thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--New Research Says 'Flow' Is Crucial During Covid-19 Pandemic

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This article was originally published on HuffPost US.
Since Covid-19 swept through the world, our collective mental health has languished. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two in five Americans say they’re struggling with mental health concerns as a result of the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders took a particular toll, with people experiencing greater anxiety and getting less restorative sleep.
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However, some are taking comfort from new research that suggests there may be an antidote to the emotional strain of pandemic fatigue: “flow.”
How ‘flow’ can help with lockdown stress
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first coined the concept of mental “flow” to refer to stretches of time when a person is completely focused on whatever they’re doing.
When you’re in a state of flow, you may lose track of time, you are active, and you may feel aware of yourself only in relation to the task at hand.
The new study on flow, published in the scientific journal PLOS One, included more than 5,000 individuals who were quarantined in China in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.
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They answered online survey questions about how many times in the prior week they’d felt utterly absorbed by whatever they were doing, and to what extent they’d felt simultaneously stimulated and challenged — all elements of flow.
After analysing the responses, researchers found that flow was linked to decreased loneliness and higher levels of positive emotion among people who were stuck at home during Covid-19
And while generally, the longer people were under lockdown, the greater the negative emotional impact, people who experienced flow tended to fare better over time.
Westend61 via Getty Images Man preparing black burger buns in kitchen
The findings are still fairly new and the researchers only established an association, not a cause-and-effect relationship, between flow and better mental health.
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But outside experts agree that flow may be a powerful buffer against the emotional strain of Covid-19 stay-at-home orders.
“Flow is a brilliant skill and strategy to incorporate into an individual’s routine and life — especially now,” said Claire Nicogossian, a clinical psychologist and author of Mama, You Are Enough: How to Create Calm, Joy and Confidence Within the Chaos of Motherhood.
“You’re so engaged in something you enjoy, [that makes] you feel purposeful, connected, and sharing your gifts with others or learning something new or something you love, that you lose sense of time and experience the positive benefits from being engaged in this activity,” she added.
Marko Geber via Getty Images
How to cultivate flow
So what puts a person in a state of flow? Experts tend to point to hobbies like playing music, knitting, cooking, gardening or doing something athletic such as playing a sport, going for a run or doing yoga. Some people find themselves in a flow state while doing their work.
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But if you’re not, say, an avid yogi, or you hate to cook, that’s OK.
“There are individual differences in how we experience flow,” Nicogossian said. “And, no one can tell you what brings you flow; you have to discover and experience [it] yourself.”
If you’re stumped about what might help you cultivate mental flow, Nicogossian suggests thinking back to your childhood or teenage years. Ask yourself: “What were the activities you did when you were growing up or before life became focused on productivity and responsibilities when you experienced flow?”
(One note: Being totally immersed in a movie or TV show is not the same thing as being in a state of flow, because it’s not active. In general, experts say there’s a difference between pure leisure activities and more active, flow-inducing ones.)
If nothing springs to mind when you think back on old hobbies and interests, then maybe take this time to be “curious” about yourself, Nicogossian added. What do you daydream about? What do you think you might be drawn to? Now could be the time to give it a try.
The Covid-19 pandemic has been a wildly challenging time for millions of Americans, many of whom are balancing economic stress, illness, the loss of loved ones and unrelenting child care demands — all on top of social isolation. Finding small ways to tap into “flow” might just be one small way to push back against all of that stress as we head into what public health experts warn will be a long, hard winter. Time for more bread-baking, anyone?


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Olivia Colman Reveals She Got The Whole Cast Of The Crown Watching Naked Attraction On Set

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Olivia Colman has revealed the rather rude way she spent her downtime while filming the most recent series of The Crown.
The Oscar-winning star can currently be seen in action as Queen Elizabeth II in the fourth season of the Netflix drama, which debuted on Sunday.
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However, in a recent YouTube interview with co-star Emma Corrin, Olivia admitted that she had a somewhat less prim and proper way of passing the time when she wasn’t filming, thanks to a certain Channel 4 dating show.
She recalled that while filming in Scotland, the cast stayed in log cabins that were “all really close together so it was like a tiny little village of friends”.
“And we watched Naked Attraction!” Emma interjected.
A sheepish Olivia then revealed she had, indeed, turned the entire cast of The Crown onto Naked Attraction – including her co-star Marion Bailey, who plays the Queen Mother in the Netflix series.
The Crown star Olivia Colman YouTube/Netflix
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“Yes, that was my fault,” Olivia said of the cast’s Naked Atraction viewing. “We were given our own log cabins, but I don’t like being on my own, so I forced Marion to let me live with her. And she’s just too polite to say no.
“And once I said to her, ‘you’ve got to watch this, it’s brilliant, you see everybody’s willies and fannies and it’s really funny’... and she looked slightly horrified. And I said, ‘well what do you do of an evening normally, Marion?’, and she said, ‘well sometimes we listen to classical music and talk about plays’. Shit, I really brought it down a notch.”
Olivia did then claim that her on-screen mum “ended up loving it”, though.
Anna Richardson on the set of Naked Attraction Channel 4
All four seasons of The Crown are now streaming on Netflix.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Keir Starmer Refuses To Reinstate Jeremy Corbyn As A Labour MP

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Keir Starmer has refused to allow Jeremy Corbyn to sit as a Labour MP, even though the former leader’s party membership was reinstated.
The leader decided not to restore the Labour whip to Corbyn, meaning he will not sit and vote with the parliamentary party he once led.
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Starmer said: “Jeremy Corbyn’s actions in response to the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights) report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party’s ability to tackle anti-Semitism.
“In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn. I will keep this situation under review.”
It follows a fierce backlash over the controversial decision on Tuesday by Labour’s ruling body to reinstate Corbyn’s membership following another anti-Semitism storm.
Corbyn was suspended from the party in October over his reaction to the EHRC report into anti-Semitism in the party.
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Though the watchdog found Labour had committed unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination during the period he was in charge, Corbyn said allegations about anti-Semitism had been “dramatically overstated” by his political opponents.
Corbyn, who later said he did not intend to “belittle” anti-Semitism allegations, was issued with a “warning of conduct” letter as a sanction over the response.
Starmer added in a statement on Wednesday: “Since I was elected Labour leader, I have made it my mission to root out antisemitism from the Labour Party.
“I know that I will judged on my actions, not my words.
“The disciplinary process does not have the confidence of the Jewish community. That became clear once again yesterday.
“It is the task of my leadership to fix what I have inherited. That is what I am resolute in doing and I have asked for an independent process to be established as soon as possible.
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“I’m the leader of the Labour Party, but I’m also the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party.”
Veteran Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who is Jewish, said withholding the whip from Corbyn was the “right decision”.
She tweeted: “Yesterday has shown once again just how broken and unjust the existing complaints system is. It has caused untold hurt and anguish across the Jewish community, undermined progress made and made me question my own place in the party.
As Corbyn has refused to himself accept the findings of the EHRC report, refused to apologise for his actions and refused to take any responsibility, withholding the whip is the right decision — Margaret Hodge (@margarethodge) November 18, 2020
“As Corbyn has refused to himself accept the findings of the EHRC report, refused to apologise for his actions and refused to take any responsibility, withholding the whip is the right decision.”
Labour MP Richard Burgon, who was shadow justice secretary under Corbyn, called for the whip to be restored.
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He tweeted: “Jeremy Corbyn has rightly been reinstated to the Labour Party.
Jeremy Corbyn has rightly been reinstated to the Labour Party.
That decision must be respected & implemented across the Labour Party.
Jeremy should immediately have the whip restored.
At a time of national crisis, division in the Labour party serves nobody but the Tory Gov't. — Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) November 18, 2020
“That decision must be respected and implemented across the Labour Party. Jeremy should immediately have the whip restored. At a time of national crisis, division in the Labour party serves nobody but the Tory government.”
Andrew Scattergood, Momentum co-chair, the organisation set up to support Corbyn's leadership, said Starmer was "making it up as he goes along".
He said: “A disciplinary panel found that Jeremy Corbyn had not broken any rule, so now Keir Starmer is making it up as he goes along. This is not only farcical and incompetent, it is a blatant political attack on the left at a time when Labour should be united in taking on the Tories.
"The recent National Executive Committee election results show that there is a clear socialist majority amongst the membership. Together we will fight for a socialist Labour Party, committed to getting rid of our broken system and transforming Britain in the interests of the many. They can’t remove the whip from our movement.”
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The Board of Deputies of British Jews called the move an “appropriate leadership decision”.
President Marie van der Zyl said: “Despite the EHRC’s finding that the party had acted unlawfully under Mr Corbyn’s watch, Jeremy Corbyn’s initial reaction to the report was dismissive and he has been shameless and remorseless for what he has put the Jewish community through.
“Meanwhile, Labour’s disciplinary process is clearly still not fit for purpose.
“Keir Starmer has now taken the appropriate leadership decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn.
“We continue to say that ‘zero tolerance’ must mean precisely that, whether for anti-Semites or their apologists.”
The Campaign Against Anti-Semitism was more critical, however, telling Starmer to “get a grip” of the Labour Party, and that withholding the whip was “offering the Jewish community crumbs”.
Chief executive Gideon Falter said: “We have been conned. We did not go to the lengths of asking the EHRC to investigate the Labour Party only to return to the days of opaque, arbitrary decisions by panels that are unfit for purpose.
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“Withholding the whip from Jeremy Corbyn is offering the Jewish community crumbs. The EHRC ruled that Labour’s disciplinary processes were unfit but Sir Keir allowed Mr Corbyn to be tried under them.
“Not only that, but Mr Corbyn should never have been suspended merely for his response to the EHRC’s damning report, but for the responsibility he bears for the Labour Party being found guilty of committing unlawful acts of anti-Semitism by the EHRC.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Danniella Westbrook Slams Gogglebox Over Baasit Siddiqui's 'Cruel' Comment

