On the towpath.

We met up for a walk with our older son and his fiancé; they wanted to go somewhere gritted and snow free, so this was the result. Quite a few families out walking. We’d flask coffee back at their car; it was welcome. And so was the butchers steak pie (for New Year) that he’d collected for us.

Watched some politics. And current affairs. A tale of two Parliaments and Covid. Followed the debate and vote at Holyrood on post-Brexit trade deal with EU - Scottish Parliament voted 92-30 to refuse consent for the deal; (the Scottish Tories were 30). At Westminster it passed 521-73; Tories and Labour united behind the deal, SNP, Plaid Cymru etc and Liberals voted against. MHRA confirm Astra Zeneca vaccine is acceptable - that’s good news as cases climb. More S gene variants are noted in Scotland, 2000 new cases today. More of Northern England is also shifted to Tier 4 (now 3/4 of population); over 43,500 cases (size of a town!), and almost 1000 deaths in England today. Much of their NHS is in crisis I gather, places short of oxygen, staff exhausted. I find it unbelievable they’ve not opted for a complete lockdown.

Snow is forecast again.