Damn. New lockdowns in the UK. My brother and his girls have self isolated for fourteen days but they now can't meet at Christmas. We can't get our daughter from England. It's necessary but it's really crap.

Lovely swim this morning. I think it was 20 lengths. Fitbit thinks it was 36. Maybe it was counting my zigzags - I find it hard to swim on my back in a straight line when I only have the open sky above me. Air and sea temperature both around 8 degrees C. Doing a lot of tidying up for Christmas - I'm calling that continual motion enough exercise for the rest of the day. Scrambled egg, wholegrain toast, tomato salad. Roast veg, grated cheese, pear, cracker. Fishcakes and some kind of veg.

And the air is dryer in winter, so it's harder for your nose to clear invaders into the GI tract with flow of mucous.

We have a double electric oven similar to this. I can broil in the top while something cooks more slowly below, or use one to heat plates. Really like the combination. As the pp said, it's more convenient to have them at this height. Having a fan in one of the ovens makes the heat more even. https://ao.com/product/mha133br0b-bosch-serie-2-electric-double-oven-stainless-steel-73648-48.aspx Our hob has big drawers below it that contain pans and lids - also very convenient.

Here's some real-life research https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/vitamins-reduce-covid-risk

If we get a cat it will be indoors and we'll have a catio with a cat flap for access. This preserves the small bird population and allows the litter tray to be outside. https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Catio-Cat-Lean-to-6ft-x-9ft-x-7ft5-Outdoor-Play-Pen-Run-Enclosure-Kitten/392630273242?ul_ref=https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?toolid=11000&campid=5338358731&customid=16083300759903558907312041000008005&catId=1281&type=2&ext=392630273242&item=392630273242&srcrot=710-53481-19255-0&rvr_id=2734757849153&rvr_ts=77f1643f1760aaeea7446dd0ffbbfe61&_mwBanner=1&_rdt=1&ul_noapp=true&pageci=88a1858c-7371-449c-9649-f58ab4aef4e7

Maybe use a duvet cover? You could get one in whatever fabric you like for sheets.

I'm enjoying Yoga with Kassandra. Thank you @Sororfor the introduction. The intermediate level is a good challenge.

My usual: dog walk at lunchtime. Housework and yoga after work. Hoping for swimming tomorrow morning - it looks to be around 8 degrees C, which is quite warm, and there might be some sun. I've been trying to get my snacking under control. Working from home has meant that my immoderate weekend snacking has become an every-day thing. I'm going no-snack for a bit. Perhaps until Christmas. Just to break the habit, if possible. Berry porridge with yoghurt. Mixed green beans plus eggs. Pumpkin and black bean soup, sauteed chinese cabbage, maybe oven-baked hash browns - we have too many potatoes from the organic farm.

Latest data from the university where I work. They tested 5,000 asymptomatic students before sending them home and had zero positives (lateral flow tests). There is currently one active Covid case amongst students and staff. There have been no new cases detected in the town in the past week (testing is usually PCR). There have been 500 new cases in the county of 370,000 people this week, but all at the other end; for historical reasons, the two ends of the county operate as relatively separate societies, not often sharing shops/facilities. Our end of the county is marked on the public health map as 'virus suppressed'. The seven day test positivity rate for the whole county is 6%. Other parts of the UK are not doing nearly so well

Socks, fun (safe) masks, candles/reed diffusers, nicely-scented hand gel, a paperback book each, a mandarin orange and some chocolate coins. One child who changed her name this year will get a newly-engraved ornament to hang on the tree.

Fingers crossed for some answers.

It's a darker tale than it seems, however. Beavers are being introduced to cause flooding upstream so that towns downstream don't get flooded. A lot of the downstream flooding is due to inappropriate development and hedge removal on flood plains. And the beavers have to be introduced because they were all killed off in the UK in the 16th century. Yesterday: short dog walk at lunchtime then longer yoga. Today: lovely walk with a friend at lunch. Dry weather, muddy underfoot. No knights in the woods. In a minute I'll do some hoovering, then some yoga. Mushroom porridge and yoghurt. Grilled veg with parmesan and eggs. Smoked mackerel with black winter radish and... something?

Rashes are seen in 8 percent of cases. This is a large scale study https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-asymptomatic-classic-symptoms

It's true, except where special arrangements are set up, for example for universities. In practice, however, one just tells the person on the phone that one has one of those symptoms and one is given an appointment. There is no screening on arrival. My daughter has taken tests several times as a precaution.

I think the article is right to frame tax-based health care as an investment in the feeling of security of each resident. For reference, as a university administrator in Scotland earning USD 33,000, I pay 20 per cent national income tax, with the first USD15,000 tax free. As a family, we pay around USD 3,000 in property tax. The equivalent of sales tax is 20 percent, but is not charged on food or children's clothes. There are high taxes on alcohol, cigarettes and petrol. Honestly, I think the NHS, which is funded from general taxation, is underfunded. I'd rather pay more.

Travel insurance that you buy in the UK has two standard costs, to include or exclude the US, Canada and the Caribbean.

About the same. We rarely eat out anyway.

Yes. The car crash analogy is useful. You may look okay on the surface but your body has had a major assault on multiple organs, and is working hard to heal itself.

I like things that I make in advance. I do Coq au Vin, which has a fair number of steps, but a chicken casserole of some kind that you reheat might work.

That might be so. These data are for income rather than salary, but would tend to agree with that idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality

There are a couple of sets of data here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage

I do most of it, so everything from us as a couple, plus various things from aunts and uncles that I actually organise. Husband only wraps what he gives to me. The children only wrap what they give individually. I have re-usable gift bags this year.

I don't know how Canadian salaries compare to US ones, but I've always assumed that many UK salaries can be lower because the individual post-tax liability for health care expenses is so small: living in Scotland, I pay out of pocket for glasses (but not periodic eye tests), and at a highly-subsidised rate for dental treatment (but not check ups). I also choose to pay for physiotherapy privately because I want to get quick treatment in order to maintain my level of fitness as I age; I could wait for NHS physio.

Macabre typo