Or, at least, Day 52 if today is Wednesday. I think it is, I could probably check but I can’t be bothered. Let’s assume it is Wednesday and get on with our lives.
I have now completed the downstairs internal doors (actually this is a lie. I haven’t done the inside of the downstairs toilet door, or the inside of the hall cupboard door. My bad….), and I have repainted the stairs. The stairs promised to be a bit of a bastard, but I was wrong………they were a total bastard. But they’re finished, and my Herculean tasks are drawing to a close. Bit of fence left to paint, the front doorframe, kitchen window-sill. I’ll need the weather to warm up a bit before I tackle these, but they will be completed soon. That leaves me with only two big issues. I can’t get my hair cut, and before you ask, I have no desire to go down the home clippers route and end up looking as if I’ve just been released from a Turkish prison, and the tip is closed, which means I have about three carloads of rubbish getting in my way at the moment.
Oh yes, sorry! Three big issues, there remains the problem of not being able to fish. Well, as I alluded to last week, all eyes were on Boris and his presidential address last Sunday. Bizzarly, both Nicola, Mark and Arlene rather jumped the gun somewhat and had already declared no change in lockdown restrictions pending further review on 28th May. Then along comes Boris and, without so much as a mention that most of his address dealt with England rather than the UK, proceeded to change the fundamental message so as to encourage the populace to return to work where they could, and in so doing send out all sorts of contradictory and confusing messages. But somewhere in the address was confirmation that angling was to be considered a legitimate form of exercise/recreation w.e.f. today, and with no restrictions on travelling to undertake said recreation. However, this relaxation did not apply to Wales. But then yesterday the Wales Government also declared Golf and Angling to be recreational activities that could allow you to legitimately leave the house. The only fly in the ointment was their recent tightening of restrictions such that you could not drive in order to undertake exercise. In other words, angling was allowed but only if you walk or cycle to the venue. It is fairly obvious that their mental picture of the sport of angling is based on Mr.Crabtree books, not today’s reality. But then there is a loophole wherein those with underlying health or mobility issues can drive as long as they stay local. And anyone who has ever seen me trying to barrow my kit around would immediately conclude that I have underlying health and mobility issues!!!
So, currently, Angling Cymru have approached the Welsh Government to ask whether we could possibly drive to local venues, which might help to avoid the inevitable upsurge in excess mortalities caused by us pushing our gear, which would be far in excess of those from Covid-19. I am awaiting feedback on this, and also of course on whether any local venues are actually going to open up at this point. Plus an upddate on when the tip reopens would be nice, because my car is full of rubbish at the moment.
26 Year ITCH 