Monday 30 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Monday 30 November


It's going to be an anxious four weeks to Christmas, a critical phase in the struggle to contain coronavirus.

After signs that the tide might be turning, the second wave dashed hope that the end might be in sight, boosted by the vaccine news.

Today, the pendulum has swung again to optimism after a study suggests that the infection rate in England has dropped by a third and the infection rate is slowing.

Researchers at Imperial College London say the infection rate is the lowest since the summer and the R rate is below 1.

It may come as some relief for the 99% of England will be in tier 2 and 3 of the three tier system which the government hopes will pave the way for the five day Christmas break.

As usual there is scepticism over the statistics, and opposition to the tier by many areas who say they are unfair.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are still going their own way.

Wales is enjoying the most freedom after its lockdown.  Northern Ireland is into a two week lockdown break while most of Scotland is under its own strict six tier system.

This divergence again emphasises the need for a unified approach which, apart from the agreement over the Christmas break, looks unlikely. 

So we enter December with hope but still lingering doubts  about how long the misery will last.

Sunday 29 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 29 November


The five days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas the PM said to me

No fun or laughter -

It's our safety we're after

                                 ********

On the second day of Christmas the PM said to me

No fun or laughter -

It's our safety we're after 

No mistletoe kissing

                                  **********

On the third day of Christmas the PM said to me  

No fun and laughter -

It's our safety we're after

No mistletoe kissing

No hugging Granny  

                                  *********

On the fourth day of Christmas the PM said to me

No fun and laughter - 

It's our safety we're after 

No mistletoe kissing

No hugging Granny

No board games with kiddies  


 *********

On the fifth day of Christmas the PM said to me

No fun and laughter - 

It's safety we're after

No mistletoe kissing

No hugging Granny

No board games with kiddies

No carol singing 

                                   **********

                        Have a happy Christmas

Saturday 28 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 28 November



Happy birthday, Bob! Zooming with the family

As in most care homes, I am sure, life goes on at a leisurely, comfortable pace. The days slip by. The surroundings and the careers and company are familiar. All very comforting. 

Birthdays are special, memorable days, but sad now, without families.

Here, Sunrise carers and staff do their best to make up for this, and yesterday, my second birthday here, showed how successful they are.

It was a memorable day..

Carers helped me unpack bulky presents which I could not manage on my own and there were 'Happy birthday, Bob' greetings all day long.



In the afternoon, a get-together with balloons, gifts from Sunrise, and a one candle cake.

Later, in the activity room, an entertainer performed for me and three other residents with birthdays this week. 

I put my birthday cards, including one signed by over 50 carers and staff, on display in my room.

A lovely, heart warming day which I appreciated all the  more as, a few weeks ago in hospital, I did not think I would be able to continue to look after myself here. 

Of course I missed my family and birthdays past, the 26 years  in  Winnipeg Drive, just around the corner from here and the last 20 years in Penarth. 

I miss sitting on the balcony, looking out over the Bristol Channel, across to Somerset and the Flat Holm and Steep Holm islands.

An ever changing scene, with the comforting sound of waves washing the pebbles.



Thanks to a birthday present from Robert, Karen and Owen - a picture taken from one of our photographs - I can now enjoy that scene from my armchair.

A lovely reminder of a happy Sunrise birthday.

Friday 27 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Friday 27 November

A sunny November day. My 94th birthday and it is a happy day for me, back in Sunrise. 


Tiers after lockdown, England

A year ago my life - everyone's life - was so different. None could have imagined that free and easy Britain would have become unrecognisable, our freedom drastically curtailed in what is becoming a totalitarian style governed country. New measures announced for England by the prime minister to crack down on the second phase of coronavirus in a three tier system of English restrictions leave over 90 percent of England facing disruption and, for many, hardship or even disaster. The hospitality industry, including pubs, just starting to recover and depending on the vital Christmas trade, have been dealt a deadly blow. 

In trying to be firm and avoid the confusion of the past systems the government appears to have antagonised most of England. Many Conservative MPs are up in arms over the harsh new lifestyle. Some rural towns and villages which have had few or even no cases have found themselves in tier two, facing serious disruption, especially in holiday areas reliant on visitors. You can never please all the people all the time but the prime minister somehow manages to upset almost all the people all the time. 

He is certainly making this a bleak winter. You can't please all the people all the time but the government is finding that it can mystify and infuriate most of the people most of the time.

Thursday 26 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 26 November


The Times spells out the stark news


The alarm bells are ringing loud and clear. Britain’s economic emergency has just begun. 

‘Lasting damage to the economy’

'Economy contracts 11.3 percent in a year’

'The biggest shock for 300 years’

‘The spending is unsustainable’

Those are some of the quotes from a sombre sitting of parliament yesterday. 

