Ops-Normal.org

I'm suposed to be glued to the screen, job-wise, and find it real hard (eyes, mostly), and the fitness tracker I got for Xmas is of great help - giving joy and purpose to walking (or dancing, can be done alone, too ) around the house. Hoping to get 100 consecutive days of 10k steps a day soon. The 1 mill total steps "medal" to be expected at weekend.

Ok, ok, that's blond, but still, lots of fun . For a change.

probes wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:24 pm

I'm suposed to be glued to the screen, job-wise, and find it real hard (eyes, mostly), and the fitness tracker I got for Xmas is of great help - giving joy and purpose to walking (or dancing, can be done alone, too ) around the house. Hoping to get 100 consecutive days of 10k steps a day soon. The 1 mill total steps "medal" to be expected at weekend.

Ok, ok, that's blond, but still, lots of fun . For a change.

Steer clear of vacuum cleaners

Our lockdown got extended to 3rd May yesterday. Apart from dog-walking I've only been off the property once since it started, although someone needs to make an expedition to the local store soon, we're almost out of fruit and some of the veg probably needs to be replenished too. Will have to venture forth on Monday, dog to the vet for an ultrasound, no idea whether they'll let us watch (she might not stand still for them without one of us present).

Odd situation. We are still on "shelter at home" instead of "lockdown" so people are being sensible with exposure although they are out on more than "essential" activity.

Here is the significant fact. We live 2 miles east of the county line between Multnomah County and Columbia County. We are just inside Multnomah County. Covid cases in Multnomah County are 116, Columbia County (much greater area but very rural) has 1 case. We are about 5 miles north of the county line between Washington County and Columbia County. Covid cases in Washington County 186, Columbia County has the 1 case.

Multnomah County contains Portland, the biggest city in Oregon. Washington County has a high population serving the electronics sector and it is a bedroom community for Portland. The very great disparity between covid cases in the high population density areas versus the single case in the rural county has to tell us something. Either the rural county is grossly undercounting its number of cases or the spread of infection, as you might expect, is encouraged by high population and continual proximate contacts in the business community compared with the infrequent contacts in a rural community. The fact that the high tech./high profile companies have high travel activity domestically and internationally, especially China, probably doesn't help.

Portland probably has the worst infection risk profile that you can imagine. Dense population, high urban residential count with many people not owning cars and relying on public transport, crowded restaurants and entertainment due to the high resident count, a population group very much into gyms and exercise centres etc. etc.

.

Just been out for evening walk. Islington at peace. Few people shopping at Tesco, shelves full. Charlie Tapp the American DIY merchant is selling through his shop door, not allowing people in. Ali the Turkish convenience shop owner is open and shelves full.

Birds singing their hearts out. Pleasant.

I am still looking for two consecutive days at home!

The local town is quiet with most people just out walking for exercise or cycling to get food or medication, plus lazy people like me driving to the chemist. One cyclist killed today just up the road and a motorcyclist killed yesterday in collisions. The car morons seem to have got over the lure of empty roads so loud exhausts and over-revving engines have decreased, but the most noticeable thing is the lack of aircraft noise. It has been replaced by the sound of people mowing their lawns or attempting DIY.

The light aircraft from the local airfield are grounded and there is only the occasional over-flight from Christchurch airport. The supermarkets have got a grip and it's one in and one out with mainly sensible distance keeping in the shops, our daughter tells us, and the shelves just about stocked up to normal levels again. There were 89 new cases in the country yesterday, the largest increase in a day, which brings the total nationwide to 797 so far, with one death.

But want something yummy to eat. Big thick slice of cheesecake, sticky bun, slab of chocolate. It's late and the shops are shut. Bugger.

Did you manage to eventually get something suitable Alison?

I wanted to visit yesterday the local supply store of a brewery located in the North of the country - a brand I like to support and I enjoy drinking. I rand them to check they were still operating but I was told they do no more retail sales.

Pinky the pilot wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:39 am

But want something yummy to eat. Big thick slice of cheesecake, sticky bun, slab of chocolate. It's late and the shops are shut. Bugger.

