We see Dune as a new variant emerges

Two neighbours down the road from us have only been here a couple of years, but have never settled in the village. They call it aloof and unfriendly, so they finally put their house on the market. It sold rapidly within three days, but alas the purchasers dropped out at the last minute, so they lost the house they wanted. They will put it on the market again in the New Year. We have never seen the house since it was a rectory occupied by Father Jeremy, but finally the present owners invited us in this morning for coffee. Then as we were about to go, they phoned to say the dog was ill. They couldn'd get in to their normal vets, so they were having to take it to Saffron Waldon and the coffee morning was cancelled.  

We saw Dune yesterday, but I need have had no fear that it would expose the ending before I reached it in the book. In fact, it didn't get anywhere near the end - they stopped it before the book was halfway through and had the nerve to call it Episode 1. It was the most tedious two hours fifty minutes I have experienced in cinema, filmed in dull sepia monochrome, with no focus as drawn=out battles and mayhem raged about the weakly drawn characters. Ann mentioned that she had lost three hours of her life she could never get back, but after the brilliance of the book I felt that more than time had been taken from me. I cannot recommend avoiding this film enough. I cannot believe they hope to make a followup Part 2.

Edwin and Andre at the Space Centre

Edwin continues his journey through the USA, going to Washington, then through Philadelphia into N. Carolina where they celebrated Thanksgiving in true Yankee style at a dinner for twenty people. The meal was held in the house of the parents of the fiancee of Andre's sister - if that's not too convoluted. They are strong Catholics and offered a prayer of thanks where each of them named something they were grateful for. Andre's parents are very strict house church. They will not drink alcohol or sing and disapprove of many accepted practices in the modern world. They also consider religious statures as idols, not allowing any images in their church. As they were leaving, the grandmother in the house gave them a present as a token of friendship between the two families. It was a gaudy statue of an angel. 

Now another variant of the Corona virus has emerged. It only emerged five days ago, but already we are being forced back into masks and potential lockdowns. This virus seems to have a life of its own, behaving like no other virus. Even such nasties as smallpox did not mutate and were eliminated with a vaccination program. Ebola, another highly contagious and fatal disease, can be controlled by isolation. But Covid mutates frequently, each variant seeming more potent than the last. It is not being contained by isolation or antiviral treatments, or the vaccination program. It is not good to talk conspiracy theories, but this virus is so completely nasty and untameable one feels that it was almost designed to be this way. 

Edwin and Andre will now have to take the full PCR tests on their return. They have to take it within two days; as Ann says, this will give them plenty of time to pass on any infection they've acquired, but the government don't seem to consider this. We just hope there are no cases in America before they return, or they may be subjected to full lockdown.