Crossword

I had a bit of a brainwave over the weekend and subscribed to a print copy of our local newspaper.  When I sat down this morning to read the first delivery it felt soooooooo good to be able to hold the paper, physically turn the pages and to have a substantial area to let my eyes wander over.  So very different to a little 2" x 4" screen.  And the bonus - the ol' cryptic crossword near the back.  I'm a bit rusty but it was great to enjoy my afternoon cuppa whilst cracking out a few clues.  I had intended heading to Golden Bay today and even started packing the van.  A message from F asking if I would be home early afternoon gave me an excuse to slow down a bit and by the time we'd finished what needed to be done I'd decided that tomorrow would be departure day.  Watching the weather forecast this evening though has tipped that decision over to a cancellation :(   Wet and windy weather isn't my idea of a relaxing few days in my paradise place!

In COVID news, there were 147 new community cases reported today.  81 people are in hospital and 11 in ICU........those critical numbers are slowly but surely rising.  Sadly, another death was reported today too.  

On the vaccination front, nationally, 89% of eligible people have received their first dose and 79% of eligibles their second.  It sounds so close to the magical 90% level but realistically, there are still over four hundred thousand people who will need to be vaccinated to get us over the line.  The long wait will mean plenty of time for crosswords I guess ;)