Lockdown?

Ian says I need to tidy my office

Lockdown in rural Latvia is perhaps a bit different. We are in an area with no cases and it is easy to stay away from people most of the time. Ian still gets regular phone calls asking if people can visit and the answer is still "no". It seems a shame sometimes as it would be nice to show people around and one couple were hoping to get some anniversary pictures, but still the answer is "no". Most will be coming from Riga where the hotspot of cases are, even though it is still a low number.

Skyping with colleagues - no video

Alpacas down! No need to worry though, they are just
sunbathing. 

I feel sorry for other places that rely on the tourists coming in and some of those did open this weekend. One place opened as a drive-thru safari. Tickets were bought online, food could be pre-ordered, as could souvenirs and then people could drive around the site on the tracks where people normally walk. At least the weather has been mainly dry, so it won't ruin the tracks too much. It was an innovative response. As I study rural development, it made me think. Many recommend the development of tourism to improve incomes in rural areas - fine until something like this happens, although the rewards are not always fabulous, so it is not something I necessarily agree with normally. We are fine because my income is sufficient to see us through. Our tourist numbers are not high either and so we don't rely on it. For us it is a pleasant sideline at the moment and I would like to see us develop more than just outright tourism. Anyway, that is for a later date.

Out on the grass finally.

Some strange looking cloud formations

We started the shearing season by shearing at someone else's place this last week. Ian prefers to start at ours, but it has been cool and the people we sheared for have a more solid building to protect their alpacas. We were sensible, but it is not easy to shear by respecting social distancing. It was also another place that is Covid19 free so far and we know they take social distancing seriously, as they are still not having visitors either. We will have to seriously think how we manage other places that are in areas where there are definitely people with the virus.

Lockdown haircuts

Josefs

Ilvija

Amanda

Me! I was threatening Ian with the spoon, he'd wandered off
to take photos and of course food was cooking. 

George

This little pussycat is beginning to make a right nuisance of
herself, always looking for food. She got in through our
skylight roof while we were out shearing and snaffled cakes.
She regularly gets up on the work surfaces where we have
hotplates. We thought we could smell singed fur. Fortunately
it was just her very fluffy tail so no actual injuries. Does
this stop her! Nope! She now gets locked in the cat
basket when I'm making food, so I don't trip up on her.

I have to give credit to the Latvian government, their approach has kept the numbers down. Here are some examples for comparison in counties where we have lived, (deaths per million population)
Latvia      8
Denmark 84
US.         204
UK.         419

Where's Wally! No I mean where's Ian? 

Oh there he is!

Latvia hasn't got as good a health service as Denmark or the UK, but they have implemented a good track and trace system that seems to have worked, along with locking down borders. It does bother me when I hear of people who seem to think that the borders will open then they will just be able to come in. I am especially cautious regarding people who come from the US who have still got a few weeks before they will see the virus peaking and that is only if people are sensible and staying in, which doesn't seem to be happening in places. Even if the borders do open, there will have to be a substantial period of time when incomers will have to self-isolate for two weeks - that will make even visiting family difficult.

Is that Lady V up on the roof? At her age and in her condition
with her dodgy legs

Fortunately not, it is just a matter of perspective

Keeping cool in the shade and in the dip

It has still been a bit of a fraught week, trying to meet some deadlines. I managed to get enough data together for a fortunately brief but important meeting last week and this morning I managed to submit a paper to an academic journal that has been on the go for a while. At least all were happy with it, finally! Now we have to go through the review process but at least I can relax for a week or two - or maybe not. I still have to finish off my thesis and I need to do some reading for that, then I can relax - or maybe not because it will be planting and weeding season. Maybe July?

Lady V staying cool inside

Aggie being miserable inside. She doesn't like the heat and
it's not even that hot yet. Still she will be sheared soon.

In the background to all this was an ongoing saga for my daughter and her family. They had planned to move out to Australia and had got everything lined up when all this blew up. Anyway, they thankfully arrived safely in Australia and are most of the way through self-isolation. It's bad enough moving during the good times, but not exactly good for stress levels at times like these. Of course there is the downside they are so far away now, but I think the move will be good for them.

A great shot of pond skaters with emerging waterlily leaves

Hekules enjoying the grass errr I mean dandelions. At least
they will be good for him, a good spring tonic.

Spring is definitely making itself known now, the days are slowly warming and some of the late arrivals are coming back. The cuckoos are back and already driving me mad with their incessant noise. It really echoes here. The swallows are back thank goodness as the flies are in abundance in the alpaca houses. The stork is visiting a lot and the dandelions starting to appear,. Our animals have been let out on the grass and going loopy, even Herkules is improving if still a little unsteady on his feet. We have seen such an improvement in his from where he was barely able to get up and often needed help to jumping up on his own. It didn't helped his recovery when some young upstart rear-ends him and then they all pile on top of him. Fortunately we were around to sort them out and get him up. Brencis has also been trying to mate with him from time to time. A bit worrying.

Here is the week before with some very jealous boys looking
on. He was the only alpaca allowed out on the grass because
he needed some fresh grass and some space away from the
rough and tumble of the boys paddock. There was grass, but
not enough for all of them just yet. They had to make do with
the hay.

One of the plums is blooming

Spring has been dry again this year and the cool nights have meant that even though there wasn't much snow to melt this year, the grass hadn't really got going. The rain on Saturday was therefore a blessing and we have seen the difference in the grass already. I also managed to plant peas and beans along with some other seeds before the rain, so hopefully they will get away well. I'm a bit tired of watering in plants over the last few years and I haven't as much time these days for that. Still I have to make sure we are prepared as my contract runs out in June and down to part-time after that. So food growing in the garden will be helpful. I nearly have all the potatoes in, just some short rows to plant up and I'm doing that when my computer says I should get up and move.

Lockdown projects

The doors are finally on the new greenhouse. Plastic next

This ash tree was cut down years ago and Ian has been
cutting them up for chopping blocks and maybe some
seats and tables.

Chopping block and handy mug holder

Marking out for another project

Levelling off

Some reinforcements

Building inspector

Finally some level ground outside of our greenhouse. For
all who have visited us and we've had to warn you to be
careful where you put your chair, we've fixed it! Well Ian
fixed it!

I just took advantage of a beach area to work
from

The boys mowing the lawn

I still need a good stint in the garden as there are still autumn raspberry canes to cut back, a strawberry bed to finish weeding and of course the weeds are starting to appear again in the beds I've already weeded.

Josefs having a good scratch on a small spruce tree. We'll not
be using that one for Christmas then

And this is why. That's not dust but clouds of flies. You can
tell it's been a mild winter. I hope those swallows are going to
work overtime.

I forgot to take a picture before it was cut up,
but I treated myself at the bakery.

Oh yes and I had a birthday the week before. Not much to write about in terms of that, except that all my grandchildren said or sang happy birthday to me.

Alpacas going loopy on the fresh grass (technical term - pronking)

Vanessa's girls. I'm not sure I've really seen them pronking.
Running into the paddock because Ian is moving them back
in the evening but not running around just for the sake of it.

Tellus running. He's no spring chicken either, he'll be 13
years old this year.

Now they are all at it.

The boys running and play fighting