Tha's bahn t'catch thi deeath o'cowd (or something like that...)

Steve

'Collateral damage' is perhaps a bit strong. Medical staff are at much, much higher risk than you would be, but they all seem to be willing to take the risk even if they don't have all the right protective equipment yet. And my younger daughter normally does supply teaching at primary schools (which has of course dried up) and she has volunteered to teach during the epidemic if they run short of full time teachers.

FWIW, my GP daughter is not sending her children to school although they are entitled to go. My neighbour, who works at a hospital, is also not sending her kids to school. Both can do so because their husbands are working at home. The message seems to have got round the medical professionals that kids should not go to school unless it is absolutely impossible to keep them at home.

Children do not teach themselves? All the bad habits my children developed were learned from other kids, not their parents (or teachers)!!!

Back to books - I like the idea of putting books in a cupboard at the end of the drive. It would free up some of the vast amount of space in the house that is taken up by books that will never be read again.

Steve

Thanks. That, too, is a good idea. There's more to this picture than I first thought!

Steve

Just because you're paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get you...

Seriously, though, if you want to contaminate half a town, contaminate the postman. Or the courier. Or anyone else whose job is to go from door to door. They are all taking precautions, both to protect the public and protect themselves. But with something as infectious as this virus, just one slip up in 100 is a big problem. And we all slip up from time to time (and much more often than we think we do).

The general principle in safety is to think in terms of barriers. None are perfect, but enough barriers can do the job OK. So for post and other deliveries, the postman's precautions are the first barrier. Your precautions are the second. If you're concerned, treat it as if it's contaminated (although it probably won't be). Nothing is so urgent that it can't be left a few days (that's been my approach to life for years...:wink, so leave it for 3 days. The contents will have already been hanging around for a few days before you receive it, so no need to clean the inside of a letter or parcel (a third barrier) unless you're really, really concerned. Plastic and other smooth surfaces seems to be the worst, the beastie takes about 3 days to die off. It seems to take a day to die on cardboard, so paper is probably about the same.

Back to community-spirited book donors... Take a plastic bag, pinch bottom (the bag's bottom:wink between fingers, turn bag inside out around hand so it's like a mitten, pick up book, use other hand to pull bag over book, carry book home in bag. Responsible dog owners will recognise the technique - but don't put book in waste bin when you get home! Leave it in bag for a few days then read and enjoy. You can use the same technique to handle the Daily Express if you wish, it's up to you whether you then read and enjoy...

Steve
PS: Yes, the handles of supermarket baskets and trolleys are a good route for passing the virus around. I'm surprised they don't have staff disinfeting them after use.

Good luck - my dog is 13+ and still won't stay put, won't even come back when called. That's why she has to be on a lead.

Confession time - I actually like empty spaces where you think there should be something, paths leading to nothing, people walking out of the picture, that sort of think. It's incomplete, uncomfortable, unsettling, unfinished, but I rather like that sort of feeling. That's not to say I don't like the opposite as well, though!

Steve

It will be interesting to see whether some people's desire to get rid of paperbacks is matched by other people's desire to acquire them.

Steve

With or without hat?

Steve

You have a perfectly positioned door!

Lovely shots, beautiful place, wonderful light. And as always, it's the 12" behind the viewfinder that makes the difference.

Steve

An interesting thought, Gareth, thanks. I was thinking 'bridge and shadows' at the time and this was the last of a few shots (alignment problems with dog pulling on lead!). The walker wasn't there in the other shots and I've been thinking since then that she's a useful accessory in the picture rather than the subject. I'll try get my mind to do a U-turn and see what happens!

Steve

Starlings round here mimic herring gulls. The cry, that is, not their scavenging habits.

Saw the first hedgehog of the season in the garden last night . The dog's nose has been twitching for a week, but couldn't be sure until a visual sighting was made. Time to get the camera trap out.

Steve