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, spelled out the catalogue of problems and the misery ahead. 

They include:

  • A pay freeze for 1.8 million public sector workers although the lowest paid will get a rise,
  • Two and a half million will be unemployed next year, 
  • Output will not get back to pre-pandemic days until late 2022, 
  • Borrowing will reach £394bn this year,
  • People will be £12,000 a year worse off.

And on and on went the gloomy news. 

Then Mr Sunak announced he would still be finding over £20bn, for saving and creating jobs, for the NHS, councils, mental health.

Savings on overseas aid would be dwarfed by a huge increase in defence spending - a controversial  issue denounced by four former prime ministers and over which a minister has resigned.

The nation’s spirits, raised by the vaccine news, Christmas and the prospect of spring seeing life getting back to normal,  has been overshadowed by reality..

2020 will indeed go down as one of Britain’s worst years for centuries. 

Wednesday 25 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 25 November




After the save Christmas plan and the vaccine boost it’s money talk today.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who has already splashed out over £100bn of our money, is somehow going to find billions more to try to give the economy a soft landing, years ahead.

Today’s autumn review was intended to be a three year plan but, because of the continuing uncertainty, it will for one year.

As usual, there have been leaks, forecasts and criticism.

A hint of a one year pay freeze for public sector workers has met with a howl of disgust from unions accusing the government of betraying the low paid front line health workers we were clapping a few months ago. 

The scale of  the country’s debt is frightening.

Instead of the expected £55bn expenditure this year we will run up a bill of £272bn.

A spate of stories has revealed that many billions of recent expenditure has been wasted by delay in ordering, ‘contracts for cronies’ and straight forward incompetence.

The day of reckoning is coming for those responsible. In the meantime the chancellor is still digging into his seemingly bottomless pocket.

A day of reckoning coming for that, too, but not yet.

Tuesday 24 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 24 November


More good news on vaccines, The Oxford University version is as effective and cheaper than the other two. The government will be in relieved as they have bought millions of doses.

Although this has dramatically changed the outlook and the mood - everyone is looking forward to the promised land of freedom next spring, there is a hard winter to survive.

The prime minister has set out the plan in detail to try to avoid the confusion and backlash from the English tier system that has seen some areas under severe restrictions for months. 

The basis is again three tiers tied to the level of the infection. Much of England will be in the second which will allow something approaching a normal life with shops, pubs and restaurants open, church services resumed and limited numbers of spectators at sporting events.

The aim is to play as safe as possible over the next four weeks so that there can be a Christmas break with family get togethers.

The other three countries have all been going their own way for months but they may now join with England for a united approach. This should go some way to make the road ahead clearer.

After a disastrous few weeks the prime minister can end his isolation with the prospect of calmer waters.

To have Professor Whitby say the vaccine news was better than he expected and that once winter is over tough restrictions won’t be needed must be music to his ears.

Monday 23 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Monday 23 November



My 94th birthday, Christmas at Sunrise and the prospect of at last getting out into the real world in the new year. So much to to look forward to.

And just a few weeks ago, in hospital, I thought I would not be here but in a nursing home.

I have been very fortunate all my life. My father died at 52 from a heart attack caused by rheumatic fever early in life.

I spent months in hospital with it in 1945 and, looking ahead, I never thought I would live to see the millennium.

Since then, until a few years ago, I have been fit and active and am now feeling better than I have for months.

It must be in the genes. The Dymond family, my grandmother Fanny and all her six children had long lives with Mum almost reaching her 103rd birthday.

I am looking forward to my birthday this week although sorry it will  not be a family occasion.

I had planned a celebration here at Sunrise and all the family, more than 20 people, had received invitations, but that will have to wait - not too long, I hope.

Bob turns 90, Cardiff & County Club

I have enjoyed my birthdays even if I can't remember most of them but one stands out, my 90th.

Bob, Owy and Owen

It was at the Cardiff and County Club, brilliantly organised by my grand daughter Siân with every member  of the family there; I, the oldest, and Rosa, almost two, the youngest. Rosemary and I loved it.


Beverley and Bob


For me, the happiness is tinged with sadness by the her death and that of Beverley, our daughter, and David, Julio's step-father.

But Rosemary - Owy - and I had a lovely life, from the time we met in 1945, followed by 66 years of marriage.

I am as fortunate now as I have been all my life, with my own family,  Robert, Karen and Owen and our larger family.

Sunday 22 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 22 November





The success achieved in developing an anti coronavirus vaccine is a remarkable story.

Faced with a task that could have taken years, scientists and pharmaceutical companies have produced a result in a matter of months. 

It was a race against time. 

The pandemic has already killed 1.34 million with Britain's  54,626 among the worst in the world. 

So how has success been achieved so quickly?

