Thanks to a daring feat and some in-house help, I got out of the hospital safely yesterday morning. I have to go back before the 9am call on Monday. All joking aside it’s better than the hotel. “Don’t worry sir, you can leave your things, we’ll lock the room. “We have prepared your medicine bag with the pills in separate bags marked for each day morning, noon and night”. “Have a good time and do not forget to come back”.
I have rarely seen such a nice and friendly bunch of people.
I arrived home in time to go to the “village” of the Tour de France.
I had a coffee with friends and found myself not even 100 m from home to watch the start of the caravan and the riders set off on today’s stage.
For those who are not familiar, there is no Tour de France without Cochonou. That is something that everyone knows and if you are applying for French nationality (I know a few who are currently in the process), it might come up in the required interviews.
Lazy afternoon after that. Just what the doctor ordered.
✏️ Yes, the highly contagious delta variant will be responsible for more than half of the new contaminations as of this weekend. Olivier Véran, the Minister of Health, said so yesterday. This is obviously not good news, given its high transmissibility. And the fourth wave now promises to be inevitable. However, there is definitely reason not to give in to despondency. Let’s just not forget the essential barrier gestures, even if we go on vacation today. In some cities, such as Saint Malo or Nice, masks are back outside. Hand washing or hydroalcoholic gel must remain a habit. Above all, it was not the case last year, you can be vaccinated! And it is much easier today to get an appointment. To be injected with a second dose, for example, at your holiday destination is now possible and encouraged.
✏️ “Getting vaccinated is a small step for you, but a big step for herd immunity.” Olivier Veran.
▫️ GADGET
BMW’S FUTURISTIC ELECTRIC SCOOTER IS STRAIGHT OUT OF ANIME When we saw BMW’s CE 04 electric scooter concept last year, it looked like something pulled straight out of a science-fiction film. Now the company has unveiled the final consumer version of the CE 04, and while it’s lost a bit of the fantastical edge, it still looks like a vehicle that would be right at home in Akira or Ghost in the Shell. Aimed at the urban commuter, the CE 04 features a 10.25-inch LCD screen (that’s bigger than what’s in most cars!), up to 81 miles of range, and a top speed of 75mph.
▫️ QUOTE
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens
This is the official government page (in French 🇫🇷) regarding the current rules for travelling abroad (in & out). It is expected that some of these rules will change, for the worse, this coming Monday.
✒︎ On the wall in the women’s change rooms: My husband follows me every where. Written underneath: ” I do not.”
✒︎ On a busy Saturday morning a young boy was lost in the shopping centre. He told a police officer, “I’ve lost my dad.” “What’s he like?” the cop asked. “Football and beer,” the kid replied.
🔹 A site foreman had 10 very lazy men working for him, so one day he decided to trick them into doing some work for a change. “I’ve got a really easy job for the laziest one among you,” he announced. “Will the laziest man please put his hand up?” Nine hands went up. “Why didn’t you put your hand up,” he asked the tenth man. “Too much effort,” came the reply.
✒︎ You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
✒︎ You’re driving a car. It isn’t a telephone booth, a beauty parlor or a restaurant.
✒︎ A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
✒︎ If you want the rainbow, you have got to put up with the rain.
✒︎ All those who believe in psycho kinesis, raise my hand.
✒︎ I almost had a psychic girlfriend…. but she left me before we met.
✒︎ A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
🔹 An oldie…
An English man, Irishman and a Scotsman were drinking at a bar.
Suddenly, the Scotsman says, “As good as this bar is, I still prefer the pubs back home.
In Glasgow, there’s a wee place.
The landlord goes out of his way for the locals.
When you buy four drinks, he’ll buy the fifth drink.”
“Well,” said the Englishman, “At my local in London , the barman will buy you your third drink after you buy the first two.”
“Ahhh, dat’s nothin’,” said the Irishman, “back home in my favourite pub, the moment you set foot in the place, they’ll buy you a drink, then another, all the drinks you like, actually.
Then, when you’ve had enough drinks, they’ll take you upstairs and see that you gets laid, all on the house!”
The Englishman and Scotsman were suspicious of the claims.
The Irishman swore every word was true.
Then the Englishman asked, “Did this actually happen to you?”
“Not to me, personally, no,” admitted the Irishman, “but it did happen to me sister quite a few times.”
🔹 A radio DJ was introducing a record. “This next one,” he said, “is for Charlotte Burke,
who is a hundred and eleven.
