Feest Isolation Days

Feest Isolation Days – 22 July

Let’s take a look at where we are with the science shall we? It would be good to know if there is any likelihood of this whole thing stopping anytime in the next few months wouldn’t it? The scientific news of the past few days has been exciting.

Sarah Gilbert (surely soon to be Dame Sarah!) who leads the Oxford vaccine group says that there is a possibility of rolling out a vaccine by the end of the year. However, in order to do that the initial promising results need to be shown to work in late stage trials. The vaccine has an excellent response rate in terms of inducing antibodies and cellular responses, and is safe, but the UK has so few cases of the disease floating around at the moment that it’s hard to tell if people who have been vaccinated here are actually immune. As there isn’t a great chance of getting the virus, it means the trial won’t give the researchers the information they need to establish whether it works. Hence they have set up late stage trails in countries with a high incidence of Covid, in the States and South America. Also in order to begin a massive vaccination campaign, there will need to be large quantities of the doses manufactured. The final piece of the jigsaw on the way to getting from “lab to jab” (thanks Patrick Vallance for that one!) is an agreement by the regulators that the vaccine can be licensed quickly for use in what is an emergency.

Elsewhere, the most promising efforts in the States to produce a vaccine are having promising phase one results – the first phase of a trail designed to test whether the vaccine is safe, rather than if it is effective. So far so good though. But the numbers are small. Eight people of the forty-five in this trail have developed antibodies. Promising, but there is much to be done before this turns into vaccine.

Lots of twists and turns ahead for the scientists before we start rubbing our arms at the jab site. The latest information suggests that should everything fall into place as the scientists would like, it will certainly be next year before any large-scale rollout will happen. Don’t start booking those Christmas parties just yet…..

Meanwhile, there are more treatments being trialled and a small (100 patients) double blind trial of Interferon beta has shown huge success. This innovative approach uses a drug which has been around a long time, and has been used in the treatment of MS. The drug is inhaled with a nebuliser in the early stages of the Covid. The Southampton company behind the trial has suggested that the drug provides a 79% reduction in likelihood of developing severe disease and more than doubles the probability of recovery from Covid. Larger trials and peer reviews are required but the initial information looks excellent.

The BMJ best practice website looks at all of the potential emerging treatments and for more information on what is happening around the globe with treatments, peruse their page.

https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/3000168/emergingtxs

In Bristol, frustrated by the lack of data crunched for us to easily see the numbers of people with virus in our city, Professor Feest put his data hat back on and developed a chart for us Bristolians. The number of people with Covid in Bristol is reassuringly low.

For further information about your area, ask nicely and Professor Feest might oblige with a chart.

It isn’t over yet, but there are huge numbers of people working flat out not only to help those who already have the disease, but to help us all from getting it. You’ve got to love those scientists! I certainly love mine. Stay safe.

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 21 July

Then there are the days when the stars line up and you know that despite the coronavirus, or too many visits, or phone calls, or emails, or whatever is distracting you from your goal, that you will achieve what you set your heart on.

Those are the days when the anxiety melts away and the serenity and knowledge that you’ve made the right choice settles around you like a soothing cup of tea with a perfect slice of homemade cake.

What matters on those days is that whatever you decide to do, it feels right. “It” can be as simple as making that cake, or starting to knit that jumper, or moving towards a more long term plan; start making that violin, planning that house move, writing that novel or even marrying that partner!

Goethe started me on this particular train of thought when I happened upon this quote again.

What you can do, or dream you can, begin it;
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Exploring this “train” a bit more, however, I discovered more about its origin. Right track but not actually the Goethe train! 

A poet and translator, John Anster wrote the above inspired by the work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Faust.”

The next bit of the journey of these words comes from a Scottish mountaineer W H Murray who fills out the commitment advice and does so beautifully.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Murray was a soldier in World War Two and was captured by a German tank commander on the retreat from the battle of El Alamein. The German spoke perfect English and when asked if he was cold, Murray replied, “As a mountain top.”  The German was also a keen mountain climber and put his machine gun away. Murray spent the next years in three different prison camps.  He wrote the first draft of a book on toilet paper while in one of the camps. When the Germans found it they destroyed it. To the amazement of his fellow prisoners he began again. The rewritten work was finally published in 1947 as “Mountaineering in Scotland”. The above quote is from another Murray book, The Scottish Himalaya Expedition written in 1951.

