Feest Isolation Days – 7 June
Singing Vivaldi’s Gloria at a stay and sing certainly helps to chase away the blues! At the beginning of the week, we had hoped that we might soon receive a visit from our son who lives in London. He was having an antibody test to see whether he had the virus back in late March. If he tested positive, we initially thought that we could take all the necessary precautions that arose from travelling to us and he could come and stay for a bit. It’s a big house! However, the rules really are pretty clear that this isn’t yet an option. The antibody test was negative so there was no need to agonise at all. There will be no visit.
We’re hoping that the kids who drive and live a bit nearer will be able to come and see us when the weather warms up again. We can all sit in the garden and practice social distancing. They can get home easily and that sort of visit is allowed in the new rules. Those poor people who never got to say goodbye to their loved ones, or the people who are separated by accidents of timing when the lockdown began, tug on my heart strings.
Funny how friends and zoom work pretty well together, but with the kids they sort of have to be here. Can’t explain it but all I know is it isn’t happening yet so thank you Antonio Vivaldi and Hilary Campbell the Musical Director of Bristol Choral Society who organised the uplifting stay and sing. Let me know if you want to do join in on the 4th of July and I’ll send you the info. It’s uplifting for certain!
There are those who are very publicly moaning about the lockdown and saying they no longer intend to follow it. Alison Pearson writing in the Telegraph had a rant this week and ended by saying she wasn’t following the guidance anymore. Shame on you Telegraph for publishing that. While I’m no Tory, (and she is!) I think that sort of statement in these pandemic times is uncalled for, unhelpful and ill advised. It’s the sort of rant that reminds me why I don’t actually read the Torygraph. Not sure why they send me email links or how I got onto their system but I feel an unsubscribe coming on!
Another unhelpful group are the airlines. The travel industry is up in arms with the UK legislation that will mean from the 15th of June all travellers into the country must isolate for fourteen days or face fines of £1000. The airlines say this will kill off air travel. British Airways, RyanAir and EasyJet are considering taking the government to a judicial review. If the passengers are killed off surely that isn’t a very sound business model either!
We had some more baby plants arrive this week and they were squished and packed in a way that meant they were never going to survive the journey. They came from Thompson and Morgan. The firm unhelpfully has closed their phone lines and even worse, say they will respond to emails in ten to fourteen days. Sounds a bit much to us. Beware to all those UK gardeners who are ordering plants on line. We have had lovely plants from many other online sources, but not from them!
Beware the slugs as well. The little buggers decimated the coriander and two of the new beautiful baby cosmos that arrived earlier in the week. Now that the cool weather and a bit of rain has returned so have the slugs. Pellets to the fore!
We mosey along and hope that the R continues to fall. Must go – I promised I’d order some face masks to send to London. They will be mandatory on public transport soon. Thought we’d better get some too. Just in case we have to visit the hospital, they’ll be mandatory there too for all staff and visitors. What times we live in eh?
You can’t always get what you want…but hang onto your dreams! Enjoy!
Stay safe.
With love,
Kathy