It is through international effort involving every country with the expertise and facilities. 

Developing a new vaccine is a well established, rigidly controlled, painstaking process. 

There are two methods. The first is to identify an existing virus or bug and gradually weaken it so that it is downgraded and then use it against the virus. Effective but it takes a long time. 

The second, as with coronavirus, is by 'genetic engineering', by  producing in the laboratory antigen - a toxic substance - into the body, creating antibodies - molecules - that find and neutralise the virus.

Then come the three stages to see if it works. The first with perhaps a handful of people, the second expanded to a larger group of different ages and health conditions.

The final step involves very large numbers - in one case with the coronavirus search, 30,000 from several countries. 

There are strict national and international rules throughout the process before a new vaccine is given the all clear and production can begin. The results are then monitored for years.

Although the human guinea pigs are usually volunteers, in many cases they are paid; in fact there are firms specialising in finding teams. 

One London company that provides accommodation, food and entertainment facilities says that, depending on the time taken, it can reach £4,000. The money is for their time and inconvenience, for any risk, they say.

The Pasteur Institute in France says it is using experiments with the well studied measles virus in its quest for a coronavirus vaccine.

'It is a relatively quick method because we can create a measles vaccine and produce a million  copies every year', said the Institute's Professor Frederic Tangy.

Scientists are also looking at the possibility of a modified version of seasonal  flu, he said. 

With two vaccines proved by trials to be over 90% effective, covering various age groups, and the probability of others, including Oxford University's,  being announced soon, the future has suddenly brightened.

An astonishing story.

Saturday 21 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 21 November



Now it's all about Christmas. With five weeks to go everyone is asking if we will be able enjoy it with our families. No-one knows 
- yet.

With all four countries tackling the crisis in their own way there needs to be clarity and uniformity

The prime ministers and three first ministers are together  in hoping they have got it right and that the range of restrictions they have imposed, and their timing, will allow us to enjoy at least a few days of celebration.

It comes down to statistics -  infection rates and the R number -  and at present it is in the balance.

While large areas throughout the UK have high levels, other parts are enjoying comparative freedom.

The number of cases appears to be levelling out which offers hope but it will be two or three weeks before a decision can be made.

While everyone is living in hope, there is desperation in many businesses. The few weeks before Christmas are the 'golden days' for shops and also critical for pubs and restaurants.

So what do the leaders say?

With 31 deaths in a day and a spate of deaths in a north Wales nursing home, Mark Drakeford, Welsh first minister, warns that relaxing could lead to a surge in the rate. 

People should not 'fritter away' any success from lockdown. 

The prime  minister admits that Christmas will be  different this year but hopes that the action he has taken  will allow families in England to get together, but there was no guarantee. 

The idea of a Christmas pause in the fight worries some advisers, who suggest that a five-day break might have to be paid for with five weeks' tough restrictions.

All the leaders say they will announce plans next week but warn that there could still be uncertainty.

Whatever happens, it won't be the usual merry Christmas but at least with the vaccine news we might enjoy a happy new year.

Friday 20 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Friday 20 November


In these high tech days it is not only the traditional news channels, radio and television, that give us the local, national and world news. 

The internet has spawned a mass of information 'platforms' available to everyone at any time, to report and comment on the news of the day.

That sounds  attractive and valuable, but I am increasingly concerned not just by the dangers of misinformation but by the increasingly strident reporting and commenting on the traditional  media. 

My main concern is how they have taken up the 'blame game', finding faults and mistakes and accusing and lambasting those they see as responsible. 

From the tabloids every day we get  indignant tales of incompetence, scandals, chaos, while in some of the up-market papers, columnists with by-lines as big as their egos and salaries - some get £150,000 or more for a regular column - are experts in almost any subject. They pillory politicians and trained experts.

There is nothing wrong with criticism and honest, accurate investigation. It is essential, but the general approach these days is depressingly negative and it does harm to the public and to all those who are trying to safeguard us and improve our lives.

As an old fashioned, dyed in the wool print journalist, I am saddened by the change.

Journalists have never enjoyed a high reputation but I am convinced that when I started nearly 80 years ago reporting was more accurate, more honest and more credible. 

Few of us were graduates; we got out and about to get our stories and report them vividly and and accurately. Mistakes were made, of  course. My most embarrassing was to 'kill' a man.

It was in my early days, soon after the end of the war, when I was covering the Rhymney Valley for the South Wales Argus. I heard that  three disabled ex soldiers had died the same week.

I spent a day on the story, drove up the valley to find two of the families, but could not get to the third, about whom I was given  details which I relied on.  

The information was wrong but I did not find out until a family rang me to say their Dad was not dead. What could I say? I wrote a new story and went to see them to explain. The 'dead man even laughed it off.