Danniella Westbrook has hit out at Gogglebox for including derogatory comments about her on last week’s show.
The former EastEnders star claimed she is seeking legal advice after Baasit Siddiqui made reference to her losing her septum back in the 90s, at the height of her cocaine addition.
Speaking to father Sid and brother Umar during scenes on last Friday’s episode of the Channel 4 show, he asked if they would “rather have just one giant nostril... or just one giant eye”.
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Danniella Westbrook Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
After he likened having one giant eye to being a Cyclops, he then said having one giant nostril would give them the appearance of Danniella Westbrook.
A number of people on social media criticised the comment at the time of it airing, with Danniella later breaking her silence on Tuesday.
The Sidiqquis on Gogglebox Channel 4
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She tweeted: “Thanks you every1 for the support u gave me about the derogatory comments @Channel4 allowed the siddiqui family too make . My manager is seeking legal advice , as trolling is not something we should take lightly [sic].”
Addressing the show’s executive producer, Danniella continued: “I for one am in shock that @Tanialalexander allowed that to make the edit.
“The show has always been a favourite of myself & my family, was a real shame that we had to witness such cruel comments on world kindness day. #BeKind #c4googlebox.
Gogglebox fans' fury after comment about soap star's drug addiction https://t.co/kFgfFX79AV Thanks you every1 for the support u gave me about the derogatory comments @Channel4 allowed the siddiqui family too make . My manager is seeking legal advice , as trolling is not — Danniella Westbrook (@westbrookdanni) November 17, 2020
Something we should take lightly. And I for one am in shock that @Tanialalexander allowed that to make the edit. The show has always been a favorite of myself & my family, was a real shame that we had to witness such cruel comments on world kindness day. #BeKind #c4googlebox — Danniella Westbrook (@westbrookdanni) November 17, 2020
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Danniella then replied to some individual tweets, adding: “Imagine you’re sitting with your family and that comes on.
“I face the fact I have made mistakes. But being clean and that being shown could cause a relapse or suicide to somebody who does not have the support I have.”
In another reply, she wrote: “I am the first to tell a joke, but not on national tv. It’s unfair when I’ve been a year clean and trying to mentally progress for me and my family.”
HuffPost UK has contacted a spokesperson for Channel 4 and Gogglebox for comment, and is awaiting responses.
Gogglebox airs Fridays at 9pm on Channel 4.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--This Is How Doctors Think We Should Come Out Of Lockdown

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Lifting lockdown without new measures in place risks deepening the crisis in the NHS and will leave hospitals and GP practices overwhelmed, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned.
The trade union and professional association representing doctors in the UK has released a blueprint for England leaving lockdown, with recommended measures in place to stop the spread of the virus from getting out of control.
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The BMA said the government must learn from the first lockdown, where “rapid relaxation of infection control policies, inadequate monitoring, and encouragement to socially mix in restaurants and bars, and to return to work, resulted in a surge of virus spread, leaving us unprepared to face autumn and winter”.
It is calling for the new measures to be brought in to bridge the time between the planned end of lockdown in England on December 2, and an effective vaccine programme getting underway.
As it stands, the government plans to go back into a tiered system on a local and regional basis from December 2. The precise details of what will replace the national lockdown will not be revealed until parliament is told next week.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA’s chair of council, said: “We must not squander the efforts of the many people who have followed the law, stayed at home, sacrificed freedoms and incurred financial loss in order to contain the virus.
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“When the first lockdown ended, there was no coherent plan for keeping Covid-19 at bay, no clear and simple public messaging; this was followed by spiralling infection rates, more businesses failing, new ‘local’ lockdowns, and now we have a death toll at more than 52,000.”
Downing Street has said it wants to relax lockdown rules to “ensure that people can spend time together over Christmas”.
Justin Paget via Getty Images
So, what does the BMA suggest?
In the report, the BMA details the steps required to control Covid-19 in a three-phased approach.
Phase One
Before lockdown ends, there needs to be wide-scale reform to the testing and contact tracing programme, the BMA said, and more money for track and trace needs to be given to local public health teams.
Phase Two
Once England exits lockdown, doctors want to see far more effective and robust national measures up and running to reduce infection rates and keep the virus at bay. These include:
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Replacing the ‘rule of six’ which allowed mixing of up to six households with a ‘two households’ rule to reduce social mixing.
No travel between or across different local lockdown tiers.
The publication of rules, rather than guidance, for the creation of Covid-19 secure environments in public settings, hospitality and workplaces and for the rules to be enforced.
Encouraging people to work from home where possible.
Practical changes to the NHS Covid-19 app so it provides infection information at a local level and guidance in a simple ‘airline safety’ style.
Targeted support for clinically extremely vulnerable individuals and for communities that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, including BAME communities.
Phase Three
This would involve the widespread uptake of a safe and effective vaccine, which doctors consider to be the best way of tackling Covid-19, protecting vulnerable people and easing economic and societal restrictions.
The BMA warned it needs to be properly planned and resourced and the government must use this time to do this.
“GP practices need information and support, so they are ready and able to provide the vaccinations,” reads the report.
It said as more vaccines become available, there needs to be national and local public information campaigns to help everyone know how where and when they can be vaccinated.
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“As England prepares to exit its second lockdown, it is unthinkable that we make the same mistakes again because this time, the impact will be far worse,” said Dr Chaand Nagpaul. “It’s reasonable to conclude, that without these measures, the NHS will not be able to cope with caring for even the most critically ill patients.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As we’ve set out, we will seek to ease restrictions on Wednesday 2nd December, going back into a tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Great British Bake Off Finalist Laura Calls For 'Kindness' From Viewers After Upset Over Semi Final

Great British Bake Off Finalist Laura Calls For 'Kindness' From Viewers After Upset Over Semi Final Result

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Warning! This article contains spoilers for the most recent episode of the Great British Bake off.
Great British Bake Off finalist Laura Adlington has called for “kindness” from the show’s viewers, after many voiced their upset at the result of this year’s semi-final.
Tuesday night’s show saw the elimination of Hermine, who had become a fan favourite over the course of the series, and entered the semi final off the back of two Star Baker victories.
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However, as many spoke of their disappointment that Hermine hadn’t made it to the last stage of the contest, it seemed some had also been making disparaging comments towards the three who were through to the final, particularly Laura.
Bake Off finalist Laura Adlington mark bourdillon
Laura – who has struggled with her bakes in recent episodes – tweeted on Wednesday morning: “It’s OK to be sad your favourite person didn’t go through, but please remember it’s not my fault. I don’t make the decisions.”
She added: “GBBO is all about kindness and I haven’t seen much of that on here.”
It's ok to be sad your favourite person didn't go through, but please remember it's not my fault. I don't make the decisions. GBBO is all about kindness and I haven't seen much of that on here. — Laura Adlington (@LauraAdlington) November 18, 2020
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Her comments come after her recent admission that she felt “embarrassed” to have got as far as she had on the Channel 4 show.
Speaking to Radio Times ahead of the semi-final airing, Laura said: “I was never worried about getting to a certain point, I just wanted to do my best.
“If anything, I felt embarrassed at getting so far, as I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”
She’ll battle it out for the title of this year’s Bake Off winner against fellow finalists Peter and Dave.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Mariah Carey Unboxing Margaret Thatcher-Themed Goodies In Honour Of The Crown Is A Lot

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As the world throws itself into the fourth series of The Crown, it seems even music royalty is getting in on the regal fun.
Mariah Carey shared her excitement about the show with her fans on Tuesday, uploading a short clip of herself unboxing some Margaret Thatcher-themed goodies.
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And trust us, it’s every bit as wild as that sounds.
Showing off a mock ministerial box sent to her by Netflix – embossed with a Thatcher quote, no less – Mariah enthused: “Look at this! It’s The Crown! This is real, this is a moment, this is what they sent.”
She then read out a note the streaming giant had sent to her (and you know Mariah doesn’t need to wait for an invitation to break out that British accent), saying: “In honour of season four, we wish to offer a rare glimpse into the Iron Lady herself, Margaret Thatcher.
“Look at the secret surprise of the Margaret Thatcher… situation,” Mariah noted, revealing bottles of alcohol that were stashed at the bottom of the box.
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Apparently Netflix didn’t get the memo that Mimi only drinks champagne, but she had the good grace not to mention it.
The sight of Mariah fawning over her Thatcher-inspired goodies was a lot for some people to get their heads around:
Not Mariah Carey opening a Maggie Thatcher Loot Crate 😭 https://t.co/H2lgd3u224 — Crudi Dench 👑 (@CrudiDench) November 17, 2020
Just Mariah Carey plugging a Netflix show, showing off swag embossed with inspirational quotes from Margaret Thatcher, very normal, very 2020 pic.twitter.com/L3jqHA0whb — Guy Lodge (@GuyLodge) November 18, 2020
"The Margaret Thatcher...situation" — Bey (@love4bey9481) November 17, 2020
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Mariah Carey receiving a ministerial red box with an engraving of a Margaret Thatcher quote is too much for me https://t.co/UOB1UB5NVA — Joseph Cassidy (@josephdcassidy) November 17, 2020
Losing shit at this Margret Thatcher Surprise Mystery Box unboxing video. Not to mention it's Mariah Carey doing it. What a year man https://t.co/xUyFtUeo6Z — George Sheard 🎄 (@acecreeptwo) November 17, 2020
why are they doing thatcher gift hampers? https://t.co/XS9ovbMCiG — hoops (@itsmatthooper) November 17, 2020
its the british accent for me 😭😭 https://t.co/AElI3GtdmM — ࿐ ˚ . ✦ B (@blondedriri) November 17, 2020
Former prime minister Margaret Thatcher is a new addition to The Crown in its fourth series, where she’s played by Gillian Anderson.
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The new episodes, which debuted on the streaming service on Sunday, also introduce Emma Corrin, who has received widespread praise for her portrayal of Princess Diana.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Great British Bake Off Fans Are Not Happy About The Controversial Semi Final Result

