The twee outdoor ornaments that English folk used to turn their noses up at were always garden gnomes. They appeared to reproduce overnight and front gardens were often overrun with them.

I first 'met' one when away at school where 'he' sat with a fishing rod at the side of a round lily pond. I remember thinking 'he' was wonderfully bright and cheerful. One day dawdling along while admiring him the young nun in charge of us called to me "Come on I'll race you round the pond."

I was rooted to the spot with surprise. Nuns were never familiar with pupils and certainly didn't run anywhere.

It wasn't until many years later that I found out that this nun, then probably only about 17 years old, had been sent from Ireland by her parents at 15 years to join the Convent. She once showed me a photo of a group of small children sitting on a donkey. "Are those your brothers and sisters?" I asked. "Sure, you don't know the half of it" she told me "There were seventeen of us when I left home." Entering a convent was a way out of rural poverty for many families with way too many kids.

My son was the one who gifted me with garden ornaments. In addition to a four foot windmill, numerous gnomes and a crane who I wittily named Frasier after the TV character, I also got some animals to hang on my vertical garden.

I allowed the metal windmill and crane to rust and passed them on to my D who loves rustic ornaments. I also mentioned my preference for chocolates, potted plants and bottles of Baileys as suitable gifts. Luckily he took the hint.

Speaking of my D, she has been extremely careful and stayed at home or walked in open air surroundings until yesterday when she was coaxed by a friend to have lunch in a now reopened, refurbished and sanitised cafe she frequented a lot pre-Covid days. She deserves a treat for her patience.

Grandson Brody with Duck. He is also very fond of Bunny. So far he's not very excited about Frog, and has not yet discovered the chickens.

Yes, besotted is probably the right word. For us, as well as for him.

What a cutie he is!

Rosefolly, thank you. I was hoping you'd share a photo of one your grandson's discoveries. That is just too cute for words! I can't think of a better reason for placing little cement critters in your garden.

Precious !

Such a cute picture!

Today I paid my first visit to the library for weeks! They have reopened and the staff used the time they were closed to change the place around to allow for social distancing.

It looks very spacious with spread-out stacks, brighter and smart!

I placed my returns on a shelf where they will sit for 24 hours decontamination and was able to collect a book I had requested, after leaving contact details in case of virus tracing.

We seem to be free of it here but act like it could strike again. Most of the cases in our State were from overseas travelers or their contacts anyway.

Rosefolly, will little Brody keep that lovely fair mop or is the family naturally darker haired?

Getting back to 'hunkering down'. It has just been announced that one hundred year old Captain Tom, who by walking around his house has raised many £'s millions for the NHS, has been offered a knighthood by H M Queen.

Arise Sir Thomas!

Soon to be Sir Thomas

Vee, that's brilliant! Thank you for sharing that. I've been following his story for a while now, and he's absolutely inspiring.

Rosefolly, your grandson is adorable!

Connecticut is supposedly ready to "re-open" today, with outdoor restaurant dining available and retail stores given the green light to open their doors. Barbers and beauticians still have to wait to open until June, for no discernible reason. My husband and son are looking rather shaggy, and I have no hair cutting skills whatsoever, so they are looking forward to that. As I have 80+ year old parents, one with asthma, I'm still going to steer clear for a while. The weekly grocery trip for both households is enough being out in public for me, though I am considering a foray to Home Depot for plants, mulch, paint, and several other things needed to spruce things up for spring.

Vee, that is wonderful !

Thanks for telling us, Vee. He deserves to be knighted.

Our shopping malls and restaurants opened today with restrictions on the number of customers and spacing. Not sure how you space shoppers. Churches were open Sunday. My daughter and SIL went, but I didn't. I thought I would give it a week or two to settle in. They said hardly anyone wore a mask, although the governor has asked people to do so when they are out in public. Every other row of seating had been removed, and people were supposed to separate themselves into family group seating. Salons and barber shops open next week. I've taken to rolling my hair on my 1960s brush rollers when I wash it. So much for Marie Kondo. They may not spark joy, but they sure have come in handy. It was just one use for an old shoebox.

