VE Day 75

I thought I'd take some photos of any shops with bunting (& my front window) for a collage for VE Day 75. I was glad to see the Union Jack was flying at the war memorial and they'd put the Tommy out. Normally I'd have observed the two minute silence there, but instead I watched it standing in my lounge - the wreath & flowers laying at the memorial in Balmoral by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwell with a lone piper playing was very poignant and moving. I was invited to a lockdown socially distancing tea with neighbours further up the road, but didn't want to intrude. The Queen addressed the Nation at 9pm - exactly 75 years to the minute since her father did. She said that ‘Our streets are not empty. They are filled with love.’

Day 54 / Day 46 of Full Lockdown (for my record only)
UK deaths up 626 to 31,241 (a Sky News analysis shows hot spots including several in Cumbria as already suspected by a blipper in the area), Italy up 243 to 30,201 (first EU country to pass 30,000), Spain up 229 to 26,299. US unemployment rate is now 14.7% - it was 3.5% two months ago. There are now c4M confirmed virus cases globally. 

Testing is just below target today, the 6th day in a row. On Question Time last night a minister said that 5,000 of the 18,000 contract tracers had been recruited. Ministers do need to get a grip on both these areas if we're to avoid a 2nd peak. Government gives £16M to support front-line food charities.