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Warning! This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off.
There was widespread outrage across the internet on Tuesday night, as the results of the Great British Bake Off semi final were revealed.
Hermine was sent home in a controversial decision following this week’s Patisserie Week challenges, and it’s fair to say fans were not happy.
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The 39-year-old accountant from London had proved to be a fan favourite over the course of the series, and entered the semi final off the back of two consecutive Star Baker wins.
Hermine was voted off The Great British Bake Off on Tuesday Channel 4
However, Hermine failed to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith during the Showstopper challenge, in which the four remaining bakers were tasked with making a cake comprising 25 mini-cubes.
After the three challenges were complete, it was Hermine and Laura who found themselves in the danger zone, after Laura also had a disaster with her cube cakes.
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During the judges’ deliberations, host Noel Fielding appeared to fight for Hermine to stay in the competition, after Paul pointed out she should have done better in the challenges as she specialises in patisserie.
Referencing Laura’s tumultuous journey in the tent, Noel said: “How many times have we said Laura’s got to save herself, five times?”
Sadly, it was not enough to save Hermine from elimination, with the result causing uproar on Twitter...
The most consistent baker throughout but has one off week and Hermine goes home. Madness! #GBBO — Samir (@shamdaoui) November 18, 2020
FUMIN' ABOUT BAKE OFF — michelle visage (@michellevisage) November 17, 2020
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Hermine out of #GBBO?!
Right that's it 2020, wrap it up now please. I'm done. pic.twitter.com/vEwVEyCgAn — Rachel (@ElRacha1) November 18, 2020
Hermine will always be my winner #GBBO https://t.co/77wCclwFXA — 𝐀 𝐋 𝐄 𝐈 𝐒 𝐇 𝐀 (@_aleishahughes) November 17, 2020
Sorry but sending Hermine home on #GBBO is just nuts. NO WAY was that the right call! — Barry Hynd (@_barryhynd_) November 18, 2020
OUTRAGEOUS
Hermine was a definite finalist. Nearly threw my wine at the TV with that decision 🙈 #GBBO #GreatBritishBakeOff — Graham (@grahamtblire) November 18, 2020
What the hell happened? I know I'm late to the party but how can you send Hermine home when she was the only one who made the horn with those ridiculous instructions #GBBO pic.twitter.com/h4yEa2zFMY — Adam Green (@thegreenwords) November 18, 2020
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would love to watch an alternative lottie, rowan and hermine final #gbbo — Scott Bryan (@scottygb) November 17, 2020
Literally #FUMING 😤How can someone so normally consistent, talented & creative as Hermine be asked to leave after..ONE bad bake ONLY🤷🏽♀?! #GBBO #Hermine #ROBBED pic.twitter.com/RZvkmsxvDn — Dr Farheen Ebrahim 🧠🩺 (@EbrahimFarheen) November 17, 2020
Can we cancel the #GBBO Final and just have a 'Best Of Lottie, Mark & Hermine' episode please?? pic.twitter.com/3KdkPbaEat — Dean Brown (@DeanoBrown2010) November 17, 2020
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#GBBO can you explain on why Laura wasn’t out like 3/4 weeks ago. How can someone with no finesse make it this far. She barely produces what you ask her. I’m vex. Hermine had 1 bad week but Laura can have 5 bad weeks in a row? Now a sixth?!?!?. pic.twitter.com/OwHhc98cFF — Mylen (@Mylzar97) November 18, 2020
Still slyly pissed that Hermine isn't in the finals of #GBBO — Aden Theobald (@AdenTheobald) November 17, 2020
Hermine was right , there will be no #GBBO final ... because she’s not in it 😭😭😭 — Amy Allington (@allington24) November 18, 2020
Absolutely get to fuck getting rid of Hermine. Fuming. — Bella Mackie (@bellamackie) November 17, 2020
Matt Lucas is cancelling the #GBBO final right? Now that Hermine isn’t there. He said he would. — Sean (@SeanDJOdell) November 17, 2020
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Honestly fuming at bake off tonight to be honest, justice for Hermine😢#GBBO pic.twitter.com/VvoZfaCL14 — 𝓲𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓪 (@indiaaawxxx) November 17, 2020
Didn’t think I could feel this much anger towards a show about cakes, but here we are. Justice for Hermine #GBBO — Rishma Dosani (@Rishma_Dosani) November 17, 2020
Tomorrow is a national day of mourning, farewell Hermine, the 2020 bake off Queen #GBBO #BakeOff pic.twitter.com/B0I8lc63lH — Vinshakar A. (@vinshakar) November 17, 2020
What a shame that Bake Off has been cancelled — Ed Gamble (@EdGambleComedy) November 17, 2020
Speaking after leaving the tent, Hermine said: “I believe everything has a reason. It was the right time for me.”
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She also shared a video on her Instagram account thanking fans for their support.
“I feel immensely privileged and grateful to have been part of the 2020 series of The Great British Bake Off,” she said.
“I’ve had the opportunity to know you, and you to know me. I’ve read every single one of your messages of support and the love you had for me and I’m really grateful and enjoyed every moment of it. So I want to say thank you for your support.”
Peter, David and Laura will now battle it out in next Tuesday’s grand finale.
The result comes after Laura admitted she felt “embarrassed” to have got as far as she had on the Channel 4 show.
Speaking to Radio Times, she said: “I was never worried about getting to a certain point, I just wanted to do my best.
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“If anything, I felt embarrassed at getting so far, as I didn’t feel like I deserved it.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--NHS Test and Trace Boss Dido Harding Told To Self-Isolate By Her Own Covid-19 App

No.10 revealed on Monday that Boris Johnson has tested negative for coronavirus.
But the prime minister continue his 14-day self-isolation after coming into contact with a Tory MP who had tested positive.
The latest figures showed NHS Test and Trace, run by Harding, failed to reached 124,000 “close contacts” of people with Covid-19 in a single week.
The controversial system is continuing to miss nearly 40% of those identified as having been near someone who tested positive in England, according to the latest statistics for October 29 to November 4.
Government advisers have consistently told the prime minister that an 80% contact rate is needed to make the entire service viable to break transmission of the virus and stop its spread.
Publicly-run local tracing teams have a vastly better performance than national call centres and online tracers that are outsourced to the private sector.
For cases managed by local health protection teams, 99.1% of contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to November 4.
But for cases managed either online or by call centres, 59.0% of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Contestant On US Version Of Wheel Of Fortune Stunningly Fails At 'Declaring Victory'

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The category was “What Are You Doing,” which makes sense because Wheel of Fortune viewers were probably like, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
On Monday’s edition of the US gameshow, contestant Alex basically had a win in the bag for the final group puzzle. After guessing a “Y,” and smiling at host Pat Sajak as the letter showed up on the board, all he had to do was say the answer out loud. Fittingly, it was “Declaring Victory.”
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But there was just one problem, as you can see below:
another classic wheel of fortune L “I’m declaring victory” lmao pic.twitter.com/lazHrNcNWN — Wood Slanga (@anthme) November 17, 2020
While trying to “declare victory” with his arms held above his head, Alex said: “I’m declaring victory,” rather than just saying the words in the answer (a strict Wheel of Fortune rule).
Contestant Amanda answered correctly without the “I’m,” and Alex stood stunned until Sajak explained it to him after the puzzle.
Some Wheel of Fortune fails may defy the laws of physics, but they don’t get more ironic than this. In declaring his win, Alex sealed his defeat.
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“I didn’t even know I said, ‘I’m,’” Alex said to Sajak.
“Take my word. Look at my eyes. Would I lie to you?” Sajak joked.
Alex still was the big winner on the day, taking home more than $32,000. But when it comes to that “declaring victory” clip, declaring bankruptcy might be less painful.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Piers Morgan Asks Why Covid Restrictions Should Be Lifted For Christmas After Sacrifice Of Other Rel

Piers Morgan Asks Why Covid Restrictions Should Be Lifted For Christmas After Sacrifice Of Other Religious Festivals

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Piers Morgan has questioned why coronavirus restrictions should be lifted for Christmas when they were not for other religious festivals that have fallen during the pandemic.
The Good Morning Britain host claimed the “entire health of the nation should rest on whether we can gorge together on turkey for a couple of days” over the Christmas period.
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Speaking on Wednesday’s edition of the ITV breakfast show, Piers insisted we should be “all in this together”.
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid ITV
He was reacting to a point made from a viewer who claimed there would be “five days of utter madness just because it’s Christmas - we had lockdown for other religious festivals.”
“Yes we did actually,” Piers said. “Why should the christians get it easier? Seriously, why should we? Why should we be the ones that have to have our festival saved when we didn’t do that for other religious festivals in the last few weeks?”
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After co-host Susanna Reid noted that Diwali took place during lockdown last weekend, Piers continued: “It’s a good question. We’re all in this together, or we’re not.
“I don’t think the entire health of the nation should rest on whether we can gorge together on turkey for a couple of days. Because personally, I think we have to be slightly selfless about this.”
On Tuesday, Downing Street said it wants to relax lockdown rules to “ensure that people can spend time together over Christmas”.
However, it would not reveal what system of rules will replace the current national lockdown in England.
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s spokesperson said: “We are looking at ways to ensure that people can spend time with close family over Christmas at the end of what there’s been an incredibly difficult year.”
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'I don't think the entire health of the nation should rest on whether we can gorge on turkey for a couple of days. We have to be selfless.'@piersmorgan asks why the country should be allowed to gather for Xmas when restrictions were not lifted for other religious festivals. pic.twitter.com/W2VEmW7GPh — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) November 18, 2020
It is not the first time Piers has called for the nation to sacrifice Christmas in order to get on top of the pandemic.
“This virus has not got any less virulent,” he said in September. “It doesn’t understand rule of six, or Boris’ idea of having Christmas Day off, as if somehow we can all amass on Christmas Day and then go back to the rules.”
Piers continued: “If we miss Christmas Day as a country, if that’s what we have to do, we have to do it.
“This is our war. I think people have to be realistic about that.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--OOPS: Trump's New Attorney Admits Biden Won, Says Lawsuits 'Will Not Work'

