Monday, December 20, 2021

Gezza!


I can't believe I forgot to give you an update yesterday on Olga's nose. Basically, everything is fine. I looked at it the next morning and it looked like it might still be a little swollen, but it was so barely perceptible that I wondered if I'd made the whole thing up. You saw it, though, right? And the vet saw it. So I'm pretty sure it was for real.

Kudos to reader Ellen D. for identifying the mysterious plastic object I posted yesterday that I found in the cemetery (and have found in the past elsewhere). It's a "J-pod," a cartridge used in Juul vaping devices. Apparently they're refillable and often used with cannabis oil. Which, as I told Ellen, explains why someone might have dropped it on the ground rather than reusing it or throwing it in the trash -- they were lost in the stratosphere at the time.

Olga was in a walking mood yesterday morning, so we ventured westward toward Kilburn and through the Maygrove Peace Park. Along Wayne Kirkum Way, which connects the estate behind the park to Mill Lane, we found this graffti:


There's a level of frustration with Boris Johnson's leadership these days, and he's seen as politically vulnerable. "What's it come to," indeed! (I assume "gezza" is like "geezer," which in Britain is a colloquial expression for a man -- not necessarily an old one, unlike in the States, where "geezer" connotes old age.)

On the way home, we passed our neighbor a few houses up the street, unloading two Christmas trees from the back of her car. "Two trees!" I said. "You're going all out!"

She laughed and gestured toward her house. "Well, we may be locked up here for weeks!"

We are indeed facing a possibly intensified lockdown, though not a full one like we experienced in the early days of the pandemic. Apparently Omicron is romping unfettered through the UK population. Yesterday I saw an article that said the Astra Zeneca vaccine, which is the one I had, isn't as effective as Pfizer and Moderna for preventing Omicron infection (though it does help prevent hospitalization). At least I had a Pfizer booster. Maybe that toughens up my armor.

Finally, remember last year when Olga and I came across some hedgehog monitoring cameras in the cemetery? Well, apparently that project determined that Hampstead Heath is a local "hotspot" for hedgehogs, but they're declining elsewhere in London. I've found bits of a dead hedgehog on the Heath but I've never seen a live one. I would think with all the dogs around -- not to mention the occasional python -- they'd have a tough time of it there.

(Top photo: A dark street near our flat on a recent early morning.)

42 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

Your mention of Hedgehogs reminded me of the one we had in the garden a while back, do you remember the post? I have never seen one since that night sadly.
In case I don't do a post until after Christmas I hope that you both have the kind of Christmas that you will both enjoy and thankyou for your support throughout the year.
Briony
x

Anonymous said...

The occasional python link was irresistible. I am AZ double vaccinated but not yet eligible for a booster. It will probably be Moderna in January. As I understand Moderna and Pfizer work well with AZ to give protection against Omicron. I expect there will be a fourth jap at some point next year.

gz said...

Yes, double AZ plus Pfizer is apparently good..luckily that's what we received.
Looking forward to light returning..one more day!

Moving with Mitchell said...

Oh crud. I had Astra Zeneca. Am still waiting for my booster. I was told last month that I hadn’t passed my 6-month wait between 2nd shot and booster. Friends in London told me yesterday it was recently reduced to 3 months in England. Wonder if it’s changed here, too. This whole thing makes me nervous for Christmas Eve with friends. So glad about Olga!

Yorkshire Pudding said...

Hedgehogs are mostly nocturnal. Thirty of forty years ago squashed hedgehogs were a very common sight on English country roads but now you rarely see that. You are more likely to see a dead badger or a fox.

Bob said...

Good news about Olga; we do have to watch our pets.
We have been triple Pfizered here, so I feel pretty good about that. I hopehopehope we don't do lockdown again because the last one sent the loons into the streets.

jenny_o said...

I'm glad Olga seems better. If only our pets could talk! ... I think ...

Booster shots are fully booked in my province for December (I've been trying for an appointment for a week, should have jumped on it as soon as my mother and I were past the six-month mark but I was tied up with other issues of both hers and mine). Hopefully in early January we'll be able to get them. We've had a bunch of cases, including omicron, due to a nearby university's grad parties. It's worrying. I've stopped in-office working and get my mother's groceries for her again. She is basically like a caged bird - hopefully safe, but at what cost?

Ms. Moon said...

Well, you know Florida- we're free and fancy here. Our governor has decided that the best way to go is to concentrate on treatment, not prevention. It's no wonder I feel crazy all the time.
I'm glad Olga is better.
I hope you and Dave stay safe.

Wilma said...

I am hoping that (AZ x 2) + P = protection!
Your first photo today is very moody - I can see it as cover art for a mystery novel.

