December 2021

Just as the Delta variant was beginning to settle down, boom! we get Omicron! Looking at the stats for my area on 29/12, we have a 124.79% increase in cases this week, now with 1486 per 100,000.

As of today (02/01), in the space of 4 days my area has jumped from 60th to 10th place! Although, on a positive note it looks like the London area infections are declining.

I have also seen an article which indicates that Omicron is declining rapidly in South Africa – if this is the case then that’s excellent news, I really hope this turns out to be correct.

General stuff

December didn’t get off to a good start as I broke one of my molars. Thankfully, I had some Dentek in for emergencies and did a temporary repair. My dentist managed to see me the next day, but unfortunately I’d done a very good job with the Dentek and he couldn’t remove it without drilling it out. So now got to wait nearly 8 weeks for an appointment to get it sorted, and this is a private dentist! (I had to go private to find an accessible dentist in the locality).

Formula 1

One of my favourite films in Rush, which follows the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauder, if you’ve never seen it – its definetly worth a watch.

I also love the Netflix series Drive to Survive. which gives a fascinating look behind the scenes of Formula 1.

So now I’ve got a TV license, I settled down to watch the final grand prix of the 2021 season. I can’t pretend to fully understand the intricacies of the Formula 1 rule books, but how can it be fair for Lewis Hamilton to loose his 13 second lead following the use of the safety car?

Firstly, the lapped cars were not going to be let through, this would have maintained Hamilton’s lead. Then the decision was overturned, leaving Max Verstappen directly behind Hamilton, and ultimately winning the race and becoming world champion.

I have to applaud Lewis Hamilton for the dignity he showed when interviewed after the race. I’m not sure the Red Bull Team Principal – Christan Horner or Max Verstappen would have been quite as gracious had the decision not gone their way.

I understand that the F1A are going to investigate the events of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and I look forward to hearing the outcome.

As an aside, I was saddened to hear about the death of Sir Frank Williams CBE, founder and former Team Principal of Williams Racing. Williams was 79 years old, and had been a wheelchair user since a car accident in 1986, which resulted in a spinal cord injury. He didn’t allow this to affect his life and carried on being the force behind his racing team for many years.

Christmas

It was a quiet Christmas. I did get quite irritated at a post shared on Facebook which basically said don’t live in fear of the virus, you don’t know how many Christmas’s you have left with your family.

Much as I appreciate the sentiment, mass socialising could be a quick way to ensure someone’s last Christmas (see above – 124.79% rise in cases in my area!).

If you have a young and healthy family great – but what about the elderly and the vulnerable? Yes, of course I’d love to have gone out more and even socialise indoors with friends (imagine!), but my parents are in their 80s, so I didn’t.

I also hate the pressure Christmas puts on people to have the perfect Christmas – which doesn’t really exist outside of the media. It’s also a hard time for those on their own or dealing with bereavement, who then feel obliged to say they had a lovely Christmas when asked.

Rant aside, Christmas does give Rupert the opportunity to wear some of his festive hats and to enjoy himself:

Wishing everyone a happy and peaceful 2022.

Happy new year

Julia xxx