It rained all morning so I stayed in worked on my three poetry books and played some Leonard Cohen. Fantastic.
This afternoon it stopped raining so I went for my walk. It was cloudy when I set off – completely overcast. Nature always has a way of serving up something special. Yesterday it was my sunset and rainbows – today was different.
It started with me reaching the lane that runs up to the top of my hill when I spied a large bird perched in a tree.
As I approached I could see that it was a large raptor. Closer still and I saw it was one of the Red Kites. Fabulous birds.
Unfortunately, as is often the case, I didn’t have my camera. I nabbed this photo from Wikipedia.
When I was very close it took off. Further up the lane I found it perched with its mate in another tree. They both took off as I came near and flew over me and away.
That was a great start.
Further up my hill I spied a murmuration of starlings and stopped to watch them making their patterns.
By the time I had gone down the other side of my hill the cloud bank had moved along and the sun was out. It bathed the land in golden light and threw my shadow halfway across the field. Fabulous.
What would we do without nature?
Meanwhile, out in Coronaland – the US madness continues. Trump is out on the golf course or in his bunker sulking while the Covid-19 new cases rose to 179,067 yesterday with another 2216 deaths. He really doesn’t care and is not doing anything. It’s down to Biden to warn everyone about the huge dangers of meeting up for Thanksgiving. They’ll be burying a lot of people in a months time! Trump has been a disaster of huge magnitude – 2216 unnecessary deaths just yesterday!! No deaths in places like Vietnam and New Zealand – just thirteen new cases between them. It highlights the magnitude of Trump’s utter incompetence and irresponsibility. He was promoting all those rallies and politicising the virus – encouraging people not to distance or wear masks. The fool!!
Here in the UK with have to contend with Billy Bunter, or Trump-light as he is known. At least the lockdown is having some effect. we were down to 11,299 cases but with 608 deaths!!
Christmas will probably give us a big spike of deaths just before the vaccine kicks in!!
Talking of vaccines – the antivaxxers are putting recovery at risk. It’s one of those annoying American imports, along with game-shows, squealing girls and QAnon. I’m sick to death with daft conspiracy theories. I can understand people being a bit leery if it hadn’t been tested properly, but it has. It won’t pass without being tested properly. I’m going to be first in line. I can’t wait to be free of the worry. I really don’t want Covid thank you very much.
So – still symptom free and feeling good. Stay safe!!
Well Opher, I’ve noticed a few things about the birds on my local lake. The ducks have done better this year than any previous year I can remember; and the coots and moorhens likewise. And I’ve lived here for 34 years now. I think the warm May was probably the reason. The white goose, with its Canada companions, has gone; and their places on the island in the middle of the lake have been taken by swans with their cygnets. Like you, I am kicking myself for not taking the camera yesterday.
But the anti-vaxxer ethical issue is more complicated than you seem to think. Even though it’s a lot simpler with COVID than it was (and is) with MMR. For COVID, if you take the vaccine, and it works, then you’re immune! So, once everyone who wants to has had the opportunity to take the vaccine, those who choose not to take it aren’t harming anyone except themselves. So, why should anyone worry about them?
Well that is a point Neil. But I think that if we are to achieve herd immunity we need everyone to participate – then we are rid of the virus. If people don’t it keeps coming back. We’ve seen that with so many diseases that we would be completely rid of if everyone was vaccinated. So measles, mumps and rubella are still around all because of a false publication made by a stupid scientist.
I’m a great believer in vaccination and would argue the case with all the evidence put forward by antivaxxers. A lot of it is simply conspiracy stupidity or ignorance.
So, yes, let the antivaxxers die of covid. But it means that the rest of us have to keep getting topped up and, if there are serious mutations, we could be in for major pandemics and huge economic impact in the future.
Better to rid ourselves of it right now. I’ve no time for silly people.