Saturday 22 May:

We’re currently living in ‘house-move limbo land’.
Things seem to be progressing well as far as our solicitor is concerned – although we’re still currently awaiting details from the vendors’ solicitor (outlining the various management charges and maintenance schedules etc). But the crucial element is the forthcoming building survey of number40 (due to be undertaken on Thursday 27^th). We’re only too aware of the key areas on the house that require expenditure… damp-proofing of basement loo/steps; kitchen extension insulation+heating; and roof insulation etc. But the list is pretty long and I have absolutely no doubt that the surveyor will have a field day in listing every defect of our 170+ year house! We’ve not tried to hide any of the defects AND we’ve undertaken an awful lot of improvements over the past 18 years… but we have an obvious fear that our ‘buyer’ will be frightened away (there may be mortgage implications too?). Moira and I both anticipated having to reduce the price of the house in the impending negotiating process following the survey. Moira sees this as a fairly modest price adjustment, whereas I see it as a potentially fairly hefty amount. I just hope that there’ll be an opportunity to negotiate sensibly with our prospective purchaser (either through Laurence or directly).
We ended up agreeing a price of £375K for Deanery Road (although things might crop up that mean we try to negotiate a slightly lower figure?). The good news is that the Deanery Road price is slightly less than the price we thought we might have to pay in order to find a suitable apartment (we’ve accepted an offer of £495K for number40). In our airy-fairy way, we’d aimed at securing a £75K price difference… and, as things stand, this price difference is currently some £120K. In order words, in theory (and on the basis of our back-of-an-envelope assessment), we might be able to allow a £45K reduction on number40 and still achieve our financial ‘objective’.
So, the next week feels hugely significant (and, frankly, incredibly stressful!).
I’m glad that Moira and I have each other to help keep our emotions in perspective… but it’s a critical and somewhat worrying phase.
Fingers crossed.
Image: old number40 logo… 

Saturday 15 May:

I’m posting this just a week after my last ‘reflection’ comments.
Yes, it’s still very early days in the process, but we’ve now had our offer for a two-bed apartment in Deanery Road (in the heart of the city centre – less than 100m from the cathedral and a two minute walk to the harbourside).
The diary of ‘events’ has been pretty incredible:
Friday 30 April: our house went on the market.
Thursday 6 May: we accepted an offer of £495K (the asking price) from a prospective buyer (he had £175K cash and needed a mortgage for the remainder; no chain).
Saturday 8 May: we viewed the Deanery Road apartment and put in offer later that afternoon for £365K (asking price £375K).
Monday 10 May: two other parties had put in offers for Deanery Road; we ended up increasing ours to the asking price (no chain involved).
Tuesday 11 May: our offer was duly accepted!
So, once again (with fingers firmly crossed – because we all know how easily these things fall down!), it seems that the Broadways have bought and sold their homes in ridiculously short time. I seem to recall us selling Percy Street within a matter of days (certainly less than a week); Windmill Road the same (the man who owned the High Street bakery bought it); Kings Road was sold quickly too… and we also managed to buy Mount Pleasant Terrace without fuss.
But, we’re left feeling as if we’re living in a world of uncertainty… plans all falling into place and yet which could collapse at any time. We’ll know more after the building survey on MPT on 27 May. Anxious times!
Image: Estate Agent’s photograph of Deanery Road (the decoration/lights/pictures probably put off most punters!). 

Friday 7 May:

We’re currently in a strange limbo land. The house went on the market a week ago (30 April). There have been perhaps five groups of viewers since then and , yesterday, we learnt that one of them (George Burgess) has put in an offer for the asking price (£495K), subject to full building survey. This obviously represents excellent news… (I’d convinced myself that no one would be interested in what is effectively a 2-bed house for that sort of price).
But I’m also very conscious that this represents just a small (albeit significant) step in the process… there are bound to be frustrations and irritations ahead… an emotional roller-coaster… preparing ourselves for inevitable bumps in the road.
I have absolutely no doubt that the building survey will reveal a long list of items requiring action (we’re only too aware of them ourselves – waterproofing/upgrading basement loo and ceiling; insulation/heating to kitchen plus a whole list of incidental things). We’ve not tried to hide the building’s deficiencies… and it’s therefore reflected in the price (even if we regard house prices as something akin to Monopoly money!).
By the same token, we’re also aware that we need to start the process of finding somewhere to move to. Although we have specific ‘search criteria’ (2-bed apartment within easy reach of harbourside and, ideally, Southville), our budget is limited… maybe £375K?
Will there be ‘chains’ involved? ‘George’ doesn’t have to sell a property and is able to move at a pace to suit us. What about the place(s) we ended up targeting?
We always knew this was going to be a time of continuing uncertainty… living with uncertainty is the one thing the pandemic has taught us!
I’m conscious that Moira and I will need to remain positive and smiling (and as relaxed as possible) during it all. It’s going to be difficult, but we’ve just got to be prepared to let things happen/go with the flow. I know it’s much easier to say these things than to actually implement them, but we just need to keep reminding ourselves that this is what we NEED to do!
Image: one of the Estate Agent’s photographs of our house details!

