Friday Fuchsias

My fuchsias really struggled this year. The buds were scorched in the heatwave and the new buds are only just coming out. The whole garden is out of sorts. My wild flowers went over really quickly earlier in the year, and I cleared them ages ago. Then the last few weeks new ones are growing. They'll presumably die in the frost, but I wonder now if I'll get them growing in the Spring or whether I should re-seed. I've very nearly finished clearing the garage now, just waiting for a storage container to arrive for the garden furniture cushions, and some hooks to arrive to hang a few things up. I bought in the stained glass panels from the garden for the winter and the wind spinners too as strong wind is forecast. I also blocked up the water butts and emptied them. The rain has just arrived as forecast at 4pm and is set in for the evening. 

Day 925 / Day 216 of no Legal Covid Requirements in England (for my record only)
The weekly ONS infection survey of private households up to w/e 20th Sept showed UK cases rose 14% in the last week and are now over 1m again. There's an estimated 1 in 65 with the virus in England (up); 1 in 45 in Scotland (up); 1 in 50 in Wales (up), and 1 in 80 in NI (no change). A sore throat is now the most common symptom. The number in hospital with Covid has risen by 37% (6 out of 10 being treated for something else). A 'twindemic' of Covid and flu is of concern this winter, Dr Susan Hopkins of the UKHSA said 'This combination poses a serious risk to our health, particularly those in high risk groups', and 'The H3N2 flu strain can cause particularly severe illness'.  The elderly and immuno-suppressed in particular are being urged to get both jabs. A new study is looking into whether a blood test done whilst you have Covid, could predict whether you will develop long term health problems. They have found that several blood proteins are dramatically disrupted for up to six weeks, even in those with mild symptoms.