Livestock sales and farm operations will still carry on with strict rules for social distancing and personal hygiene.

Bathurst Harness Racing Club presented its annual Gold Crown Carnival with minimum human attendance on track, and to those watching at home it was still a great spectacle.

Many thanks to Danny Dwyer, Marianne Donnelly and the band of willing helpers who created memories that old men will tell their grandkids in 2050.

AMONG the widespread business closures, cancellation of most sporting events and church services, we note that local government elections are deferred until September 2021, with mayors and deputies to retain office until that time.

I think that most councillors owe it to the electors to work as a team with their peers for the next 18 months.

Messages from community leaders and Members of Parliament are sources of hope and confidence and we know that the bad times will pass eventually.

Meantime, we keep in touch with our family and friends electronically and by phone and take notice of our country's leaders.

OTHER RECENT RURAL NOTEBOOK COLUMNS:

LIVESTOCK markets are telling us that one of our country's worst droughts may be coming to an end, with restocker prices being at high levels.

Ben Emms gave a quality report on a Facebook site that told of 5500 tablelands calves being offered and sold at CTLX Carcoar last Friday and many lines exceeding 500c/kg liveweight.

It seems that the cheapest lines at this auction were above $600 per head and the result is a clear sign of buyer confidence in the future of the beef cattle industry.

We can only guess at the surge in business activity and the share markets when a coronavirus vaccine or a successful treatment for the disease is produced.

I did write when, not if, and there is already a huge amount of financial stimulus awash in western countries.

DO we sometimes wonder if all our modern science and tertiary education has really improved the quality of our livestock?

The comment was made at a recent ewe competition and it comes after many years of drought and culling rates that have probably been much lower than ideal.

We hear lots of claims of dual purpose flocks that record huge lambing percentages, join ewes at seven months of age and produce good wool cuts twice a year.

These tales may be more or less true, but some of the wool produced was branded Comeback until recent times.

My memories of merino sheep in the late 1950s are Buttabone, Bundemar, Egelabra and Merryville blood flocks in our district that would compete strongly with present day flocks.

CONGRATULATIONS to Kathryn Bancroft and the team at Books Plus Bathurst on the awarding of the Regional Bookstore of the Year to their business for the fourth time.

Our region is blessed to have this store in our midst with lots of new releases, biographies, sports books and books of local interest by local authors.

While many of us oldies are not to be let out of the house, the gift of a topical book from our local reader specialists might be well received.

I notice a couple of copies of Tales Of The Bridle Track, Three Steel Teeth (the wide comb story), History Of Palmers Oakey, Limekilns History and the late Geoff Smith's Tale In My Backyard.

The store is a treasure trove of reading material for all of us who are not to be released.

DURING recent times, much of our community seems to have lost its faith in a Creator or Supreme being.

Church leaders put out media releases but most don't attract much interest, and in years gone by a pandemic disease would have been referred to as "The wrath of God".

While we're all restricted and told to keep our distance, we look forward to the day when we can freely shake hands, hug a friend, play with the grandkids and their football, and just be Australians again.

They tell me that old age and wisdom come together, but I think that sometimes old age comes alone.

THE wool market had an unexpected rise last week which took the Northern Market Indicator to 1482c/kg.

This week, however, the market has taken a huge hit.

On the first day of selling this week, all merino types lost around 110c/kg and crossbred wools lost 100c/kg.

With one more day of selling this week, the Northern Market Indicator has already lost over 100c/kg.

It is hard to be positive about the immediate future of the market with most of the world in lockdown due to COVID-19.

Long term, however, we will see the market respond when consumers return to a normal life.

Next week will see 40,535 bales on offer.

GEORGE told a friend that his wife was a lowlife liar.

"She told me that she stayed with her sister last night," he said. "How could I trust her now when I know that I spent last night with her sister?"

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HE said he has a foolproof retirement plan but it depends entirely on at least one of his four children being very successful.

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WHEN Neil Armstrong landed on the moon, he took five photos. Nowadays, people take photos of cheese on toast and text them to their friends.