Ellen D. said...

My middle son got us rapid test kits so we can all be assured that we are Covid-free before we gather on Christmas Eve. That peace park is lovely and would be a nice place for a walk to relieve stress from the worries of the world. I would now be afraid to hike on the heath after reading about the python! Yikes! Stay safe, Steve!

Anonymous said...

I'm glad Olga felt well and wanted to go for a Heath walk. That's wonderful news.
Roger and I are both vaccinated and boostered. We're waiting to see what happens after all the holiday gatherings. I read that only 30% of the vaccinated population here in the US have gotten their booster shots. Does not bode well for Christmas gatherings.

Ed said...

I'm triple Pfizered myself but last night was obligated to attend my oldest's Christmas concert in an auditorium full of coughing, sneezing and sniffling people, largely not wearing masks. All I could think was that it was a superspreader for the Omicron variant despite me wearing a mask and sitting off to one side in the not so densely populated portion of the auditorium. I'm hunkering down until next year at this point.

Sharon said...

I just heard on the news that Boris Johnson's approval rating is even lower than Biden's. The COVID news today is pretty dire and here in AZ we haven't heard one word from our Governor as our hospitals are back up to capacity.
Pythons on the Heath?? That's a frightening thought.

ellen abbott said...

I'm glad we got the moderna, all three shots. My grandgirl Autumn has a hedgehog though it's living with a friend while she's in Ecuador. First one I had ever seen and they are prickly little things.

The Bug said...

I'm glad Olga seems ok! I'm pretty nervous about our Christmas gathering - especially since I think a couple of folks aren't vaccinated. There won't be that many of us (10?), but we will be together for several hours. We shall see.

Debby said...

3 doses, all Pfizer.

e said...

Glad Olga is good.

Red said...

I didn't know that a vaping device was so high tech!

Kelly said...

I wanted to get a Pfizer booster to round out my Moderna vaccines, but the pharmacy I went to wouldn't mix and match. I'm not sure it makes a great difference in the grand scheme of things.

We have a wide variety of roadkill: possums, armadillos, skunks, deer...

Glad Olga is okay!

Mage said...

(Top photo: It looks cold.)

Steve Reed said...

I do remember your hedgehog! In fact I thought of it as I was writing this post. A happy Christmas to you and Tom!

Steve Reed said...

I'm sure having a Pfizer or Moderna booster makes a difference. We'll probably have to get regular jabs into the future, like flu shots.

Steve Reed said...

OK, good to know! (On both counts!)

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, England has stepped up the time frame in an effort to increase the number of "boosted" people.

Steve Reed said...

I have yet to see a badger anywhere. They are mythical creatures to my urban mind!

Steve Reed said...

Triple Pfizer is about as good as it gets, I think!

Steve Reed said...

Here in England the doctors have basically said, "Don't call us -- we'll call you." I imagine they were getting a lot of inquiries. Hope you can get the jab in January!

Steve Reed said...

I wonder what the infection and death rates have been like there vs. here?It seems like enough time has passed that we ought to be able to do an objective evaluation of these approaches and see what works best. Despite all our lockdowns and restrictions our infection rate remains pretty high, so is it all worth it?

Steve Reed said...

I like your algebraic expression of vaccine effectiveness!

Steve Reed said...

It's a good idea to test, so bravo for your son. We test regularly here as part of our jobs at the school. (But probably not over break!) I wouldn't say pythons are a regular occurrence. Rare enough to get into the newspaper, in fact!

Steve Reed said...

I guess all we can do at the end of the day is make sure our own shots are up to date.

Steve Reed said...

Well, hopefully you don't have much Omicron there yet. Our school cancelled the final two music concerts because of Covid.

Steve Reed said...

Boris is floundering. Brexit has been a shambles, particularly in Northern Ireland and for fishermen, and relations with Europe are not good. And now there's news that his staff had Christmas parties last year when all the rest of us were in lockdown. So, yeah, people are not happy.

Steve Reed said...

A pet hedgehog? I didn't know such a thing existed!

Steve Reed said...

Well, at least it's a small gathering, so the odds are in your favor.

Steve Reed said...

You should be in good shape, then!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, she's fine. She's just a drama queen.

Steve Reed said...

Me neither, though I have seen people smoking the pens and they light up and look rather futuristic.

Steve Reed said...

I've heard mixing may make for better resistance, but the Pfizer seems to be the best shot, so if you've had that I think you'll be OK. (Not that I am any kind of expert.)

Steve Reed said...

It was cold but not icy. We haven't had many sub-freezing nights yet.

Ed said...

According to the news last night, Omicron represents 73% of all new cases, which are exploding.

37paddington said...

Glad Olga is ok.