Vee, both his parents are natural blonds, but as with most blonds, a darker shade of blond in adulthood.

Rose, I saw a Covid 19 joke that said 88% of all blondes will have disappeared by the end of May.

Another Covid joke

An announcement is being made to passengers on a long-haul flight.

"Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are flying at an altitude of 30,000 feet and will reach our destination in 15 hours. You will be pleased to know that in the interest of lockdown safety I am working from home today."

And in the interest of Annpan's safety I hope she is OK as unusually bad weather is due to strike W Australia especially in the Perth area.

Western Australia Storm Alert

Vee, OK at 10.15pm. The wind has been howling loudly but dies down occasionally. It should be raining heavily later tonight. Good for the garden!

I was concerned about losing power and Sunday night TV programs but have been all right so far. I have a torch powered up and candles on standby.

I haven't let down the electric roller shutters in case I get stuck with them still down in a power outage! I got caught like that once before!

During isolation , where did they think all that hoarded , stockpiled food was going to go ?

Bon, I saw a meme on Facebook that said, "During hurricane season, are you toilet paper people going to buy all the light bulbs in case the power goes out?" LOL

Thankfully the merchandise selection at our grocery store is starting to get more normal.

Donna

The one I saw said the next epidemic would involve diarrhea and people would buy up all the nasal spray.

Our groceries have plenty of paper supplies now.

As we have had such bad storms and the power can go off for hours, I decided to order a rechargeable camping lantern to be delivered. I can't read by candle light as it flickers too much.

The lantern is lovely but I am so bad at working things out that I had a problem assembling the charger from the written instructions. In the end I went onto the 'net' and finally worked it out from a French short video whose detailed pictures showed where I had gone wrong. Voila, all sorted!

From watching the TV news of the goings-on in the US it appears that 'lockdown' has become rather meaningless in many US States.

Here we are allowed some greater 'social mixing' with family-groups etc and we are able to drive further and take more exercise, which for some seems to be going miles to sit on a beach and then be surprised by the lack of facilities ie no pubs, cafes or public toilets open, which has led to some very antisocial, unhygienic situations.

But we have been blessed with a beautiful Spring with wall-to-wall sunshine and virtually NO RAIN for well over a month. After the wettest late-Winter on record it is going to be a record dry May. The grass is drying out, hosepipe bans are about to start and our (private) water supply is at very low pressure. The cry goes out "Only flush when absolutely necessary!'

We are having unseasonal storms. Some of the heavy rain is like standing under a waterfall, it is so dense!

I am stuck indoors at the very time we are entering Stage Three! Most areas are opening up in the State and social distancing is now halved. We still have to be careful as the sheep ships are bringing crews with the virus into port. They are going into quarantine and putting the live sheep trade (which I dislike) in jeopardy. However some of the crew went ashore and mingled before the infection was discovered so the virus could still be out there.

The borders are staying closed in our State and some others in spite of pressure from people who want them open. Our interstate areas are mostly open so my son and his partner can resume their travels but are now going clockwise around the continent.

Now it is July, we are almost Covid free in Western Australia and are in Stage 4 with most places open but taking care. The border is still closed to the other States so we are having Football teams coming to play here from the still stricken Eastern States as we can have real spectators attend in our Stadium. Better than cutout figures!

I have stayed indoors a lot as the weather has been horrible! My family are happy though as my son is travelling up North to the sun and my D can go out to lunch with friends now nearly every day to make up for lost opportunities!

How are you all getting on?

Annpan, I'm glad things are looking up for you in W Aus. It appears that here in the UK we have been hit very hard by C19, almost the worst in Europe . . . depending on how the figures are collected.

