How are you all?

[Darryl]

Just wondering how everyone is getting on. I haven't been contributing much to the site lately. I'm supposed to be retired, but never been busier. I'm not teaching any more (unless we get visiting school groups) but still doing lots of blacksmith work for tourists. Seems Ike we have more visitors than ever to our museum since the international tourism came to a standstill. Lots of people discovering the nice things we have in our own back yard.
We are in our wet season here in Northern Australia but so far we have been spared damaging cyclones. Some monsoonal rain and flooding but we are used to that.
Anyway, just wanted to say hello and hope everyone is fine.

[admin]

Hi Darryl,
Good to hear from you. As you can imagine, the various "tribes" in the UK have their own interpretations on the lock down situation. United by, I think, a search for clarity from the government.
Personally we are fine. Covid has effectively closed down the language school market. As we are both in our 70s, that is probably no bad thing! We are busy editing videos of our training materials and methodology - working towards offering all that online. We either had to move (which we didn't want to do) or get the building working for us. So we are busy converting our teaching areas and student accommodation into holiday lets. These are proving quite popular as we move out of lockdown.
Best wishes.

[Bertha]

Howdy, Darryl!  I had hoped you and Judy were doing well and not personally affected by Covid.  My husband and I have so far not had the illness, but I know several people who had it and recovered or they had family members who did or did not survive. My own son's mother-in-law passed away last month after a month in hospital and on a ventilator.  She is my age, so that was hard. A sweet lady, just like her daughter, my son's wife.  My daughter and son-in-law had bout of it, but recovered. Needless to say, we haven't seen much of each other--twice in the last year and she lives just twenty-five miles away.  Soon, though, we'll be back together, since we're all getting vaccinated.  I stay busier than ever with caregiving, it seems.  Itchy feet to travel so I look at lots of Beautiful Britain photos on Facebook and watch Aussie television series via Netflix or Prime video. The last one we watched was The Circuit, an interesting show. 

Duncan, I think that your converting your student accommodations to holiday visitors is brilliant!  I always enjoyed staying in one of them when I visited, and maybe I can do that again sometime.  I'll have to check the rates, though, eh?    

[Britta]

Hi Darryl
I HAVE been wondering. Good to know that you are well. We're fine here also. Still working from home - which is fine with me. Greatest news is a new grandson bon on the first day of this year.

[Darryl]

Thanks for the news, Duncan, Bertha and Britta. Good to hear you are all OK.
Duncan, I would think that your holiday lets would do very well. Shropshire is a lovely place and I imagine your accommodation there would be in great demand.
Bertha, very pleased to hear you are well, but saddened that the virus has affected those close to you.  Things have to get better from here, and perhaps you will be able to travel more.
Congratulations on your new grandson, Britta. What a great new year gift! Our grandson is doing well and has now entered the terrible twos.
Cheers to all,
Darryl

[Bertha]

[davel]

Goodness me, I thought I was bad at popping in to this group but didn't realise it had been so long!

I wanted to ask Darryl about the new UK-Oz trade agreement.

I am still working full time and the past few weeks have been as busy as I was before lockdown in my personal life with various activities. England's partial lockdown has been extended until 19th July so although most places are open, including restaurants and pubs, we still must wear face coverings anywhere indoors in any public place, maintain social distancing, and are limited on numbers allowed in a private home. I am still a volunteer telephone friend as a left-over from the worst of covid but my 96-year-old friend and I have become great buddies so I have no intention of not continuing our telephone friendship and hope to meet him in person one day. We were even mentioned in an article about unusual covid friendships in the national newspaper The Guardian here in the UK.

Glad to hear everyone is still with us, albeit not without consequences.

Take care, everyone!

[admin]

  Well done