Hey, Charlotte, congratulations on a ripe old age!”
There was a short pause and then the DJ said in a somewhat more subdued voice, “I’m sorry, I got it wrong. This next one is for Charlotte Burke, who is ill.”
🔹 Teen Joke
I went to the cinema the other day and in the front row was an old man and with him
was his dog. It was a sad funny kind of film, you know the type. In the sad part, the
dog cried his eyes out, and in the funny part, the dog laughed its head off.
This happened all the way through the film.
After the film had ended, I decided to go and speak to the man.
“That’s the most amazing thing I’ve seen,” I said. “That dog really seemed to enjoy the film.”
The man turned to me and said, “Yeah, it is. He hated the book.”
🔹 I read this article that said the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much,
impulse buying, and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day.
The nice part about living in a small town: When you don’t know what you’re doing,
someone else always does.
🔹 A man owned a small farm in Queensland. The Government Industrial Inspector
claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent to interview him.
“You just give me a list of your employees and tell me how much you pay them.”
“All right,” said the farmer. “I have a hired man. Been with me for three years.
I pay him $600 a week, plus room and board. I have a cook. She’s been here six months.
She gets $500 a week plus room and board.”
“Anybody else?” asked the agent as he scribbled on a note pad.
“Yeah,” the farmer said. “There’s a half wit here. Works about eighteen hours a day. I pay him ten dollars a week and give him some tobacco.”
“Aha!” the agent roared. “I want to talk to that half-wit!”
“You’re talkin’ to him now,” said the farmer.
🔹 Some interesting observations from Alan…
✒︎ You cannot tell which way the train went by looking at the track.
✒︎ There is absolutely no substitute for genuine lack of preparation.
✒︎ Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
✒︎ The facts, though interesting, are irrelevant.
✒︎ Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.
✒︎ Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.
✒︎ I have seen the truth and it makes no sense.
✒︎ One-seventh of your life is spent on Friday.
✒︎ By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
✒︎ There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
✒︎Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience.
✒︎ For every complex problem there is always a simple solution – and it is always wrong.
🔹 More short humour …
✒︎ I was born male, I identify as male, but according to Sainsbury’s deluxe sticky toffee pudding I am actually a family of four.
✒︎ My mate had a business growing Bonsai trees. It’s going so well that he is looking for smaller premises.
✒︎ It was nice to see so many new faces at the annual plastic surgery convention.
✒︎ When I went for my second jab the nurse said, “I see you have an iron deficiency.” I said “how can you tell?” She said, “Your shirt’s really creased.”
See you in the soup.
▫️ NEWS FROM ACROSS THE POND 🇺🇸
Some more gems from crazy USA
▫️ ADDITIONAL READS FOR TODAY
✏️ Everything you need to know about Richard Branson going to space this weekend
I feel well enough so I walked myself all the way to the scanner rooms. Unlike the MRI (IRM in French) it is quite pleasant and comfortable. I almost fell asleep in particular when a solution was injected which I was warned would make me have a sudden hot flush. It sure did, other not unpleasant tingles as well.
Walked back to my room, and it is tea time which is fine. It is also transfusion time (1 of 3) which is not so fine.
✏️ More than 100 million tests in France since the beginning of the epidemic. Between 1 March 2020 and 4 July 2021, “approximately 100.2 million tests were validated by a health professional, including 20.6 million antigenic tests, 76.6 million classic PCRs and 2.8 million salivary PCRs”, it was announced on Thursday.
✏️ The pressure on hospitals continues to ease. On Thursday, 7384 patients suffering from Covid-19 were hospitalised in France, compared to 7539 on Wednesday. Among them, 100 people were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours.
The decrease also continues in the ICU services. 971 patients were in intensive care on Thursday, compared to 997 the day before. 26 were admitted in the last 24 hours. 25 people have also died in hospital, bringing the total number of deaths in French hospitals since the start of the pandemic to 84,811.
On the other hand, the number of cases was on the rise on Thursday, with 4,442 new cases detected compared to 4,081 the day before.
▫️ TOUR DE FRANCE
Today is arrival day in town.
▫️ FOOD
I managed yesterday evening to take part in the weekly “virtual pub quizz” together as a team with my friends C & J in the UK. A first as far as Carcassonne hospital is concerned and a puzzle for the nurses who checked up on me at the time.
