Snow

Thank you for comments on my entry’s disappearance. A random bug seems more likely than an intervention. In a strange twist, one of the photo’s subjects, Angelo Borrelli, Head of the Protezione Civile has disappeared from the evening broadcast panel as he has a feverish condition that may be the virus.

I had thought to make a rather poor taste joke about the mesmerising signer on the panel being a conduit to alien forces. But with the disappearance of my photo of Borrelli and now the man himself it may be that truth is stranger than fiction.

Coronavirus humour is a tricky area given the scale and spread of the human tragedy unfolding before our eyes.

Anyway the Arctic blast forecast has not failed to not disappoint. 7-8cm of wet snow this morning and a cold wind. The first day I’ve felt cold in the house.

I spent some time drawing up graphs of the virus’ spread in Tuscany and its provinces. Case numbers have doubled this last week and our mayor’s incredibly useful daily WhatsApp updates show a steady increase from a very low base in the Casentino. Cases in Tuscany are expected to peak around 28th March.

Petrol stations were planning to close but this seems to have been averted and our local filling station told the mayor they would stay open anyway.

The wine order arrived in the nick of time. I was extremely careful with the social distancing: we left the wine out for a night under a tarpaulin in v cold weather to avoid contact with surfaces and paid over the internet. Then much hand washing and sanitising when I did carry it in. I even sanitised the bottle of Chianti we had (not inside, obviously). After hearing from a friend in Florence and her horrible ordeal with the virus we are taking no chances even if our precautions at times seem slightly comic.

More snow forecast tonight. With the absolute silence but for birds and dogs we could be in a Bruege painting.

Take care and be safe