Did you manage to eventually get something suitable Alison?

No. Sad init. This virus will have a lot to answer for.

Pinky the pilot wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:39 am

But want something yummy to eat. Big thick slice of cheesecake, sticky bun, slab of chocolate. It's late and the shops are shut. Bugger.

Did you manage to eventually get something suitable Alison?

No. Sad init. This virus will have a lot to answer for.

I note this from down South. I know we have one registered surfer on this site. Let this be a salient warning to him!

Actually he lives on another continent but I suspect the same rules apply there...

No more endless summer...

I'm guessing this may be directed toward me? I actually haven't been out on a board this year, but a fair bit of body surfing has been done! In the past 2 weeks a lot of snorkelling / free diving (to safe & sensible depths) has been done in and around the Seaway, as without work I can time the trips to coincide with the top of the tide, which is the clearest water.

What will wreck it for us here is idiots (of course, they are very over representated on the Gold Coast!), and it seems the huge amount of Brazilian tourists too, who are simply rude and disrespectful. You can go out to exercise and congregate in more than 2 and social isolate etc...however this week the local paper reported on 3 young Brazilian women who said they were 'being a bit naughty' by lying side by side on the beach sunbathing.

Feck off back to Sao Paulo I say!, lying side by side is not 'social distancing', and sun baking isn't exercise!! That is what will change things! Selfish people!

Right now I can go to the beach. ....I know Dad does too, he rang me from there yesterday, but we don't meet up, I keep away from my Parents, they are older.

For a place with a greater population of nearly 600k, some beaches can get stupid busy, but mid week, down by the airport for instance the beaches are such that you may only see 2 or 3 people as far as the eye can see. These are the places the 'Brazos' don't know about, but if their selfishness closes beaches, then Police can enforce people off the 'quiet' beaches (South Currumbin, Tugun, Bilinga and NOrth Kirra, the so called 'Golden Four')

FD2 wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:35 am

The car morons seem to have got over the lure of empty roads ...

I must confess I counted on police being busy elsewhere as well while driving last week...

Fekn flour! I decided to make an Italian loaf (pane pugliese) so opened the tupperware, removed the bag of (bloody pricey) semola remacinata and found it crawling with little brown beasties, probably baby weevil. There will be a few choice words spoken next time I'm in Valvona & Crolla. When all this settles down, there will be cupboards groaning with bread flour, bought "just in case" but never used. The supermarkets have plenty of bread, so I may have to resort to buying the damn stuff when my flour runs out.

After the initial panic, things are turning surreal here.

We’ve closed our borders to all except those willing to undergo 14 days quarantine in a government managed facility.

The 22 known cases all contracted it before coming here. There’s no community transfer going on.

We have all prepared to work from home but, while a lot of retailers have closed along with all sporting, cultural and outdoor recreational venues, we are still working as normal.

If it weren’t for the constant media bombardment of news from down south and overseas and that there is now nowhere to go and nothing to do, you wouldn’t think there was a problem.

There are police everywhere but they are bored rigid. I know because I asked one why he’d moved me on from a parking spot I’ve regularly used for 35 years. It was 1930 in the evening in the supermarket car park which was empty but for three vehicles. Sadly, my parking spot is now a designated loading zone, so move I must. Did he need to do it? Not really - but he was looking for something to do.

Possibly the calm before the storm. Only time will tell.

But for a population of 150,000, we have three modern hospitals, the National critical Care Response Centre and a 1200 room, fully equipped modern workers village repurposed as an isolation facility.

There’s even toilet paper reappearing on the supermarket shelves.

Cooda wrote: ↑

Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:39 pm

But for a population of 150,000,

Where?

Oh hey Cooda! ... Assuming you are CoodaShooda from TOP?

Very pleased to see most of my street out clapping for the NHS at 8pm.

Every house participated in our street.

Here in rural Morayshire we tooted car horns as clapping doesn't carry very far.
#Magnus I'm sure that if you took your bag of "lively" four to V&C in person they would replace it prontissimo. I like that shop but it's a long way from here and parking there would be bloody nightmare.

The Ancient Mariner