What do you plan to commit to today, this week the rest of the year? Whatever personal mountain you have to climb, go for it. Whatever it is, as all of these people say, begin it now!  “There is no time like the present”. That bit of advice comes from John Trusler, a priest and compiler of proverbs in 1790.  The first time this wise saying was recorded was in 1562. Now that really must give us all pause for thought.

Enjoy!

With love

Kathy  x

Feest Isolation Days – 20 July

This weekend there was a distinct feeling of a new normal in our lives with a few old ways served up in a different package.  It started on Friday at the hairdressers. Getting a hair cut used to be a social occasion and a place where you were pampered for a bit! This time there was no tea served, no magazines to peruse, no chatting with the staff. There were only three people in the salon when there once would have been about ten. Everyone wore shields and Perspex kept the receptionist away from the clients. I took my mask off for the wash and cut. While different than it used to be, I still managed a great cut with the superb Karla at Trevor Sorbie.  I shall head back there again in a few months time!

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Before and After

Outside on the street, in one of Bristol’s shopping areas there was no parking. Parking spaces have been replaced with barriers and signs telling people to walk in a socially distanced way. I walked home which takes about twenty-five minutes. Very few people were in the shops that I passed and the city felt…tired.  And perhaps a little depressed. I didn’t – but the city did. The buzz seems to have gone. People carefully walk away or around each other.  Socially distancing is in force and smiles are off the agenda.

On Saturday morning I ventured out to our local outdoor market. About half of the stall holders and customers, including me, wore masks. A one-way system was in place into and out of the market, and Farro, the bakery that sells the best croissants in the world, has returned. Hence my visit!  The stall was now facing the street and a low wall separated the goods from customers. Perspex had been placed between the food and streetside and a space was left open where you collected your goods. Payment was by contactless card which I’m getting used to once more.

The cheese stall was also well organised with tape and cones keeping customers two plus metres away from the cheese. The stall holders wrap it and place purchases in a basket on a table where it is easy to pick up while not being close to the stall holder. Again, contactless payment was the only option.  The time of corona virus could be the death knell for cash!  

Wearing a mask at the market makes it impossible to smile at people. Your eyes can smile but no one can see your face. 

The next new normal was dinner at our dear friends’ house.  After 126 days, someone else did the cooking!  It was strange going out at 7 in the evening. That too was a first. Our friends set the table so we were socially distanced as we drank our celebratory champagne and ate their delicious food. It was nearly like old times. We elbow bumped our affection as we left and plan to meet again for a meal at ours very soon.  

Rounding off the “new normal” weekend we headed to visit the kids who live near Salisbury. The last time we saw them in our garden we were less good at new normal. This time it was easier.  We were all relaxed and sat around a warm fire that kept us cosy as the wind came up from time to time.  People came and went from our fireside circle and we were able to chat to the kids one on one sometimes, as well as to their parents. Our oldest granddaughter made us a delicious cake. It all felt, if not normal, at least nearly normal! 

Life has taken on a different tempo and we have all made adjustments. Just as well we are an adaptable species. We will be living with a new normal in this part of the world for some time to come. Kiwi friends enjoy your freedoms! We aren’t there yet, but we will get there eventually!

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 17 July

While I was busy celebrating my birthday yesterday ( it was wonderful and a big thank you to all!) Sir Patrick Vallance was busy talking to the science and technology select committee. He wore a mask.  He also said in no uncertain terms that Sage had recommended an immediate total lockdown on 16 March.  While the recommendation for lockdown was still later than many people thought was wise, it was a full week earlier than the government actually implemented.

But Boris’ pal Dido Harding – soon to be chief executive of the track and trace system – wanted the Cheltenham festival to go ahead. As she was then still the jockey club director, it would have been a shame not to hold off for a week.  What’s an extra 20,000 deaths when you can all have such fun wearing those pretty hats on those soon to be locked down heads? 

Shockingly, Matt Hancock the Health Secretary speaking in the Commons afterwards, said: “16 March is the day when I came to this House and said that all unnecessary social contact should cease – that is precisely when the lockdown was started.”  That is not when lockdown started. Sorry Matt.  Even you should know better!  As you said yourself, in a debate in the Commons on 2 June, the daily death figures were “lower than at any time since lockdown began on 23 March”. Shame on you!

