Started at 7 with Sunday, R4.  Lovely spring  morning and we cannot seem to sleep late.  8.10 Archbishop Welby in his kitchen. A good address focusing on the resurrection as a symbol of hope. Expressed as if literally true.  The gospel texts are so powerfully dramatic and visualisable. He also said there should be no going back to the way we have been before the virus spread and that the economic consequences could be devastating without considerable change.  Our interdependence is now so clear.  No attempt was made to say the pandemic is the work of a punishing God or perhaps more plausibly a result of the accumulated cravings for more by mankind.  No questioning of it being within the power of a loving God to stop it either.  Still a warm appreciation of the humanity, compassion and heroism so many are showing .

Andrew Marr followed where Welby was again interviewed.  He came across very well, un-churchy, relaxed and good humoured while being very serious.

With care I cooked us a late lunch which we had with wine in the garden.  Steak pan grilled strips of breast of lamb, carefully browned onion and roast potatoes, courgettes, red pepper and sun-dried tomato with a lamb gravy.  Yes food takes on an added importance as we take it in turns to cook for each other.  Good face talks with Paul and Jo in Oxford and the whole Bond family in London.  All seem in good health and spirits with Sam cooking the Bond evening meal.  Inevitably, certainly for Elizabeth and me there is this unspoken  – is this our last week, our last meal, our last night together, the last time we will talk to friends and family members.  I remember the day in 2006 when Elizabeth and I had lunch together before I went into the BRI for my triple bypass. (see  Take Heart)  I am not being morbid. Such thoughts are simply inevitable, and we both really enjoyed the lunch, the wine and the sun.

This evening the newsreader said we reached 10,000 plus deaths today.  The population of Wincanton is 5,400.  The news also recounted the lives of doctors, nurses, bus-drivers, care home helpers and supermarket staff who continued working, knowing their lives were at risk caring for and supporting others.  Is their kindness and unselfish consideration, which Boris described tonight as their love, something which is for them and for us a true “resurrection” of the human qualities which in the face of, through, and despite suffering, the virus fails to conquer. The figures for Somerset and the SW remain very low however.  Our time, we must expect, will come. How to face it.

As alluded Boris also came home tonight (to Chequers!) loudly proclaiming that the NHS had saved his life and mentioning two nurses, one from New Zealand, one from Portugal who had been on duty right through the night when his condition was at its most critical.

For TV Escapism the BBC series THE NEST kept us completely gripped for an hour.  The human brain it seems, desperately needs such things.

Beautiful weather, lovely run/walk around Sports Ground, (As in picture) wrote article on it for Wincanton Window, had long and frank discussion with Robin Price about the Word magazine, was depressed as the numbers dying was reported is increasing . Watched an hour of Messiah Netflix with Elizabeth.  Below the article.

Also had a VERY DEPRESSING time trying to get to terms with the new update for this siteWord Press.  At last got access to the “classic” previous set up.  Hooray for computer updates.

COVID-19 AND WINCANTON SPORTS GROUND

Sports Ground Peter’s Walk

At this tough time how lucky we are in Wincanton with the number of fine open spaces we have to walk or run and get that vital exercise so important for us all as we face covid-19.  I think of the Recreation Ground and Wincanton Sports Ground.  The current official advice is clear. Once a day it is permissible to leave our homes to walk, run or cycle on our own or with other household members, our dog or our horse.  We should keep moving and not join up with friends on these occasions, and we should be very careful to practice social distancing.   At least six feet (two metres) between us and those we meet (and remember that a cough or sneeze carries much further than six feet and if we touch a metal gate, handwashing on getting home is a must.)

Exercise is vital if we are to keep healthy, whatever our age.  It is also so enjoyable to be able to take in and experience our beautiful countryside and our open green spaces.  A walk following the clearly marked perimeter path around our Sports Ground takes about forty minutes, less for runners or cyclists and of course there are so many alternative paths you can take.

Since the Sports Centre by King Arthur’s School has had to close its gymn, swimming pool and exercise classes, I have taken to having a fast walk and a jog around the Sports Ground.  It is really great and made more so by the friendly way people are practicing social distancing, stopping and getting right off the path, facing the other way, but also giving a friendly greeting.  It is good also that almost all dog owners keep leads handy, aware that contact via dog fur could be risky.

We are so lucky to be here in the country unlike those in crowded urban areas with high-rise flats and limited park spaces.  Here there is plenty of room for us to exercise without putting ourselves or others at risk – if we keep our distance!

Another beautiful, sunny, dry day. Spring is bursting and the churches are empty as the words of Jesus, My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” are remembered by Christian and post Christian alike and pondered by Tom Holland in Dominion p69 “Without the crucifixion he (Paul) would have had no gospel to proclaim. To see what I think about the resurrection and Paul, see Is Wright Wrong under the Religion page.http://www.johnbaxter.org/rs/is-wright-wrong-the-case-against-his-view-of-the-resurrection/

Went for another great walk-run-sprint and felt very good, if stiff after it. Also find my 30 min daily meditation sitting really satisfying.

Spent much of the afternoon battling with my computer with the on-line help of Dave Smith and am now working on this updated Word Press website.

