Category: News

Our loyal reader Robin Worsley thinks you might be amused by this.We certainly are -Ed

You might have been shocked by the Panorama documentary about the supply of PPE materials to Hospitals. The programme roundly blamed the government.

But did you know that 5 of the medical professionals wheeled out to say their pieces on the programme were long standing Labour Party activists?

Of course the BBC did not mention that. Bud the Guido Fawkes website did. Thanks,

See https://order-order.com/2020/04/28/panoramas-ppe-investigation-party-political-broadcast/

More lockdown news from the Fine times recorder, by courtesy of Fanny Charles and Gay Pirie-Weir: Every day we hear about more theatre, arts and other events that are being put online. Whether it’s grand opera from the Met or a “virtual Madrid Open” with Andy Murray, Johanna Konta and Rafa Nadal acing each other on their PlayStations, there is really something for everyone. The majority of the content is free, although some, like the Royal Shakespeare Company, are putting productions out via streaming companies (in the case of the RSC it is the specialist arts platform Marquee TV). But however you watch it, and whichever device you use (I can’t imagine watching Aida from the Met on my phone, but I’m sure some will), please do consider making a donation to the arts organisation. News this week includes Wiltshire Creative Connects, (click on the blue link and read all about it), a beautiful online ceramics exhibition at Sladers Yard and an international award for Somerset artist Fiona Campbell. Artsreach, Dorset’s rural touring arts charity had to cancel the remaining dates of the spring programme, the entire summer programme and, sadly, the 30th anniversary special events. These included what would have been the first visit to Dorset by Shakespeare’s Globe theatre. Artsreach is part of the national network of rural touring organisations – others in the West Country are Take Art! in Somerset, Villages In Action in Devon, Carn To Cove in Cornwall and Rural Arts Wiltshire which also covers south Gloucestershire. These groups bring a wide selection of theatre, music of all kinds, jazz, world, folk, classical, storytelling, children’s theatre, dance and more – and visual arts events – to rural communities. Together rural touring has lost around 1,000 performances, and potential income of £300,000-plus. That is just a tiny microcosm of the challenge that the arts and cultural sector will face when, eventually, live performance returns and galleries can reopen. Two Dorset festivals, b-side at Portland and Inside Out, at spectacular outdoor locations across the county, have also been postponed to 2021. For many people, it is the loss of live sporting events that has hit hardest, for others it is live performance, and for many of us it is the simple pleasures of a pub lunch in the spring, a coffee with friends while shopping or a meal at a restaurant. How we get these pleasures back is a huge challenge, not only for the government which has to decide when and how, but for all of us – will we be confident to head straight back to the stalls or the terraces, the bar or the bistro? The impact of the lockdown has been very mixed – in small rural towns like ours, with close networks of friends and family, we have been relatively lucky. We may miss the theatre (hugely!) or the football (not so much, to be honest) or the pub, but we haven’t really been deprived of human contact and the joys of a glorious spring. For those who are most vulnerable, for whom social distancing and quarantine may continue, there is a real danger of a loss of social confidence. So, as we emerge blinking into the light of post-lockdown, we need to be very aware of the importance of keeping the connections we have built up during these difficult weeks and months. Talking of opening up, I for one want to see bookshops reopening! I think it tells us an awful lot about Trump’s America (which is not the America of our friends or my daughter and son-in-law) that they are talking about tattoo shops as being in the first wave of reopening, and that the shops that people in a survey most wanted to see reopened were gun-shops. In France it was patisseries. I rest my case. We are continuing to update our Taste of the Help at Hand column whenever people tell us about services and deliveries that are available. So check to see what’s newly listed. We want to give a shout-out to our friend Susanne who took over Screen Bites Food Film Festival from us, and runs it as Screen Bites Second Slice. There won’t be a film festival this year, but Susanne has updated the online directory with contact details for the food producers. We have been delighted to get urgent garden stock, like potting compost, from PlantWorld at Gillingham, while anyone living in the villages around Alweston and Folke, near Sherborne, can go to Steve Oxford’s 200 year old traditional family bakery which is operating as a drive-through! Finally – two virtual festivals: BookBound 2020, a celebration of the written word and new writing, and the British Cheese Weekender, everything you want to know about Britain’s amazing artisan cheeses and how to order them. Keep an eye on the Isolational Ideas page for events, deliveries and other services. And do tell us about any local businesses offering local deliveries. Keep in touch – email us at info@theftr.co.uk * As well as Fine Times Recorder, Fanny and Gay also write the Deepest Books series – Deepest Dorset, published in 2016 and Deepest Wiltshire, 2019, with Deepest Somerset planned for autumn 2021. For more on the books and the charities they support, visit www.deepestbooks.co.uk

It looks like the annual cricket match between Horsington and the Tabard Pilgrims, a London pub side, will not take place, at least if the present crisis continues.

It has been suggested that a match could be held if all the players were naked. This would avoid infection from contaminated clothing and equipment. But then, someone will always ruin it!

We hear that the response to the Blog’s posts on fish,  Sunday lunches, produce, gelato  and fruit and veg has been phenomenal. Now here’s something different.

Glenholme Herbs is a small plant nursery near Sherborne spcialising in herbs, wild flowers and pelargoniums (a bedding plant which some people confuse with geraniums).

They have a fantastic range of  over 200 culinary herbs, bedding plants and wild flowers, which will brighten you garden (and your cuisine) during this period when all the garden centres are closed.