Anyway, one of the questions was about pies and it kind of bothered me during the night so I checked for future reference and discovered the:
1. Pumpkin Pie 2. Shaker Lemon Pie 3. Lemon Ice Box Pie 4. Lemon Meringue Pie 5. Butterfinger Pie 6. Oreo Pie 7. Peanut Butter Snickers Cheesecake Brownie Pie 8. Chocolate Pie 9. Chocolate Chip Pie 10. Chocolate Five Layer Pie 11. Peanut Butter Pie 12. French Silk Pie 13. Christmas Peppermint Pie 14. Red Velvet Cheesecake Pie 15. Cherry Pie 16. Apple Pie 17. Peach Pie 18. Bumbleberry Pie 19. Key Lime Pie 20. Blueberry Pie 21. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie 22. Strawberry Pie 23. Raspberry Pie 24. Shepherd’s Pie 25. Steak & Kidney Pie 26. Steak and Guinness (Ale) Pie 27. Steak and Oyster Pie 28. Turkey Pot Pie 29. Chicken Pie 30. Corned Beef Pie 31. Minced Beef Pie 32. Mince Pie 33. Mince and Leek Pie 34. Chicken and Leek Pie 35. Chicken Pot Pie 36. Vegetable Pie 37. Chicken and Vegetable Pie 38. Vegetable and Cheese Pie 39. Custard Pie 40. Pork Pie 41. B’stilla Moroccan Chicken Pie 42. Moon Pie 43. Whoopie Pie 44. Fish Pie 45. Lamprey Pie 46. Pecan Pie 47. Shoo-fly Pie 48. Sugar Pie 49. Smores Pie 50. Apple Caramel Pie 51. Rabbit Pie 52. Huckleberry Pie 53. Cheese & Potato Pie 54. Tiropita (Cheese Pie) 55. Apple Crumb Pie 56. Meat Pie 57. Bean Pie 58. Bacon and Egg Pie 59. Pork and Egg Pie 60. Pork and Apple Pie 61. Spaghetti Pie 62. Potato Pie (Patatopita) 63. Sweet Potato Pie 64. Banana Cream Pie 65. Minced Steak and Onion Pie 66. Cheese and Onion Pie 67. Boston Cream Pie 68. Coconut Cream Pie 69. Leek Pie (Prasopita) 70. Macaroni Pie 71. Tomato Pie 72. Corn Pie 73. Butter Pie 74. Sausage Pie 75. Mint Pie 76. Mint Chip Ice Cream Pie 77. Butterscotch Pie 78. Oatmeal Creme Pie 79. Snickers Pie 80. Cherry Cream Cheese Pie 81. Chess Pie 82. Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Pie 83. Venison Pie 84. Sheep’s Brain Mince Pie 85. Chicken and Bacon Pie 86. McDonald’s Apple Pie 87. McDonald’s Holiday Pie 88. Hostess Fruit Pie 89. Taco Pie 90. Frito Pie 91. Chinese Pie 92. Deep-Fried Apple Pie 93. Macadamia Nut Pie 94. Bavarian Cream Pie 95. Candy Bar Pie 96. Caramel Popcorn Pie 97. Rhubarb Pie 98. Angel Pie 99. Scotch Pie 100. Eggplant Pie (Melitzanopita) 101. Eggnog Pie 102. Blueberry Crumble Pie 103. Egg Pie 104. Fig Pie 105. Plum Pie 106. Rum Raisin Pie 107. Lobster Pie 108. Spinach Pie (Spanakopita) 109. Curry Pie 110. Chicken Curry Pie 111. Peanut Pie 112. Red Velvet Cake Pie 113. Quince Pie 114. Chocolate Fudge Pie 115. Orange Pie (Portokalopita) 116. Steak and Red Wine Pie 117. Chicken and Mushroom Pie 118. Pistachio Pie 119. Fried Steak Pie Supper 120. Sour Cream Raisin Pie 121. Chili Pie 122. Butter Chicken Pie 123. Grasshopper Pie 124. Heath Bar Pie 125. Dulce De Leche Pie 126. Blackberry Pie 127. Apple and Blackberry Pie 128. St. Stephens Day Pie 129. St Clement’s Pie 130. Burger King’s Hershey’s Sundae Pie 131. Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie 132. Walnut Pie 133. Maple Syrup Pie 134. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pie 135. Honey Pie 136. Boysenberry Pie 137. Zucchini Pie (Kolokithopita) 138. Apple Pie on a Stick 139. Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pie 140. Artichoke Pie (Agginaropita) 141. Chocolate Pecan Pie 142. Caramel Pecan Pie 143. Chicken Balti Pie 144. Ploughman’s Pork Pie 145. Picnic Pie 146. Hazlenut Pie 147. Ham Pie 148. Meat and Potato Pie 149. McDonald’s Strawberry and Creme Pie 150. Shrimp Pie 151. King Cake Pie 152. Mango Pie 153. Hand Raised Pie 154. Marshmallow Pie 155. Mandarin Orange Pie 156. Dandelion Pie 157. Hershey’s Chocolate Cream Pie 158. Lemon Pie 159. Chicken and Rice Pie 160. Currant Pie 161. Crabapple Pie 162. Ginger Pie 163. Cranberry Pie 164. Vanilla Pie 165. Cinnamon Pie 166. Oyster Pie 167. Prune Pie 168. Chocolate Snack Pie 169. Chocolate Pumpkin Pie 170. Rocky Road Pie 171. Sherbet Pie 172. Birthday Cake Pie 173. Strawberry Walnut Pie 174. Oatmeal Chocolate Pie 175. Caramel Pie 176. Cherry Snack Pie 177. Cherry Chocolate Pie 178. Brownie Pie 179. Caramel Nut Apple Pie 180. M & M Pie 181. Pear Pie 182. Buster Sundae Pie 183. Cranapple Pie 184. Mississippi Mud Pie – Mississippi 185. Fried Peach Pies 186. Blueberry Cream Pie
