picnic. She had the bike rack fitted so it was a leisurely ride home on the car.
Friday 29th May - A favourite walk by the Stour near Wimborne.
Saturday 30th May
Sunday 31st May
A Purbeck ride. On top of the Hills for an end of month ride.
Brockenhurst for a wander in the Forest.
Sunday 24th May - Picnic at Highcliff
I took the bike and TW in the car for a walk and a picnic at Highcliff. We sat in Mr Selfridges Castle Grounds and had a delightful picnic. Had a swim in the sea on the way home.
Monday 25th May - Purbeck riding
Tuesday 26th May
Picnic on the Heath near Wareham
Wednesday 27th May
Picnic at Studland
Thursday 28th May - Old school cycle to the Purbecks
I took my old mountain bike on an outing to Studland and met up with TW for a picnic. She had the bike rack fitted so it was a leisurely ride home on the car.
Friday 29th May - A favourite walk by the Stour near Wimborne.
Saturday 30th May
Sunday 31st May
A Purbeck ride. On top of the Hills for an end of month ride.
 |
| Over the hedge to Poole Harbour |
Comments
Post a Comment