Sir Patrick certainly has had enough of not being listened to.  He and his team didn’t get it all right at the beginning that is for certain.  It is also now clear that the government choose to ignore the “scientific advice” that they say they are always following.  I wonder if Sir Patrick will be at any more Downing Street Press briefings?

Sir Simon Stevens, the head of NHS England, has asked for guarantees from the government that all the Nightingale hospitals remain open at least until Spring 2021 to cope with the possibility of another spike in the numbers with Covid. Sir Simon also wants funding in place so that private hospitals can deal with the backlog of operations that have been cancelled due to Covid.  It would appear that the “Sirs” have it at the moment.  The government announced an extra 3 Billion in funding for the NHS. This is new money. 

Sir Patrick says work from home if you can, Boris says go to work,  Wear a mask, don’t wear a mask.  I know which chaps I intend to listen to. 

Meantime, we are all trying to take steps into the world that are safe and help us get back into something like normal.  I’m going to have my hair cut!  I’ll let you know how that goes.  Have  a great weekend…we are off to visit the family in a socially distanced sort of way.  Beats zoom!

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 16 July

We are supposed to wash our hands to two rounds of Happy Birthday to You.  But did you know that there are two more verses? I didn’t know that.  I did know that the reason we never hear people in films sing the full song is because of a copyright dispute and a charge for using it in films or other mediums.  The other words to Happy Birthday are:

From good friends and true,
From old friends and new,
May good luck go with you,
And happiness too.

How old are you now?
How old are you now?
How old, How old
How old are you now?

The original song is credited to two sisters who lived in Louisville Kentucky. Patty Hill was a kindergarten principal and her sister Mildred was a pianist and composer. The song was originally written with lyrics that were meant for little children. “Good Morning to You”.  First the teacher sang, then the children responded with the same line.  The first print edition appeared in 1912. There is some dispute as to where the tune came from.  Also, there doesn’t seem to be any information about how this song for children moved from the classroom to the tune we all sing each and every time a cake appears on someone’s special day.  The copyright issue however has been discussed for decades and there is plenty of information about this. As litigation is something of a national pastime in America, it’s hardly surprising to discover that  this famous song has attracted much copyright attention as it also attracts a great deal of money.  According to one source, the song is the highest single earning song in history. 

Several interesting versions are around….

Here’s a Jazz version

Here’s a wonderful adventure by the fantastic pianist Nicole Pesce with her interpretation of how some of the Classical great composers would play Happy Birthday…

And finally, the incomparable Stevie Wonder making Happy Birthday his own.

If you haven’t guessed by now why all this Happy Birthday chatter is happening today, it’s because today is my Birthday!   As I nudge even closer to that milestone of seventy my hope is by the time I get there, Covid will be a dim and distant memory.  .

Must dash, I have champagne to drink and some cards to open. Notice the order there…

Have a wonderful day and when your birthday rolls round, remember, there are two more verses you can try.

Wash those hands carefully……

How old are you now?

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 15 July

The weather was gorgeous in the morning yesterday and then it wasn’t.  The rain and the chill returned. After donning additional layers, I sat at my desk marvelling that I had managed a bike ride outside before the deluge.  Weather reports that are more and more accurate on an hourly basis are still a marvel to me.

While sitting at my desk dreaming about the summer sun, I glanced towards my pinboard and noticed a laminated poster I picked up in a church awhile back.  During that pre Covid time when you could go for long walks, have a pub lunch, and mosey into a church that you found along the way.  I’ve always loved old English churches. There is something about the history and the smell that carries you away into another time and place and makes you feel like whatever is going on for you at this point in your life will change and you can always but always begin again. Those are the sentiments expressed by Max Ehrmann on the poster I found in that church’s shop and pinned up in my study. To Begin Again. It’s hardly easy sometimes and other times it’s a dawdle. I was just starting writing a second novel after a first went nowhere and needed those sentiments. 