▫️ TRAVEL NEWS
Due to the increase of the Delta variant, the government issued today a warning and strongly recommends not to go to Spain & Portugal for the time being.
✏️ New cases – Worrying rebound in Paris. The incidence rate has doubled in one week in the capital and now stands at 54.2. An increase in cases which particularly concerns young adults, and which should be a warning signal according to the Regional Health Agency.
✏️ Aude departement – Despite the increase of new daily cases, the situation in the “departement” is stable and in fact still slightly improving. In fact as of yesterday, there was no one left in Intensive Care (Covid-19 related) in the whole departement and there were only 25 persons hospitalised.
✏️ Delta variant
Here follows a map showing the rate of the Delta variant for new tests / cases by departement.
✏️ Concern is growing around the world. Israel fears that the vaccine is less effective against the Delta variant, while Catalonia is reimposing measures to deal with the renewed epidemic, causing concern among French people who were planning to travel there this summer. The situation is also alarming in Africa, where a record number of infections have been recorded. For his part, Boris Johnson maintains, despite the progression of the Delta variant, his decision to lift the obligation to wear a mask on 19 July, while the WHO is concerned about the premature return to normal in many countries. We take stock of the measures, country by country.
✏️ The price of tests, country by country. From a few dozen to more than 100 or even 200 euros, the prices of PCR and antigenic tests can vary greatly depending on the country in the European Union. Hint: if you don’t want to break the bank, opt for antigenic tests. Let’s recap. Free testing for tourists visiting France is over. From 7 July, they will be charged 49 euros for PCR tests and 29 euros for antigenic tests.
📖 TOUR DE FRANCE
A lot of the roads are already marked as closing down to normal traffic. It will be chaos in town.
▫️ QUOTE
“I’m sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It’s just been too intelligent to come here.”
– Arthur C. Clarke
▫️ FUN
▫️ TRAVEL NEWS
Due to the increase of the Delta variant, the government issued today a warning and strongly recommends not to go to Spain & Portugal for the time being.
I might be in hospital, it does not mean I cannot function. I just wish the internal WIFI was working instead of having to rely on my phone’s 4G connection. Am I wishing I had a 5G connection?
📖 TOUR DE FRANCE
Since I am stuck here till at least Friday, I shall miss some of the show in town since Carcassonne is a stop over town on this year’s Tour de France. They are due in on Friday and due to depart on Saturday.
A lot of the roads are already marked as closing down to normal traffic. It will be chaos in town.
📍 Did you know? 🇺🇸 : By an extraordinary coincidence, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, the only two signatories of the Declaration of Independence later to serve as presidents of the United States, both died on the same day: July 4, 1826, which was the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. Although not a signatory of the Declaration of Independence, James Monroe, another Founding Father who was elected as president, also died on July 4, 1831, making him the third President who died on the anniversary of independence. The only U.S. president to have been born on Independence Day was Calvin Coolidge, who was born on July 4, 1872.
