Good evening, another day closer to the end of this awful time. Each day behind all the briefings and counter briefings there is hidden nuggets of hope. Trials started on vaccines today, early days, but a sign of hope. I feel it is slightly more positive than American Evangelists doing their “get thee behind me Satan” on tv.

After a quiet couple of days, we went to Cyprus for supper on Saturday a gentle passage through the Suez Canal casts us into the Orient. At Port Said you can be wearing duffel coats to keep out the cold but as you pop out into the Red Sea at Port Suez it is welcome to the tropics.

We took the opportunity to land Jun to see the Pyramids as we passaged south. The meals will get a bit more exotic as we move east, but they will be tempered with more traditional food as we take passage. Tonight I will turn a fan on in the upstairs hall so we get that feel of air conditioning.

In the real world, I am in slight disbelief that there are so many people abroad now demanding that we bring them back, everyone of them being a potential biological bomb, it should be twenty one days in an old army camp on Dartmoor,  Oooo, actually there is a purpose built place up there already.

Local volunteer groups are activating everywhere, but they don’t really understand how to plan for the long game. I hate to say I am reluctant to put my oar in, as they all mean well. Not even our emergency services really understand long drawn out operations, which is purely a military skill. So we will people frustrated that they are never called, while others are worked into the ground. I may sit down and draft something tonight / tomorrow which some of you might receive for comment. If the government is saying six months that is a long time.

So back to the ‘other world’ a couple of pictures. Some years ago dear Barbara at work gave me a cookery book, it is now coming into its own. I shall give you a few recipes over the coming weeks.

I got a picture of Jun with the Pyramids as a backdrop. There weren’t any camels so she got the hump!

As always, wishing you all good health

Geoffrey and Jun