Thursday 5 November:

So, the first day of ‘Lockdown2’ – which, mirroring the amazing weather we had at the start of the first Lockdown, turned out to be a beautiful, bright, sunny day. But, somehow, it felt rather different… as I set out for my daily dawn walk, the traffic along Coronation Road was just as busy as usual.
People are obviously far more prepared than last time… shops are far more organised; people are aware of the social distancing rules; face-masks are everyone’s ‘fashion accessory’. But, for some individuals, there’s also a strong sense of “we’ve had enough of this… we don’t care anymore… and, anyway, the ‘rules’ keep being changed and we can’t keep up”.
We always KNEW that, at some stage, the government would end up blaming the population at large for its inability to deal with the pandemic. So it came as absolutely no surprise when today Justice Minister Mr Buckland announced that it was all OUR fault! He remarkably managed to forget all those mixed messages the government had been pumping out for the past several months (‘stay home’/’go back to work’/’back to business’/’act fearlessly’/’world-beating test+trace’/’following the science’/‘turning a blind eye to the science’… and, of course, it was perfectly ok for certain ‘key’ individuals (like Mr Cummings) to ignore the rules. What a huge surprise… the second wave was nothing to do with the government.    
Mr Buckland calmly (but firmly!) acknowledged that it would be a “huge challenge to get the public to follow the strict rules this time”. Damn right it will be! After all the government’s mismanagement of the crisis over the past eight months this felt something of an understatement!
Will the four-week national lockdown in England be ‘successful’? We seem to be living in a strange world of mass national immaturity… in which people seem ready to support the notion that they don’t wish to harm anyone (particularly us oldies!) and yet acting socially as if all the graphs were not going in the wrong direction.
Professor Devi Sidhar seemed to sum up the thoughts of several health experts when she declared: “The UK government’s decision to delay a national lockdown in the hope that this would be easier on the economy defies reality: delaying action has led only to a longer, harsher lockdown. It can feel as though, confronted with this paradox and exhausted by the months of work that lie ahead, the governments is close to giving up without a clear plan or strategy for how to survive in a Covid-19 world”.
I can’t really understand why, after eight months, our so-called Test+Trace system (despite all the government’s initial claims that it was ‘world-beating’!) has been so appallingly inadequate. In my naive head, surely until there’s a REALLY effective, efficient Test+Trace system (which more or less gives instant results) and unless quarantine procedures are PROPERLY followed, then we’ll be back here again quite soon?
Image: pigeons getting into line (lockdown?) on the steam crane.

Wednesday 28 October:

Further reflections on Covid-19… One thing I’ve become increasingly aware of over recent days/weeks is a strange sense that we’re having to ‘tread water’ until the pandemic is either over or the vaccine becomes available… which effectively means (at least for us, having taken ‘decisions’ on a number of matters) no public transport; no cinema; no theatre; no bars; no restaurants; no cafés (unless the weather is kind and we can sit outside); no concerts; no rugby; trying to void all but the basic shopping; no church (for me); no gathering with friends (indoors); and no hugging. While we’re still meeting up with family (in small numbers and with social distancing), it’s not the quite same… and not meeting up with Iris and Rosa (for example) for bi-weekly after-school meals and the chance to chat and catch up effectively feels like we’re missing out on seeing them grow up. Missing out on a year of their lives (they’re only teenagers for a short time!) and, at the same time, us getting older (and time running out!?) feels like a double-whammy.
Meanwhile, it seems that all our local friends are going about their normal lives – going to restaurants, cafés, cinemas etc – and, with their cars, they have increased flexibility and scope for doing other things too. Meanwhile, I’m currently feeling less and less confident about driving ‘longish’ distances…
With the number of UK cases (and deaths) on a sharp increase, it feels as if a second national lockdown might become inevitable…but when? An immediate 2-3 week ‘firebreak’?  A full national lockdown immediately after Christmas/New Year?
Everything continues to be uncertain… planning ahead feels almost impossible. Jobs and the economy are struggling. Will schools remain open? Will ‘vulnerable oldies’ be instructed to self-isolate? People are already raising concerns about mental health issues…
There’s a strong sense that many people will disregard some of the ‘rules’ (why should I both sticking to the guidelines, when I have lots of friends who are ignoring them?)… and, anyway, the ‘rules’ represent government advice rather than a legally-binding ban. The police won’t be able to cope and the worse it gets, the more difficult it becomes to enforce.
It’s going to be a very long, hard Winter for an awful lot of people.
 