Still some easing-up is happening slowly. More shops are open, hairdressers, pubs, bars, restaurants will/can be open from the w/end although with 'safe distancing'. Schools are partly open . . .depending if you are in Wales, Scotland or N Ireland . . . all rather confusing. Younger son who is handicapped and attends a day-centre is still waiting for 'someone' to decide what will happen! I think some flights 'abroad' are going ahead, not that I'm planning to go anywhere soon.

Some areas are having a 'spike' in the outbreak and part of the blame-game is that it has been caused by the BLM protests, which did get ugly in some areas.

I can see questions being asked in High Places about the Govt's response in handling the outbreak. 'though I can't see how any other political party would have handled it better. What does seem to be true is that many firms are using this difficult time to shed employees although the writing was on the wall for many of them long before the virus hit.

My older son has been one of them, 'let go' from his senior position in a computer forensic firm. Luckily he had his suspicions that all was not well, so after getting the sack on the Monday he applied for another job on the Tuesday and after on-line interviews and tests was offered the new job on the Thursday and starts work today! So a lucky outcome for one person.

Good for your son, Vee. I read that the U.S. has more cases than any other country and will not be allowed to visit the EU countries, as, of course, we should not be. Kentucky has fared better than lots of states. We are now entering Stage 3, but cases are trending up a bit. I don't know anyone personally who has had the virus, but I live in the largest city in the state which means, naturally, that we have had the most cases and deaths. As elsewhere, nursing homes have been hard hit. The saddest story I've read is that one older woman who has Alzheimer's thinks she is being punished for something because her family can't visit, and they can't make her understand it's not her fault. She keeps asking, "But what have I done?"

Thank you Carolyn. I can't believe that no one else is 'hunkering'!

Yoyo as you started this thread please tell us what is happening in your neck of the woods. And what about Skibby? Is Vermont too isolated for the germs to jump over the forests and mountains?

We hear that Florida, Texas, California have been badly hit. Does each state have separate 'rules' to deal with the outbreak?

Over here the city of Leicester has been put back into 'lockdown' The reasons for the new spike in cases seems to be mixed but it is a very social/racially diverse area with about half the population living in quite crowded multi-generational housing which may have worsened the situation.

As Carolyn mentioned care-homes for the elderly seem to have been badly hit and I can see people with older family members not being keen to send their loved ones to such facilities any time soon.

Thanks for asking Vee. We are currently very low as to the number of cases. Perhaps lowest in the country, I think I heard. Folks here have been very good about staying home, distancing and wearing masks. Also, as things open up, many are reluctant to venture out and so they remain at home. Our Governor has been a great leader for us throughout this sh*(&(*&t show, He shows a perfect balance between "take this seriously" and "don't panic". We've all paid attention with great results. I wish all states were as smart.

Vee, in Florida most counties and many cities have their own rules. Our governor refuses to make any state-wide mandates so it leaves the local governments to do it. And the number of cases is really surging here.

Donna

We see a number of US leaders on TV news and they are getting as familiar to us as our own! Also I watch some programs about the current US situation with the election coming up, an added complication for you!

Donna, I sympathize.

And it all comes down to who is in charge of your county/state. We went through this at the very start in New York state and under our power drunk governor we did as we were told and came out of it.

I think it was easier back in mid March because we hadn't been " let out" as Florida has. So to tighten down a state that hasn't been there before at this point will be difficult. If people won't do what they are told to do then the battle is lost .

Our NY PAUSE (hunkering down as told, nothing non essential) lasted 62 days. Think about that for a second. This was prior to any stage 1 reopening. We were told to continue in two week increments and no one could've imagined what the end total would be. But we did it.

Even now in phase 4 reopening which will soon be simply "on going control of the virus" we all wear masks when out and about, most still practice social distancing, and hand washing is still critical. This will continue until there is a vaccine. If a case is noted, the people involved are isolated for 14 days. The goal is to constantly monitor and control any spread.

