Feest Isolation Days – 30 April
Yesterday was rainy and the streets were empty. A great time for a walk! I kitted up pulling on my raincoat and rain hat and a scarf and gloves. Brrrr! What a difference a day makes. Terry had to stay in as he was expecting someone to collect a parcel and couldn’t leave it in the pouring rain. So I ventured out on my own. It’s the first walk I have had without my husband for weeks. I normally take a daily walk for an hour or more so this felt a real milestone. The streets were deserted except for a few intrepid walkers and several irritating runners. Do runners think they don’t have to move away if someone is coming towards them? Three different runners all stayed their course as I walked and I made sure I gave them a very wide berth. Strange. I moved away from the few walkers there were and they did the same. The bikers were few and far between, it was pouring!
The early gentle rain was exactly what the Doctor ordered for his garden. Soft and delicate rain, that didn’t bash anything to the ground and replenished the green of our lawn. Perfect!
While we remain in lockdown here, New Zealanders are moving towards a different level of coronavirus public response today. I am becoming increasingly envious. Emails arrived from our favourite Auckland restaurant, and from my hairdresser there and even from a pool and Health Spa explaining their plans to reopen soon. Although social distancing will remain in place, and there are rules for business to follow, New Zealanders must be enormously encouraged.
Here, the newspaper headlines this morning were filled with the sort of words people wanted to hear. “Hope In Sight”, “Turning The Tide”, “Not much Longer”. All of these after Boris spoke and clearly said, the lockdown was still in place and there were not yet plans for the next phase until the governments five criteria are met. They aren’t as easy to remember and are much longer than the, Stay Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives mantra. As we will be carrying out that recommendation for awhile yet, perhaps it doesn’t matter that I can’t remember the exact wording of the five criteria.
Yesterday we heard that Boris and Carrie are welcoming a new son to Downing Street. Always a thrilling moment no matter the circumstances the world finds itself in. Today is a special day for us, too. Our son, Alexander, is thirty-eight and I would like to wish him a Wonderful and Happy day! He shares his birthday with the man of the moment, Captain Tom who is one hundred today. Retired army captain Tom Moore, who has used a walking frame to move around since breaking his hip, set himself the target of walking the 25 metres around his garden 100 times before his 100th birthday today and hoped to raise one thousand pounds for the NHS. He has now raised thirty MILLION pounds! What a feat! Many government ministers and Boris during his “I’m back at work” speech mentioned Captain Tom who seems to have captured the spirit of this strange time. Not bad for a man who is 100.
For all those having Birthdays in lockdown, we will need to remember to have an “unbirthday” celebration when we next see each other. Lewis Carrol started the trend in Alice Through the Looking Glass in the 1800s, and A.A. Milne had Pooh celebrating unbirthdays in the 1900s. When that vaccination comes, and celebrations resume, we will remember to celebrate in the 2000s!
In the meantime, I leave you with my favourite Capt. Tom clip. We all need a bit of a lift and this certainly gave me that the first time I heard it.
Humpty sporting his unbirthday cravat given to him by the White King and Queen
With love
Kathy x