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President Donald Trump’s latest legal shakeup has left him with an attorney who just nine days ago admitted that President-elect Joe Biden won the election and that the legal battles won’t work.
“I’ve been saying since Wednesday morning that Biden would win,” attorney and radio host Marc Scaringi told his listeners on November 7, when the election was called for Biden.
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“In my opinion there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency including these lawsuits,” he added.
In a clip posted online by Media Matters, Scaringi said that some of the pending lawsuits “have merit” while others don’t.
“At the end of the day, in my view, the litigation will not work,” he concluded. “It will not reverse this election.”
Marc Scaringi is Trump's new lawyer in Pennsylvania https://t.co/xeKoMNdpzl
On his radio show on Nov 7, Scaringi said that "there really are no bombshells that are about to drop that will derail a Biden presidency including these lawsuits" and "the litigation will not work" pic.twitter.com/5Zb8XMJlUO — John Whitehouse (@existentialfish) November 17, 2020
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A since-deleted blog post on Scaringi’s website also referred to Biden as “president-elect” and “the 46th president.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Trump Says He's Fired Cybersecurity Official Who Dismissed Voting Conspiracy Claims

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President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that he’s fired Chris Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which is in charge of keeping voting systems secure.
Trump said Krebs’ firing is a direct result of CISA issuing a statement that it had found no evidence of votes being deleted, lost, changed or compromised at all in the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Democratic challenger Joe Biden.
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The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud - including dead people voting, Poll Watchers not allowed into polling locations, “glitches” in the voting machines which changed... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2020
...votes from Trump to Biden, late voting, and many more. Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 18, 2020
Though Trump regularly announces on Twitter that he’s firing officials who’ve publicly disagreed with him, he is not usually this explicit about the retaliatory nature of their ousters.
Krebs, in releasing a statement about the integrity of the election, threw cold water on Trump’s crusade against the election outcome, which the president baselessly claims is the result of voter fraud and an effort by Democrats to steal the election.
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Twitter slapped a misinformation warning on Trump’s tweets about Krebs minutes after they were posted.
Krebs, whose agency falls under the Department of Homeland Security, also launched a “Rumour Control” webpage combating many of Trump’s claims about the results of the election, which he has yet to concede, even though President-elect Joe Biden has won the majority of electoral votes and the popular vote. The page addresses numerous election conspiracy theories being peddled by Trump, Republicans or Trump supporters: that officials are counting votes cast on behalf of dead people, that results shouldn’t take days to process or that election officials are tampering with ballots.
Krebs, a former Microsoft executive, has been vocal about dispelling election fraud myths on his personal Twitter account, too.
Trump is actually responsible for the launch of CISA almost two years ago to the day when he rebranded it from the National Protection and Programs Directorate and elevated its stature in DHS. Those who pushed for its development argued it would help attract top cybersecurity talent, such as Krebs.
“Chris Krebs did a really good job — as state election officials all across the nation will tell you — and he obviously should not be fired,” senator Ben Sasse told HuffPost. “I’m particularly grateful for the work he did on the Cyber[space] Solarium Commission to help the nation prepare for the future of war.”
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Krebs reportedly told his CISA colleagues recently that he expected the president to fire him. As Trump disputes his loss to Biden, he reportedly has plans to fire several top officials who’ve publicly disagreed with him. Defence Secretary Mark Esper went last week, and FBI Director Christopher Wray and CIA Director Gina Haspel are reportedly on the chopping block as well.
Michael Gwin, a spokesperson for Biden, said in a statement Tuesday that Krebs “should be commended for his service in protecting our elections, not fired for telling the truth.”
“Bipartisan election officials in the administration itself — and around the country — have made clear that Donald Trump’s claims of widespread voter fraud are categorically false and Trump’s embarrassing refusal to accept that reality lays bare how baseless and desperate his flailing is,” Gwin said.
House homeland security chair representative Bennie Thompson and cybersecurity subcommittee chair representative Lauren Underwood released a joint statement after Trump fired Krebs.
Joint statement from House Homeland chair Bennie Thompson and cyber subcommittee chair Lauren Underwood: "The President’s decision to fire Director Krebs makes America less safe. ... We commend Chris Krebs for refusing to cave to political pressure from the White House..." pic.twitter.com/7sJlHyWMe4 — Eric Geller (@ericgeller) November 18, 2020
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“The President’s decision to fire Director Krebs makes America less safe,” they wrote. “We commend Chris Krebs for refusing to cave to political pressure from the White House and instead choosing to uphold his obligations to the American people.”
“In firing Director Krebs for refusing to lend credibility to his baseless claims and conspiracy theories about voter fraud, the President is telling officials throughout the Administration to put his political interests ahead of their responsibilities to the American people,” the lawmakers continued. “That is not only disturbing, it is antidemocratic.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Trump Posts News So Fake That Even Fox News Had To Apologise For It

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President Donald Trump posted some fake news on Tuesday night, sharing a Fox News story by Tucker Carlson that Carlson himself had already apologised for broadcasting.
Trump’s tweet linked to a report by Carlson claiming that dead people had voted in Georgia, a state won by President-elect Joe Biden.
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“DEAD PEOPLE VOTED” Trump shout-tweeted with a link to Carlson’s report, which noted in the first line that Carlson had to correct it. The initial story claimed that the late James Blalock had voted in the 2020 election. In reality, it was his widow who voted under the name “Mrs. James Blalock.”
Carlson apologised on the air on Friday.
Atlanta’s 11Alive News broke the story after simply knocking on the widow’s door to ask her about the vote.
“He’s not voting. He didn’t vote,” Agnes Blalock told the station. “It was me.”
11Alive’s Brendan Keefe said on Twitter that of the four supposed dead voters in Georgia that were highlighted by the Trump campaign, two were alive, one was dead but did not vote and a fourth remained under investigation.
Georgia officials said that despite Trump’s claims to the contrary there was no evidence of any widespread fraud in the state, which went Democratic in a presidential contest for the first time since 1992.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--George Clooney Once Gifted 14 Of His Friends A Suitcase Containing $1m In Cold Hard Cash Each

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George Clooney has confirmed a story that’s been floating around for a number of years that he once gave 14 of his closest friends $1m (£753K) each in suitcases stuffed with notes.
In a tale straight out of one of his hit films, the Oceans 11 star corroborated the story in an interview with GQ as he was named the magazine’s Icon of the Year.
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The actor’s close friend and business partner Rande Gerber first relayed the story about the suitcases stuffed with cash back in 2017, but this is the first time George has explained why he decided to do it.
George Clooney Jeff Spicer via Getty Images
“Amal and I had just met, but we weren’t dating at all,” George told GQ. “I was a single guy. All of us were aging. I was 52 or something. And most of my friends are older than me.”
“And I thought, what I do have are these guys who’ve all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another,” he said, listing everything his friends had done for him.
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“They helped me when I needed help over the years. And I’ve helped them over the years. We’re all good friends,” he said. “And I thought, you know, without them I don’t have any of this. And we’re all really close, and I just thought basically if I get hit by a bus, they’re all in the will. So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?”
George explained that he got hold of a van with ‘Florist’ painted on the side of it and picked up the cash from a location in Los Angeles that housed “giant pallets” of money.
George Clooney with his wife Amal. MAURIX via Getty Images
Alongside “a couple of security guys that were shitting themselves,” the Hollywood star stuffed the goods into 14 Tumi suitcases and instructed his mates to swing by his house the following day.
“And I just held up a map and I just pointed to all the places I got to go in the world and all the things I’ve gotten to see because of them,” he told the magazine.
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“And I said, ‘How do you repay people like that?’ And I said, ‘Oh, well: How about a million bucks?’ And the fun part about it was: That was the 27th, the 28th of September,” he said. “A year later, on the 27th of September, just by happenstance, was the day I got married.”
Randy Gerber, who is married to Cindy Crawford and is a successful businessman, previously said that he tried to give the money back to his famous friend at the time ― but the actor wasn’t having of any it.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Gregg Wallace Opens Up On ‘Seven Days A Week’ Alcohol Problem: ‘I’d Start At 10 In The Morning’