That taught me one of the basic rules of reporting - if in doubt, leave out.

These days, fact finding is so much easier and faster so there is less excuse for inaccuracy, but what depresses me is what I see as the increasing arrogance and know-it-all attitude of too many journalists. 

Thursday 19 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 19 November


The importance and urgency of  the government's promised action to achieve a fairer, more balanced society is emphasised by the pandemic.

Public Health England statistics reveal how wide and deadly is the gap between rich and poor, underprivileged and affluent.

Coronavirus has  hit some areas much harder  than others.

In the north east and north west of England, infection and death rates are far higher - some double - than that of much of the country - the south and west - which have escaped relatively lightly.

 And the same disparity applies in Wales.

There are several reasons for this, and the gap is widening.

People living in confined conditions in densely populated towns with less chance of recreation facilities are more at risk than those in rural areas. 

The poor suffer worse health and higher unemployment, with low paid manual job workers more exposed to the virus.

By comparison, the wealthier, healthier - many of them working from home - have better endured the restrictions and carried on a safer life.  

Despite all the problems created by coronavirus, the prime minister has the opportunity to close the gap between rich and poor, haves and have nots. He might even confirm the support of the 'red wall' in the hard hit north. 

If he succeeds, his mishandling of the crisis so far might be forgiven and he could go on to enjoy his comfortable majority.

Wednesday 18 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 18 November


The Chancellor's spend to save plan to secure the economy -£110 billion so far - has been welcomed as money well spent. 

But there is consistent and growing concern over billions being wasted in tackling coronavirus. 

A scathing report by the National Audit Office accuses the government of covertly awarding multi-million pounds worth of contracts for supplies and services to companies recommended by MPs, peers and ministers' offices.

The NAO report says that of more than 8,000 contracts awarded up to July, £10 billion had been given without following normal contract procedure.

PPE - Personal Protective Equipment - accounted for 80 percent of the total.

Twenty cases studied by the NAO revealed that deals had been done and orders placed for millions of items with firms who had no experience and done no previous work for the government.

Under a £155m contract, Amanda Capital supplied 50 million masks that proved unusable. The deal had been brokered by a businessman who was adviser to the board of trade.  

Pestfix, a pest control company, had been paid £350 million to supply 600,000 face masks which were also unusable.

The NAO said the government had not been transparent about how the money was spent.

Meg Hillier, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said ministers should 'come clean' and publish all information about the contracts. 

Gareth Davies, head of the NOA, said if the public were to trust the government it was essential that decisions were properly documented and made transparent.

Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez said the government  needed to procure contracts with extreme urgency to secure vital supplies.  'We have robust procedures for spending public money' she insisted.

Tuesday 17 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 17 November


The news is getting better by the day. 

A second company has announced successful trials of a new vaccine, the number of coronavirus cases in Wales has fallen and the relaxing of homes visiting rules means families can 'get together' again.

Moderna, a US company, has announced that its vaccine has proved almost 95% successful in extensive trials, even better than that from Pfizer.  

Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary for England, said he hoped there might be several working vaccines within months. Britain had bought $125m worth, enough to vaccinate 2.5 million people. 

Wales is starting to enjoy freedom from lockdown with shops, pubs and restaurants reporting brisk business.   

Some areas and towns still have high infection rates although the overall picture is slightly better.

The emotive media led campaign in England for elderly residents, especially Alzheimer's sufferers, to be spared the suffering of not being able to see their families after many  months, is leading to some relaxation but in Wales there is a significant change.


Sunrise, Cardiff


Sunrise has announced plans for families to meet residents in specially adapted 'pods', a conservatory and library, with separate entrances.

They will be fitted with perspex screen, microphone and speaker system. Personal protective equipment that made talk so difficult won't be needed. 

More than one family member can come at a time and children will be welcome.

Sunrise  now has 'rapid Covid test kits' for their team, residents and family members that can give results  in fifteen to thirty minutes 

It is the best news we have had for months.

Monday 16 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Monday 16 November

Once upon a time people told stories. Whatever their own experience of life they created a new world, different surroundings, different characters. Their fantasies enriched their lives'. 

Down the ages the story telling became more sophisticated, more realistic.

Writers became reporters, telling life as it really was. 

None was more powerful than Charles Dickens who depicted the exciting, squalid life of 19th century London. Fiction had merged with reality.

Nowadays, fact and fiction, truth and make-believe, have become indivisible. So realistic, so powerful that we are taken in, permanently suspending our disbelief.

2020 is a perfect example. A year ago we could not have visualised the upheaval, the deadly drama ahead. 

Now, we are creating a new world, through fiction.

Via books, television, radio and social media we live a parallel life, adding colour and excitement to our pandemic dulled existence. 