It's all we can do at this point.

Bon

A very special ceremony was held today at Windsor Castle where HM Queen knighted Captain Sir Tom Moore. This is the first time since lockdown that HMQ has been 'out'. He managed to raise over £32 million (over $40 million) by walking round his garden and has inspired many others to undertake similar money-raising ventures.

HM Queen Knights Sir Tom

Vee, I saw that story! I'm so glad she knighted him in person, now. What a wonderful thing to do!

Donna

A very admirable gentleman.

I'll bet both the queen and the new knight had a very good time. They certainly seem to be smiling.

And, although the Queen isn't quite a old as Sir Tom she still goes riding every day and doesn't wear a helmet, just a head scarf!

Vee, speaking of the royals, what are the thoughts in the UK regarding Prince Harry's move to CA amidst all of his wife's friends and cohorts ?

Oh dear, yoyo; that really hits the nerve over here.

Discounting the few vociferous republicans (not in the US sense) we all had high hopes when Harry married MM. She seemed to fit in well with the Queen and other royals, was very happily received by the crowds wherever she went and even old cynics like me enjoyed the wedding.

How much can change in two years. It is said by those 'in the know' that Harry misses his family, his army friends, his work with disabled military personnel and his lack of purpose in CA. The plans for their charity startup have failed to get through the rigours of the US patent office, MM is suing the powerful Mail on Sunday over comments re. letters between her father and herself and has lost the first part of the case (listen to you grandmother-in-law MM "never explain never complain."

Speeches by Harry bad-mouthing the Commonwealth are not a sensible idea. It is Granny's much treasured institution that does a huge amount of good throughout the world.

MM has now distanced herself from best friend Jessica Mulroney over something or other race-related (remember those cute twin boys at the wedding?)

It appears to everyone that MM's 'friends' are helping her call the shots and H is just the mouthpiece making speeches written for him . . . pleasant a chap as he might be he doesn't have the sharpest mind and is unlikely to have thought it through himself.

I would guess the feeling is if MM didn't want to put up with what is 'expected' of a 'royal' she shouldn't have gone through with the wedding. It is a position of huge privilege but with it comes responsibility and duty.

yoyo, someone from RP wrote to me and said that MM didn't care for royal protocol and wouldn't go along with announcing the birth of their child when it happened nor allowing the names of the godparents to be given out. Nor does she like having to 'dress up' in expensive fashion, ball gowns etc and is much happier in jeans and casual wear.

What are the views of you in the US, Canada, Australia? That is if anyone can be bothered to reply . . .:-)

Vee.....my personal feelings, after all the dust has settled and things become clear......MM was never cut out for royal life. She is an actress and did quite well acting as a royal for a short time. She had a darling baby, the best of bait, and Harry followed her to Canada where I'd hoped they would live.

Unfortunately my worst suspicions about her have seemed to come true. She just wanted to get back to her friends in CA and has apparently decided to go the way of most of them. If she thought that the British press was harsh, she's seen nothing yet. Her motives seem pathetically transparent at this point.

I wonder how long Harry, cut off from his family, friends and country, will stick around.

Most think he won't stay in that marriage.

Vee, of course I shall reply! The problem is that I know very little about the Sussex's situation. I don't read the gossip magazines that tell about the Royals and they don't seem to be accurate anyway!

Sadly the main news here is about the new wave of the virus in the State of Victoria and how it is spreading. The numbers are nothing like other countries are registering but any new infection causes immediate responses.

My State has been doing so well, we have hosted some sporting events with quite large but staggered crowds. Even with precautions, this has been a worry. We don't want another lockdown just when things were getting almost back to normal. Well, if you call sealed borders and making it very hard for people to come into the State "normal'!

I can understand why MM and Harry opted out of the fishbowl life. It would be awful (and disheartening and infuriating and depressing and exhausting) to be tabloid fodder every single minute of every single day. That said, maybe if they'd taken more time before bolting, perhaps they may have been able to figure out how to have some privacy.

