Day Fifty

Feest Isolation Days – 3 May

The 50^th day of self-isolation.  50 is a golden number, why I am privileged to try to provide the golden words I am not quite sure, but I will do my best.  For those of you who do not know, this is the editor/publisher/techy writing today, aka “the husband” or simply “Terry”.

After 50 days I have to confess that I am  quite happy, I would not go as far as saying I am enjoying it, but as someone who scores somewhat on the introvert scale, I m not finding it too bad.  I am of course highly privileged, we have a house large enough for me to have my own study, otherwise known as my “man cave” or den. I am surrounded by books, photographs, a mass of electronic equipment, computers, and all my fly-tying materials. The study is only moderately tidy – all those tidying jobs I have been meaning to do for years, and for which I now, at least theoretically, have time, have not been done. Just as I did not look forward to doing them in more normal times, I don’t fancy doing them now, and I suspect they will never be done.

Kathy and I have discussed why we feel reasonably content in this strange situation.  We think it is because as we are retired, we have a regular pension and therefore secure income , we have routines for doing things at home, we are used to spending a lot of time together in the house (but not necessarily in the same room!), and in lockdown most of the things we do are things we would do anyway.  The difference is that in the “old normal” we would also have done a lot of other things as well.  This is a lot less dramatic change than that which younger couples are experiencing, when for the first time both are at home, children are not at school, jobs may be lost or part-time at home, finances may be difficult.  We are very lucky – me especially, I live with Kathy.

Having said that, there are times when I wonder whether it would not have been better to have not been able to fly home and to have been trapped in New Zealand! We wanted to come home to see family and friends, but we can’t see them anyway, only on Skype or WhatsApp or Zoom etc, and we could do that from anywhere in the world!  To be locked down on the Rangitikei River with all that walking and fishing, or by Lake Rotorua or in some other remote place does have its appeal.  And there is no virus there now, it shows what action by a decisive woman leader can do!  There is however something very comforting about being home, and the family do feel close if an emergency arises, and there is not a twelve hour time difference, we can talk with them at normal times of day, and this is a lovely house, and we love the garden, so being home is  best.  The garden is a mystery, I am spending more time tending it than ever before and yet there is always more to be done.  How did I ever manage before?

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So what else do I do?  I play a lot of chess, but am not improving, I read a lot, but the pile of books waiting is still huge, I  plan food deliveries, plan menus and cook, eat and drink, but still get hungry, and spend a huge amount of time talking to family and friends on various forms of social media from the telephone to full video.  As a friend said, this should not be called “social distancing”, but” physical distancing”.  I cannot go fly fishing, but I can practice casting in the admittedly limited space in the garden – I ought to be quite adept at it when I eventually get to the water again!  My fly tying has improved, and my fly boxes are very neat and tidy, ready for the day when I get out.

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And then we watch the daily briefing from Downing Street.  Apart from that we largely avoid the news!  The daily briefing is a good discipline.  It always starts with the government view, to be interpreted but not dismissed, and it frequently gives insights into the logistical problems of dealing with this crisis.  Then there are the statistics and the views and answers to questions from the scientific and clinical experts, always illuminating.  It becomes apparent that for the moment this is not a political issue but a logistical problem which involves us all, and that as a country we are being directed by science, experts, and what information is available in a rapidly developing and changing situation: I am thankful for that, some other world leaders should take note!  Finally the journalists ask questions, which largely seem to demonstrate their inability!  Polls have shown that from watching this the public (including us) are becoming more and more disillusioned with the journalists, rather neutral about the politicians and more trusting in the less extrovert experts.

The public are also fickle.  One of the popular games at the moment seems to be “choose your expert”, i.e. the one who says what you want to hear.  A supposed expert who says what people want to hear can gain a huge following.  There was a recent interview with a Swedish professor saying that lockdowns are wrong.  This has proved popular, although it is largely based on a hunch and several bits of false data: it is not impossible he is right, but if he is right he is lucky, not an expert.  David Icke had 30 million followers on Facebook whilst propagating completely unfounded claims about 5G spreading the virus as well as much other similarly false information.   Thankfully Facebook have removed him.  People pushing this stuff are dangerous and will cause untold harm.  Taking disinfectant will not be mentioned further!

I am lucky, at heart I am an optimist. 

Amidst all the political bluster and press rampage, it looks as if we are learning and beginning to see a way forward.  We have suppressed the virus peak, we have not overwhelmed health services, the NHS has shown the value of a co-ordinated service which has responded rapidly to demand, there have always been more than enough doctors, nurses, ITU beds and ventilators for patients.  A first drug has been shown to have some effect in treating this disease, and amazing progress has been made on vaccines.  We are beginning to frustrate the grim reaper.

The government has put out a financial package to try to mitigate some of the economic effects of this pandemic, a package which concentrates largely on people, not on big industry and the rich.

And there have been worse plagues than Covid….

We know that for a long time we cannot go back to the “old norm”, that there will be a “new norm”, but I am optimistic about the new norm.  We are having to learn to behave in new ways in this pandemic, to look at new ways of working, travelling, shopping, interacting.  Not all of this is bad, we have to take the positive lessons into the new norm, the new norm could be better than the old!

These rambling thoughts demonstrate why older people should retire gracefully. 

You will be pleased to know that Kathy will be back as blogger tomorrow!

Keep cheerful,

Terry