Sometimes the truth is funny

A man died and went to heaven.
As he stood in front of St Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked,
"What are all those clocks?"
St Peter answered, "Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on earth has a Lie Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move."
"Oh," said the man, "Whose clock is that?"
"That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie."
"Incredible," said the man. "Whose is that clock?" pointing to the next one on the wall.
"That's Abraham Lincoln's clock. The hands have only moved twice, telling us Abe told two lies in his entire life."
"Wow!.. So Where's Boris Johnson's  clock ?
"His clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan."

Fiesta update

Message from the Mayor - Teresa María Belmonte Sánchez:

It is a tradition in the town of Bigastro to celebrate the patron saint festivities in honor of San Joaquín during the days close to August 16. A tradition that has filled the residents of our town with joy and satisfaction for 227 years.

Every year, the town of Bigastro dresses up and celebrates the devotion to its patron saint with a program of cultural and religious activities that are part of the hallmarks of Bigastrenses.

For months, our nation and the entire world has been experiencing an unprecedented health crisis that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and affected millions of human beings. A crisis that today is still latent and evolving negatively despite the prevention and health security measures that the authorities have implemented.

In the current situation, in which we are aware of hundreds of new cases of daily infections throughout the national territory and especially in relation to the area of ​​influence of the Department of Health of the Vega Baja, it is necessary to take exceptional measures to protect the health of Bigastro's neighbors.

The current conditions of mobility of the population, which allows free movement throughout the territory, make it even more necessary to take preventive measures to prevent the spread of infections in our municipality.

The current safety and hygiene standards published by the competent health authority and which are mandatory for the entire population, require the mandatory use of protective masks, prohibit the celebration of acts of worship in the open air and limit the number of people who they can focus on public and private events.

Given the regulatory scenario described and in application of the principle of prudence, it is necessary to avoid the mass concentration of people who suppose the celebration of the typical public acts of the Patron Saint Festival in honor of San Joaquín.

With great regret I am forced to suspend the celebration of the patron saint festivities during this year for all the above and with the awareness that the measures to be adopted are not desirable, but necessary for the protection of the health of the residents of our town. , and with the hope that next year we will be able to carry out the celebration of the patron saint festivities that are the emblem and pride of our people.

During the last weeks, the festivities council, together with the festive commission, the San Joaquin brotherhood, the parish and the SUMB, have been preparing a program of events adapted to the norms. A program that we must suspend due to prudence.
I thank all of them for their effort and work despite the difficulties involved in carrying it out with the necessary security measures.

With my best wishes for health and happiness to the residents of Bigastro, receive a cordial and affectionate greeting.

Viva Bigastro and Viva San Joaquín

From today

From today, people in England will be required to wear a face mask in shops. The confusion which I wrote about has now been cleared up.

Unless you are in a restaurant, bar or cafe that has seated accommodation, you must wear a mask in food outlets. And of course, you must wear a mask in ALL shops, banks, Post Offices etc.

Here in Valencia, it is simple. Only when you are seated in a bar, restaurant etc, actually eating or drinking can you remove your mask. In all other situations, in shops, banks and in the street, you are obliged to wear a mask. You don't need to wear a mask when you are sat or lying on the beach, taking exercise or swimming but you must wear one on the way to the beach and back including if you go to buy a drink or food.

I know from some of our friends in England that they are not happy about the idea of wearing a mask The plan was to make people feel more secure about going out but in some cases that may have backfired. Some have told us that they will no longer go out to shops if it means wearing a mask.

We know that a mask does not protect you from picking up the virus but it does limit the possibility of you transmitting the virus to others. In other words, masks are only effective if everyone wears them. Your mask protects me and mine protects you.

People with breathing difficulties or other medical conditions that would make wearing a mask difficult are exempt both here in Spain and in the UK.

I read a comment this morning from a reader in one of the UK papers saying that he was NOT going to wear a mask and if challenged would claim he had a medical reason to be exempt. You can imagine the response he got from other readers.

