To end the year.
This could have been any city during lockdown.
It could have been Athens during lockdown when not a soul around.
Archive for December, 2020
The Sound of Silence
December 31, 2020Lincoln coronavirus tier 4 day one
December 31, 2020Last two nights minus 4, hard frost, this morning very hard frost, barely above zero if at all all day, misty.
Lincoln fairly deserted, as it should be.
Nearly all shops closed.
Sincil Street deserted, only butcher, coffee shop, baker open.
I looked in 200 Degrees. Why reusable cups on sale? If on sale customers will expect to be able to bring in reusable cups. I queried this, no one should be using reusable cups. If someone brings a reusable cup, they fill a takeaway cup, up to the customer to then fill their own reusable cup. Somewhat self-defeating. 200 Degrees should ban use of reusable cups, withdraw from sale.
Follow example of Coffee Aroma:
- only one customer
- contactless payment
- takeaway cups
- no reusable cups
Reusable coffee cups introduce an unnecessary disease vector putting staff and clientele at risk. Banned by reputable coffee shops where they take covid-19 seriously and do their best to protect everyone.
Only one stall open in Central Market, zero waste store
Wilkinsons open. Why? Even worse, promoting New Year Sale.
Stokes on High Bridge closed for renovation, has been for last couple of weeks if not longer, but I have seen no sign of renovation taking place.
I regret I did not pop up to Franklin to say goodbye. Their last day, 70 years in businesses.
I know when I walked through The Stonebow I had a reason to walk up the High Street but could not remeber what.
The top end of the High Street dominated by binge drinking bars.
Waterstones closed yesterday at a7-30. Were staff forced to stay late, as would have had very short notice. If reliant on public transport would not have got home as few buses run after seven.
Looking through The Stonebow down the High Street an almost Dickensian scene.
Coffee from Coffee Aroma. I spilled in the street outside. Cold fingers.
M&S Food Hall horrendous coronavirus death trap. Staff are understandably worried, some are frightened. No one should be subject to these unsafe working conditions. Union must act to reduce numbers.
Only tow of us on he bus.
— to be cointinued ====
Cold Moon
December 31, 2020Last night, Eve of New Year’s Eve, Cold Moon, last full moon of the year, 13th full moon of the year.
Lincoln coronavirus tier 3 day twenty-eight
December 29, 2020Very little traffic into the city centre, Central Bus Station deserted and yet far more people on the streets tan before Christmas, and too many idiots for who social distancing the ability to count is beyond them.
Lakeland relatively busy, I say relatively as usually empty. If the pair of espresso cups were reduced I may be tempted to buy.
Sincil Street many more people, the High Street also busy though no queues outside shops, maybe packed inside.
River Witham still muddy and flowing fast, but not like last week.
Walk to the top of the High Street.
Shocked to find Franklin closing down. Sadly all that will be left in top of the High Street charity shops and binge drinking bars, another one due to open soon.
See a sign for The Cheese Society. It was not open all summer. They tell me not worth opening as little footfall and most of their custom is on-line. They may not be open in the New Year. Usually busy when I look in. Today no busy, which makes their point.
The little tea shop open. I pop in and say hello. I mention an interesting tea making device I had recently seen. Aware of but too expansive to have on sale.
Walking back down, complete lack of social distancing at bankrupt Caffè Nero.
Cappuccino from Coffee Aroma.
Walking past Oxfam Bookshop, reusable coffee cups on sale in the window not good. No reputable coffee shop will accept. Introduces a disease vector putting staff and clientele at risk.
Today new coronavirus cases exceed 53,000, up 12,000 on the previous day. The country should have been in tier 4 at least a week ago. Should now be in lockdown.
Guide to coffee freshness Gwilym Davies
December 26, 2020Excellent guide by Gwilym Davies to freshness of coffee, not old and stale nor too fresh.
Interesting point the age of the coffee depends upon whether used for espresso or filter coffee, different degrees of freshness suits different brewing methods. Use first for pour over then for espresso. Not a concept I have come across before.
- filter 5-14 days
- espresso 14-21 days
For brewing at home, always check the roast date when buying, buy the most recent roast date, we can always leave to rest when too fresh.
Which in turn implies, buy from a coffee shop where they know and care about coffee, or direct from the roastery.
In Coffee Aroma prominently displayed when the coffee served was roasted.
How we store our coffee is also important. Gwilym Davies has stored in the coffee bag in which the coffee was shipped. I would recommend squeeze the bag to ensure the air is squeezed out, then seal the bag.
