This morning after Qi Gong, I headed into town to collect a hire car for 3 days. The hire car is to allow me to get around quicker – between the flat and boat, get to the Recycle Centre and get to B&Q. With the tenants moving in on Saturday I am doing the final bits and pieces on the flat over the next couple of days.
On the way to the city centre I spotted some new Covid related signs.
This next one is interesting as it’s the first I’ve seen that says it will open on 26th April, which is when non-essential shops will open.
On the way to collect the hire car, I wanted a pee, so went into the bus station, which was very quiet. I saw these signs –
St. Andrews Square had this sign, which I guess comes from everyone being out in the sun drinking alcohol last week?
I had planned to park the hire car in the free (secret) parking near the boat to do some work, however, there was no spaces. So I picked up Honey the Dog and drove to the flat, spending the day doing work there.
On Easter Road I spotted that Bakers Oven has transformed their shop front for lockdown restrictions.
This evening, I met Danny on Musselburgh beach to take Honey for a walk. We also filled the empty paint pots I have with sand, to take them to the recycle centre – they need to have sand or earth in them!
Things We No Longer Use / Do
So far I have looked at – Kilts (Day 300), Irons (Day 301), Suit and Tie (Day 302), Passports (Day 303), Massive Travel Delays (Day 304), Clothes (Day 305) High Heels (Day 311), Taxis (Day 312), A Random Snog in a Nightclub (Day 313), Karaoke Clubs (Day 314), Cash (Day 315), Handshake (Day 316), Head Lice (nit comb and medicated shampoo) (Day 317), Pinworm Infections (Day 318), Offering to take someone’s photo (Day 319), Overnight Suitcase (Day 342), Perfume (Day 343), Shaving Products, for men (Day 344), Birthday Candles (Day 347), nipping into a shop without queuing (Day 349), rucksacks (Day 357), Pre-Treatment Washing Products (Day 359), Handbags (Day 361) and School Uniforms (Day 362).
Following Gez’s suggestion that appeared in yesterday’s Readers Corner (Day 363), today I am looking at Birthday Cakes.
I looked at Birthday Candles on Day 347 but not Birthday Cakes.
This article (October 2020) doesn’t focus specifically on Birthday Cakes, but on cakes in general – https://bakeryinfo.co.uk/finished-goods-reports/how-has-coronavirus-affected-the-uk-cake-market/649728.article
There’s been a decline in Danish Pastries, Meringues and cake portions – but a boom in whole cakes, muffins and swiss roll. They put this down to families being at home more and been given more “treats”.
There’s been a 25% decline in purchases of cakes baked in store, which is due to home-baking booming!
This article (June 2020) describes that small Birthday Cake sales have increased, but larger cakes have decreased – https://www.angesdesucre.com/blogs/anges-de-sucre/how-the-pandemic-has-changed-our-bakery-business
This article (March 2021) talks about how the pandemic has destroyed Birthday Parties, but sadly I don’t subscribe so can’t read it – https://www.economist.com/1843/2021/03/19/globalisation-created-birthday-parties-the-pandemic-killed-them
Going on my friends who do virtual magic shows, I don’t think the Birthday Parties have died due to the pandemic, they have just become virtual. Birthday Parties are adapting and evolving, like many things over the last year.
As I come to the end of this blog, I am super tired!
I couldn’t work out why tomorrow falls on Day 365, and not Day 364 which would make sense as I have been harping on from the start that Day 1 is 24th March, not 23rd March! But I think I’ve lost a day somewhere along the way, I will have to look through the whole year and try and work out where that happened.
It’s been colder today, but not sure of the details of the weather as I was in my flat most of the day, don’t think it rained.
Jim x
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