Day Thirty-seven

Feest Isolation Days – 20 April

Duck!  Terry made duck for dinner. It was Sunday and very special indeed. And we certainly needed something of a boost.  The Sunday papers that we read on line in the morning were filled with all sorts of commentators telling us how the government got it all wrong, or what is going to happen next, or various versions of doom and gloom. Some days I don’t want to hear what so and so thinks about it all. I want more  facts, not comment or supposition, but facts. Here’s one…the Southwest is coping and the doctors are actually not busy attending to a huge number of people on ventilators.  That doesn’t appear in the news or the commentators remarks.  Shame really, because it is important to hear. 

It was shocking to read about the poor kids of Spain who haven’t been allowed out of their homes in six weeks.  No fresh air, no outside. I can’t imagine that especially with little ones.  It was heartbreaking to read about and I hope that severe restriction is soon over.  I hear my neighbour’s kids kicking a ball and thumping a bat and another neighbour’s kids screaming with delight at whatever they are getting up to outside.  How on earth did the Spanish kids and their parents cope?

We spent Sunday doing the things we would normally do on a Sunday…minus visits to or from the kids or to and from friends.  And there was no long country walk or swim in the outdoor pool.   Instead, I spent some time organising my writing which has got into a bit of a muddle, and Terry organised his garden shed. We used to own a garage but it hasn’t had a car in it for all the time we have lived here.  It makes a great garden shed though! Once we put the papers aside, it felt a pleasant, uneventful, and surprisingly normal day.  Some days it feels important to switch off from what anyone has to say about the virus and just tuck up in our lovely home together.  We marvel as the beech tree seems to have gone into leaf in a weekend.

When I finish all the work I set for myself I wish there was a rugby match to watch. I used to enjoy American Football, the sport I grew up with and then over the years, my allegiance shifted.  I love rugby and know the difference between a ruck and a maul – in a ruck, the ball is on the ground. In a maul, the ball is generally in the hands of a player. But will I remember these details of the game when they are back on and we can watch them again?  Probably not…

Football, or as the Americans call it, soccer, has never been my favourite game but we’re currently watching The English Game which is a Netflix original series and excellent.  The characters are based on real people and I learn that, like rugby, football began as a game for the upper classes.  That I did not know. I can hum the theme tune of Match of the Day though as it’s always on in this house, and I do watch the World Cup. I’m not quite sure what the offside rule is but I’m reminded every four years.  I wonder how sports will crawl out of the coronavirus lockdown. Or in fact how we will. It is going to be a long time before we can go out and not socially distance and hug our family and friends.  We are lucky here.  We can and do hug each other regularly.  If you are at home with a loved one, give more hugs than usual.  They are the only hugs coming your or their way!  Enjoy the day, it’s all yours so give it your lockdown best! This sports commentator is….

A BBC Sports Broadcaster is Now Calling Games Between His Dogs and It’s Amazing

With love,

Kathy x