A timeline of the UKs response to this pandemic leaves a lot to be desired...

I suspect that unofficially the authorities here will feel they're buying themselves some time to see how things go in Spain and any other countries that ease restrictions. I wouldn't be surprised to see a U-turn on that May 11 date if the situation elsewhere deteriorates quickly, as I too suspect it will.

 

i think you are right pal because for the life of me i cannot see how lifting restrictions now will lead us back towards normality,this virus is too widespread and none of us have a clue who's carrying it.
A handfull of people came out of china while carrying the virus and look at the devastation they've caused,so christ knows how the powers that be can organise a lifting of sanctions when in reality they dont know how many people have got it

I agree with Jay , if they lift restrictions so soon then we'll be back to square one in no time

 

Sorry to pry, but do you grow food in your French place?

I hitchhiked through Burgundy in 1992. Stopping at Auxerre then a small place called Escamps, eating snails and drinking wine by a caravan that substituted for a pub. The locals had no English and my French was secondary school at best, which, unless I wanted un chambre avec grand lit et un sandwhich au fromage et jambon, was utterly useless. One of the best nights of my life.

 

Sounds like a typical Burgundian evening.

Yes, we grow most of our own fruit and vegetables. Late frosts have put paid to some of the fruit for the last 3 years but if we can get past a cold night tomorrow we stand a better chance this year. Early veg are making an appearance and a good harvest will of course minimise the number of trips out needed.

It's a shame the government hasn't seemed to encourage people to grow their own food given the current situation. Maybe they think the mere suggestion might cause people to panic. I've been telling friends to give it a go, though. If people have space, courgettes for example take care of themselves as long as you defend them from slugs when they're small. And if we're all miraculously free to shop at will in the summer then the worst that happens is we all get fed up of courgettes.

 

Think the same goes for most squashes. They flower, then a great big fk*cing vegetable appears out of the end of the flower. Actually, they're a fruit, but don't tell anyone. Chillies and garlic are just as easy to grow. Combine the three with salt, olive oil and heat and you're golden.

 

Indeed. And it's very satisfying to eat stuff that was growing in your own veggie patch an hour ago, not to mention more nutritious and environmentally friendly. We grow some more unusual crops too (cucamelons, tomatillos, etc.) but mainly the basics: squashes, spinach, beans, spuds, toms, sweetcorn, onions, peppers, roots, salads...well, we won't go hungry.

 

Best thing I've ever grown... and when I say I, I obviously mean my wife... was broad beans. You plant them, you do nothing, and they grow. Like most podded veg. They were just spectacular. You need to grow a lot, but they're so nice.

What are cucamelons and tomatillos? It's making me think of Homer's Tomacco.

 

Broad beans are great and very hardy, plus when they start to come up they're easily distinguished from weeds. I like that about beans in general. Only problem with broad beans is the ants farm aphids on them in the summer. Fascinating but not great for the crop.

Cucamelons are fantastic. They're about the size and shape of grapes, they look like watermelons and they taste like cucumber with a hint of citrus. They're like some kind of alien fruit but I believe they originate from Mexico. As do tomatillos which are like purple, tart tomatoes that grow in a husk. They're what Salsa Verde is made from.

I can't help but feel we're taking this thread somewhat off-topic.

 

I know you said we're taking this off topic, which is fair comment, but I can't let that go without explanation.

 

Erm...

 

Ants transport aphids on broad beans and move them around to less occupied, fresh green stems, then protect them from predators. When the aphids chow down on the plants' phloem, they secrete a sugary sweet liquid ("honeydew") from their anuses and the ants then "milk" them and eat it. Symbiosis and all that.

 

There's much more to it than that. The Barack Obama Whitehouse commissioned a paper on how the USA could prepare for and react to a global pandemic. And, because Barack is who is and genuinely believed that the USA could take a lead on this and help other countries (judge that as you'd like), how the entire world could prepare for and react to it. They spent millions on it. It wasn't required during Barack's time in office. When his two terms were up, they passed it to Donald Trump. Who shelved it. This happened and is on public record.

 

Wonderful. Have you ever seen the life cycle of a fig? If you haven't, search it out.

 

We've got fig trees too. I'll do some reading...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/earth/story/20160429-a-tale-of-loyalty-and-betrayal-starring-figs-and-wasps

There's a wonderful documentary on this, must be at least 20 years old, but it's spellbinding,

 

I think the issue is going to be the length of time required to see it through is going to be too long for any country to realistically take.

 

Fascinating stuff. Thanks for that.

 

I already know that. When the press stops reporting on Boris' illness, wait until you hear the amount of people dying because their already diagnosed illness is not being treated, or the amount of people whose terminal symptoms are not being diagnosed, wait until you hear about what is happening to vulnerable children, wait until you hear about what is happening to asylum seekers, wait until you hear about women in abusive relationships whose only respite was getting out of the house to their job, wait until you hear of the number of suicides, wait until you hear of the poverty and starvation. Then look at the figures at the chances of you dying at your age from this. And then look at how we didn't protect those whose chances of dying from this were frightening. Then look at what we've done.

 

That's reight good.

 

Change Cummings for Mcdonnell & Johnson for Corbyn, imagine the outrage in the press ETC, it's a farce.