Watched The Two Popes with Elizabeth. Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Pryce as Benedict and Francis. Excellent acting but also real insight into the history of two remarkable men. A must see on NETFLIX.
Another must see on NETFLIX is the 10 hr series Messiah which has a young man coming out of Syria today leading a group of refugees from the war and asking Israel for asylum. Very well acted with an unknown as the most convincing Jeshua figure I have ever seen and raising all the right questions about supernaturalism and charisma.  Forgot to go out and clap and felt bad about that.

WEDNESDAY 8-4-20
First day of new PE regime.  2klm run and walk and sprint around the Sports Ground followed by pilates.  Felt great. 

Spent afternoon watching videos of the work of economist Kate Raworth of the Environmental Change Institute, Oxford, who argues for a complete rethink away from GDP and GROWTH to Sustainable Development in her book Doughnut Economics.  See Wkipedia. You MUST look this up.  As  governments prepare to face the future another way of approaching economic problems is urgently needed.  Greg Atkins alerted me to this .  Here is her doughnut.

TUESDAY 7-4-20
Concern grows over Boris after a night in St Thomas’ on oxygen.  E mail sent to all ANVIL Associates and family about blog.  A beautiful day. We breakfast in the garden and Elizabeth works there as Spring bursts out and Prince Charles reads Wordsworth on Tintern Abbey.
We learn that the deaths and infected figures are under-reporting for at least a week because of the way the figures are collected.

MONDAY 6th April.
Rewrote paper as PCES. Pandemic and Climate Emergency Service after hearing from a senior LD friend who liked the earlier version passed around at the LD conference last year.  Do read it and send comments. Discussed Science Fiction films with Eleanor and watched The Matrix on Amazon Prime.
Radio 4 reported higher pandemic mortality for men probably because women have an extra x chromosome giving them a more effective immune system. So there!

Palm Sunday 4,974 deaths. Saw and heard our friend John Eade preach and celebrate the Eucharist via his smart phone.  Worked very well as did Ajahn Amaro, abbot at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery with his live streaming session. See online talks.
Keir Starmer elected Labour leader.  At last some hope.  Impressive on Andrew Marr.

This evening we have the Queen whose message has been relentlessly leaked.  A pity for without the leaking her carefully chosen and admirable message would have had greater impact.

A Grim Calculus is the title of the leader in the Economist April 4th.”When one child is stuck down a well, the desire to help without limits will prevail – and so it should. But in a war or in a pandemic leaders cannot escape the fact that every course of action will impose vast social and economic costs.  To be responsible you have to stack each against the other.” and in conclusion, ” Eventually, even if many people are dying the cost of distancing could outweigh the benefits. That is a side to the trade-offs that nobody is yet ready to admit”.
Boris admitted to hospital for “routine checks.” At 7 pm he was in Intensive Care.

TV Recommendation. Escapism. BBC1 The Nest.  5 sessions. Jarringly edgy. Gripping TV.

Recommendation. TV seen on Friday on I Player Pilgrimage. BBC2 . Seven “celebs” including Edwina Curry is enough to put one off, but no.  They set off on a pilgrimage from Belgrade (Serbia) (to Istanbul. (Turkey).  Consisting of a convert to Catholicism, an atheistic  rejecter of Catholicism, a secularised Jew, (Edwina) A young ordinary believing Muslim, an amazing blind no longer Muslim (a TV star in the making), an atheist and a vaguely Christian theist.  Have watched two of the three with Elizabeth. Third to come.  Was annoyed no Buddhist featured when the values and beliefs expressed by them were so often close to secular Buddhism and no active Anglican was featured.  However, all seven came across really well as intelligent, sensitive non-specialists regarding religion. (Edwina being much the most knowledgeable about the religions and their history.) The places they passed through were stunning and in all make for a really good and encouraging programme.

38,168 Infections 3,605 deaths, including 2 young nurses and a 12yr old boy. All apparently fit  Also Welsh consultant says all his patients under 50 and one of 20.  No-one it seems is safe and as expected the numbers are rising fast.

Went for  a depressing 1 hour walk together south across a footpath that has been allowed to loose its markings,. Walked past huge solar farms never noticed. .

Sent Dave Wrathalls email to all ANVIL members and friends and family.

From: Dave Wrathall
Sent: 01 April 2020 20:20
To: John Baxter
Subject: Very interesting videos drawing on science and history.

Hi John I’ve found these videos really interesting and potentially useful with respect to COVID-19. There’s quite a lot of technical detail but he’s good at explaining things. They’re worth watching in sequence if you can spare the time..       https://youtu.be/A4eu-h_owaI

In summary, the science (what there is of it) suggests that:

1. sleep is very very important before, during and, particularly, after the onset of fever.
2. Super hot baths are also very important before and during the fever stage.

Because these home remedies were popular before the era of antibiotics, they have been all but forgotten by the medical community. They might, however, play a vital role in this crisis.

HOWEVER GP Sally Dangerfield says  I would suggest a hot bath during the fever is completely the wrong thing to do as it heats the body further. Your body sweats to cause evaporation and thus cool the body.