When next in a coffee shop at the end of the day, when they are shutting down and cleaning their espresso machine, check if they empty the coffee beans from the grinders into airtight containers. If not, ask why not? Beans left overnight in the hopper will oxidise.
Do not buy the coffee beans from a zero waste shop where the beans are loose, as they will oxidise and have lost their aroma, equally likely absence of information on the beans, lack of roast date or where roasted, nothing on the provenance of the beans.
Sadly this was how I found the coffee beans on sale in Lincoln Eco Pantry, the beans loose in tins, shipped from the roastery in plastic boxes, then bagged in brown paper bags.
Christmas Eve Concert with Sangah Noona
December 25, 2020Live streamed Christmas Eve Concert with Sangah Noona.
Early hours of Christmas Day, I stumbled across a live-streamed concert with Sangah Noona.
It was forty minutes into the concert.
I rewound to the beginning watched a little, then watched later on Christmas Day.
The Sound of Silence
December 25, 2020Beautiful rendition of The Sound of Silence.
Each day a special mass is held in Catedral de Santiago in Santiago de Compostela for the pilgrims who have completed El Camino de Santiago.
Lincoln coronavirus tier 3 day twenty-three
December 24, 2020Christmas Eve, very little traffic into the city, bus station deserted, many small shops closed.
River Witham running high, fast and muddy. Heavy rain last night, waterlogged ground, washes into the river.
Not too many people around, excellent.
Pepperdine’s closed, fishmonger closed, fruit and veg stall closed, Redhill farm shop closed, Christmas dinner screwed. But, luckily Curtis open, chicken, pork joint, cakes.
Coffee shop never found open in the summer, this afternoon with find open.
Coffee shops needs far better coffee, a decent coffee machine. Recommended
La Marzocco Linea Mini, possibly the cheapest decent machine, will then need a decent grinder, a semi-professional domestic machine try Niiche Zero. And decent coffee, not LavAzza.
Cold.
Look in Vine’s Bakery on my way down Steep Hill, only a few loaves left. At least I warm up.
Takeaway coffee from Coffee Aroma. Very cold waiting outside.
M&S again crowded, but not as bad as Tuesday. Back to usual piss-poor service, only one till manned. Onr young lady shows initiative, without being asked, mans a till
Catch a bus. Is it that cold, driver dresses as an Eskimo. She opens up, not quite Marylin Monroe.
Lincoln coronavirus tier 3 day twenty-one
December 22, 2020Coronavirus out of control, a new mutation highly infectious spreading like wildfire, Lincoln new cases for the last week more than double the national average and it is all too easy to see why.
Too many idiots on the streets, idiots who are incapable of counting when there is a limit on the number in the shops, who seem incapable of comprehending what social distancing means, who for some perverse reason have to walk into a shop two people or more.
Queue outside the butcher, decide not to wait, on to the baker, another queue. It appears to be a day of queues.
One person outside the baker. I ask are they in a queue? No. Inside more idiots who cannot count.
To fishmonger, zero waste store, fruit and vegetable stall. At least no queues.
Everywhere well stocked, no shortages. A different story peddled by the media of shortages and shelves stripped bare, click bait scaremongering.
Takeaway cappuccino from Coffee Aroma. A model of how it should be. Only one person allowed into the coffee shop at a time, contactless payment only, takeaway cups a necessary evil, no reusable cups.
Passing by Hotel Chocolat, too many in the shop, no social distancing.
I was warned M&S was bad and it was. Far too many people packed into the Food Hall, a coronavirus death trap putting staff and customers at risk. At least all the tills were manned a novelty for M&S.
Contrast with visits to Waitrose over the last few weeks. Occasionally a queue, but wait no longer than a few minutes, stores not crowded.
I pop into the Oxfam Bookshop. A notice on the desk by the door, Wear Face Mask. Irony lost on the man sat at the desk not wearing a mask. When requested to wear a mask, refused to do so. I am on the phone. Told to go outside. Refused. Claims not near anyone. The bookshop was crowded, another coronavirus death trap. Volunteer or staff member he should be fired.
Before walking into Oxfam Bookshop chatted to an attractive young lady in queue for Lush. An orderly queue, restrictions on numbers an example to other shops.
Return to the butcher. Only one waiting in the queue. Inside seven people. Notice outside restricts to three people.
The country should be placed into tier 4, ten day Christmas lockdown extended beyond end of January if necessary. Why delay? Why are we waiting for more people to die?
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