Let's face it, masks are not the most comfortable things to wear and are a nuisance to those of us who wear glasses. However, if they help to limit the spread of this awful virus and reduce the number of people dying, then we will put up with them. It was the same when the law required people to wear seat belts in cars; there were people who objected. It should not take the threat of a fine to make people do the right thing. 

The band returns

Just to clarify

Councillor Barceló added that the use of the masks will be mandatory even on the terraces of the bar/restaurant premises when not eating or drinking and said that the fact that we sit at a table on a terrace does not mean that we should not wear masks. She stressed that its use is also recommended in private, open or closed spaces, where the social distancing cannot be guaranteed or in company of those who are not from the same household.

To avoid confusion the mask should cover the nose, mouth and include the chin but not all masks will be authorised, only hygienic and surgical masks can be used. The masks with the exhalation valve are prohibited.

Important - take note!

The Minister of Health, Ana Barceló has announced this noon the mandatory use of a mask in outdoor spaces, closed spaces for public use or open to the public  from today throughout the Valencian Community, regardless of whether you are maintaining a safe distance or not

Barceló says that infections are quadrupling in the age range between 20 and 40 years, as a result of private parties and not maintaining security measures during nightlife. This population group does not usually present symptoms, which leads them to a false sense of security and to the relaxation of preventive measures. Barceló has reported that there are 20 active outbreaks in the region, "which are being followed up so that they remain locked down."

The increase in cases has led the Ministry to take this measure and decide on the mandatory use of the mask, which will take effect from today when the order of the Ministry of Health is published, both on public roads and in outdoor spaces, except in swimming pools, beaches and natural spaces as well as in hotels and restaurants while consuming food and beverages. It will not be compulsory for people who carry out physical activity and people with respiratory problems or in other cases of dependency or disability.

In the Vega Baja, the Ministry of Health has confirmed in the last ten days four new cases of COVID-19 infection, one case in the Orihuela Health Department and three in the Torrevieja Department.

Can you help me?

The UK Government has belatedly decided that wearing face masks in public is a good idea. The aim is to restore confidence and get people spending money again in shops etc. The problem is that their announcements are confusing and yet again, they are giving out mixed messages.

Michael Gove said that wearing a mask should be a matter of courtesy and was then photographed without one on his trip to pick up a take away breakfast. Others, visiting the same take away, were wearing their masks.  Who was right?

Matt Hancock, who had previously made no distinction between shops and take away food outlets felt it necessary to back track on his statement. He now excludes take away outlets from the rule.

I hope I have got this right; if you are going to a  proper shop e.g. a supermarket, you must wear a mask. If you fail to do so, the shop keeper or assistant can call the police who could decide to fine you £100. However, if you are a Government Minister going to Pret a Manger to pick up your take away breakfast, you don't need to wear a mask.

OK, we need to be clear. For the benefit of lesser mortals, am I right in assuming that a humble fish and chip shop would be classed the same as an upmarket take away? What about going into the newsagent to pick up my copy of the Sun and a packet of Woodbines or to the chemist to buy “something for the weekend”?

Can you see where I am going here? We need to know if what you are buying or the time you spend in the premises are the deciding factors.

Michael Gove might not be phased by a £100 fine but the majority of the country would struggle to pay such an amount. 

Confused.com?

In 2016, the British people were told that leaving the EU would be the simplest deal to conclude. Leaving would bring rich rewards beyond everyone's dreams. Not only would the country regain its sovereignty, it would be free to negotiate fantastic deals with countries outside of Europe (including China). Oh and by the way, there would be £350m per week for the NHS,

Now we know that none of that is true. So far Brexit has cost the country over £130 billion which is more than the total payments made to the EU over the past 47 years. Worse still, that sum is expected to rise to £200 billion by the time Britain leaves.

Apart from intangible notion of regaining control, has anyone actually told us what the enormous benefits of Brexit will be that make spending such an eye watering sum worth it?

The British public were repeatedly told that a NO DEAL BREXIT was not on the cards, that Britain would negotiate a  free trade deal  with zero tariffs, zero paperwork - no need for a border between the mainland and Northern Ireland because the EU would blink first during negotiations. Now talk is of an Australian style deal in January which is a clever way of saying NO DEAL.

