We asked for your suggestions for things to do during the Corona Virus lockdown.

Your replies were sparse, but the quality made up for the quantity. 

First to respond was President Charlotte:

“As for 'things to do' I like large complex puzzles.  The last one was a 'Death in Paradise' 1000 piece puzzle.   You had to read the plot of the murder and then do the puzzle to find out the answer.  Only problem was that you have no picture to refer to.  At the moment I am doing one on Riamaggiore in the Cinque Terre which is keeping me very quiet!

"27 games of Scrabble played with my old school friend in Spain and then the Australian newspaper word puzzle too. 

"Lots of Cooking, lemon meringue pies, jam tarts, roast etc so consequently have to go for a couple of long walks a day so I don't turn into a blob😉!!!! “  

Julie Clark sent us a “heads-up” on the TED Talk by Bill Gates, leading to our article “The next outbreak? We’re not ready.”  

Julie has obviously been keeping her intellect stimulated with challenging concepts.

She is still collecting recipes for the Recipe Book Project: have YOU sent her your favourite recipe yet?

Jingerm@netspace.net.au or phone 0412 636 434

Everybody knows Jane and Henry Drury have a zany sense of humour:  they keep busy during the lockdown by exchanging philosophical thoughts and jokes with their friends. The only problem The Shadow has with that, is that sometimes its hard to tell which is which.  But we occasionally show Jane’s topical jokes in “Jest for a laugh”.

So thanks for those “keep busy” suggestions. 

The Shadow Knows there are some pretty keen punters in the club: some on the ponies and others in the stock market. 

They are going through a pretty tough time, but should take heart: they are in good company.

According to legend, Isaac Newton said: “I can calculate the motion of heavenly  bodies but not the madness of people” after losing a fortune investing in the South Sea Company. He’d bought shares in late 1719 and initially seen his investment rise, which persuaded him to cash in. However, the share price continued to climb and Newton - regretting his hasty sale - reinvested. When the bubble burst a few months later, he lost twenty thousand pounds, equivalent to twenty million in today’s money. 

The Shadow presents his three rules for investing in the Stock Market for your edification:

1) Buy shares.

2) When they go up in value, sell them.

3) If they don’t go up in value, don’t buy them.

The Paul Harris Society asked us: “How  did you celebrate the 152nd anniversary of Paul Harris’ birth?” 

Rotary founder Paul Harris was born in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. on 19 April 1868. You could have marked the occasion by reading notes to Harris from his Rotarian friends.  A guest book signed by many visitors to Rotary founder Paul Harris’ home shares the words that some of Rotary’s early members used to express their friendship. The book is preserved in Rotary’s archives in Evanston, Illinois.

https://www.rotary.org/en/guest-book-preserves-stories-early-rotary-friendships

Whatever are the Pommies up to?

Despite introducing severe lockdown on its own residents, the UK government has not enacted any incoming travel restrictions, leaving over 100,000 arrivals a week free to enter the country unscreened, Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed.

Speaking anonymously for fear of losing his job, a Heathrow border patrol officer told ITV on Wednesday: “We’ve got to start testing people at the airport as soon as they land. And we can easily catch the plane and just do temperature checks. We can easily do it. Just give us the equipment, and we’ll do it.

“Our job is to protect the border, and we’re not doing that.”

The Shadow suggests they should just remember the old football coach’s axiom: “How can we do it better?”

Finally a conundrum for you: what do you make of this?