Feest Isolation Days –2 April 2021
This week we began teeny tiny little steps to opening up again! From Monday, we were able to enjoy the company of either six people or two households in a garden. We visited a friend’s garden for dinner on Tuesday! One of the first meals we haven’t cooked for nearly a year! Wonderful! No hugs though…
At the start of the week the weather decided to play ball. It was sunny and we had one of the warmest March days on record for fifty-three years. The Downs and every park and seaside resort in the country were inundated with people. They seemed to be mostly young and non mask wearers. And why wouldn’t they be? It’s alright for we oldies with our large houses and big gardens and vaccinations, but most young folks don’t have spacious homes and many don’t have even a patch of green, let alone a sizeable garden. I just hope that they don’t spread the virus. We could all do without any more variants that might resist the vaccine.
The garden is spectacular at this time of the year! We are indeed fortunate and enjoy our sanctuary every day. Here are just some of the flowers that are cheering us up at the moment.
The vaccine programme continues apace in the UK! There have now been nearly 30 million first dose vaccinations and as of today, 7.8 per cent of the population has received their second dose. This equates to many of the first doses jabbed in some European countries! While they are lagging behind on the doses, they are soaring ahead with the virus numbers. France is once more locked down, and will remain so for several weeks. We are hoping the wave in Europe misses these shores this time.
A dear friend came round for lunch in our garden yesterday, and it felt so totally and wonderfully normal…ish. Nothing feels quite as it was. We didn’t hug, and sat away from each other at the table. Her quick trip inside to the loo was carefully orchestrated, and the meal was served with social distancing in mind. Nevertheless, we were together! Two women having lunch in the sun in the warmth of the lovely garden as though there was no pandemic in sight. Nevertheless, our conversation seemed to circle back to Covid no matter what else we discussed!
Unlocking is going to be tricky as we have to decide what we are prepared to do when we have been given an official go ahead. Will we hug the kids when they come to visit sometime in May? Probably! Will we be happy for them to spend the night?
Today, a person spent two hours in my house! And it wasn’t Terry! I had a massage. My body insisted and I decided it was okay. Dear Theresa has had Covid, and the vaccine, and wore a mask. She also gave me some top tips on a few exercises to keep my upper back and neck from totally seizing up. This could become habit forming once again! Deciding what we will and won’t do is a decision we all must make each time we are presented with a new possibility. When did something so normal become a challenge? Since Covid! Ah well. We aren’t over this yet. But we are getting there!
A little something to perk you up as you move into the weekend….this remarkable little boy is THREE! If you don’t smile at some point in this go eat some chocolate or whatever you do to cheer yourself up…
This is Easter Weekend and on Sunday we have plans for friends to join us for Easter Sunday lunch. Typically, the weather is NOT going to play ball! The cold bitter weather is returning. If we can’t manage the garden, we might regroup to their place which has an outdoor stove, and a canopy and if it is really grim, we might revert to Plan C…Zoom. I sincerely hope that isn’t the case. I’ve had enough Zooming for awhile.
Whatever you get up to this Easter, be safe, and don’t forget to eat plenty of chocolate. It’s part of what we are supposed to do this time of year apparently! Chocolate Easter Eggs have been around in Britain since Cadburys first produced them in 1875. Before that, people ate hens eggs. We will be having both. Why not?
Enjoy it’s Easter!
With love,
Kathy x