📍 And on July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
For all the fact that the congressmen got around the sticky problem of Black and Indigenous enslavement by defining “men” as “white men,” and for all that it never crossed their minds that women might also have rights, the Declaration of Independence was an astonishingly radical document. In a world that had been dominated by a small class of rich men for so long that most people simply accepted that they should be forever tied to their status at birth, a group of upstart legislators clinging to the edge of a continent declared that no man was born better than any other. America was founded on the radical idea that all men are created equal.
📖 3006 CASES IN 24 HOURS: 6th DAY OF CONTINUING INCREASE
While the number of patients hospitalised for Covid continues to fall, the number of new cases is again on the rise in France. And the trend is now clear. This is the sixth consecutive day of increased cases compared to the previous week. Compared to last Saturday, the number of new cases has even increased by 41%.
📖 NARBONNE: fire in the Massif de la Clape, 250 hectares burnt and a campsite evacuated
A vegetation fire broke out shortly after midday on Saturday 3 July in the Clape, near Hospitalet, next to the orientation table, in the commune of Narbonne. The Fire and Rescue Service sent in very large resources to contain the flames. Twelve forest fire trucks and command vehicles were on site. The fire spread rapidly through an area of low vegetation, brush and pine trees.
The flames spread further south from the initial focus, on the hill above Narbonne-Plage, towards Gruissan. “Three estates were evacuated, including Rouquette and Pech Rouge and the Soleil d’Oc campsite, with a total of 150 people evacuated by the gendarmerie. The difficulty lies in the fact that the wind is constantly changing” explains Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Felten of the SDIS. The aerial means are also important: 6 canadairs, 3 dash, a water bomber helicopter carried out 90 drops, in addition to the command helicopter.
▫️ LOTTERY
It is not often that I praise what’s happening in the US, maybe because today is their National Day (Independence Day) I shall make an exception.
I came across this article in the local Otsego (Michigan) headlines which I tend to read on-line on a regular basis which reports that in order to entice people to receive the anti-Covid vaccine they have created a lottery called the Michigan Shot to Win. Apparently it is quite a success (see below):
I think it might even work in France
▫️ FOOD AND DRINKS
Went to “Les Halles” late yesterday afternoon. Best time of the day, hardly anybody around and the shelves are fully loaded. Excellent place for vegetables and fruits.
Found what I was really looking for
Delicious super fresh figs
▫️ TRAVEL NEWS
I have decided to keep the Posting as short as possible to create a Page within the Blog where all the travel news will be posted. I have already copied and pasted the existing information. The link to the page can be found in the Blog’s heading as shown below.
▫️ MUSIC
Meanwhile in Germany, my friend Carlos celebrated yesterday his 12 years as manager of my favorite pub with a typical German band.
Not in a productive mood today and I must admit have not been in the past few weeks. My doc called me yesterday after having received my blood test, of the same day, results and confirmed what I suspected: an extremely low haemoglobin count… Why, we need to find out. He gave me the option to go straight to emergency at the hospital or ride it out till Monday when he hopefully will have secured an appointment with a specialist. I decided to stay home, pack a bag in case and if things worsen a quick call to the emergency number “15” will do the trick.
Funny enough, I have felt slightly out of sorts and in this lethargic kind of state since my anti-Covid 19 injections. Coincidence I suppose.
Anyway, the real news of the day is that where-ever you look, TV, papers etc) the 4th wave is upon us which does not appear to be as dramatic as everyone wants to make you believe. For sure the number of new cases are on the increase again but on the other hand the number of hospitalisations and ICU patients are still decreasing. This is the proof that the vaccinations are working and prevent serious cases.
There is quite n interesting article in today’s “Le Monde” newspaper on the subject and entitled “Covid-19: Vaccinated people account for 40% of new cases in Israel (and this is good news)”. Here is the link to the article in French. If I find the energy, I shall translate it later today.
Covid-19: Vaccinated people account for 40% of new cases in Israel
(And that’s good news)
BEHIND THE NUMBERS – In countries where vaccination is very advanced, a proportion of new infections occur among the vaccinated, which may seem counterintuitive. But this is normal and expected.
