Paint and walnuts

Went down the local decorators shop to get paint and sundries so we can begin to paint the house interior. Needed some anti-smoke salt solution where wood smoke has marked the walls.

Then stopped at the fabbro (blacksmith/metalsmith). He popped up to take measurements for some internal railing.

Picked and stacked under cover the wood I’ve been felling and logging up.

Later took down four of our too-closely-planted walnut trees. Quite tricky to get them to fall through the limited space between the other trees.

Headed up over the pass as the skies darkened. Temp dropped 7C over 500m climb. Snow swirling around but thankfully not like yesterday.

Is it worth worrying about the Coronavirus?

I guess that question is answered in part by proximity to individual and hotspot occurrences. As things sell out - like hand gel and masks - and as reported cases creep closer it is hard not to take notice. At what point do you stop shaking hands - a very common thing in Italy. At what point do you decide cancelling travel or a visit to the hairdresser are wise precautions? The Boss reports that her Florence salon was very quiet and a woman who presented with a cough was firmly told to go away and get tested before coming back. At what point do you decide to retreat to isolation or act in solidarity with the vulnerable and ill.

Planning and thinking ahead is much more important than worrying. Here’s a list of things Ive thought about getting other than food and drink: hand gel, surgical masks (only useful if you think you or dear ones have the virus), normal meds for flu pain relief, other meds for existing conditions, single use latex gloves, disinfectant, tissues and stronger paper handkerchiefs, an elbow to sneeze into and a shoulder to cry on.

I’ve often thought of the villagers of Eyam in Derbyshire who tried to contain the plague in 1665. It was a very different type of illness. Roy Bayley sings the song here https://youtu.be/U6f734MDffs