Feest Isolation Days – 19 April
We went for a walk. We left the house and went for a walk. Doesn’t that sound so normal? We hadn’t been out for over thirty days and it was pouring and I thought that might mean there weren’t so many people around. It would seem I was right. We walked on streets close by our house and then ventured up onto the Downs, the lovely green open space not far from home. We ambled for half and hour, actually we strode out for that time, walking together and staying well away from the few others who were also braving the weather. It felt so good to feel the rain as we marched along. My husband the scientist found a great article on the spread of the virus which I attach below. Reading this made us both feel more comfortable about leaving the cocoon of Chez Feest for the outside world. I’m still not keen to step out when there are too many people about and you can’t safely pass them at the required distance. We shall go forth cautiously. Another walk might be in order.
Today is grey and still and the rain has stopped. Spring flowers are finally getting the watering they need. After many hours on the net looking for plants, there are some lovely babies now sitting on the garden wall in their little pots growing up and getting ready to take over from the tulips. They came from Lanarkshire and were beautifully packaged and look excellent specimens. I would share the website I found them on but there is no point as they have nothing left. Terry spent yesterday moving them from their original packaging and pricking them out to the little pots our plants normally come in. Just as well he is a hoarder and keeps such things in the garden shed! I would most likely have tossed those pots out ages ago. Just as well, too that he spent some of his summers as a teenager working at a garden centre and knew exactly what to do with these little plants. There are more coming over the next weeks from two different sources. Determination and sitting on the phone and internet helped us to track these down. Our beautiful garden is worth all the effort. I can’t imagine not having it! The poor folks who haven’t a place outside must be struggling. My heart goes out to them.
I read somewhere that the trivial things have been taken from us, so we have to talk about the things that matter, and about how you feel these days. As I’ve always done that anyway I don’t find it too difficult. People can no longer talk about their journey into work; for the most part they aren’t going in to work, or their favourite sports team as there is no sport. How difficult it must be then for those people who don’t find it easy to share how they feel at the best of times! We are speaking to people by telephone or internet for longer than we normally would, and more frequently. At least we all have something to share no matter who we are. We are all in this together.
Some good news from the Southwest region. Our infection rates have been at the bottom of the country since this epidemic began. On the daily briefing slide setting out hospital cases we are the blue line on the graph that is constantly flat lined. We hear from our friends on the frontline in Bristol hospitals, that some elective surgery is being carried out as there is no point having empty hospital beds and many staff have relatively little to do!. Bristol has the capacity for a new hospital with one thousand beds. Let’s hope it isn’t ever needed. The government are repeatedly being criticized for the unavailability of PPE (personal protective equipment) yet, the numbers in hospital are lower than they expected. Can you imagine what it would be like if all those beds were full?
Stay Home Protect the NHS, Save Lives That part of the plan seems to be working. Now they need to ramp up the plans for saving lives in nursing and care homes.
As it was the weekend, I baked a cake. This one is polenta and orange and Terry’s favourite. Recipes provided on request!
And some creative cake-making from elsewhere…
“Is there Covid on my clothes?” – Article on how Covid 19 spreads or not!
http://a.msn.com/01/en-gb/BB12OHc2?ocid=se
Love,
Kathy x