It never occurred to me until today when I looked up the author of my poster that Max and I had met – so to speak – before. He wrote the Desiderata. That wonderful piece joined me over the years in many of my homes and I never had the time or the inclination to find out about the man who wrote it.  Predictably, he was an interesting chap.  Born to German parents in Terre Haute Indiana in 1872, he did his first degree, then went to Harvard where he did law and received a PhD. He went back to Terre Haute and stopped practising law in order to write. The Desiderata was first sent to friends as a Christmas Card!  He was a near bachelor until three months before his death when he finally married his long time girlfriend, Bertha. 

Desiderata spoke to several generations of Americans, but it wasn’t until Democratic Governor and Congressman Adlai Stevenson, (the best President America never had) died in 1965, that it reached far into the population.  Mr. Stevenson had kept a copy next to his bed.

I’ve never watched Pirates of the Caribbean, but the character Jack Sparrow apparently has the piece tattooed on his back. I might have to watch it just to glimpse those words!  Leonard Nimoy recited it on an album, and everyone I knew in High School had a copy displayed somewhere.  It’s nice to be reminded of the Desiderata for all sorts of reasons.  I bet you owned a copy at some point in your life, too.  Enjoy!

Desiderata

GO PLACIDLY amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

By Max Ehrmann © 1927

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 14 July

I hope you enjoyed my great nephew’s post as much as we did.  If you missed it, have a look at yesterday’s post, Day One Hundred and Twenty One.  Fun and insightful.  Excellent work for a twelve year old!

Well!  Our world is opening up! Yesterday we went further than we have since all this began.  We headed to Exeter and saw the family in the garden. No hugs, and we were all so careful to socially distance.  That didn’t matter. It was a joy to see them in their home and the sun shone.

We didn’t stop on the way there or back and the car parks at each service we passed were full to overflowing. Planning loo breaks has become an essential part of going beyond our home.  Apparently we are not alone.  This is an issue for many of us, and timings of drinks before leaving has become a crucial element of travel these days.  Who knew?

Next stop was Exmouth where we visited old friends.  They have a magnificent view of the sea beyond their flourishing gardens.  We needed the sun shade up as the sun was beating down on us while the seagulls squawked away. 

It’s been a very long time so you might not remember the story, but I take a little Teddy Bear when we travel and photograph him in the locations we visit. I then send this to my friend who lives on Cape Cod and no longer gets to travel far at all.  Even Teddy wore his mask!  What is Michael Gove thinking when he says everyone will do the right thing and that wearing masks in shops should not be mandatory. A day later and Boris says he thinks we all should wear masks in shops and he will explore in the next few days “whether or not tools of enforcement” are required. Is there any wonder people are confused about what they should and shouldn’t do?  I for one will see what Chris Whitty has to say.  Without regular Downing Street briefings, it is hard to find the latest from the Scientists. We will just have to trust Boris…or maybe our instincts.

Our friend took matters into his own hands when Ted took his mask off!

Lilies are currently out in our garden and they are a delight.  They might be my favorite flowers.  The only downside of a lily is the yellow stain that they can leave on clothes, tablecloths and other items where they may drop their stamens. If you have never learned the trick of dealing with this yellow menace, you are about to learn something that will have you praising my name when you next save your favorite cloth item.  Take a bunch of sticky tape and pat the yellow powdery stuff with the sticky side of the tape.  It will adhere to it and hey presto the cloth item no longer has anything yellow staining it. Whatever you do – don’t put water anywhere near it. Simple as that.  It’s like a magic trick that you will never forget once you have tried it.  Enjoy those lilies, and don’t forget to make sure you have some sticky tape in the house when you do.

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Where will you go when you head out into the world again?  If you are one of my kiwi friends, I’m not sure I want to know. You guys can go anywhere in your country.  And stay overnight. And go to concerts, and restaurants, and cafes and you don’t have to wear masks.  Am I envious? Of course!  And also delighted for you all. Enjoy New Zealand those lucky enough to be there.  For the rest of us, we will carry on enjoying our carefully planned travels.  Lockdown it would seem, is slightly easing. Stay safe.

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 13 July

My twelve year old Great Nephew lives in the States and I have asked him to give us all some insights to what the past months have been like for him living with this pandemic.  I think you’ll agree he has a way with words and I certainly have learned a few things!  I hope you do too!