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Gregg Wallace has opened up about his past issues with alcohol, revealing he would start drinking from 10am in his local pub, seven days a week.
The MasterChef star says his “drink dependency” came to a head in 2005 as he divorced his second wife Denise.
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The 56-year-old said his drinking got so bad that the owner of his local pub at the time would let him in while he was “still wearing his dressing gown.”
Gregg Wallace PA
“I just wanted to be out and I just wanted to drink. It was seven days a week,” Gregg told MailOnline.
“It got so bad at one point the owner of The White Bear in Clerkenwell used to let me in when he was still in his dressing gown.
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“I’d be in there with the window cleaner, who was also a drunk, and a drunken lawyer and we’d start drinking at 10am – then the landlord would open up and we’d just catch up and tell him what we had.”
He added: “I don’t think the people out there boozing all the time are in a good mental state – I definitely wasn’t. It means you don’t want to go home.
“I’d start at 10 in the morning then have a big lunch with a few more drinks, have a couple in the afternoon followed by a big dinner.
“At the weekends, I used to call my sofa the Betty Ford Clinic. It was drink dependency, I just didn’t realise. It all seemed like fun.
“It might have also been loneliness and a desire to just party and go out all the time. The idea of being at home wasn’t great.”
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The TV star credits his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini for changing his approach to drinking.
Gregg with his wife Anne-Marie Sterpini Julian Parker via Getty Images
“Anna made an enormous difference. She said to me ‘I’m just asking, not nagging you, but do you know when you’re going to stop when drinking?’ I was like, ‘No, am I supposed to?’
“She taught me the second drink is normally when you feel the most euphoria and if you carry on drinking from there, you don’t prolong the feeling, you go somewhere else. That’s what I learned.”
Gregg has since shed four stone after getting into fitness after doctors warned him that if he didn’t do something about his weight, he was a candidate for a heart attack.
He was also inspired to get fit so he could see his son, Sid, 16 months, grow up.
“Having my baby boy made me want to be fit and strong. I can now go for long walks, which I wouldn’t have been able to do before,” he told Closer magazine.
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He also pointed to the two-decade age difference between him and his wife as another motivating factor to get into shape.
“Anne being younger than me was even more of an inspiration to be fit – you can have an old husband but she didn’t have to have a fat, old husband,” Gregg revealed.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--5 Coronavirus Contracts Highlighted By Damning Report Into Tory 'Cronyvirus' Culture

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In the global scramble to secure personal protective equipment (PPE), £18 billion was spent on supplies and services with little oversight, scrutiny or competition, the National Audit Office (NOA) found.
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The NAO’s investigation comes with the government under intense pressure about claims of a “cronyvirus” culture which has seen allegations about key posts and contracts going to people linked to the Tory party.
NAO Report PA Media
The report found:
By July 31 more than 8,600 contracts with a value of £18 billion had been awarded, including £10.5 billion without any competition process.
A “high-priority lane” was established for firms referred to the PPE team by officials, ministers’ offices, MPs, peers and senior NHS staff, with about one in ten companies going through this route getting a contract, compared with one in 100 for those in the “ordinary lane”.
Contracts were awarded retrospectively after work was carried out, including a £3.2 million agreement with Deloitte to support the PPE team and an £840,000 deal with Public First for focus groups.
There was “inadequate documentation” in a number of cases on how risks, including potential conflicts of interest, had been managed.
Many of the contracts awarded were not published in a timely manner.
Meg Hillier, chairwoman of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, said the failings uncovered in the NAO report may be the “tip of the iceberg” and called for ministers to “come clean” and publish all information about the contracts awarded.
Here are some of the deals examined by the public spending watchdog...
PestFix
The pest control firm was awarded contracts worth £350 million to supply personal protective equipment (PPE). It was initially wrongly included in the “high-priority lane” of offers to supply PPE, the NAO said, giving it a fast track through the system.
The Department of Health and Social Care denied that it had been dealt with as a priority by mistake, PA Media reports.
The government signed a £59 million contract to supply 25 million masks, based on a design which complied with the BS EN149 standard but not the government’s published PPE specifications.
The masks were of the specification that had been agreed with the supplier, though, and the mistake was not spotted until 600,000 had been delivered. They will not be used for their original purpose but may be used for other purposes or resold.
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There was no documented financial and company due diligence at the time of the original contract award in April, and when this was carried out in June PestFix was given an “amber” rating on the traffic light scale.
Ayanda Capital
A PPE contract with a value of £253 million was agreed, the NAO said. The offer of support was processed through the high-priority lane, following a referral by an NHS official.
The offer of support was from a business person who was an adviser to the Board of Trade at the time and a senior adviser to Ayanda.
The government contracted with Ayanda to purchase 50 million FFP2 masks for £155 million based on a design which complied with the BS EN149 standard, but was not in line with the government’s published PPE specifications.
The masks ordered and delivered were of the design that was agreed with the supplier, but will not be used for their original purpose.
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Deloitte
The Cabinet Office awarded a £3.2 million contract through a framework agreement to Deloitte to support the cross-government PPE team’s efforts to secure supplies.
The contract was awarded retrospectively on July 21, four months after Deloitte had begun working on the project.
The NAO said it found no evidence that the Cabinet Office documented its reasons for its choice of supplier.
The procurement strategy stated that other firms on the framework may be able to provide the service and it accepted the risk of a legal challenge.
Public First
In March 2020, the Cabinet Office asked the firm to provide focus group research on an informal basis, agreeing to pay the supplier for each set of groups without a formal contract.
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The firm’s founders, James Frayne and Rachel Wolf, have previously advised or worked with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, although there was no evidence he had been involved in the contract.
On June 5, the Cabinet Office awarded a retrospective contract for a maximum £840,000 to Public First to cover work already carried out and to cover the value of potential future work. The firm invoiced for £550,000 in total.
The NAO said there was a lack of documentation recording the process for choosing the supplier, the justification for using emergency procurement, or any considerations around potential conflicts of interest.
Frayne said: “It has suited opponents of this government to omit this fact but, as the NAO finally makes clear, no great contract was ever agreed in advance with us.
“We agreed a pay-as-you-go deal where we could be terminated at any point if they weren’t happy with our work.
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“The reason we worked with government for so long was because we provided useful insight, particularly amongst the hardest to reach groups.”
Faculty
Three contracts were awarded to Faculty, an artificial intelligence firm in which government minister Lord Agnew had £90,000 of shares at the time.
The minister declared his interest in Faculty on the Register of Lords’ Interests as required, the NAO noted, and there was no evidence he was involved in the contracts.
The contracts were £400,000 with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government for data scientists, £264,000 with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for analytics and £2.33 million with NHSX.
Only the NHSX deal has any documented consideration of conflicts of interest, and no potential conflicts of interest were identified.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--I'm A Celebrity Announces Arrival Of Russell Watson And Ruthie Henshall As New Campmates

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I’m A Celebrity has announced the arrival of two new campmates – and true to form, their stay in the castle will get off to a gruesome start.
Opera singer Russell Watson and West End star Ruthie Henshall are set to join the ITV reality show on Wednesday night.
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The pair will make their debut during an Bushtucker Trial called Stage Fright, hosts Ant and Dec revealed on Tuesday evening.
Ruthie Henshall ITV
Speaking ahead of her arrival at the castle, former Dancing On Ice judge Ruthie said: “There is a big difference between the known and the unknown and the unknown is really a bit scary.
“Going in late you are suddenly feeling much more on show. You have to bring something to the table.”
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Meanwhile, Russell said he has been “training like a lunatic” for the last couple of weeks ahead of entering the castle.
Russell Watson ITV
He said: “I’ve got one of those Peloton bikes and last week I did nearly 60 miles on it and I’ve been hammering the weights and everything so I feel like I’m in a good place at the moment to go in there and take on some challenges and also I’m a very competitive human being.”
Both Ruthie and Russell were previously rumoured for this year’s I’m A Celebrity after they were spotted at what was believed to be a photo-shoot for the new series last month.
Russell later dropped a number of hints in interviews that he would be joining the ITV show as a late entrant.
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See how Ruthie and Russell fare in their first trial, Stage Fright, as I’m A Celebrity continues on Wednesday night at 9pm on ITV.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--The Best (And Worst) Christmas Sandwiches – Ranked By Us