In Israel, where the Delta variant is causing a slow rise in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections, the former Director General of Health stated that 40% to 50% of these new cases were among fully vaccinated people. At first glance, this information is surprising and even worrying as to the real effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which benefited the Israeli population. However, the phenomenon was completely foreseeable, and it confirms in reality the capacity of vaccines to protect against the SARS-CoV-2 infection, and especially against the serious forms of Covid-19.
Explanation.
Currently available vaccines, however effective they may be in preventing severe forms of Covid-19 (hospitalisations, deaths), cannot protect 100% of those vaccinated against infection. A large study of the Israeli population, conducted from the end of January 2021 to the beginning of April and published in The Lancet, estimated the effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine at 95.3% against the risk of infection for fully vaccinated people (two doses). This means that just under 5% of those vaccinated can still be infected with SARS-CoV-2. The figure could even increase in the case of the Delta variant, which is thought to be more contagious than the Alpha variant, which was dominant at the time of the study.
Spontaneously, after reading this information, one would expect that the proportion of vaccinated people among the new infections observed would not exceed 5 to 10%. From this point of view, a figure of between 40 and 50% can be seen as very high.
But this reasoning only holds when the two groups being compared (the vaccinated and the non-vaccinated) are of equivalent size. In Israel, the proportion of vaccinated adults was estimated at the beginning of July to be around 85%.
The rest is quite simple to understand: if the vaccinated are overwhelmingly in the majority, even the small fraction of those who do not escape infection represent a significant number in absolute terms. They can therefore account for a large proportion of infections when the virus is circulating only weakly, as is the case in Israel today. The diagram below shows the proportions of vaccination mentioned. Among the infected are one vaccinated and one non-vaccinated (each counting for 50%, therefore). Thus, the “infected blue” represents only 4% of all those vaccinated, while the “infected red” alone accounts for a quarter (25%) of all those not vaccinated.
If we look at the actual figures for Israel:
As of 1 July, there were about 5.17 million fully vaccinated adults out of the 6 million adults in the Hebrew state and 442,000 partially vaccinated. This leaves about half a million unvaccinated adults. On 30 June, there were 291 new cases, of which about 40% had been fully vaccinated. This means that there were approximately 116 cases from vaccinated adults (or 2.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and 175 cases from unvaccinated or partially vaccinated adults (or 19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). Proportionally, there are about 8.5 times more infections in people who are not fully vaccinated: this gives an effectiveness of about 90%. The reasoning can be taken to its logical conclusion: if 100% of Israelis were vaccinated, all new infections would come from vaccinated people. Their share of new cases in Israel thus only reflects the fact that they are now in the vast majority. But this in no way undermines the effectiveness of vaccines in containing the epidemic. Since 1 June, Israel has recorded “only” 21 deaths from Covid-19 and none since 25 June.
▫️ PURCHASES ABROAD (non EU)
Since 1 July 2021, following a new European directive, VAT has been applied to all imported goods from outside the European Union and destined for mainland France and the French overseas departments, in addition to any customs duties.
It is recommended to pay the 20% VAT on the e.commerce site of the retailer at the time of purchase in order to avoid additional customs clearance fees.
My recommendation of course is to buy French or from the EU.
▫️ STORK NEWS
I posted yesterday that “Lorraine” flew out of the nest round lunch time. She did not return to the nest at all and everybody was worried about it’s whereabout.
I posted yesterday that “Lorraine” flew out of the nest round lunch time. She did not return to the nest at all and everybody was worried. Well, it landed in a yard and was unable to take off again. The vet from the group keeping an eye on the birds said: ” Lorraine had the bodywork, engine but was missing gasoline, fuel and energy to take off the ground.”
They will feed her for a couple of days till she regains enough strength to try and fly again
▫️ TRAVEL NEWS – From France’s point of view. (🔸 =New since previous post)
02/07: South Korea has decided to grant a quarantine exemption to people fully vaccinated against covid who wish to enter the country for commercial, academic, public, humanitarian or family visit purposes. Tourists are not yet allowed to enter. 🔸 02/07: Australia has unveiled plans to reopen its borders from 2022. 🔸 02/07: New health restrictions on Java and Bali in Indonesia from 3 to 20 July. Source. Bali postpones opening its borders to international tourists. 🔸 02/07 : Hungary now allows entry of persons holding the European Covid Digital Certificate. 🔸 02/07: Vaccinated people no longer need to be tested on arrival in Iceland.🔸 02/07: Portugal reinstates curfew in 45 municipalities, including Lisbon and Porto. People who have been vaccinated or who have already had the covid no longer have to present a test. 🔸
01/07: Vaccinated people can now travel to Phuket Island in Thailand without quarantine. It is possible to visit the rest of Thailand after spending at least 14 days in Phuket. 01/07: Testing or vaccination is no longer required for travel to Cyprus. However, it is still necessary to complete the CyprusFlightPass beforehand.