From the Independent 24 October:
Can I travel from tiers 1 and 2 to tier 3?
The government is advising against people travelling to a “Very High Alert”, or tier 3, area.  
“You should avoid travelling to any part of the country subject to very high local Covid alert levels,” it says on the website, plus you should “avoid staying overnight in a very high alert level area if you are resident elsewhere.”
It adds: “You must not stay with anyone you do not live with from a very high alert level area or visit their home.”
However, this is advice rather than a legally binding ban.
Can I travel from tier 3 to tiers 1 and 2?
The government is advising against nearly all travel for those in tier 3 areas.
“You should try to avoid travelling outside the very high alert level area you are in,” and “should avoid staying overnight in another part of the UK if you are resident in a very high alert level area,” reads the advice.  
But it does NOT say anything about what you should do if you DO travel from Tier3 to Tier1… should you go into quarantine/self-isolate for xx days? Well, no, it apparently says nothing at all - because you shouldn't have done it in the first place - but, hey, who cares about such minor details?!

Tuesday 27 October:

I’m aware that my thoughts and experiences relating to Covid are likely to change over the coming months (in my head, I’m just trying to focus on ‘getting through to March’ – on the basis that this represents a year of living in this ‘lockdown world’). So, here are some very brief, random thoughts as we approach the long dark winter days:
1. When M+I first self-isolated (18 March), the number of recorded cases that day was 676 (43 deaths). 20 April saw the highest number of daily deaths: 1,172 (compared with 23 October: 224). 21 October saw the highest number of new daily cases 26,678 (compared with 6 May: 6,111).
2. The number of weekly deaths has been steadily rising since the beginning of September (between 30-86% per week); the number of weekly deaths is currently the highest since the end of the first week in June (1,066 23 October).
3. The government were focussed on minimising the adverse effect on the economy. There’s a general perception/criticism that the government has been giving out ‘mixed messages’…“It’ll be over by Christmas” (17 July)(and if it wasn’t, it’ll all be ‘our’ fault); “Back to Business” (28 August); etc.  
4. Local lockdowns were introduced (eg. Leicester, Luton, Aberdeen at the end of July).
5. Despite government assertions to the contrary, Test+Trace measures condemned as ‘shambolic’ by health experts (9 September).
6. By the end of September, at least 45 UK universities had had confirmed cases of COVID-19 (and more than 865 cases have been identified among students and staff since universities reopened). The total number of people self-isolating has risen above 3,540.
7. By the end of September, more than 2,000 UK schools affected (with pupils/staff being sent home to self-isolate.
8. 12 October: government introduced 3-tier system of dealing with Covid; Labour had called for 2-3 week ‘firebreak’ as more effective option (transpired that government’s health experts ‘Sage’ had advised ‘firebreak’ 3 weeks earlier).
9. 23 October: Wales introduces 17-day ‘lockdown’.
10. This from the Guardian (27 October) seemed to sum up the thoughts of many: “Managing a second wave of Covid-19 in winter was always going to be a tougher proposition than imposing a blanket lockdown in March. There is mounting evidence of fatigue, confusion and resentment over localised restrictions. Frustration has been compounded by the sense that the government pays only lip service to the notion that ‘we are all in this together’”.

Saturday 17 October:

The number of coronavirus cases and deaths have sharply increased over the past month - in fact, the current daily number of cases (some 20,000) is getting on for THREE times higher than the HIGHEST daily figures from March-September (just let that sink in).
I really don’t envy ANY government in these challenging times but, thinking back to those early days back in March, when a virtual ‘lockdown’ was imposed on the entire country, people generally backed the restrictions and there was a strong sense of ‘unity in a time of crisis’. Since then, of course, the government has come under an enormous amount of criticism on a long list of matters: its slowness to react; the ill-judged/illegal actions of Dominique Cummings on his trip (or trips?) to Durham; the lack of appropriate equipment; the lack of an adequate regime for testing, tracing and isolating; issuing contracts to ‘friendly’ companies without competition; making up the rules on local lockdowns without consulting regional leaders and health authorities; universities and colleges (students/halls of residences/number of positive cases); all the mixed messages; and now ignoring the advice of its scientific advisors etc etc.
You might recall that the prime minister unveiled a plan in July to return England to “normality” by Christmas… and he also indicated that it might “be possible to move away from the social distancing measures” by November. Well, it doesn’t seem to have quite worked out like that… and, of course, Mr Johnson will claim that the reason it hasn’t is all down to US… nothing to do with him! Meanwhile, consensus has disintegrated and there’s distinct sense of “they’re making things up as they go along”… and opinion polls indicate that the public has lost confidence in the government.
Clearly, the coronavirus virus has cost the UK a HUGE amount of money over the past seven months but, for the life of me, I still can’t understand how we haven’t yet managed to come up with a reliable, speedy, efficient mass testing programme (and why aren’t people being checked for the virus on a regular basis?)?
PS: And, meanwhile, Mr Johnson is telling us we’re going to end up with a no-deal Brexit (and, of course, he’s blaming it all on the EU!).
Image: Chris Riddell’s cartoon from last Sunday’s ‘Observer’.