Examples? Endless. Parliament in meltdown, division and anger, personal feuds, resignations. The public divided,  compliant and antagonistic. The leaders disbelieved and maligned. And, the latest move, the principal character in  the unfolding story, is struck again

The royal story is even richer as a colourful tale.

In reality it seems incredible, fiction, yet millions take The Crown's television version as more relevant and interesting.

The danger is that we may come to disbelieve everything and everyone. We must think clearly and act sensibly, separate fact from faction and fiction. 

This must not be a soap opera.

Sunday 15 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 15 November


The uncertainty and confusion caused by the United States election may be shocking but it is by no means rare.

Elections are drama, the stuff of dreams, of hopes dashed, sudden triumph.

National or local, they can be fascinating, as I found.

It started in Caerphilly. One of the perks for a local government officer was to have the day off, well paid, running a polling station.

A long day and, depending on where your polling station was, busy or boring. 

Some stations were better than others. A draughty church hall could make it hard work while being next door to a pub or cafe and a take away was a bonus.

Probably the best in Wales was the front parlour in an ex miners cottage on the hillside overlooking Caerphilly.

It had been commandeered over the years by the council's medical officer of health and the chief sanitary inspector. 

Stocked up with a case of  beer  - Red Label Bass - they welcomed the first voter and within an hour all 20 voters would have come and gone. Work done, they settled down for a blissful day.

My job was to chauffeur my boss, the town clerk, acting returning officer and in charge of the count, on his tour of the polling stations. He, too, liked his Red Label Bass, and those pubs were convenient.

By late afternoon he was not feeling well; the refreshment had not helped his bad cold and I had to take him home. 

Sworn in by a magistrate, I was promoted to acting returning office. Luckily it was a local election and all went well.

National ones in Caerphily were memorable. Our day did not end with when polling stations closed.

We all went to an after the poll party in a local hall, hosted by the town clerk and paid for with his substantial fee.

Years later  I was officer in charge of the count at Chiswick Town Hall where I had to tot up the votes, with anxious politicians looking over my shoulder, then give the result to the returning officer.


Kenneth Wolstenholme at 1966 World Cup final


Reporting for the BBC was Kenneth Wolstenholme, then the BBC's top football commentator, pressed into service to cover what was that day one of the country's key constituencies.

I still enjoy elections, but from the comfort of my bed, finally giving up in the early hours.

Saturday 14 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 14 November


Party politics should have no place when the country is stricken by the pandemic.

Ideally, the parties might have got together to form a coalition as in the last war but the lack of leadership and decisive action over the past months is making a dangerous experience worse. 

Now, the government itself is in crisis with top advisers and civil  servants resigning. The sudden upheaval  could be disastrous.

It has outraged and dismayed the public that has largely followed advice and rules even if those rules are confusing. 

The prime minister is said to be thinking of 'resetting' the style of government to steady the party ship and reassure his minisers, MPs and the public.

It would be better to have a leader confident in his own judgement, not relying on aides and advisers who can be here today and gone tomorrow.

Party politics is wrong and irrelevant today but there could be a reckoning in four years unless the government regains poise, nd confidence and firmer judgement.

Friday 13 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Friday 13 November


It is just as well we have the vaccine news to cheer us as the pandemic shows no sign of relaxing its relentless grip. 

The figures are very worrying.

In the UK, the second wave seems to be at its peak, with 33,000 news cases in a day - the most since the start of the pandemic and the death toll passing 50,000.

Over half the country is now under some level of lockdown.

The knock-on effect of coronavirus is just as serious. 

Millions more lives are at risk due to the backlog of diagnosis and treatment of other illnesses, mounting by the week, and the vulnerability of care home residents, deprived of visitors for months. 

This has prompted a media campaign for a more humane approach, especially for  dementia sufferers. 

The test and trace system is still not functioning properly - in England at least - although once again we have  the promise of an answer, an almost instantaneous tests system backed by the army.

Thee overall picture is clouded by the different approach taken by the devolved countries, with on and off restrictions. 

Adding to the uncertainty is an upheaval in government with  key figures, including the prime minister's key advisers resigning 

All this underlines the danger of relaxing, of being carried away by the vaccine hope.

Thursday 12 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 12 November


Bob and his scooter

After more than 70 years driving I thought I would miss being behind the wheel. But I have found the answer - my shiny blue and silver electric scooter.

With its headlights, direction indicators and even a horn, it is ready for the road, top speed 8mph, or pavement, 4mph.

I was just starting to enjoy getting out and about, to the park and shops, when lockdown came eight months ago. The scooter has sat silently and sadly in my room ever since. 

Until this week, when it became my lifeline. With my heavily strapped broken ankle making movement painful and difficult, the scooter came to the rescue.

Now I am driving again all day, indoors, around my flat.