29/06:Lithuania no longer requires quarantine on arrival. 29/06: Latvia no longer imposes quarantine on arrival. 29/06: From 1 July, Tunisia requires a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old, even for vaccinated travellers. The country will be under curfew from 8pm to 5am. 29/06 :Sweden no longer requires a test for Europeans who have been vaccinated or who have already had the covid. 29/06:Denmark no longer imposes a quarantine on travellers from most EU countries including France.
28/06:Mauritius will reopen its borders to vaccinated travellers on 15 July in “resort bubbles” limited to resorts (including pool and beach). 28/06:UK may soon let in vaccinated travellers without quarantine. 28/06:Trinidad and Tobago to reopen its borders on 17 July. 28/06: Uganda’s land borders are now closed to passenger vehicles. 28/06: The National Academy of Medicine recommends that non-vaccinated people pay for travel tests. 28/06:Switzerland: travel quarantine requirement lifted for people coming from the Schengen area. 28/06: Egypt no longer requires PCR tests for vaccinated people. 28/06:Thailand applies new restrictions.
24/06: People who have been vaccinated or who have already had covid can now enter Norway without quarantine. . 24/06: The US says restarting international tourism is a priority, but has not yet announced a date for reopening borders to Europeans. . 24/06: From 1 July, vaccinated people will no longer need to be tested on arrival in Iceland or quarantined while waiting for the results. 24/06: The Netherlands no longer requires a test for travellers from France. 24/06:Israel postpones the opening of its borders to tourists until 1 August.
23/06:Russia, Namibia and Seychelles have been added to the red list 🔴 of countries for which a compelling reason is required to travel from France, even for vaccinated people. 23/06: By plane or by boat, travellers who wanted to travel between Guadeloupe and Martinique will no longer be isolated on arrival. 23/06:Australia begins to reopen its borders to vaccinated students.
22/06: The islands of Koh Tao, Koh Samui, and Koh Phangan in Thailand could reopen to vaccinated people as early as July 15, shortly after Phuket opens on July 1. 22/06: Travellers, even unvaccinated, can now enter Montenegro without a test. 22/06: People who have been vaccinated or who have already had covid are now exempt from PCR testing to enter Italy. 22/06: Hong Kong to reduce quarantine time to 7 days for vaccinated people. 22/06: As of July 5, fully vaccinated travellers who are allowed to enter Canada will no longer be required to quarantine or test on the 8th day after arrival. In addition, fully vaccinated air travellers will not be required to stay in a government-approved hotel. However, tourists are still not allowed in until at least 21 July.
21/06:Estonia no longer imposes a quarantine on travellers from France. 21/06: The land border between Guinea and Senegal will be reopened very soon. 21/06:Niger has reopened its land borders. 21/06:Tunisia announces a general lockdown in four regions. 21/06:Norway to reopen its borders on 24 June. 21/06: The Czech Republic has reopened its borders. 21/06: Finland has reopened its borders to people who have been vaccinated or who have already had the covid. 21/06:Canada extends the closure of the land border with the United States until at least July 21.
19/06: Following Germany’s classification of Namibia as a country with a variant of concern, as of midnight Saturday 19, French nationals not resident in Germany are no longer allowed to board a flight to Europe via Germany.
18/06: In contrast to the easing of health restrictions in several European countries, Portugal has decided to ban entry to and exit from the Lisbon area over the weekend. 18/06: France is now placed in a green zone by Romania. Travellers arriving from France are exempt from quarantine and no longer need to present a PCR test on arrival in Romania. 18/06:Germany has removed France from its list of travel risk areas. There is therefore no longer a quarantine.
