I headed out for my daily hike early this morning to take advantage of the crisp, bright weather; the sort of conditions I enjoy at this time of year. It also served to divert my mind from the ghastly twists and turns of the Covid-19 pandemic. There was a brief moment of euphoria in early December when the first vaccine was approved and started to be rolled out. Suddenly, we were no longer just holding the line, we were fighting back. The beginning of the end - we thought. But something was wrong. Despite most good souls doing their best to adhere to the rules, transmission rates of the virus were rocketing in many parts of the country. The beast had mutated. And not just any old mutation either; this one rendered the virus 70% more transmissable. We still wait to discover for sure if it is more deadly or less amenable to the current vaccines. The new variant has been given the scientifically informative, if unimaginative moniker, VUI-202012/01 - or, as I have chosen to call it, the "Andromeda Strain", after the novel by Michael Crichton and movie of same name. Always one for the melodramatic - me. If I have learned anything from my school history it's this: As soon as some politician utters the phrase, "It'll all be over by Christmas", you're in for a prolonged period of misery. Think 1914. Think 1939.
Trying to find some positivity in all of this, the Winter solstice has come and gone, the sun begins it's slow trek north and the days begin to lengthen.
Soon it will be January, which is when I usually think about returning to the vise in anticipation of a new season. Perhaps by then, with a little luck, we will be in a better place; and if I can't, with hand on heart, hope for a truly happy Christmas let me wish everyone, at the very least, a healthy New Year.
See anything cutting reeds ?