Bob on the starting grid...


It's my mini Monte Carlo circuit. 

Top speed, about 1mph -  on the straight - the 30 foot living room with detours into my bathroom and bedroom - watch that chair! 

Down to the restaurant for meals, painfully sliding from scooter to chair. 

Tired after a day 'on the road', it's time for bed.

My last journey. Into the dark bedroom, driving straight for the bed.

Headlights blazing, I tumble in.

Hard work driving, but exciting

Watch out, Mr Hamilton.

Wednesday 11 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 11 November


What a difference a day makes.

The frustration and gloom of months has changed to hope and optimism on the vaccine news, literally a shot in the arm.  

For the first time for months good news has replaced the demoralising daily dose of statistics and death.

'Vaccine heralds normal life by next spring', said  England's deputy chief medical officer.

'It could be a game changer and deliver a boost of confidence for consumer and business' commented the Bank of England's chief economist. 

The effect around the world was immediate. Stock markets surged. 

Industries and businesses that were despairing of the future - travel airlines, cinemas, pubs, restaurants - had their hopes raised as investment flooded in. 

Amid the wave  of optimism there were warnings from the prime minister of the dangers if people relaxed and ignored restrictions imposed with the coronavirus second wave.

My life also changed dramatically today.

I joined in Sunrise life again, took part in our Armistice Day service and enjoyed the best meal for weeks - using proper cutlery

The prospect of spring will make the dark winter months brighter.

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 10 November


At last, some encouraging news.

The success of the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's trials for an anti coronavirus vaccine has lifted hopes and spirits around the world.

The race to find the answer to the devastating pandemic is international but no-one should care who wins.

Like a marathon, as competitors stream past the finishing line, all will be satisfied. We will all share the achievement.

lt is all the more remarkable that it has, in fact, been a sprint, achieved in months, not years,

We might soon hear of further success, including another front runner, Oxford University. 

But there is caution from the prime minister, a warning not to get  carried away and be overoptimistic about the news. He is right.

We must not ignore the lockdown and other restrictions trying to stem the second wave.

But the possibility of a return to normal life looks just a little closer today

My life has certainly taken a turn for the better.

I have just heard that I can leave my room and rejoin Sunrise everyday life after six tough weeks.

A good news day.

Monday 9 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Monday 9 November


The Test and Trace system we were promised would be 'world beating' has been a disaster, a waste of time, money and, almost certainly, lives.

Introduced in May it was to be the key weapon in the fight against coronavirus, but since the first, pilot scheme in the Isle of Wight in the spring, it has consistently failed to meet vital targets announced by Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary for England.

While many other countries' systems have achieved the 80% rate needed, the failings of Britain's NHS service have worsened the effecct of the second wave.

Even when people were traced, too many have been ignoring the instruction to self isolate.

It has taken the government six months to call on, and pay, local government to help.

Our councils, with  their health service officer, have the experience, knowledge of their community and facilities for an effective, ground level system.

The decision was taken belatedly and reluctantly while the government have been pouring out our money.

The cost this year is already over £10 million in fees to consultancies

According to media reports, the Boston Consulting Group were paid  £10 million for forty consultants for four months' work while Deloittes are said to have provided 1,000 consultants on £2,360 a day.

The opposition describe it as shocking and disgusting

The Department of Health claim that per head of population Britain's T and T system is ahead of major European countries. 

At that price it should be.

Sunday 8 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 8 November


Joe Biden’s victory in the USA presidential election has taken over from coronavirus as our main, obsessive concern.

A welcome change too. Helping us realise that other countries are going through the same frustrating, exhausting experience.

In his first speech as President elect Mr Biden spoke of the need for his country to unite and stop the feuding and violence, but his first priority is to make a better job of taming coronavirus than Mr Trump, who was a disaster.

It should not be difficult. Mr Trump has alternated Between almost dismissing  it, ignoring the rising death toll, and even suggesting it could be defeated by drinking disinfectant!

It wont be easy. 

The USA, with 10 million cases and 249,000 deaths, has one of the worst records in the world and there is little sign of improvement.

The last four years will go down as one of the most bizarre periods in the country’s history with an almost deranged leader addressing his country and the world with middle of the night tweeting.

America deserves better and at least there is now a possibility of sane, calm leadership. 

The news has delighted Doreen Murphy, my friend in New London, Connecticut. Doreen, a former teacher and friend of Therese in Penarth, says it has made her feel better than for years. The pandemic has got worse there  - no plan, leadership or penalties so people do as they please. She says she is ‘hunkered down’ in her condominium, missing her family. 

In Britain, the hopes are that in England, the new restrictions will slow the second wave and in Wales the easing tomorrow will lead to a calmer period with people starting to relax and even enjoy themselves. 