17/06: Indonesia may start to reopen its borders in July, but it is not clear how. 17/06: The UK is considering re-allowing vaccinated Britons to travel. It is not yet known whether vaccinated Europeans will be able to enter the kingdom without quarantine. 17/06: Ireland to reopen its borders without quarantine on 19 July. 17/06: Latvia has reopened its borders. 17/06:Hungary will reopen its borders on 24 June. 17/06: The list of green, orange and red countries for entry to and exit from France has been updated:
▸ Canada, USA move to green list (but these countries do not yet allow travellers from Europe)
▸ Turkey moves to orange list
▸ Afghanistan, Maldives and Paraguay move to red list
17/06: Unvaccinated people without compelling reasons can now travel to French Polynesia if they have been in the US for at least 15 days (previously 1 month) even if they are not American.
16/06: Thailand gives itself 120 days to fully reopen its borders. Source 16/06: Malawi closes land and sea borders. Source : Email from Malawi Tourism Council
15/06:Morocco has reopened its air and sea borders. 15/06: The launch of the health pass in the European Union is scheduled for 1 July, but Member States retain the possibility of reintroducing certain travel restrictions, particularly in the case of variants. States agreed to harmonise the validity periods of PCR tests (no more than 72 hours before arrival at destination) and antigenic tests (no more than 48 hours). They also agreed that travelling children under 12 years of age should be exempt from testing and that minors travelling with their parents or an accompanying adult should not be required to undergo quarantine if the accompanying adult is not subject to it. However, the implementation of these decisions is not binding.
14/06: Vaccinated travellers will no longer need a PCR test to enter Kyrgyzstan from 19 June. 14/06: Vaccinated people no longer need to be tested to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina.
12/06: The first phase of the reopening of the borders of Mauritius will start on 15 July, provided you are vaccinated and test negative. A 14-day quarantine will be imposed. Unrestricted travel to Mauritius will not be possible until 1 October.
11/06:France is now placed by the Romanian authorities in the “yellow zone”, with reduced entry conditions. Travellers arriving from France are exempt from quarantine. 11/06: Vaccinated people no longer need to be tested to enter Honduras.
10/06: As of 21 June, it will be possible to download a certificate of vaccination, certified in accordance with European standards, with English subtitles, from the Health Insurance teleservice. This certificate will be part of the authorised proof for travelling within the European Union as of 1 July.
09/06: The United States on Tuesday took the first measured steps towards a return to international travel, easing its warning to people wishing to travel to several countries, including France, and announcing the creation of working groups with key partners to prepare for this resumption. 09/06: Vaccinated people can now travel outside the EU directly from France without compelling reasons. Non-vaccinated tourists can only leave Europe from a country other than France. See the rules for entering / leaving France 09/06 :Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin : End of the compelling reason. PCR test less than 72 hours old, even for vaccinated persons. Self-isolation of 7 days for non-vaccinated persons. 09/06 :Reunion and Mayotte : End of the urgent reason only for vaccinated persons. PCR test of less than 72 hours. 09/06:French Polynesia: End of urgent reason only for vaccinated persons. PCR test less than 72 hours old. 09/06:French Guiana, New Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna: Compelling reason maintained 09/06:Canada may begin to gradually open its border with the United States to vaccinated people from 22 June.
▫️ MUSIC
Every month I receive a summary of the music I listened to the previous month via Deezer. The email for June arrived a short while ago. I thought it might have been a King Crimson month, obviously not.
If you have been following the evolution of the storks in Sarralbe via the dedicated Webcam, you probably have noticed one of them has gone.
In fact it took its 1st flight today July 2nd at 12:05. Will it come back to the nest? Apparently they do if they do not get lost.
Four of the five chicks have had GPS trackers fixed to them so it will be possible to follow their movements and future flight paths. I have to find out how.
For the past week or so, the chicks are left alone. Both parents are away all day and only come back for feeding time once in the morning and once in the evening. The female usually spends the night on the nest before going hunting again.
I wonder what will her reaction be this evening when she flies back and find one of the chicks missing…
In case you are interested, I have looked for and found more details on this family:
The parents are called Mélodie and Maurice.
The 1st chick “Thomas” was born on April 23rd around 11:25am
The 2nd chick “Lorraine” on April 24th around 1:15am. Lorraine is the one who flew for the 1st time earlier today. Thomas has been trying but has some missing feathers…
The 3rd one “France Bleu” also on the 24th around 5:15am
The 4th one “Mirabelle” on April 26 around 3am
The 5th one “Chanel” (because he is #5) on April 27th around 9:05pm
In the meantime all the chicks have been tagged on their legs and with the exception of Chanel who was too small, all have been fitted with a GPS tracker.
I do it my way 