It is spring, the trees are full of foamy blossom, like every year, like last year. But this year we are in a very different world, indeed different from just 10 days ago.
My aunt lives in a care home. Last week was her 92nd birthday. The day before I rang the home to see if it would be OK to take her out for a meal. They weren’t sure, but suggested I just visit. By the evening they had rung to say I couldn’t visit at all.
There followed some panic ordering of flowers and Celebrations from a local florist who delivered them.
On Monday I was able to speak to her through the window of her room. It made me feel better, but I think she was rather bored by my presence. Although she did seem happy with the radishes I brought which I had handed in (Great radish recipe here). Strangely, she also likes gherkins aka cornichons, and will eat a jar at will (Gherkin serving suggestion here).
Shelves in supermarkets are empty, our local café has closed, we are cancelling visits and social events. My French class on Tuesday was carried out on-line. The sound quality wasn’t very good, and the screen was full of images of class mates which came and went, sitting in their own homes. But we were able to speak. A therapist friend is organising sessions on line, but apparently it is an exhausting, stilted way to proceed.
I wander out for walks and have awkward but rather nice conversations with friends, standing two metres apart.
Everywhere the cry is for more masks, more protection, more testing, as well as more hospital beds, more equipment, more intensive care units.
I worry about my former colleagues who are still required to attend court, I worry about their clients, the witnesses, the jurors, the court staff, who sit in crowded rooms, waiting, listening, breathing. And from what I hear, the conditions in the toilets are no better than they were in my days, little or no soap, no proper dryers, no hand sanitizer. This is no way for justice to continue.
And then at the end of a long day in court, as with our hospital and care workers, doing a quick bit of shopping only to find the shelves are empty. There must be a better way.
We have had to invest in Netflix. We are currently watching Designated Survivor, with Kiefer Sutherland, which is a bit slow and the ideas are sometimes crude, but it’s so nice to see someone who is articulate as the President of the US.
In the meantime, since today is the International Day of Happiness, here is Rory Bremner giving us a message from our Prime Minister.
Boris. Latest update. Stay safe folks x pic.twitter.com/3dfbUynom4
— Rory Bremner (@rorybremner) March 19, 2020