Saturday 7 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 7 November


£210 billion. That is the astronomical cost of keeping Britain working - and Chancellor Rishi Sunak is shovelling out extra billions by the week. Money we have not got but will have to pay back over years.

It set me thinking about money, spending and saving, and what it has meant in my life.

I have been lucky. Rosemary and I had good homes and a happy life bringing up our family, with no real money worries.

I was much better off than my grandparents and my parents. 

When my grandfather died young, Granny Dymond was left with six children, the youngest a baby, and my mother and her brother Walter had to take over. Then came the first war and hard years.

Life was not easy for Mum and Dad when they married after he came back from the war and their family was growing up in West Ham and then Wandsworth.

Money was short, especially when Dad was off work ill for months, 

My first experience of handling money was my 'Saturday penny' pocket money.

It did not burn a hole in my pocket. I was off to the sweet shop and it would be replaced by sweets, often a Mars bar, considerably bigger than today's.

My first windfall was a sixpenny piece , a reward from Mum and Dad for doing well at Cave Road infants school. This time it was the toyshop.

In those days, unlike today, we youngsters, even if we had money, had little to spend it on.  

A memeorable treat for young Bob was a shopping visit with Mum to Capham Junction and a 'sit down' ice cream in Lyons cafe. Twopence If I was lucky I even had chocolate sauce, halfpenny extra.

My money earning days started when, at sixteen, I became the Penarth Times reporter. My first wage, fifteen shillings a week. 

Finance became more important in 1952 when newly married Rosemary and I moved into our first home, 52 Cardiff Road Caerphilly. It cost us nothing, it was provided by the South Wales Argus as my Rhymney Valley district office.

A money milestone in my career was reaching £1,000 a year and then years of freelance work with national papers and BBC broadcasting boosted my pay - always in guineas, not pounds.

Rosemary and Bob at Ayers Rock (Uluru), Australia

My switch from reporting to a new, long career  in public relations provided a comfortable lifestyle, especially after retirement when Rosemary and I enjoyed travelling.

Now my savings are paying for me to enjoy living comfortably in  Sunrise.

How different life will be for today's young people, struggling to find work and to repay vast debts.

Friday 6 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Friday 6 November


While England starts a one month new lockdown today, Wales will will get a taste of greater freedom on Monday.

It has been a rough few months but people generally have accepted it and, let's hope, will start to enjoy life a little more.

For the whole nation the next four weeks will be crucial - how often have we said that? - perhaps paving the way for some form of happy Christmas. 

No-one has more at stake than the prime minister whose future seems to be in the balance.

Not that he is likely to throw in his hand - yet - that would be too historic, but it would lessen the tension within the government and the party, giving him breathing space.

In a way, he deserves it despite his failings.

Over the past fraught months no-one could have made all the right moves although they might have at least have been more definite, giving bolder leadership to carry the people with them.

Since he surprisingly convinced the country he was the man to achieve Brexit and lead Britain to an exciting, prosperous future free from the EU his plans have been shattered by coronavirus.

If - and it is a big if - the pandemic is tamed, we may again see the ebullient, optimistic Boris. 

A relieved public might start to forgive, if not to forget, his mishandling of the crisis.

And it will be years before the final reckoning and the full story comes out with the public inquiry.

Politics has seen these turnarounds before.

Just think how the hated Mrs Margaret Thatcher was saved when she won the Falklands war.

Thursday 5 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 5 November


2020, a monumentally disastrous year, is coming to a close. So. where are we? What can we look forward to in 2021? 

Judging by the past tortuous eight months the prospect is more uncertainty.

Will the latest measures halt the second wave, test and tracing finally get on track, a vaccine be found, a solution to nursing home problems?

We just don't know, but we must keep going as best we can. Coronavirus won't be around forever and the world will get back to work and play, memories of a desperate period in our history fading. 

Here in Sunrise life is back to quiet, safety first routine. We are getting over the disappointment and sadness of losing two of our oldest residents and being alone in our rooms, some for weeks.

It is almost six weeks since I tested positive and at first thought. I could fight off the virus. 

But my condition worsened and I was taken to hospital where, after a difficult three weeks, I improved enough to come back home.

Now I am learning to be independent again, helped, as alway, by the magnificent carers, improving day by day and hoping to be able to rejoin the Sunrise family in the next ten days. 

Then, on my 94th birthday. Had life returned to normal, I would have had a family celebration here.

There is the lavish Sunrise Christmas to look forward to and then we  we will be into 2021 

I am optimistic enough to  think it could be an exciting time.

If the coronavirus tide has ebbed I can see a burst of energy and initiative.

After almost a year of restrictions people will flood back to the shops, to sport, entertainment and holidays to make up for lost time.

