qatsi | They think it's all over

As the summer progresses, the nature of the disruption to our lives changes. I have some sympathy for people who had booked holidays before the pandemic began; it's more moderated for those who booked later on and should have understood the risks they were taking. Of course the tabloid press are outraged as quarantines are imposed on little notice; but what's the point of imposing them only after you've allowed everyone to make a quick dash back to Blighty? The trouble is, Law and Order in these matters has become distinctly optional since a certain trip to Barnard Castle earlier in the year. I'm not convinced a different government would have got things much better - Sturgeon emerges in Scotland with a much better reputation mainly because she spun towards the differences in approach, moving the focus away from, for example, an unfortunately similar tale on care homes to the English case.

So, we haven't been away and have no plans at present to do so. Nonetheless, employers are strongly encouraging people to take substantial fractions of their annual holiday over the summer break, understandably, because it will not help if we all leave our complete allowances until the end of the year. I'm taking a long weekend, and today we have been to Mottisfont. Like many visitor attractions, at present one must pre-book, and only the grounds and gardens are open. We booked about a week ago, uncertain of the weather, but although it was humid and overcast, it remained dry and was at a bearable temperature compared to earlier in the week.

I'm not best disposed to families at the best of times, and I did feel that some of the small children should have been kept under better control, social-distance-wise. The virus has not gone away or changed substantially, and there is no vaccine as yet, so any increase in social interactions will rapidly return us to the lockdown situation of a few months ago. But assuming I don't fall ill, I enjoyed the visit; it was good to get out and even though the walled rose garden was well past its best, it was still attractive, with tree hibiscus, kale, and other ornamental plants. The chalk geology makes the rivers run clear in the area, and we could see trout in the streams in the grounds. Among the intense lavender beds we saw a Hummingbird hawk-moth.