Based on what little I know about William and Catherine, they seem to be doing an excellent job of balancing their public and private lives, especially in regard to their children's privacy. Would you agree?

I also expected H and MM would settle in Canada, which seems to me to be a nice half-way between their respective backgrounds. I was very surprised when they came back to the US.

I haven't read much about them since, though I'm not a big reader of gossip magazines (People magazine and the various royal Instagram accounts are about my limit). MM and H both seem like nice people who do love each other, I hope they can make their marriage work.

yoyo, sorry for not getting back sooner. Thanks for your and Sheri's replies. I think you have summer it up quite nicely.

I think regarding the royal 'goldfish bowl', awful as it must seem to us mere 'commoners', Harry has known nothing different all his life and MM as an actress, to a certain extent must crave publicity. Over here there is some sort of 'rule' between the Press and the Palace . .. they are allowed to take shots in certain locations and before/during events and then the Royals are left alone and their privacy is respected. Of course this doesn't apply to the paparazzi from countries other than the UK.

Sheri I agree that Catherine seems to be handling her position remarkably well, her role as a 'Wales' is far more demanding than that of a 'Sussex'. How she manages to be so well turned-out, to keep smiling and answer inane questions plus care for three small children . . albeit with nannies and other underlings. I would last about 10 seconds . . . and probably finish up in the Tower.

And I too do not read gossip mags but this 'news' has been all over the respectable broadsheets :-)

Birthday Boy

We have had a number of documentaries this week about the Royals, I don't know why! My impression of the attitude of the Press towards Meghan was that they were quite spiteful but the average British were accepting of her.

Why the nastiness? I don't blame the Sussex's for cutting loose in that case.

Why put up with things when you don't have to?

I wonder if the tradition of the Royals will continue in the same way once Elizabeth is gone and Charles /Camilla become the face of royalty.

Vee... how is Camilla thought of ?

Vee, do they still put people in the Tower? :) When we visited the Tower last July the royal baptism pieces were missing from the Crown Jewels display because Archie was being baptized.

Donna

Donna "being sent to the Tower" (of London) is luckily just an expression these days although way back when it was a Royal fortress those who had committed treason languished there and whiled away the time watching the scaffold being put up for a little light head-removal.

Yoyo, Camilla has come through everything amazingly well. Goes out meeting and greeting, doesn't appear to have become 'grand' and gets on with the job, keeps her head down, stays well away from the press . . . and although Charles behaved very badly towards the late Diana, they do seem a genuine happy couple.

I think the Queen has reigned for so long now and set such a good example of how to behave it will be difficult for anyone having to 'follow-on', but they (and we) will adapt . . .think of the hooha when Ed VIII abdicated . . . with time it all blew over.

Annpan, I don't know about the Press being 'spiteful' towards MM. Certainly when she first 'arrived' they trod very respectfully around her and the 'colour' thing was never an issue with them or the public at large. I think it wasn't until she started complaining about her 'treatment' and how not enough people had asked how she was when pregnant etc and wouldn't play the game that they became less understanding especially when her LA 'friends' began to wade in.

I think the general feeling is "OK, go your own way but don't expect the taxpayer to pick up the bill and stop insulting your new family."

Vee, there must have been something going on against MM as I recall Harry put out a statement about the treatment by the press. The doco I saw mentioned things like Kate being seen cradling her "bump" (Sweet!) but why did MM keep touching hers? (Possibly kicking her?) She complained of "unfairness" and that would have been an example.

Anyway, the Sussexes have made their decision and one hopes they will be happy with the outcome.

Social media and the press always seems to drive discord. Unfortunately it is the times we live in.

People will believe a lie if told enough times and told loudly.

The media banks on it and Twitter thrives on it.

A lighter-hearted look at an ex-Royal.

Lockdown Fergie