HuffPost UK HuffPost UK
The annual Christmas Sandwich Taste Test is the stuff of lore in the HuffPost newsroom, with festive vultures descending from all departments to help us blind sample offerings from all the high street chains outside our office door.
This year, things look a little different. We’re all still working from home, for starters, and we’ve yet to even organise the work Christmas party on Zoom.
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But we’re determined to keep things festive all the same, and so we’ve committed, each to a different store, to ensure we deliver our verdicts on the best Christmas sandwiches on the block. Let us tell you, there are some special flavour combinations on offer this year. So, starting in reverse order...
Waitrose Christmas Curry Bangers Brioche
Price: £3.30
Rating: 2.5/5
Reviewed by: Nancy Groves, head of life
Nancy Groves
“Nothing says Christmas like curry wurst, said no one outside a German market ever. But I kind of applaud the chef who came up with what might be the least Waitrose-y offering I’ve seen from the supermarket in a long time. The doughy bun, sliced sausage and smush of ketchup, mayo and mustard really isn’t far off what you might get from one of those handy hot dog stalls that appear after a big night out (remember those?) – only this being Waitrose, you get sauerkraut rather than your standard fried onion. While I can’t score this highly for presentation, if I’m being honest, there’s something perversely tasty about this sandwich surprise and I’d wager it could hit the spot of a heavy hangover, if, SOB, we ever have occasion to drink with our friends again.”
Tesco Turkey Curry with Onion Bhaji Wrap
Price: £2.75
Rating: 3/5
Reviewed by: Rachel Moss, life reporter
Tesco
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“Curry is on the menu, it seems. This festive wrap is perfect for people (like me) who prefer the Christmas leftovers to the main event and can’t stomach any more cranberry sauce. The turkey is tender and the tikka mayonnaise keeps everything sufficiently moist. The spinach offers a nice pop of colour against the lightly spiced tortilla, but the overall texture would be improved with a crispy bhaji (the current offering is a little limp). It’s not perfect, but it is tasty – in a guilty-pleasure, microwave curry sort of way. Other than the packaging, it’s not remotely Christmassy and could be served any time of the year – perhaps that’s why I like it. It’s decent value for money and can also be part of a meal deal.”
Sainsbury’s Ultimate Christmas Feast
Price: £2.70
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed by: Amy Packham, life editor
HuffPost UK
“When I look at the sandwich in the packaging, it doesn’t look very appetising at all – the thick white bread, coupled with the brown/grey colours (gravy mayonnaise) don’t appeal. But of course, this is a taste test, and one I am fully committed to. I bite into the sandwich and I’m pleasantly surprised – the bread is soft, the filling is thick and moist, and the gravy mayo is delicious. They’ve fitted a lot in the sandwich, and you can definitely test the turkey, alongside the stuffing and cranberry sauce. I’m pretty full after the first triangle, then eat the second, which I slightly regret. It’s a good price at £2.70, and exactly what you’d want in a festive sandwich – so don’t judge a book by its cover.”
HuffPost UK
M&S Turkey Feast On Soft Malted Brown Bread
Price: £3.50
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed by: Angela Hui, life reporter
HuffPost UK
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HuffPost UK
“Upon first bite, I am pleasantly surprised by the succulent, juicy pieces of white turkey meat, which aren’t dry in the least bit. There’s crumbled bits of pork sage and onion stuffing sprinkled throughout which adds a fragrant sage, thyme and parsley herby touch to it. Underneath is a layer of smoked bacon, a welcome salty, fatty element that ties the whole meaty sandwich together. Although, it’s let down greatly by the sheer amount of butter and cranberry sauce. The cranberry sauce is a touch on the too-sweet side ,almost verging into jelly territory. I can feel my arteries clogging from the butter. I feel like I’m Homer Simpson eating a caramel waffle wrapped around a whole stick of the stuff. But it gets a bonus half point as M&S donates 5% of sales from its festive food-on-the-go to Shelter.”
Waitrose The Festive Chicken Feast
Price: £3.30
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewed by: Nancy Groves, head of life
Nancy Groves
“I feel like Waitrose sometimes make a point of doing thing differently just for the sake of it. Why have turkey when you can have chicken? Why use brown bread, when you can bake it yellow? In fact, these sunny slices are actually made from slice potato and parsnip, which is kind of clever, and the chicken is slathered in turkey stock mayo, so you get the best of both worlds. Also hidden in here are some brussels sprouts, plus savoy and white cabbage, If that sounds like a lot, it is actually a refreshingly light take on the usual festive doorstop, and perfect for those who find those all-you-can-eat feasts a little bit too much.”
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Nancy Groves
Greggs’ Pigs Under Blanket Baguette
Price: from £2.80
Rating: 4/5
Reviewed by: Tasha Hinde, life reporter
HuffPost UK
“I personally feel that retailers can try to be too clever with their Christmas sandwich offerings – we just want a festive turkey sarnie or a veggie equivalent, nothing too complex. That’s why I’m more than happy to receive a Greggs baguette that isn’t pretentious, but simply does what it says on the tin (or in this case, paper packet). This baguette is certainly a big boy (you get your money’s worth!) filled with pork sausages; sweetcure bacon; pork, sage and onion stuffing; and a cranberry and port sauce. I eat mine cold (I’m not sure if you’re meant to heat it?) and it tastes like a pretty basic, cold sausage and bacon sarnie, but with an added sweetness from the cranberry sauce. The baguette is nice and crunchy, while the centre is soft and there’s lots of texture coming from the sausage, bacon, stuffing and sauce. It’s classic Greggs – simple, lacking in veggies, but admittedly it does hit the spot. Would be good on a hangover.”
Pret Christmas Lunch Baguette
Price: £3.89
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewed by: Adam Bloodworth, features writer
Pret
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--5 Ways To Tackle Our Tiredness When We're All Doing So Little

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If there’s one thing the past year has taught us, it’s that pandemics are exhausting.
Dr Sumera Shahaney, head of clinical operations at Thriva who also works in the NHS, has noted what is referred to as ‘pandemic fatigue’.
“This is usually felt as an inner weariness or worthlessness – many of the things you might associate with mild depression,” explains Dr Shahaney, who says she often sees this associated with feelings of hopelessness about the pandemic.
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“Many people have now accepted that life has changed,” she adds, “but we have lost resilience – we have no control over the future and are unable to see an end point.”
On top of that, we’re also more stressed generally, engaging in an awful lot of screen time, moving about far less, and plenty of us are having a rubbish night’s sleep to boot.
And then there’s our social lives, which are completely lacking. Dr Peter Mills, clinical director for Cigna Europe, points out that a variety of experience and interactions are key things that help stimulate our brain and body.
“We are not meant to live like this; we are social animals, albeit some more than others, and we gain energy and inspiration from experiences and from convening with others, which we just aren’t getting right now,” he says.
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All in all, it’s a recipe for feeling absolutely done in. So, what can we do about it?
gollykim via Getty Images
Sort your sleep out
For some, sleep has been a real issue this year. A survey published by mattress company Sleepeezee in August found that 33% of adults reported getting less than four to six hours of sleep a night.
Even if you’re lucky enough to be sleeping between the recommended seven and nine hours right now, that’s not to say the quality of the sleep you’re getting is good. Studies have found sleep quality has been greatly compromised in the pandemic, which isn’t a surprise when you think about how stressful it’s been.
The Sleepeezee survey found 79% of UK adults are reporting feeling tired most of the time – and screen time isn’t helping matters. Among those aged 18 to 34, 78% use their phone before bed, and 38% while they’re between the covers.
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If screen time is an issue for you, sleep expert and author of The Good Sleep Guide, Sammy Margo, recommends setting a technology cut off time, as blue light emitted by your devices can suppress the release of your sleep hormone melatonin, and disrupt your brain’s natural sleep-wake cycles.
“The NHS recommends switching off technology an hour before your bedtime,” says Margo. “Or if you are using a screen, at least turn it to night-time mode or install an app that reduces the blue light.”
If you find yourself craving that bedtime scroll on Twitter, reach for a book instead. And if reading isn’t for you, Margo suggests listening to the radio, an audiobook, or some calming music.
Dr Shahaney urges people to do a sleep hygiene check, which includes reducing screen time before you sleep, as well as establishing a consistent bedtime routine, perhaps with a bath or some relaxation techniques.
“If at all possible, try to make sure that your bedroom is a place where you sleep only, and keep the room cool,” she adds.
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Consider your diet
Sometimes it’s all about going back to basics. Registered nutritionist Saadia Noorani says the best way to keep up your energy levels and reduce tiredness right now is to follow a healthy, balanced diet.
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As part of this, she urges people to aim to eat regularly, and at the same times each day, to sustain energy levels – and this means eating breakfast. “A healthy breakfast provides the fuel needed for the day ahead and an opportunity to obtain a significant portion of our fibre, calcium and iron intakes,” she says.
Noorani also strongly recommends getting plenty of iron-rich foods into your diet, such as dark-green leafy vegetables, cereals and bread fortified with iron, meat, and pulses (such as beans, peas and lentils). Being low in iron can lead to anaemia, which can make you feel tired, she adds, pointing out that women and girls are most at risk due to the loss of blood during their menstrual cycle.
Dr Shahaney urges people to be mindful of their vitamin D levels, too, as they might be contributing to tiredness. It’s thought around one in five adults and one in six children in the UK may have a profound vitamin D deficiency. Health bodies typically recommend taking a vitamin D supplement in the winter months – and most people should aim to have 10 micrograms a day.
Vitamin D is also found in many foods, including oily fish (salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel), red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods, such as some fat spreads and breakfast cereals.
If you’ve found yourself drinking more booze in lockdown, this might also be exacerbating your tiredness. “It’s important to note that alcohol can not only dehydrate you, but also disturb your sleep, leading to tiredness the next day,” says Noorani. Instead, aim to drink more water.
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“Sometimes you may feel tired because you are dehydrated,” she continues. “Make sure you stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids – the government recommends six to eight glasses every day.”
Get moving
To boost energy and reduce stress more generally you might also want to look at introducing some aerobic exercise into your day.
Dr Alka Patel, a GP, coach and creator of the Lifestyle First method, says the ideal time and place to exercise is in the sunlight, within a two-hour window either side of sunrise. “This helps to set the clock for later sleep, with the added benefit of vitamin D,” she says.
Dr Mills agrees that regularly exercising and doing activity daily “will have a positive impact on our energy levels” – although he acknowledges that trying to find the motivation to do so can be difficult.
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Just breathe
Breathing has a huge bearing on how we feel. “When we are tired or our energy levels feel low we should stop and take a break to breath,” suggests Dr Patel. “A technique I like to use is box breathing.”
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To do this, imagine drawing a square box – either on your palm, on a piece of paper or in your mind. Each side of the square is going to take you four seconds to draw and the whole square will take just 16 seconds and with each line you draw you’re going to do something different with your breathing, says Dr Patel.
Here goes:
Draw your line across and breathe in for 4 seconds
Draw your line down and hold for 4 seconds
Draw your line across and breathe out for 4 seconds
Draw your line up and hold for 4 seconds
“Repeat as many times as you want to give you a surge of calm and uplifting energy,” she adds.
Be kind to yourself
Right now our stress levels are through the roof and our bodies just can’t handle it. “As humans, we generate a stress hormone – called cortisol – which is normally released in response to events and circumstances such as waking up in the morning, exercising, and acute stress,” explains Cigna’s Dr Peter Mills.
“Our bodies are not designed to deal with such long and protracted stressful scenarios such as the one we currently face, therefore those stress hormones that are there to assist us in times of danger, eventually shut down.
“Those hormones can only achieve that heightened sense of alertness for a period of time before having to take it down a few notches which ultimately affects our energy levels too.”
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Looking after yourself “has never been so important,” he adds, urging people to take time out of their day to have some ‘me’ time. “It’s extremely important to give your mind and body permission to relax, and helps to release those surging stress hormones,” he adds.
When to seek help
Prolonged tiredness and fatigue can also be a sign of some serious health concerns, so when might a person want to get medical help?
Dr Shahaney says you should consider how long the fatigue has been going on for? “If it’s been something you’ve been managing for many weeks or months, it might be time to speak to your GP about it, or get a blood test to check your levels of vital vitamins and minerals,” she says.
“Extreme fatigue can be a sign of something more sinister and I’d say when it is associated with worrying physical symptoms, such as weight loss, you may want to address it.”
If you think you might’ve had Covid-19 earlier in the year, fatigue is also one of the main symptoms that people are experiencing long after the virus has swept through their system. The issue can be debilitating.
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NHS England has promised to launch 40 long Covid clinics in the next few weeks to help support people with these persistent symptoms.
You can find out more about post-Covid fatigue on the NHS Your Covid Recovery site. People are urged to contact their GP if: their fatigue is getting worse rather than better, their fatigue is unchanged after three months, or they are worried or have other new symptoms.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--The Computer Game Helping Scientists Beat Covid-19

