This morning, after Qi Gong, Honey and I headed along the canal to Harrison Park. After the wee gathering on Saturday (Day 362), Hannah found the next day that she had lost her purse. She thought she had lost it at the canal, which she had run along to go for a canoe. Although 6 days later, I suddenly realised today that I could walk along to see if anyone had left it on the side. I’m annoyed I hadn’t realised this earlier in the week, but I’ve been focused on the flat. Often people leave things they find on the towpath on the side, so I was hopeful we may find it!
It was a lovely morning for a walk!
Hannah had been on the pontoon, so Honey went over to see if she could see it. Honey always goes on the pontoon anyway!
She also insisted on looking in the water in case it was there 😉
We found some glasses attached to a notice board , but no purse 🙁
On the way back we found some small mittens and Honey decided she would try looking in the water again!
But sadly we didn’t find Hannah’s purse 🙁
This afternoon Honey and I went to the flat to do some final jobs and final bit of cleaning.
I took loads of photos and a video, but I am too tired to sort out right now. I will do this over the next few days and post here for you all too see 🙂
Then back to Discovery, which was when I realised Honey only had 10 grams of food for her breakfast. I had run out of food, the large 14kg bag lives in the shed, but I didn’t have time before Qi Gong to get some more. I had forgotten to get some more after Qi Gong. She usually has 55 grams for her breakfast – she must have been starving all day!!
Then this evening there was The Melting Pot end of the month drinks night out (on Zoom), with special guest Sam, which was super fun!
I then spent 2 hours researching and putting together an Inventory List for the flat and a checklist of things I need to tell the tenants tomorrow.
On This Day In History
A year ago today was Day 3.
Here’s some extracts from that blog
This morning, on my daily walk on Arthur’s Seat with Honey the Dog, I decided it was time to write a blog about my reflections. To get an account of some of the changes and share some other things that I have received. But instead of spending time setting up a new website/blog page, I have decided to use my Beyond Belief Magic website. I don’t have any magic work, so why not write it here!
The blog is not focusing on the doom and gloom about finances, work or the latest spread of Covid-19 that we hear/read daily on the news and social media. But just my reflections on changes I have noticed, some interesting things I have read and some fun things people have shared.
I noticed how much I love the fresh air – just being outside!! It reminded me of the film ‘Twelve Monkeys’, which I watched twice one weekend about 2 months ago. It’s about how the whole world has been virtually killed off by a virus and those still alive are living underground – with no fresh air.
It’s still available on BBC iPlayer – but if you worry about your health at the moment, maybe not the best to watch!
It’s STILL available on iPlayer a year later – https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01fhfjy/twelve-monkeys
This is what I wrote in my diary
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- Up late writing my first blog post reflecting on lockdown.
- Walk with Honey – so quiet…so still…
- Chancellor brought out package for self-employed.
- Stopped worrying about everything.
- Went to bed at 00:16.
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News Headlines from the Day
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- 8pm this evening, the whole country clapped NHS Workers.
- Chancellor offers self-employed 80% of income.
- UK death rate jumps too 100 in a day.
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Covid Cases and Deaths
Scotland
UK
WORLD
Italy
USA
Spain
Covid Cases
894
11,658
531,516
80,589
85,202
57,786
Covid Death Rate
25
578
24,062
8,215
1,290
4,365
Lockdown Restrictions Corner
Lots to include here, but I am super tired and not got the energy to research and write, so will include tomorrow or5 the next day!
Readers Corner
Helen
Helen left a comment on yesterdays blog (Day 367) saying:
“Great photos Jim! You know how sometimes when there are a few photos in a row, you can click on one and then click through all the photos in a bigger format? Would it be possible to do that for all the photos on the page, starting with the header photo?
I don’t know how I managed to miss that Guardian article last year. I’ve read it now and they also interview “Helen who lives on a boat”. Is that the same Helen who is your neighbour now? Did there ever come any comprehensive financial support for the self-employed? I know you applied for a grant at some point. Have you had to piece together bits of financial aid as well as finding and creating new sources of income?
