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Recent Articles
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Extract from my Diary: My Platinum Jubilee Weekend
It is the first weekend in June 2022 and a two-day bank holiday, Thursday and Friday, to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate an unprecedented seventy years on the throne. Celebrations take place all over England from local street parties to a very special Trooping the…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 113 Moving On
It is week 113 of the coronavirus pandemic and it will be the last instalment of my coronavirus diary as daily life approaches normality in the UK. There are still pockets of COVID-19 in the world, notably North Korea, and still the risk there will be another global outbreak. Hopefully, the virus…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 112 Planning a Move
My coronavirus diary for week 112 of the coronavirus pandemic records the news that there are two new COVID-19 hotspots – New Zealand and North Korea. The latter is centred on an outbreak of omicron cases in the capital, Pyongyang. It is the first time this country has admitted the virus has…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 111 Brownsea Island
In my coronavirus diary for week 111 of the coronavirus pandemic there is very little about COVID-19 as the news is mainly about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the rapidly rising cost of living in England. Covid, we are told, will soon be treated like a common cold – unless a new, stronger…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 110 Tenerife North
During week 110 of the coronavirus pandemic China’s zero Covid cases policy is severely tested as the country suffers another outbreak of the virus in Beijing and Shanghai. In England we are told the coronavirus is no more serious than a cold now – provided a new, stronger variant does not break…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 109 Tenerife South
It is week 109 of the coronavirus pandemic and I answer a request for volunteers at one of the local vaccination hubs now giving a fourth jab to the over 75s, the immune suppressed and also a surprising number of first and second jabs for protection against COVID. At the end of this week I am off…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 108 Somerset
We celebrate Easter during week 108 of the coronavirus pandemic but COVID continues to affect international travel despite the lifting of restrictions. The continuing high number of new infections causing staff absences across the industry and the reduction of work forces during lockdown are…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 107 Travel Chaos
This week, 107 of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of COVID infections reaches record highs. Staff absences affect many industries but particularly travel. As restrictions are removed and bookings increase the airlines, airports, ports and Euro Star struggle to cope. Russia continues its fight…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 106 Brownsea Island
During week 106 of the coronavirus pandemic I spend a lot of time on Brownsea Island in Dorset which is now open to the public for the summer season. On the island I it feels like another world. One untroubled by our turbulent times. To add to the problems caused by an increase in the number of new…
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Life During a Coronavirus Pandemic: Week 105 Madonna di Campiglio
It is now more than two years since England went into full lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. All restrictions have been lifted for us and it is easy to forget there are still restrictions in force in other countries including Italy. I spend Week 105 of the pandemic skiing in Italy where the…