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Fancy playing a computer game that helps in the fight against Covid-19?
A group of gaming experts and scientists have built just that with Project Discovery, a space-based game that gives people the chance to contribute to coronavirus research at the same time as testing their observation skills.
In this mini game, which is located inside the dizzyingly massive online gaming universe, Eve Online, players analyse pictures of real cell samples from real patients and are asked to spot patterns within the cell groups.
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This data is then fed back to working scientists who use it to analyse the effect coronavirus has on our immune systems.
Bergur Finnbogason, creative director at CCP Games, the Icelandic company behind the game, tells HuffPost UK their idea was to use learnings from popular multiplayer online role-play games and apply them to citizen science.
“It sounded quite crazy and interesting and exciting,” he says. “Initially we just wanted to see if this hypothesis could work, and our players really caught on.”
From obsessive gamers to occasional dabblers, more than 220,000 players have so far taken part in Project Discovery – with 204,000 successfully solving tasks. Finnbogason applauds their “incredible dedication” to the cause.
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“I can sense a lot of pride in the community, everyone wants to help and this is a very active way of doing your part,” he says, describing the Eve Online universe as “a beautiful, dark, science fiction alternative reality”.
His colleague, Attila Szantner, CEO of Massively Multiplayer Online Science, which connects scientists and game developers, says he saw the potential early on: “We founded our company based on this very simple idea: is it possible to offer something for gamers inside this virtual world that has real life relevance?”
The challenge is keeping players online long enough to produce valuable data, says Finnbogason. For his team of developers, this means making the game sticky and fun – and definitely not as dry as a game about Covid-19 sounds.
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Of course, it also needs to be scientifically accurate, which is where Andrea Cossarizza, professor of pathology and immunology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, comes in. He has joined forces with Finnbogason and Szantner to ensure the data collected from players can be used in his wider academic research around Covid-19.
“I’ve been working on Covid since the very moment of the pandemic, so knew what had to be done to understand how the virus works,” says Prof Cossarizza.
Explaining the game he says: “It’s like if you take a picture from the top of a parking lot of a number of cars in different colours and you have to recognise cars that have the same colour, then same type of wheels, then the same mirror and so on.
“Recognising different cars – or different cells in our case – allows you to understand which cells are affected by the infection.
“The story is quite serious even if it’s a game.”
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The game might be mini, but the results are major. “We have 59.6 million submissions, every submission takes around 30 seconds to do – so we’ve accumulated the equivalent of over 56 years of contribution to the project by players, just to give you the scale of the project,” says Prof Cossarizza.
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And the benefits are being reaped directly by the scientists. “Hopefully we’re freeing up time for you guys,” said Finnbogason to Prof Cossarizza, whose team have been conducting experiments like these in labs for 40 years – Project Discovery game is now outsourcing much of that workload.
Could its popularity even lead to some players getting interested in a career fighting viruses and pandemics? “The world will only benefit from more people going into science and stem research,” answers Prof Cossarizza.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--10 Totally Relaxing Nature Live Feeds To Take Your Mind Off Things

Nuno Valadas via Getty Images
If you’re struggling for relax-spiration, you’ve come to the right place.
The past year has been stressful to say the least – and all that cortisol floating around our systems isn’t doing us any good.
Self-care has never been more important, doctors tell us, and we 100% consider watching some of these calming live streams to be that.
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Nature has it all for you, from otters lazing about in rivers, to bears hunting wild salmon, from totally zen beaches to wonderful worker bees, plus some incredible views of planet earth from space. There are thousands of cameras showing us live streams of goings on around the world (and beyond!).
Not only are they a great way to tackle your wanderlust in a period where we’re not able to travel. Right now, it’s also the ultimate 10 minutes of non-work, non-Covid time your brain needs.
1. Otters go about their daily chill
Watching the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s world famous sea otter cam might be the most relaxing break you’ll take today (they also have feeds of their jellyfish, penguins and sharks).
The otters spend most of their time hanging out floating on their backs, but you can occasionally see them playing together and eating, too. Plus you know they have underarm pockets to keep their favourite rocks in, right?
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Some might say it’s otterly wonderful to watch.
2. Bald eagles up close and personal
Explore runs a wide range of live cameras showcasing nature around the world. See both nature and nurture in action with this one – watch this magnificent bald eagle tend to their nest (we spy an egg), all while overlooking the incredible landscape of Santa Cruz in Channel Islands National Park.
An important reminder that nature keeps going, despite everything else.
3. Honey bees working from home
Not much happens on this live bee hive cam – and that’s the best part. It’s oddly peaceful to see so many honey bees so calm when they’re WFH. We wish we had their focus.
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4. Bears go fishing
Watch some brown bears (!!) catch salmon as they swim upstream at Brooks Falls in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. Not so relaxing for the salmon, but it’s certainly fascinating to watch them at work.
The sound of the water also doubles up as a white noise machine.
5. Reef life goes swimmingly
If you’re the kind of person who finds footage of fish tanks calming, check out this tropical reef exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific – modelled after the coast of Palau, it houses more than 1,000 animals. Combined, the fish’s slow movements and vibrant colours are absolutely mesmerising.
6. All eyes on the Northern Lights
Granted, this web cam stream can be slightly hit and miss – but the promised views are worth the wait. Streaming from Churchill, Canada, keep an eye out for the world’s most magical light show: the aurora borealis.
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7. Look down on Earth from space
This NASA stream has been pre-recorded, but it features some incredibly calming footage of the Earth spinning, astronauts going about their business on the International Space Station, as well as ridiculously peaceful music.
8. Head to the beach
Just because we can’t go on holiday right now, doesn’t mean you can’t visualise yourself on this gorgeous beach with a margarita (or virgin equivalent) in your hand.
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9. Kittens chasing each other
Not so relaxing (especially when they’re zooming around, chasing each other) but definitely a great distraction from everything else right now.
Watch these tiny floofball kittens chase each other at Kitten Rescue Sanctuary in Los Angeles. We can only dream of having this much energy.
10. Old doggos chilling to the max
On the more calming side of the spectrum, look at these lovely elderly dogs enjoying their retirement at the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary – you can watch them eat their meals, play and snuggle together.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--The Funniest Tweets From Couples Who Treat The Dog Better Than Each Other

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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--A Brain Infection Made Me Forget Nearly Everything. Here's How I Became Myself Again

