Things are a bit messed up here at the moment

I haven't gone public about the current situation that I find myself in up until now, as I tend to keep my private life separate from my online presence. But the situation my family now faces means that it may have wide-ranging effects, so I think it is time to let you know what is going on.

Well, things are pretty messed up around here at the moment because of Covid and a bereavement in the family.

Last week my Stunt Cock's father died after a long battle with cancer. It was something we were expecting I suppose, but he went downhill rapidly, catching us all off guard.

Now the problem is that he was an ex-pat living with my mother-in-law over in Bulgaria. Obviously, in this time of Covid lockdowns and limited international travel, that has proven to be a nightmare.

Show your true colours with these funky face masks

This is not my usual subject material for reviews, but I love these masks so much I had to do a review of them to help raise awareness of them. In this day and age, it pays to take your safety and that of others into your own hands.

As everyone will be well aware, 2020 has been a real "shit-show" so far, with the Coronavirus pandemic running free reign around the globe, we are all living in very worrying times.

"I think that I made a "Squeeeee" sound when I opened up the package and looked at each mask in turn. I cannot stress how happy I am with them, they not only look great, but they are very comfortable to wear too."

Joanne

One thing can be counted on though and that is the ineptitude of governments, coupled with the indignant and often herd mentality of some people. No doubt you can all remember the great loo roll shortage of 2020 with the stampedes to the toilet roll aisle in supermarkets. What was everyone thinking?

But I digress, we should all be taking precautions to keep ourselves and others safer in these worrying times. By simple measures like washing our hands more often, cleaning down surfaces and not touching our faces.

That last point brings me on to the subject of face masks. While some people argue about their effectiveness; you can't argue that they don't help to prevent you from touching around your mouth and nose inadvertently.

Now that title may have you a little confused but bear with me on this one as this is a serious subject.

I am talking about STI's (Sexually Transmitted Infections) here, and this lockdown may be a blessing in disguise for the swinging community and just everyone who is sexually active.

All STI's have a gestation period before symptoms arise, and often the infection can be spread between partners before symptoms occur. The lockdown, we are in as a nation, has pretty much stopped people having sex with new partners. That is a good thing regarding STI spread.

Think about it for a minute, with people not freely engaging sexually with new partners we are not only stopping the spread of Coronavirus, but we are also not spreading HIV and all of the other STI's that plague humanity.

I am doing my own little bit to help keep NHS staff safe by making PPE for them

With the pandemic running its cause all over the globe, healthcare professionals are at the front lines of the battle against this virulent foe. Here in the UK, we are incredibly proud of all the NHS staff and critical workers doing their bit to keep everyone safe and sound.

The NHS staff, in particular, are in harm's way, caring for patients with Covid-19, and they rely on personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep them safe.

This vital equipment is becoming in short supply, and small businesses and individuals who can help are rallying to the cause.

Stay safe in these worrying times

We are all living at a time in history where we, as a species, face a real and imminent threat. The Covid-19 pandemic is all around the globe now, and governments everywhere are implementing various levels of social distancing and even quarantining.

The government is scrambling to find a solution to the pandemic, but it seems so far they have done too little, too late.

We are now into a voluntary social distancing phase in the fight against coronavirus. But, all too many people are treating it with lip service. Panic buying (for loo rolls of all things) is in full swing, and we seem to be on the brink of an apocalypse. We all need to take a chill pill, analyse what is happening around us and implement reasonable and straightforward adjustments to our lives to minimise or slow the advance of the virus.

Both sub'r' and I are in the vulnerable group of adults when it comes to this virus, and that means we have to take extra care as if either of us gets it there is a good chance this blog won't be getting any future updates.

To that end, this is what we are changing and how we are coping with this problem.

The last two weeks have been taxing to say the least

Well, it feels like I have been running flat out for the last two weeks, probably because I have been doing precisely that.

They always say that problems come in threes and this has been the case these last few weeks.

From the outset I decided on the following criteria:The first thing that has been a significant drain on my time and resources is my new office.

Now, that isn't exactly bad news as I love it, but setting it up has been bloody hard work and expensive too. But, I am more than happy with the results so far, it isn't quite finished, but I am using it already.