Husband wants chocolate chip pecan cookies. Any good recipes? He's American, so American-style is fine.

No yoga and too much eating in the past few days. These are probably connected. Yesterday I used my yoga time to buzz my hair and Husband's. I've also started work on next semester's module, so I need to rejig my timetable a bit. Today - dog walking at lunchtime, a strict half hour of housework after work, then yoga while Husband cooks. ETA: the weather is glorious today, so I'll try to take longer for my lunchtime walk. I've put my Saturday swim into the family calendar so that I can have the car for low tide and good weather. Mushroom porridge and yoghurt. Lentils and a couple of little oranges. Some kind of fish and veg.

Interesting study on levels of asymptomatic Covid in the first wave. It's worth reading to the end, as the beginning is less enlightening https://covid.joinzoe.com/post/covid-asymptomatic-classic-symptoms?utm_source=App

There's some general content but some of it is also UK specific.

All the time. I look in the fridge and look for a recipe to use what I have. Sometimes from the books I already have, sometimes online. I work with what I have, and we receive a veg box from an organic farm, so I'm always experimenting.

@ieta_cassiopeia you might be interested in the show - Radio 4 or podcast - called How to Vaccinate the World.

Following up on the discussion of its being inevitable that some old people will die shortly after receiving the vaccine, I heard an actuary talking about the figures: in the UK, 365,000 people over 80 die each year, with a larger proportion in winter. So more than 1,000 people in that group will die each day over the next three months.

Yes, the pool refreshes with water that laps over the top at high tide. The problem this time was an exceptionally high tide - they vary by a metre or more - plus wind-driven waves. Previously, two hours or more either side of high tide has been fine.

NW today at lunchtime and yoga after work. Didn't get to yoga yesterday. Boring task at work today - having a hard time getting motivated. Mushroom porridge and yoghurt; bean and veg soup; maybe lentils for supper?

Interflora? https://www.interflora.co.uk/category/international-flower-delivery/

When we had a caged bird, in China, I used to move it to another cage so that I could clean the decorative one. One time, I put her back into her cleaned cage, but only then realised that I hadn't reconstructed it - it was just the dome, sitting on the table, with no base. I had to very carefully slide the dome off the edge of the table and onto the base, but as the base was circular, there were lots of times when the bird could have escaped through the gaps between the dome and the base. I think my heart was beating as fast as the bird's through the whole operation. And various dog escapes, including my husband finding her in the middle of a main road. This was mostly when we had my mum living with us - she would leave doors open. We now live somewhere with an extra gate between our normal entrance door and the road, and a garden with high stone walls. Much more comfortable.

I misjudged the tide and wind this morning, and the tidal pool was submerged when I got there. I spent the day studying instead, and walked the dog after dark. Hot muesli and yoghurt. Curried beetroot and eggs. Duck beast, quinoa, mooli and celeriac.

Let's hope. Is there any Long Covid from apparently asymptomatic cases? People who had no symptoms at the time but damage was revealed later?

I'll let you know when my mum gets the vaccine - age 96, worked as an electrical circuit checker on bombers in WWII, in a care home, watching the news for developments. BBC News - Covid in Scotland: Care home vaccinations to begin on Monday https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-55287355

How the US, UK and Canada Will Roll Out the Covid Vaccine https://nyti.ms/345KP0i Much as one would expect, more or less centralised. The US has pre-ordered much less Pfizer vaccine as a percentage of population than have the other two - Canada 100%, UK 30%, US 15%. All the countries have ordered from many makers.

Masking when I might be near people. Only meeting friends for distanced walks. Not worrying about takeaway food. No visitors to the home and no dining inside or outside restaurants. Our only trips are to shops; almost everyone is masked, and distancing is fairly good. Lots of hand gel, plus hand washing when I get home. Avoiding dentist, although I did see the optometrist. No package wiping or quarantine. We drove to pick up one child from university, staying overnight in a hotel. We will pick up the second adult child next week. Both children will have self isolated and tested. Vitamin D and overnight humidifier. The positivity rate is about 5% in Scotland.

It's a combination. I was in Hong Kong during Sars 1. Because that was not very infectious and people got sick quickly, human behaviour was not so much of a factor. Yes, patients were isolated once sick, and people mostly stopped shaking hands, but most of life continued as normal. It was the nature of the virus that it put few demands on human behaviour.

There's a podcast called More or Less, which is about the statistics of news. They asked an actuary to talk about the UK vaccination cohorts - the originally-decided ones that can't necessarily be achieved because of the cold storage problem. The first one, care home residents and staff, is around 1% of the population but has represented 36% of the deaths. The second, other over eighties and front line health care staff, is 7% of the population but has represented 30% of the deaths (almost all of them in the elderly). I had a general idea of the numbers but hearing this was really stark. By vaccinating 8% (the calculations were deliberately broad brush, so assumed 100% effectiveness and duplicate infection patterns) you could potentially prevent 2/3rds of deaths. Of course, this calculation doesn't include preventing Long Covid, which often affects younger people. But no one knows for sure yet if the vaccines prevent that.

Ran errands on foot today, then YW Adriene Tranquilo. Paid taxes. Porridge, stewed apple, yoghurt. Veg and bean soup with cheese and toast. Duck breast with steamed sugar snap peas and daikon salad.

I wouldn't do the game pie. As a PP said, even standard US beef is pretty mild tasting. I'd also not go for the chicken pie - that style tends to be dry in my experience. Beef Wellington is a crowd pleaser. Eta we all like game meat but we also eat grass fed beef and lamb, and free range chicken and pork. So we are used to stronger tastes. I wouldn't risk it for Christmas.

Humidifier overnight to increase healthy mucous flow. Vitamin D.

Lack of staff and vaccination. This is sure to be an issue elsewhere, particularly in places that are struggling to deal with virus peaks at the same time https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/11/gp-practices-england-opt-out-covid-vaccine-rollout?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

I like to walk around the village at night on my own too. We have intermittent rain and low light at present. If we get snow that lies, it's more likely in February or even March. Lovely photos @wintermom Well done for trying kickboxing @Ali in OR - my coordination is so rubbish I've never dared. @Jenny in Florida I'm sorry things are so tough @Dreamergal I'm glad you are getting your sunshine. I was in Dallas for Christmas one year and the weather was lovely. I made the mistake of packing winter clothes though, and my parents in law kept the house at 72 degrees. All the Christmas pictures have me red faced from heat. @Sororwell done for the garden work. We had a couple of strong guys come in on Tuesday to take out a dead tree, a rhubarb, some mint, some Box and an invasive Snowberry. The garden is a quagmire now. Yesterday - lunchtime walk with a friend, Revolution Adriene yoga 13 hip opening after work. Porridge, stewed apple, yoghurt. Mushrooms and leftover tuna plus a savoury oatcake. Cumberland sausage, green pepper, onion and green beans. Today - NW at lunchtime, yoga after work. Porridge, stewed apple, yoghurt. Beetroot curry and egg. Cullen Skink soup.

I'm sorry.

Weight bearing in general, so mild impact - if your doctor agrees, of course. I Nordic Walk, which is vigorous enough to build muscle and - I hope - bone.