griffinkate @griffinkate@sunbeam.city

I've just done another deep dive for the Energy Advice Hub, this time on what it will take for the UK to reach the government's target of net zero emissions by 2050. Please feel free to share.

https://secrhub.co.uk/the-uk-is-on-track-to-miss-its-net-zero-target-how-do-we-get-there/

#ClimateChange #UKpol #CarbonEmissions

Criticise Russia all you want, but it remains the only country to have had more people being treated for the virus in a single hospital than officially have the virus in the whole country. This must mean their healthcare is so good they can treat people who don't even have it yet! Putin is such a wonderful leader!

OK, can anyone recommend a site that would allow me to play a board game like Scrabble or Monopoly with someone in another country? Someone with limited tech skills? Boosts welcome.

Keep hearing fellow Brits say you're allowed to go to the "grocery store" and I'm like wtf no, you are not allowed to cross the bloody Atlantic.

My in-laws live in Spain and I've been very alarmed by the sudden pivot to a police state.

One minute they were hearing rumours that someone in their village had coronavirus, but it was all on Facebook (which they're not on) and nothing was confirmed.

Next minute, nobody can leave their home without a verifiable reason and the police are stopping anyone outside to ask for proof of their errand. They're even trying to control what jewellery people wear, despite the fact that people are hardly going out. Just one wedding ring is permitted, even in your own home.

I feel like we missed a whole intervening period of public information, advice, warnings, help. Just jumped straight from "sounds like there's a case here" to "do not leave your home or even think about wearing a bangle".

I seem to have got roped into teaching Welsh over WhatsApp! The school has sent my friend's little boy some work to do at home that he's struggling with, and she can't help because she doesn't speak any Welsh. So we're going to have a mini tutorial tomorrow. Which is, funnily enough, when I'd normally be having my own Welsh class if it wasn't cancelled.

We'll see how it goes. If it goes well, I'd be up for doing more of this kind of thing. I'm trying to help my mental health by having more contact with different people.

Apparently what happened in Hong Kong (which was obviously ahead of us) was that they had weeks where the shops couldn't restock fast enough because panic-buyers would clear the shelves as soon as they were filled.

But they did eventually reach a point where it stopped, because everybody has a limit to how much they can stockpile. The shelves refilled and in the case of toilet roll, it sat on the shelves unsold because everybody had already bought so much.

I have faith that will happen here soon. I can't believe it hasn't already happened, to be honest. People need to calm down and stop shopping.

I've decided to buy nothing for now and give them both an I.O.U. for their birthday.

And in a few weeks, when there's more on the shelves and the online stores aren't run ragged trying to keep up with demand, they will both get their wine.

I know they'll both understand.

And now I feel bad about my original plan, which was to buy BOTH my sisters six bottles of wine this year. (They have the same birthday.) Buying 12 bottles at once now seems really inappropriate and will only contribute to shortages. Maybe I need to rethink.

Last year for my sister's birthday I ordered her six wines from the Waitrose website. I thought I'd do the same this year, but the virtual cupboards are almost bare. I keep putting a bottle in my virtual basket only to find it's sold out before I get the chance to buy it.

So I guess a) the panic buying thing is still going on in the UK; b) it's really *not* about stocking up on the basics for survival!

"Staines has always been considered the home of Linoleum but it was in Chiswick that it was born."

For some reason this is cracking me up.

https://brentfordandchiswicklhs.org.uk/local-history/industries-and-crafts/linoleum-a-chiswick-invention/

Just had a reminder from a friend of a friend that if you're on housing benefit and your circumstances change because of the virus (or any other reason), you should let the housing benefit people know as soon as possible.

You'll probably be entitled to increased housing benefit if your hours are cut or whatever, but if you wait more than four weeks to tell them you may lose out. I know interacting with benefits agencies is horrible but this is worth doing fast.