Saturday, December 05, 2020

 

Onward. I mentioned recently that I have, in cowardly fashion, ordered some new dps. Both yesterday and today I got a package in the mail which was just the right size and consistency, and both packages were something to do with Christmas, nothing to do with knitting. Maybe I had better take some time for a Serious Search, for there is now no hope at all from the postman until Monday. I’m sure I’ve got suitable needles somewhere. Two circulars work fine, but it’s slow going. I’ve finished another stripe.

 

I had a good Italian lesson this morning, and a good Zoom session with my sister at midday. She thinks women chess players will be as good as the very grandmaster-y best in a few more years. I’m not so sure. But since neither of us will live to find out, there’s no use fretting about it. She and her husband are going to stay away from their beloved (and nearby) grandsons at Christmas, but will invite some friends from the retirement community to join them for the day.

 

I was flattened by Italian, as usual, and the weather was filthy. I persuaded Helen to let me not go for a walk.

 

She is slightly worried about the vaccine, because the system is completely different from anything we've had before. She doesn’t expect to be offered it before February. Mass inoculation should be well under way in Britain by then, which will provide more evidence. US regulators, I seem to remember, never approved thalidomide; British ones did.

 

I had a good go at on-line Christmas shopping today, and have pretty well finished as much of the job as I intend to do. Not quite.

 

Barbara Pym “A Few Green Leaves” continues to sooth and amuse. I’m glad you agree with my contemporary identification of Lord Copper in “Scoop”, Mary Lou. And thank you for the information about withers.

6 comments:

  1. I believe you are correct avout thalidomide. Call the Midwife had an excellent story arc about the issue, which as an American I found instructive.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:38 AM

    Thalidomide was not a vaccine, and the thalidomide problem occurred over 60 years ago now. I'm not sure it is relevant to current issues.......

    ReplyDelete
  3. =Tamar7:02 AM

    The issue is "sufficient testing before giving it out to everybody." There is another issue: the possibility of a "bad batch" because of rushing to produce millions of doses. I knew someone who had a "bad batch" vaccination years ago; the scar was huge.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous2:34 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous3:56 PM

    Jean, I love your recipe for getting through November/December. Evandoon and Barbara Pym, delicious !

    JennyS

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Quality Assurance processes are much more stringent than those in place many years ago. The risk of a "bad batch" is next to non-existent.

    ReplyDelete