I kind of like the smell of Vicks! So, a win for me and a win for society.

Well, that strikes me as being very generous towards the police. IMO, the police being unable to distinguish between regulation and guidance is on a par with a vet being unable to distinguish a horse from a cow. It surely is a question of very basic competence. If the police does not understand the distinction between binding legislation and advisory guidance, it seems to me that there are reasons to be seriously worried about the quality of the training that they get.

Reminds me of "ride it like you stole it". Well why not try this? Everything else has been a resounding success so far in getting the message across. The problem is that those that take these things seriously always will, those that don't won't. And there's the rub. Now, if they did something about that then perhaps, just perhaps, the you-know-what may just start to slow down. But, it's the same old people, doing the same old things, with the same results - except quicker. Oh well, back to the workshop, there must be something I haven't polished or cleaned! :)

Perhaps poorly worded on my part (posting on the sofa next to a 4 year old will do that). I don't mean this to excuse the police but rather to paint a picture of a general lack of clarity. This can then be exploited in multiple directions - by ultimately well-meaning but less scrupulous police units, by those seeking to avoid blame by blaming the individual, and by those looking for creative ways to evade the spirit of the regulations (consciously or otherwise).

The result isn't pretty.

Fans of vapo-rub may like to try the toddler version, with added eucalyptus and thyme. It's really rather addictive.

Umm, this may be a little OT.

It seems that either we’ll all have to douse ourselves in vapo-rub or something else because scientists are saying that this lockdown ain’t enough:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55602828

I went for a walk in East London today, and it seems that coffee shops are doing alright with people queuing outside. But that's the only extra restriction I can see. Now that schools are shut and most people are wfh, and outdoor sports centre are closed, I can't see any more restrictions which could be added, unless I'm missing something? Only one weekly shop? No more joggers or walks in the park?

Closing nurseries? Redefining key workers or restricting those key workers who are allowed to send their kids to school to where both parents are key workers. Head teachers have been saying that the number in school this time round is far more than last time.

There are several things that could be considered to tighten up current restrictions...

• Closing takeaway collections or restricting them to outdoor collections, and maintaining social distancing if there is queuing
• Closing garden centres
• Closing retailers who have added a few 'essential' food items to their retail offering to justify remaining open
• Providing guidance to retailers and other premises that remain open a safe number of customers per square m² of open floor space.
• Reviewing if the construction industry not working directly on pandemic related projects could pause work for a few weeks (construction was broadly closed for part of lockdown 1), especially indoor work.

I am sure there are a few others....

But how much of a difference does it make? I mean, this time around I feel (for once!) that people are taking this stuff seriously. My favourite bakery in Hammersmith has shut down for the lockdown (pity as I loved their börek). All the shops that 'pretended' to be selling essential stuff have closed. Queues outside supermarkets have returned, meaning that they've reduced the number of people allowed in at one time. Same for other shops: one where I normally go to buy loose foodstuff has reduced the maximum number of people allowed to 4 from 8, and so on... I think these scientists are talking about more draconian measures, i.e. one hour outside or things like that.

Methinks some of these scientists will not be happy unless the military is stationed outside every residence in the country with orders to shoot any person who leaves said residence.

Funny hubby suggested that today lol. Unless you're walking a dog????

Yesterday I drove through Putney and Wimbledon Village with a valid reasonable excuse to be outside (not even stretching the "spirit" of the law) and it was even more crowded on the pavements than when I made the same trip in Tier 2 December. The queue for Caffe Nero was 20 deep! However on the way home at 5pm (after dark) the traffic was much lighter than a typical pre-covid Saturday.

Yesterday Gunnersbury Park was buzzing with people... and to think that, prior to Covid, it was utterly quiet.

Some bright mind had taped the benches outside the cafe so that people couldn't sit on them... which meant that folks just sat on the steps immediately next to them.

Don't talk to me about taping stuff up. Public toilets in Winchester (stop it!!!!), 5 mens urinals, how many do you think they taped off? Was it 10101 or 01010? :)