Love

Kathy x

A young voice from America…

My name is Alex Ighemat and I am the author’s great nephew. This Covid pandemic was a very unprecedented time and this is a little bit about what my family did during the quarantine. I am a twelve-year-old boy living in Pennsylvania, USA. My family was lucky during this pandemic because we stayed safe during the period. My dad could work from home, my brother and I could learn online, and my mom’s business was closed so she stayed home as well. Finally, after 105 days of quarantine in Pennsylvania, we went green on June 26^th. This was the last stage in Pennsylvania’s reopening plan. This allowed non-essential businesses to open at reduced capacity and restaurants to open indoor seating.

I had to finish my sixth-grade year online because of the quarantine and I can tell you, it’s not the same as being  in the classroom. We definitely didn’t learn as much as we would have if we had been taught by a teacher right in front of the class. All hands-on experiences in class such as science experiments were cancelled. We were also supposed to study a stream nearby our school but that was cancelled as well. It was definitely a different experience than the normal year would have been if we were in school.

My family and I have been staying extremely careful, doing the best we can to keep the house clean, not to go out without a mask, clean the handles of doors and other high-touch areas, and even bleaching the grocery bags so as not to get the coronavirus. We wouldn’t go out unless it was completely necessary. We washed our hands until they shined and didn’t trust restaurants for a while. We definitely did a lot to stay safe from COVID 19.

I have started a comic strip about fruit during this pandemic and hope to get it in a newspaper someday. It’s a great feeling for me to make people laugh, so I hope this will help me achieve that.

Here is one of my strips:

This Summer is also lacking something that other Summers have and that is gatherings. We can’t gather at pools, have picnics, take walks, and do many other things unless it’s with close family. Of course, we’ve still found ways to have fun like running through the hose and playing basketball. I started a garden this year and have had somewhat of a harvest of green beans and sweet peppers. Hopefully I’ll get more vegetables soon. That’s what my family are doing to have fun this Summer.

We’ve just started gathering again with people but sadly, it seems that some parts of the US are going to have to go into isolation again in the near future. Hopefully people will make good choices and another lockdown will be averted. We must keep optimistic and hope for the best as only time will tell what happens next.

Alex Ighemat

Feest Isolation Days – 11 July

Some days you need to break out of the routines you’ve established and head out into the world. We did precisely that yesterday. A friend called round for coffee and we managed to find that sweet spot between the rain and the cool breeze to sit in the garden and chat and for a few moments – we even needed our sunglasses!

After he left and we finished a late lunch I suggested we went for a drive.  Off we went to Wales. The first time since March.  We went to Tintern Abby and enjoyed the ancient ruin all over again. It opened in May 1131.  There is something about seeing that sort of place that does wonders for the soul.

There were only a few cars there on a day that in normal times would have meant we couldn’t find a place to park. After a very short walk the rain returned and we drove into the forest which we’d walked in many times before. Today as it poured, we sat in the car and drank our cups of coffee from our flask and dunked our digestive biscuits into the milky warmth and felt grand. 

For the first time in weeks we had a store prepared meal, so cooking was a pop in the oven and an easy to put together salad.  Some days it’s good not to have to cook. Or do the washing up.

 We then binged on the last three episodes of the third series of a Bosch we’ve been watching. Huddling under our blankets we thought it was time to turn the heat back on as it got so cold again. Nevertheless as we watched the rainfall from inside our cosy warm house we decided it had been a delightful day. Sometimes life has to happen unannounced and unplanned. Sometimes you just need a break from routine and a step or two out in the world and life is okay again.

Although things are beginning to open up, many of us, especially we older folks are not obliging.  We will wait and see. It seems a safer bet.  Speaking of betting, when we were in Wales we passed the Chepstow racecourse. We watched a few horses on the track running around in the rain with no spectators in the empty stands. Trainers and jockeys were wandering around as were a few groundsmen but no other people.  There was one man on the outside of the fence looking into the track. He was up a ladder in the rain wearing his green mac and holding a huge umbrella trying to keep the Welsh misty rain away from his view.  He must have placed a whack of money on one of those horses! Either that or he, too, was having one of those days when you coast and let it happen. But on second thoughts, who carries ladders with them…

Hope you have a few of these sorts of moments yourself in the next few days.  We are heading to Exeter to see the kids one day this weekend.  See you again on Monday.

Have a brilliant and safe weekend. 

