I have very little to report. I am within a scallop and a
half of the end of the first half of the Cameron shawl edging. Tomorrow should
see it done, barring catastrophe. I had a good Italian lesson this morning –
Dante is wonderful! I didn’t go out – that’s bad. My cleaner has dashed back to Roumania because her mother-in-law is ill. That’s very bad – for me, as well as
for the mother-in-law. (Daniela communicates such news to Greek Helen, in Greek,
and Helen passes it on to me. They knew each other first in Athens.)
And Venice has cancelled the Carnival, for fear of the
Coronavirus. This is serious indeed. No one quite seems to know how it got to
Italy. It’s clearly highly infectious. There is a thoroughly delightful
columnist in the Times named Melanie Reid. She said yesterday that if it gets
here, she wants to be put outside to die. No hospitals. She is likely to die
anyway, if she gets it, being paraplegic ever since she was thrown over the head of her horse.
As am I, being old. But maybe it won’t get here.
Melanie Reid’s book “The Life I Fell Out Of” is very good.
No comments yesterday. I must be becoming as dull as I feel.
Today’s rugby was England v. Ireland. England, predictably,
won.
Ah Jean - I meant to write about a former cat of ours yesterday. Mishka would sit on my mother's lap as she knitted. He would hold the yarn very gently between his paws and just let it slide through. My mother used to say he was "the purr-fect tension device".
ReplyDeleteFires and floods in Australia, locusts in Africa, coronavirus potentially worldwide -- I'm definitely staying home and knitting. And washing my hands, repeatedly.
ReplyDeleteOh, I’m not sure I want to read a horse related injury story. I keep thinking of Station Eleven as I read the news about the crocodile 19 virus. (One of my students is a vet, and says there are many kinds of corona virus, and we should be more specific.)
ReplyDeleteYes, the common cold is often caused by a coronavirus.
DeleteJennyS
But not let autocorrect call it CROCODILE virus!!
DeleteHere on this side of the pond I keep reading about the measures this country and that country are taking to protect it's citizens, and readiness planning just in case. But from our, huh, public servants in Washington - nothing! Seems "Election Fever" and "Get Even Fever" is greater than any outside threat! Can I move to Scotland, Jean?
ReplyDeleteHaven’t read Malone’s latest tho I do, I highly admire her. As for the virus I doubt the US is prepared. I love north of NYC and don’t work on the city but between two villages. Unfortunately I could work from home, if we become under siege. Would rather the time off, but heigh ho. It would be a major disaster if the epidemic hits this area as I imagine it would for London or Edinburgh.
ReplyDeleteG#d help us all.
Not Malone but Melanie.
DeleteIs there a virus thatpreys mostly on politicians? That would be worth spreading.
ReplyDeleteI worry also about people who just have an ordinary cold and will probably be quarantined for no good reason.
ReplyDelete