Lockdown starts gloomy... outside at least

I noted, a few days ago, that the inclement weather and the generally sodden nature of the countryside offered a challenge in the then circumstances of Tier 4 restrictions. Well, the national lockdown makes things a bit more trying, especially when you're restricted to a limited number of grounds for going outside.

It therefore shouldn't have come as a huge surprise that day one of the new lockdown dawned cold, grey, wet and windy. Luckily, we needed bread and milk, which at least gave me an excuse to walk the more than four miles to and from the Co-op at Stowupland. It isn't as close as Tesco cross country, but given that the footpaths, especially across fields, are a morass, it's a less perilous walk, especially given that it consists of a little used single track road with relatively good sight lines and then pavement along the A1120 (which, frankly, isn't that busy either). The alternative means dicing with the HGV's that journey to and from the concrete products factory to the A14 - I think not.

And the exercise is not only good for me, but the journey requires almost exactly 10,000 steps (and yes, I'm still doing them every day) and, whilst the cold and wet is a bit grim, I can listen to music and think about whatever needs thinking about as I meander across the gently rolling landscape.

I got back to find that Ros's bread baking effort had been rather more successful than she had originally feared, but on days like this, a nice piece of toast never goes amiss...

If only the Government would actually follow the science more closely...

And so, we're back in lockdown again, just as we were in March. The problem is that, given the mixed messages and failure to set an example at the top, the public willingness to adhere to the letter of the guidance is fragile at best.

Walking in Needham Market at the weekend, it was noticeable that people aren't allowing others the required two metre separation, that people are passing each other in narrow spaces without masks, and that multiple households are meeting. Whilst I don't take the view that draconian enforcement is appropriate, the seeming lack of self-awareness is problematic.

You may not care about the rules, but you really ought to respect those who intend to adhere to them, and might have very good reason for doing so. I take the view that, by keeping myself at a safe distance, I am less likely to become a burden to an already hard-pressed National Health Service. There are, quite evidently, plenty of people whose need for treatment is urgent and they don't need me taking unnecessary risks.

The guidance on outdoor recreation and exercise is going to be a bit tougher this time. March and April were dry and bright last year, which made walking rather more tempting, and with longer days, you could at least dodge any inclement weather that might come along. Now, the local footpaths are a morass of mud following persistent and heavy rain, the sun sets at 4 and the single track roads that lead out of the village are not recommended to pedestrians after dark. We will persist, however.

What I do begrudge though is the Government's failure to react in a timely manner to the advice that they're being given. With the Prime Minister unwilling to do or say anything that might be unpopular unless forced to, and his persistently annoying tendency to over promise and underdeliver - why does he keep offering up timetables for a return to normality that are never going to be met? - I sense that every surge is worse than it might have been and the restrictions more burdensome.

That tendency to overpromise has impacted on the vaccination programme too. The initial indication was that I might reasonably expect to be vaccinated in May. To be honest, I now don't expect to be vaccinated until the Autumn, if then. I'll wait my turn patiently - what else is there to do? - but if you keep raising people's hopes and expectations, you shouldn't be surprised if they respond badly to the subsequent disappointment.

Indeed, can you really trust this Government not to mess up the vaccination programme?

Ah well, at least work carries on regardless...