Courtesy of Meghan Beaudry The author hugs one of her dogs in her apartment.
I’ve forgotten many things in my life: my keys, the answers to test questions, my friend’s birthday. I never imagined I could forget how to walk. But that’s exactly what happened when I was 27 and suddenly got sick with brain inflammation.
The day my legs stopped working, I had just finished teaching a violin lesson. My student packed up his violin. I nodded as he told me the plot of one of his favourite TV shows. When I stood up to walk him to the door, my feet stayed rooted to the ground. My legs didn’t hurt. They simply refused to follow directions. Walking felt foreign, like I was being asked to perform a dance I had never learned.
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My student waved goodbye. My heart pounded in my chest as I fought off panic. I shuffled forward as if I were ice skating, then grabbed my phone to call for help. My fingers trembled as I held the phone to my ear.
The next few days were a blur of emergency rooms, doctor visits and tears. More needles than I could count pierced my skin with medicine that wouldn’t be enough to fix me. But one memory will always stay with me: my doctor leaning over me as I lay on the exam table and the sadness in her eyes as she said, “You have severe inflammation in your brain called cerebritis.”
Then, my doctor turned to my mother standing in the corner of the tiny exam room. In a voice she must have thought I couldn’t hear, my doctor gently told my mother, “This is a bad one. She might not recover.”
I’d forgotten how to walk in just a second. Remembering would take years.
Four years before I forgot how to walk, I’d been diagnosed with a chronic illness called lupus. About 1.5 million people in the United States ― mostly women of colour ― live with lupus. They are your coworkers, your friends, your sisters. No one knows why some people develop lupus and others don’t, although genetics play a role. Lupus can be mild or severe, attacking organs such as the kidneys, the lungs or the heart. In rare cases like mine, lupus causes inflammation in the brain, called lupus cerebritis.
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For years, I’d lived with the crushing fatigue of lupus. I’d wake up exhausted even after sleeping for 12 hours. Still, I pushed myself to smile at work and be the best teacher I could be for my students. I loved teaching. I loved the violin. I didn’t want my career to be one more thing lupus stole from me. But after years of exhaustion and pain, on the day my body forgot how to walk, my body finally said, “Enough already.”
The inflammation in my brain didn’t just make me lose my ability to walk. It wrecked my long-term and short-term memory, my vocabulary, my sense of time, my personality and my sense of reality ― everything that made me who I am. I forgot my parents’ names and my favourite colour. A family member emailed my students to help them find different violin teachers since I couldn’t string a sentence together. I couldn’t process information well enough to make decisions, even small ones, like whether or not I liked yoghurt. I called everything that had happened in the past “yesterday,” whether it was taking my pills an hour ago or going camping as a child. My short-term memory was bad, so I couldn’t read books or understand movies because I couldn’t follow even the simplest plot lines.
Courtesy of Meghan Beaudry The author in her wheelchair after a doctor's appointment.
One day, I couldn’t remember the word for “pillow,” so I asked my caretaker for a “head thing.” She smiled and brought me a hairbrush.
I went to bed and didn’t get up until eight months later.
At night, I would hallucinate bright dots of colour on the ceiling or see the air around me ripple like water. Am I going to die? I wondered, trying to push down the fear rising in my chest. If I lived, would I still be the same person I had been before I got sick? Before then, I’d known exactly who I was: a determined person who always had a goal to strive for. A woman who cared about the people around her and who loved her students. A lover of books, dogs and caramel coffee. Bedridden and unable to even remember my past experiences and what foods I liked, I didn’t know who I was anymore. I missed work and playing the violin, but mostly, I missed being myself.
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I knew my best chance of surviving my illness was to stay positive. From my bed, I looked at memes on my computer and watched “Weird Al” Yankovic videos. Because my memory was so bad, I could look at the same memes over and over and still laugh. To cheer me up, my family read me one-liners off the internet. I clung to the only jokes I could understand.
After I had been bedridden for three months, the emergency infusions from the hospital and the handful of pills I swallowed each night began to work. The hallucinations and delusions went away. I began to remember what day of the week it was and listened to the pop music that I liked before I got sick. I remembered how I took my coffee and started asking my caretakers for a favourite shirt. Each memory I gained back filled me with joy. I was rediscovering pieces of myself that I’d thought were gone forever. But I still had a long way to go before I was myself again.
When my memory started to get better, I began reading, mostly about other survivors of brain trauma. I read articles about former Rep. Gabby Giffords. I read Jill Bolte Taylor’s A Stroke of Insight. There wasn’t much out there written by brain trauma survivors, but I read everything I could get my hands on. Often, I would have to read the same paragraphs over and over again to understand, but I kept trying. Reading about others who had survived what I was going through made me feel less alone. Their stories gave me the courage to keep focusing on my recovery.
I taped a list of all the things I wanted to relearn on the headboard of my bed. Vocabulary. Walking. Playing the violin. Telling time. Knowing what I like and dislike. Making decisions. Then, from my bed, I got to work.
I propped my laptop on my stomach with pillows so I could use it lying down. I forced myself to write a paragraph every day on any subject. I often misused words or got the tenses wrong because of my issues with understanding time, but I kept at it.
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One day, I felt strong enough to leave my bed and shuffle to the living room in my house. My atrophied muscles felt like limp rubber bands inside my legs. I was too weak to even lift my feet, so I shuffled for months. My caretaker hugged me and brought me coffee in my favourite Halloween mug to celebrate. When I realised I wasn’t strong enough to lift the coffee mug, we chose to laugh and not cry. I spent many months drinking my coffee with straws.
Courtesy of Meghan Beaudry The author (right) during a trip to Seattle to visit her best friend, Haeyoon, two years after her recovery.
I don’t know if it was my medicine or all the effort I put into getting better, but I slowly began to come back to myself. Because my fatigue was constant and unpredictable, I didn’t go to physical therapy. Instead, I relearned to walk on my own when I felt well enough. My legs grew stronger and started to carry me from my bedroom to the living room to the kitchen, then outside my house. Relearning to be myself again was just as mental as it was physical. I started to have conversations that actually made sense with my family and friends. I wrote thank you notes to my doctors and nurses when my thinking and my memory had improved enough. The day I unpacked my violin for the first time in many months was one of the happiest days of my life, even if I could only play for five minutes with a long rest after.
Some things came back more easily and quicker than others. For years after my inflammation, I struggled with making decisions, especially important life ones. It also took years for walking to feel natural again.
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It’s been six years since the day I forgot how to walk. I’m back to teaching and playing the violin. I live with my two dogs in a second-floor apartment that I’ve decorated in red, my favourite colour. I can cook and take care of myself, and I get to drink caramel coffee every day without a straw.
While I’ve recovered from my brain inflammation, I still have lupus, and I’m still more tired than most people my age. Because I could develop brain inflammation again, I pay close attention to patterns of forgetfulness and moments when I feel more tired than usual. Forgetting about a meeting or losing the house keys several times a week might be nothing to worry about for most people, but for me, it can be the beginning of a medical emergency.
I’m fortunate to have a doctor who takes my symptoms seriously. But mostly, I’m just grateful every day to be myself again. Sometimes I still marvel at how normal walking feels, at the magic of putting one foot in front of another to carry me through life.
I also kept up my writing habit, and in the process I gained a piece of myself that hadn’t been there before I got sick. Sometimes, I even published pieces about my experience with brain inflammation. The reality is, many victims of brain trauma are not fortunate enough to recover like I did. I write because I hope that somewhere, someone who’s sick like I was will find the hope they need when they read my words.
Oddly enough, I never felt more human than I did than during the months I spent bedridden and near death. As I rediscovered how to be myself again, I learned for the first time how much my friends and family loved me. I realised how important it is to spend the short time we have on Earth lifting up those around us who are struggling. When I have challenges in my life now, I remind myself that at least I’m myself again and I can handle it. Because the truth is, any challenge in life can be overcome if you take it step by step.
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This article first appeared on HuffPost Personal


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-11-18--Years After She Died, I Use Google Street View To ‘Visit’ My Mother

Google Maps The author's mother's home, visible on Google Maps
From my Newcastle living room 4,444 miles away, I often visit the outside of my parents’ house.
If you’re so inclined, you can visit too. Thanks to Google’s Street View function, you can also rewind the years and see the old Edwardian house age and change with the seasons every two years.
When Google’s cameras drove down Queens Avenue in New Westminster, British Columbia in July 2015, they captured the grainy outline of my mother as she walked from the back door to the front of the house under the branches of the magnolia. You can’t make out her face but if you zoom in as much as possible, which I do every time, you can see her. She is just a shape in three colours: brown, pink and red.
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Since my mother died in 2016, I have avoided looking at photos of her – it’s too painful. This accidental snapshot of her is different. After not visiting for a while, I’m always relieved to find that it’s still there, unchanged. I can visit her whenever I want – on long train journeys, at work, and before bed.
In this grainy picture, there is so much to see. Rather than making me feel sad, it feels like a mystery for me to solve. Is she holding something? Is that her cat weaving between her legs? I wonder what she was thinking about at that moment.
“When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer, a death sentence, our family policy was to pretend that everything was completely normal.”
My mother wasn’t the kind of person who spoke about her feelings, or spent much time indulging the feelings of others. Anger, frustration, sadness and disappointment were most often expressed with tortured, icy silences that lasted for days. For years, she always felt slightly out of my reach, even when we were together.
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Something softened in her as her children grew up and moved out of the house, and gradually, we became friends. She learned to text, and she left me long voicemails. She was my first phone call in a crisis. We understood each other, but any deep feelings that she had remained a mystery to me.
When she was diagnosed with Stage 4 brain cancer, a death sentence, our family policy was to pretend that everything was completely normal – a charade that we all kept up even as my mother developed a limp, slurred her words and slept in her chair for long hours of the day. My father would call us from the garage and give us grim updates in a whisper. When she started “going a bit downhill” – our code for dying – she lost the ability to speak or write.
“This Street View voyeurism is a way of stealing a glance at her, without the painful intensity of having her looking directly back at me from a photo in a frame”
Near the end of her life, when we would say goodbye as I left the house, she would pull me into bone-crushing hugs from the chair she stayed in all day. I remember that her long fingers and fingernails would dig into my back and my arms. She would cling on, with her face pressed against my chest until I would squirm away, uncomfortable and guilty, after a few minutes.
“I’ll be back, I’ll see you soon,” I would babble over and over, as I backed out of the door before practically running to the car. Even now, four years later, it is too painful to think about what she was trying to tell me in those few embraces.
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With everything that is going on in the world today, from coronavirus to a looming recession to climate change, like many of my bereaved friends, I just don’t feel like I have the emotional bandwidth for ‘real’ grief – the kind that keeps you under the duvet all day.
This Street View voyeurism is a way of stealing a glance at her, without the painful intensity of having her looking directly back at me from a photo in a frame. It doesn’t force me to think of all of the future photos that she won’t be in: family get-togethers, holidays, birthdays. It exists outside of my small collection of family photos, her jewellery and her cardigans and while everything else reminds me of her absence. In this chance snapshot, she is present and accessible, 24/7.
Until I feel ready to really accept that she is now out of my reach forever, I’ll keep visiting her on Google Street view, and feel comforted to see that she is still there in the garden – right where I left her.
Caitrin Innis, originally from British Columbia, lives in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and workings in arts and culture. Follow her on Twitter at @caitrinnis
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