The loss of jobs will be offset by an increasing number of start up businesses large and small, founded by new entrepreneurs to add to the millions of small businesses  boosted by new enthusiasm and opportunies. 

Despite its dire coronavirus record and all the confusion created by the election, the US economy is recovering and that could well be the pattern for the UK.

We will see.

Wednesday 4 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 4 November


The coronavirus second surge is serious and, amid the upheaval of new lockdown restrictions in England and lessening in Wales, I detect signs of an improvement in people's mood and reaction.

The frustration of on-and-off  breaks is being softened by people and businesses taking the opportunity, on the eve of the new lockdown, to get out for a meal, drink and even start their Christmas shopping.

Some of the major stores are encouraging this by keeping open longer.

The need for strict control after the tiered system of control seems to be generally acceptable.

The end of the lockdown in Wales is a relief after a torrid time.

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister, has been the most assured of the country's leaders, showing calm yet firmness compared with Boris Johnson.

News stories from around the world - the US election, earthquake in Turkey and the terrorist attacks - have in a way been a relief from the coronavirus. At least they show that there is a world out there where things things are happening all the time.

So, onto he next few weeks, perhaps the most critical so far.

Tuesday 3 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 3 November


Millions of people and businesses are being overwhelmed, drowned by the pandemic tsunami but there is another, controversial side to the saga. 

Some people and businesses are enjoying a boom time, waving, not drowning.

While the hospitality and aviation industry are in a desperate situation some areas of business are flourishing.

Supermarkets, pharmaceutical giants, fast food, take away and delivery firms, even up-market leisure wear companies are cashing in on others' misfortune, meeting the needs of lockdown. 

But it is the giant corporations that are raking in the cash. 

An Oxfam report reveals that most of the top US corporations including Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook are making 'dramatic, extraordinary' profits, providing a range of high tech information services for business and the public.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is flush with pandemic profits 

Netflix doubled its subscription numbers 

Apple made over 58 billion dollars in three months despite closing all its stores.

Microsoft had a record 90 million users of its gaming service.

Amazon with its range of services is forging ahead.

Cloud computing, used by virtually all businesses to provide vital computing, storage and networking services, is fuelling the boom. 

Zoom, formerly a conference provider, has become a household name, bringing people from all over the world together for business and pleasure, its profits trebling, rocketing by 169%.

Concerned by the extravagance, Oxfam is calling for an excess profits tax.

Among this welter of profiteering the most dubious, I think, is the massive increase in hedge fund bargain hunting. 

With billions of pounds available world wide and easier financial regulations they are snapping up struggling and failed businesses with an eye to big profits ahead.

Altogether a sad story. But that's business, and life today.

Monday 2 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Monday 2 November

Scooting around!

What a change of lifestyle - again.  I am almost independent once more.

When  I came  back to Sunrise I wondered how I would manage to get around the flat with my booted broken ankle and the weakness after three weeks in bed.

It has been a struggle. Using my hospital walking aid I at first shuffled along a foot or so at a time. Slow and painful going. 

Then, yesterday, I realised I had my own transport - my scooter sitting in the corner. Problem solved.

Carers reorganised some of the furniture to make space.

Now, sitting comfortably, I can move effortlessly around the flat.

I can drive into the bedroom and bathroom - I can now shave myself, sitting down, and this morning I managed my first shower.

Now, able to  reach everything I need without calling for help I feel much freer - and happier.

I am sleeping well, enjoying the meals brought to my room and, even better. being able to chat, even if briefly, with the carers.

I think I shall have to stay in my room for another week or so but that is no hardship.

I made the right choice with my Turret suite and am getting back to a more normal life. I am so fortunate. 

Sunday 1 November 2020

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 1 November

The continuous scrutiny of how countries are dealing with the second wave is proving pointless. Most countries in Europe are in the same plight as, or even worse than, the UK. France, Spain and even Germany, lauded for its success so far, are again under serious threat with strict new lockdowns. 

The global position is intriguing and mystifying with far east countries more successful. The reason appears to be the preparations made for such an epidemic and the successful tracing system. New Zealand and Australia have had a different approach with Melbourne enduring the heaviest restrictions, which after many months appears to be paying off.

As for Britain, it is muddle and hope as usual with Mr Johnson reluctantly and belatedly introducing a new lockdown for England. The pick and mix policy of the UK nations is not helping or giving the public confidence. The emphasis on Christmas is adding to the worry and frustration. Important, yes, but not important enough to risk many thousands more cases and more deaths Christmas is our latest obsession and that is ridiculous. 

Politically, Mr Johnson is struggling, again failing to offer bold leadership and being out-thought and outflanked by Keir Starmer, who has consistently argued for a new lockdown. The next few weeks will be critical in the campaign against Covid. What is different?