I’m enjoying the look back at this time last year. I remember the spectacular photos of the yellow gorse on Arthur’s Seat that you shared last year. I’m looking forward to seeing them again and new photos from this year.
It’s crazy seeing the Covid numbers from a year ago. I can’t help thinking that all this could have been contained early on and we could have avoided all that we’ve been through over the last year, and are still going through. But maybe that’s not how global, highly infectious, virus pandemics work? I’ve seen some people suggest that the numbers should have started counting from zero again at new year. Maybe that will happen once enough people have been vaccinated and we stop seeing “waves”?”.
Thanks for all your thoughts Helen. The photos enlarge when I create them in a ‘Gallery’, If I just put one photo in ‘gallery’ format, it ends up really large in the main blog, but can add the photos to others and it will be fine. But you will only be able to scroll through the ones in the ‘gallery’, which means if there is more than one gallery, all the photos won’t scroll together, if that makes sense?
I like the idea of putting the blog cover photo at the start of the blog in ‘Gallery’, but I can’t just put the one photo as it gets too large. However, I always take multiple shots for the blog cover photo, choose the best one and delete the others. But I will now include them all at the start of the blog in gallery (which I’ve done today). For some strange reason iOS photos in the ‘blog cover photo’ gets the top and bottom chopped off, where as Android photos don’t do this. I have an iPhone, which is why the blog cover photo is always in landscape, as more gets cut off in portrait! But often the photos have great reflections and you can’t see that – so, thanks for suggesting I post the full photo at the start of the blog
The government provided the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, which was 80% of average monthly profits over 3 years – this was for 1 grant, paid in 3 month bulk, then the second round was just 70% (they had originally proposed just 10%!!!!), and third round back to 80%. The fourth round can be applied for in April 2021, which is also 80%. They missed paying 3 months all together.
I choose not to discuss my financial situation in the blog, as I am trying to stay away from the “doom and gloom” of the pandemic, but I did get some payment from the Self Employment Income Support Scheme. I am happy to chat to you more privately about this, or anyone else, for that matter!
I agree that it is crazy how little the cases were a year ago, especially in the UK. It’s interesting looking back at the history a year ago!
Matt
Matt left a Facebook comment on yesterdays blog (Day 367) saying:
“Great photo!”.
Thanks Matt – it seems that everyone has enjoyed those photos! Hannah is great at noticing a great photo, so although I took these photos, I did it when I spotted her taking a photo of a certain view 😉
Maverick
Maverick left a comment on yesterdays blog (Day 367) saying:
“Can’t believe you’ve been discovering new areas on Arthur’ Seat! I thought you had been everywhere already!
I thought I knew my city by heart as well it but thanks to the pandemic I explored new paths and new green spaces/woods!”.
I thought I had explored the whole of Arthur’s Seat too – but it is a big area!
Theo
Theo left a Facebook comment on yesterdays blog (Day 367) saying:
“You’re all so cute XX”.
Thanks Theo – whose the cutest !!
As I come to the end of this blog, it’s been a tiring week – I’m exhausted! Although tomorrow is Saturday and usually my “day of rest”, I won’t be resting 🙁
I’m meeting the tenants at my flat at 10am tomorrow morning to give them the keys, etc…Then I am heading to Portobello to walk Honey and head to Robin’s to pick up a print out for tomorrow evening’s Zoom Ceilidh (I don’t own a printer). I am performing at it as ‘Jim NOT the Magician’, reading some of poetry. I am also doing ‘Tech’ at the event, which is why I need the print out. Tickets are still available – http://www.ceilidhcollective.org
Then tomorrow evening I have the event. Sunday will be my day of rest.
Tomorrow is also my official 1 year anniversary of writing the blog!!! Although a year ago today I started the blog, I missed a day somewhere in September 2020 when I was putting together the VLOG when I was in Canna.
Today the weather has been a mixture of blue skies and sunshine, then heavy rain and hail. This evening it is quite windy.
Hope you’ve had a restful week.
Stay Safe!
Jim x
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