Feest Isolation Days – 23 May
Then there are those weeks when improvements come thick and fast and the new normal becomes a little more like the old normal pre coronavirus days. This week was one of them!
Our lovely housekeeper can’t come in at the moment, but she can take away the ironing! Our wonderful ironer of over twenty-five years is shielding and won’t be able to leave her home for a time yet. When she is ready, the ironing duties will be passed back to her, but for now, I don’t have to do it anymore! The back isn’t quite up to that task. That’s my excuse anyway. Actually, I realised that when we put the sheets and duvet on the bed that I had ironed; they didn’t look like they’d even been done. Some people are better at some things than others. Ironing duties have gratefully been handed over. Our housekeeper earns a few pounds and we are delighted. Win win.
Faro, a bakery that used to come to our market on Apsley Road every Saturday morning has opened once again for collection and delivery. They make the best croissants in the world! How could such an event make someone so happy? How indeed?! One bite and life is as it once was, and we are grateful the young folks got their business back up and running. The queues on a Saturday morning at their stall are legendary. I must remember to get my order in every few weeks for more wonderful taste treats. They are best fresh not frozen.
Not only do we have the joy of a splendid remembered taste treat and no more ironing (yea!!) but we can finally see out of the windows! Our window cleaner has returned to work and the glass is shiny and we can see out onto the glorious garden.
My favourite cut flower of all time has to be lilies. They last for ages, and not only are they upstanding and look great in their designated spot in the hall, but they perfume the entire downstairs with a scent that I love. This week, when our neighbour was doing her Waitrose shopping she spotted the first ones she’d seen since lockdown and kindly remembered that they were my favourite. They were dropped outside our front door by one of her kids. Sweet!
We also visited our neighbours for tea. We took our tray laden with cups saucers and tea and went across the road to their garden where we sat miles apart in the sun and chatted. Wonderful to do that normal (ish…we don’t usually take our own tea tray…) activity and catch up with the news. Of course, none of us can stop talking about the coronavirus but if we were at war that would be all we discussed. This may be war of a kind, but it is totally different.
All these events no longer seem like small steps but big giant leaps towards our new normal. Refashioned and repurposed for these Covid times.
Will we ever go back to our old ways entirely again? I hope not! We haven’t all come through all of this without learning some lessons to take to the new place where normal will reside. What will you take? I hope we all take a gratefulness for what we have and an appreciation for all those around us that is amplified by our experiences. I’ll take a lot of words with me, too.
Lillies! Ironing done! Windows cleaned! Croissants! Tea with neighbours! Words!
What more could one want? ** I’ll let you know when it comes through the door.
With love
Kathy x
** – more fishing! Ed.