We now know that any hope of  fantastic deals with China are off the table because of  the U turn made on allowing HuaWei to supply components for the 5G network. It took the threat of a rebellion of back benchers, sufficient to overturn the 80 majority, to bring that about.

Turning away from Brexit, let's consider the response to coronavirus.

The initial plan was to do nothing. Let the virus spread so that a “herd immunity” would build up. Of course there would be deaths but they would be among the vulnerable and the elderly so a saving on pensions and benefits as a bonus.

Because of government cuts to the NHS budget, there were insufficient supplies of test kits. The result was that elderly patients were sent back from hospitals to care homes without testing. Not surprisingly, many were carrying the infection which they then spread to others resulting in an unacceptably high death rate.

Test and trace had to be abandoned because of insufficient supplies, meaning there was no way of knowing how the virus was spreading.

In spite of a ready made tracking app being available, the UK government decided to spend over £100m developing its own app that turned out to be a failure. No matter, change the slogan from Track, Test and Trace to just Test and Trace.

Many countries applied lockdown during the early stages of the pandemic but not Britain. The rules  in Spain for example have been clear from the start. In Britain, you could go out to exercise once a day for as long as you wanted and as far from your home as you pleased. You could even go out and sunbathe. It was acceptable to leave your home and go for a drive to test your eyesight but only if you were a special adviser.

In March the wearing of face masks was not only a waste of time but counter productive. A few months on and it is obligatory to wear face masks on public transport and will soon be obligatory in shops.

Almost weekly, the messages change. Is it any wonder that Michael Gove says something different to Boris Johnson and both say something different to Matt Hancock.

Whatever you do in Britain, don't make plans for the future because things could all change before they come to fruition. 

Check out your town

Dave Frazier, who lives on the other side of our estate,  has kindly sent me this link to a site that shows the statistics for coronavirus in the Valencia region.

coronavirus.san.gva.es/estadisticas

As Dave says, "Although we still seem to be reasonably okay here in Bigastro I know from a friend who is a practising doctor in Albatera that virus numbers are again on the increase and from today she is advising we wear a mask at all times when out and to carry some type of sanitary gel purely as a precaution ......... some people are becoming complacent and are not following the rules."

That is so true. When we were in the early stages of lockdown, everyone you saw in street wore a mask. They would queue outside shops at a 2m distance. People were taking the threat seriously.

Now there are more people in the streets but fewer of them are wearing masks. The young seem to have adopted wearing their masks on their elbows as a kind of fashion statement. Good to see them with a mask but placed on your elbow, it will do nothing to protect anyone.

We need to remind ourselves, coronavirus numbers may be dropping but it has not gone away. The way it spreads is by transmission - give it the means to pass on from person to person and it will soon come back in a second wave. 

Social distancing

Did Boris Johnson really believe that people would observe social distancing once the pubs were reopened?  In village pubs it may have worked but it was clear that in city centres rules were going to be ignored. To be fair, with the number of people out, it would have been impossible to stay 1m apart let alone 2.

If the lack of social distancing was the only issue that would be bad enough but as the night rolled on  scenes of carnage  in places like Leeds, London, Newcastle etc became the norm.  

A cash crop

The Civil Guard from Jacarilla discovered this cannabis plantation in a courtyard in Bigastro. In total there were 24 plants along with 926gms of buds worth 4,722 Euros.

Caution still required

 Although the State of Alarm has now ended, we are reminded that coronavirus is not yet beaten and so we must remain vigilant.

Name that mountain

On a clear day, mountains in the far distance become visible.

Parks open

Playgrounds are now open in Bigastro. The opening hours will be normal, i.e. from 09.00am to midnight. Every day, at 07:30, before the opening of these spaces, municipal disinfection tasks will be carried out.

This is really good news. We are used to seeing the main park full of children playing, especially in the cooler hours of the evening. They must have missed this opportunity to meet friends and let off a bit of steam and I'll bet their parents are glad to get them outside for awhile. 

The madness continues

From today, passengers travelling to the UK are expected to quarantine for 14 days at an address they provide. However, the Home Office say the system will be unworkable.