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 9 July

Whew! What a lot of choices for a Wednesday evening. The weather was wet and cold but the opportunities on Zoom were varied and all experiences were from the warm and cosy comfort of our lovely home.  We couldn’t have our nibbles and drinks with friends in the soaked garden, but there was song and exercise and plenty more on offer.

Zoom singing is great. It only took me a few goes to realise that I can be the star of the show!  I can sing along with the Soprano soloists! No one hears me sing (except for the husband and occasionally the neighbours) and its fun. Singing along with a soloist is as good a way as any to learn how to improve your singing I reckon and there is no danger of anyone spotting the wrong notes I hit as this is all done while muted and wearing headphones. Verdi’s Requiem is a stretch at the best of times but it gets the blood pumping.  A masterpiece of choral music. Sadly, I had to leave the choir for an hour to do my regular Wednesday evening Zoom Pilates.  This one on one with my lovely Simone from Auckland is a feature of my week that I won’t let go anytime soon.  After three bike rides in a row my back was feeling a bit sore, and within an hour I felt better.  Better enough to scoot back up the stairs to rejoin the sing through of the Verdi.  Thankfully, someone else was lost and asked what movement we were on, and what page!  I was back in full (ish) voice.

The other Zoom options were a Novel writing evening with a published novelist and a Playwriting Course normally held at the Bristol Old Vic – both of which I would have loved to do but music and Pilates won the day. Life’s always about prioritising even in lockdown.  Maybe especially in lockdown. 

Which shop am I willing to enter, am I happy to go away and stay somewhere else? What about restaurants?  Hmmm.  These decisions are beginning to be upon us.  The answer to the shops is easy.  Not many. A health food shop that sells flowers was safe, I’ll do that again. Staying away? Nope!  Restaurants?  Nope! These are a long way off yet.  Yesterday the Chancellor unveiled his money saving plans for people who head to eateries like Wagamama.  He surprised customers at a Waga in London by serving them.  Where’s your mask RIshi?  No mask.  Customers didn’t seem very far apart and none of them wore masks either.  Not a good advert for dining out in my book.

With great reluctance but with as much caution as I can muster, I plan to visit a hairdressers shop next week.  I’m sure I’ll be fine, but the thought of even worrying about this is weird.  It’s just a haircut! My long hair is thick and heavy and needs attention.  I know I can’t hold my breath the entire time, so a mask it will be.  And no talking.  Now that will be a challenge! 

I’ll let you know how it goes.

What are you willing to begin to do again?  Knowing what you will and won’t do as we ease into the new normal is useful.  It’s all about setting your priorities. 

Don’t forget your masks! Unless of course you’re in New Zealand.  To you fortunate folks, don’t forget to book your tickets for the next Symphony Concert.  I can’t wait until that can be on the top of my to do list! I wouldn’t mind not singing along one little bit.  Enjoy – you lucky people!

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 9 July

I haven’t done much with words lately. Except of course for playing Words with Friends.  And another word game that I play on my own, Word Avalanche oh yes and the word game Terry and I play together – 3D Magic Words. We have played this for years now and it keeps our brains active and we only ever play it together.  We have played a gazillion games.   I also play Letter Pad and Word Solitaire.  I’m a woman who likes words. Words are powerful building blocks. They form the basis for a society to hold discussions and enables society to function in a democratic and inclusive way.  They express our feelings and our likes and dislikes. Words are how we communicate to each other and now that we can’t be together they are even more powerful. The non-verbal clues are not there to help us. We only have our words.

A newspaper editor at the New York Times employed a Republican to write an Op Ed. There was such uproar the editor had to resign! Resign?  What happened to open discourse?  

The same newspaper has stopped publishing political cartoons in its Global editions after a cartoon was offensive to some.  Something has gone wrong, in my view.

I’ve been troubled lately by the notion that a writer can’t write a character that is anything other than themselves. In novels these days, authors apparently have to be gay, or transsexual or black in order to write a character that is any or all of those things.  What has happened to the imagined world, true freedom of speech and the possibility of exploring other through a different lens?

 As a white middle class woman, I sometimes feel marginalised these days. There are often writing support schemes for people of colour or people who are poor, or identify as a member of a group that is other…whatever other that is. There is an ever expanding band wagon for marginalised people and it isn’t welcoming to anyone “other”. Dialogue and discussion seem to have flown out the window.

