For Mum

Today is 30 years to the day since my mum died. Her favourite flowers were yellow roses and I normally buy some on her birthday, but I thought I’d recognise the anniversary this year. It might be 30 years, but I still know what she’d have thought about different topics. Her only ambition for her children was that they were happy, the perfect life goal. 

Another warm, sunny day with a max temperature of 19.3C and another day of chilling in the garden. Whilst I was sad to hear Ash Barty retire and not see her play again, good for her realising it was ‘time to chase other dreams’. 

Day 737 / Day 28 of no Legal Covid Requirements in England (for my record only)
2 years ago today we went into the first national lockdown, something that seemed unlikely in a democratic country even a couple of months beforehand. There will be a memorial concert in St Paul’s tonight and people are encouraged to put a light in their window at 8pm or some flowers. The WHO said today that   there’s ‘still an awful lot of people getting sick and dying’ and that people must continue to have ‘easy access’ to testing. 

More data was released last night on coronavirus deaths from Mar 20 to Dec 21 in Eng and Wales. There were 133,623 more excess deaths that the previous 5 year average. Over 3 in 5 of these were men. Over a third of the excess deaths were in Apr 20, with a smaller peak in Jan 21. London was the worst affected region, with Newham, Brent and Hackney recording 30% more deaths that usual. Barnsley in Yorkshire was the worst affected place outside London. Excess deaths as a percentage increase on normal were highest in the 40-59 age group. There were fewer non-Covid deaths in hospitals, care homes and hospices, but this was matched by the increase in deaths at home.