There are no means for the Border Force to check if the details you give are correct. If the details are obviously false e.g. you give your name as Boris Johnson then they can ask you to correct the details otherwise you will just pass through. Those that haven't filled in a form will be asked to do so on a tablet. Problem is, there is only one tablet available at each border point.

Once you have cleared the check, you are then free to go. You can travel by public transport, go to a supermarket or even the beach on your way to your designated address.

Chances of anyone checking if you have actually quarantined are slim to say the least and if you gave a mobile phone number as your contact, you could be anywhere.

If all else fails and they do catch up with you, tell them you have gone out to check your eyesight. 

 

Going to the beach

Guardamar beaches are open but you MUST obey the rules if you go there.

I think they should make some of those rules permanent. E.g, stop people going down at the crack of dawn to set up camp only to then saunter down about midday. 

IKEA Warrington

They opened the store yesterday, just look at the queue to get in. 

The new rules

Were you convinced?

I listened to Dominic Cummings press briefing yesterday. Was I convinced by his story? No, not at all.

He tried to come over as a caring husband and father making difficult decisions to protect them. Unfortunately there were  far too many holes in his story to make it convincing

We all saw Cummings run out of 10 Downing Street. That was apparently in response to a phone call from his wife to say she was ill with suspected coronavirus symptoms. When he got home she felt better so he returned to work. Mistake number 1. If you or any of your family suspect symptoms of the virus, you must self isolate for 14 days. You should definitely not go back to work.

Cummings claimed  there was nobody in London he could turn to for help with childcare. Yet, his brother-in-law lives nearby and surely there must have been others who could have helped.

He says that he did not inform the PM of his intentions until a week later when they had a conversation over the phone. How many of us would simply walk out of our job, take ourselves to another part of the country without at least informing the boss? In fact, since Cummings claimed he was not ill, it would have been more appropriate to ask permission. If Johnson was too ill, he could have spoken to Dominic Raab.

Cummings obviously thought he was too important to the Westminster machine to stay way for too long so he decided to return. However, he claims to have had concerns about his eyesight so he drove to Barnard Castle on the day of his wife's birthday to see if he was safe to drive. Unfortunately he was spotted there otherwise we would probably have been none the wiser about this excursion. Actually, it beggars belief  that anyone who thought they might be unsafe to drive would go out for a drive to check - surely he could have come up with a better story than this.

He claimed that his wife was not insured to drive the Discovery and yet we do know that she does drive and in any case, it would have taken a five minute phone call to get cover for her so she could drive back to London rather than him.

On the way back from the trip to Barnard Castle, his son needed the toilet so they stopped and  got out of the car.  Coincidentally, they didn't need to make a similar toilet stop on the journey from London to Durham nor on the return. In fact they didn't even need to stop for petrol until the return when he had a vague recollection of calling in at a service station.

The get out clause in the regulations that he said allowed him to drive to Durham did not exist until after his return. The original clause about children referred specifically to children in danger of abuse.

Both Cummings and No 10 claimed that the police had no knowledge of what had happened until after Durham Police confirmed that a phone call had been made to Mr Cumming's father regarding his son's presence at the home.

Even his claim to have warned about the possible threat of a coravirus on his blog does not hold water because the sentence that he referred to was added much later.

Both he and the PM have sat on this story for 5 weeks knowing that it was controversial. Clearly they hoped that it would go away and did not count on witnesses seeing Mr Cummings out and about.

When pressed time after time during the briefing, Cummings insisted that he had nothing to apologise for and was certainly not going to resign.

Should we believe his story? Given the whopping big lie he created about 350m for the NHS during the referendum that he later admitted to, I don't think so.There are more holes in this story than in a Swiss cheese.

Did it spoil your peace?

Those of you who were at home today, especially those that were outside, will have probably heard the disco blaring away and may have wondered where it came from.

It was my neighbour in the house previously owned by the Woodens.

I can only conclude that he must be deaf. Not only was the music loud, they were shouting at the top of their voices. I hope it didn’t spoil your day.