How are you all doing?

[Roger Kettle]

Hope you're all still healthy and coping with these strange times. How are things in Canada, Diane? I've not seen anything in the press about the situation there. I've only seen stuff about that country just to the South of you---the one with that complete and utter idiot in charge. (Tries hard not to make comparisons between Canada and Scotland). Anyway, I hope you and your friends and family are all well. If anyone out there has managed to do something productive in these lockdown days, I'd love to hear about it. Personally, I've managed to...er...um...

[Diane CBPFC]

Covid has been a wake up call for me in that, other than my weekly drop in to the library, my life has hardly changed at all, you read all these stories about people going crazy being at home and not seeing anyone, but that is my regular life, in fact i see MORE of my husband since he is only working a few days a month off the farm.

We have a lot of nurses in the family so I worry about them. Alberta's relaunch started on the 14th with daycares, hairdressers and some non-essential shops being allowed to open. It will be a while until the next stage opens - but all things with 15+ people are cancelled for the whole summer - so no weddings, sports etc

I find lots of things to do - this week it has been planting things in the garden - some things have to wait 2 more weeks because of the frost so I have my kitchen table covered with little pots of tomatoes. I have been watching a lot of streaming TV with no commercials - in the last two weeks I have watched all 4 seasons of The Man in the High Castle. One nice thing about Covid is you don't have to keep the house up for unexpected visitors lol It is still hard to buy hand sanitizer and almost impossible to buy N95 face masks.

[Mince]

We have a lot of nurses in the family so I worry about them.

That must be difficult. All key workers deserve the best of protection and hazard pay, but sadly that is not the reality anywhere.

[Mince]

If anyone out there has managed to do something productive in these lockdown days, I'd love to hear about it.

Okay, you asked for it.

For the past week I have been writing a program to help me organise all the things on my to-do list that I could have finished by now had I not written this program. Having said that, I discovered the benefit of cloning immutable objects using readonly collections and having separate mutable accessors, and I am thinking of placing these accessors into a derived class to make use of polymorphism.

Also, my potatoes are growing and I think my wife has a hidden gun.

[Max]

Thus far I have managed to grow chilli plants from seeds, we did this in the office a couple of years ago.
I'll show some restraint this time, you couldn't get near a windowsill  for plant pots last time.

I've re-read all of Spike Milligan's war diaries, intend to start learning guitar again.
According to the shielding letter I received I'm allowed out again from June 8th, so wee Nickla willing I might even be allowed to fish again. 
Sadly the ospreys at loch of the lowes decided to nest elsewhere this year, viewing the pair at Loch Arkaig instead, very soothing I find.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgeLp2TX36c
Hope everyone else is getting by safely.

[Sandy Buttcheeks]

I've re-read all of Spike Milligan's war diaries, intend to start learning guitar again.

How bizarre, Max. I've just started playing again after Brian May introduced me to a new Vox amp (ok, so I saw it on a YouTube thing he did) that gives the most amazing Queen tones. Mega cheap...so I bought one. Currently looking for my old dog eared copy of "Adolf Hitler: My part in his downfall" after talking to a guy at work about it. Classic books !!

[Tarquin Thunderthighs lll]

Sorry - guitar talk does nothing for me, and I'm afraid I lost interest before the end of your post, Sandy. But I really hope you found your old dog.