You can order from their comprehensive website for delivery by post. They will also shortly start delivering to surrounding villages.

Why not start a herb garden?

The website is at https://www.glenholmeherbs.co.uk/

You can order from glenholmeherbnursery@gmail.com

Follow this Facebook page to find out when they will be delivering in this area, and to order your fish. Delicious! Volunteers are needed to receive fish for re=delivery locally or for collection.

www.facebook.com/fromshoretodoor/

Mrs Badger (welcome back) writes . . .

Dear Mr Editor,

May I say how nice it is to see the Blog back again after such a long absence? Summer is nearly here, and  I hope we can put any past misunderstandings behind us and move on to a happier relationship.

I hope you will allow me to report that this Sunday afternoon at approximately ten to six I heard the first cuckoo of 2020 while I was walking my dog, Winkle, on the Marsh.

From memory, this is slightly earlier than usual, perhaps because the skies are empty due to the lack of aircraft flying around these days, so the cuckoos have it all to themselves. What is unusual is not only is the first cuckoo early, it is also late. I normally hear the first cuckoo in the morning. This afternoon one is much later. What can we make of that?

The lovely sunny weather has made me feel younger than springtime, as it always does at this time of the year after a long and rainy winter. Alas my social life has been severely curtailed by the virus and the gentlemen friends who call on me regularly for afternoon tea have dried up to a trickle.

Sadly there is no racing and I doubt we shall be hearing from that delightful Mr Winterborne Longjohns for some time. Such a delightful man. So knowledgeable.

Anyway, I shall keep busy in my garden and practice the social lockdown rules as so comprehensively laid down in your excellent publication.

I remain,

Cordially yours,

Amelia Badger (Mrs)

We are always pleased to hear from Mrs Badger, who has the honour to be our first ever correspondent, and has been cuckoo for years. Good luck to you ma’am, and stay safe.-Ed

(New readers can catch up on Mrs Badger and her “misunderstandings” by using the search facility in the right hand column under “Blogroll”

We finally have some clarity…

The (un) official Coronavirus guidelines:

1. You MUST NOT leave the house for any reason, but if you have a reason, you can leave the house

2. Masks are useless at protecting you against the virus, but you may have to wear one because it can save lives, but they may not work, but they may be mandatory, but maybe not

3. Shops are closed, except those shops that are open

4. You must not go to work but you can get another job and go to work

5. You should not go to the Doctors or to the hospital unless you have to go there, unless you are too poorly to go there

6. This virus can kill people, but don’t be scared of it. It can only kill those people who are vulnerable or those people who are not vulnerable people. It’s possible to contain and control it, sometimes, except that sometimes it actually leads to a global disaster

7. Gloves won’t help, but they can still help so wear them sometimes or not

8. STAY HOME, but it’s important to go out

9. There is no shortage of groceries in the supermarkets, but there are many things missing. Sometimes you won’t need loo rolls but you should buy some just in case you need some

10. The virus has no effect on children except those children it effects

11. Animals are not affected, but there is still a cat that tested positive in Belgium in February when no one had been tested, plus a few tigers here and there…

12. Stay 2 metres away from tigers (see point 11)

13. You will have many symptoms if your get the virus, but you can also get symptoms without getting the virus, get the virus without having any symptoms or be contagious without having symptoms, or be non contagious with symptoms…

14. To help protect yourself you should eat well and exercise, but eat whatever you have on hand as it’s better not to go out shopping

15. It’s important to get fresh air but don’t go to parks but go for a walk. But don’t sit down, except if you are old, but not for too long or if you are pregnant or if you’re not old or pregnant but need to sit down. If you do sit down don’t eat your picnic

16. Don’t visit old people but you have to take care of the old people and bring them food and medication

17. If you are sick, you can go out when you are better but anyone else in your household can’t go out when you are better unless they need to go out

18. You can get restaurant food delivered to the house. These deliveries are safe. But groceries you bring back to your house have to be decontaminated outside for 3 hours including Pizza…

19. You can’t see your older mother or grandmother, but they can take a taxi and meet an older taxi driver

20. You are safe if you maintain the safe social distance when out but you can’t go out with friends or strangers at the safe social distance

21. The virus remains active on different surfaces for two hours … or four hours… six hours… I mean days, not hours… But it needs a damp environment. Or a cold environment that is warm and dry… in the air, as long as the air is not plastic

22. Schools are closed so you need to home educate your children, unless you can send them to school because you’re not at home. If you are at home you can home educate your children using various portals and virtual class rooms, unless you have poor internet, or more than one child and only one computer, or you are working from home. Baking cakes can be considered maths, science or art. If you are home educating you can include household chores to be education. If you are home educating you can start drinking at 10am

23. If you are not home educating children you can also start drinking at 10am

24. The number of corona related deaths will be announced daily but we don’t know how many people are infected as they are only testing those who are almost dead to find out if that’s what they will die of… the people who die of corona who aren’t counted won’t be counted

25. You should stay in locked down until the virus stops infecting people but it will only stop infecting people if we all get infected so it’s important we get infected and some don’t get infected

26. You can join your neighbours for a street party and turn your music up for an outside disco and your neighbours won’t call the police. People in another street are allowed to call the police about your music

27. No business will go down due to Coronavirus except those businesses that will go down due to Coronavirus