We were having dinner with friends (when that was still possible) and they had a guest visiting from Florida who joined us.   I was “warned” that the woman was a Trump voter.  Warned is the word. It made me cautious.  I was curious. The woman, who I ended up sitting across from at the table, was an intelligent professional lady married to a man of colour. Or should I say, from the BAME community? Or Non white?  Indian? I can’t even get that right anymore.  Anyway, I really was curious. Why did she think Trump was the man for her?  When my friend (being provocative I do believe!) asked her why she voted for Trump I was hoping for a thoughtful and interesting discussion. That didn’t happen. Her initial answer was that Trump  brought jobs and under his tenure employment had increased.  When I gently suggested – remember I was warned – that perhaps that might have had something to do with the previous administration, what else was there that hooked her, she shut down.  She  refused to speak. “Whatever I say you won’t accept it so there is no point in having a conversation.”   No matter what I said she refused to talk.  There was no discussion.  Facts were not welcome, nor was my curiosity.  No matter how carefully I tried to speak to her, she became quite hot under the collar. Finally, I withdrew from the conversation.  Whew.  That went well.  There was no discussion. 

The atrocities of the past should not be air brushed out of history.  They happened.  They were awful.  Nothing excuses the dreadfulness of what has gone before.  Yet there still needs to be discussion. The dangers of a right wing world are clear to see. Ask the Hong Kong people what they think about the freedoms inherent in words. 

These thoughts have been swirling around my pretty little head lately as I try to understand how we got to where we are.  Some of us who consider ourselves liberal, democratic and open are being challenged at every turn.  And silenced. This recent article in Harpers signed by 150 people including J.K. Rowling voices these concerns well.

https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/

Words are what bring us together and pull us apart.  In our words we can have debates and examine the past, the present, and the future. We won’t always agree.  When we are silenced by whatever group, we are headed in a dangerous direction.  Oh yes and there’s a virus around.

A little levity to help….Michael Macintyre at the Dentist…when words are changed by anaesthetic…

Enjoy!

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –  8 July

There are just some days that you feel miserable. Not deep down miserable just fed up and oh no not another grey sky and a weather report to thwart our plans for socialising with nibbles and drinks in the garden tomorrow! When the lousy weather keeps at it and the cancellations keep coming, it’s probably healthy to feel a bit miserable. Wednesday is house cleaning day and that ALWAYS makes me feel grumpy so I decided I’d kill two birds with one stone and feel miserable while I cleaned today.  Who knows tomorrow might be a better day.  At least the house will be all bright and shiny and smell of polish!

Actually I feel better now that I’ve made the house hum and it’s not pouring at the moment so I can go outside before it does and enjoy the garden for a bit.  The frolicking puppy next door and the little gold crest darting in and out remind me that there is no need to feel anything but positive.  Life is playing tricks on us but it still goes on and we still have lives to lead.  Phew.  Glad that’s passed.  And that’s the thing.  These funny strange times give us funny strange feelings sometimes.  I’m not sure we’d be human if at some point we didn’t get a teeny weeny little bit annoyed! No point in yelling at the virus or the weather though, or anything or anybody really.  Deep breaths and find a good book to read. Or some gorgeous music to listen to or something else that might inspire you back to feeling just fine. Or go for a bike ride. You never know what you might see. This is always on my route and it makes me smile.  The weather has meant I’ve never seen anyone splashing in it but that needs a big…yet.

There were three pubs that closed already following the big opening on Saturday.  They all had served customers who informed them they had tested positive two days after being in the pub.  One bright spark lady landlord in Burnham on Sea decided she’d phone all of her customers.  Ninety people were on her list and they were all informed by her personally of the situation. Now that is what I call service.  She said she felt it was her duty and wanted to make sure that her customers were all told as quickly as possible.  Apparently they don’t all have to isolate, or get tested but that seems strange to me.  Why not?  I sometimes don’t understand the latest thinking on this.

Meantime in poor old Melbourne, Oz, the entire city is firmly locked down once more after 191 people tested positive.  They authorities are concerned and have said that the lock down will carry on for six weeks. 

It will be ages before this thing goes away!  Those baby steps we take go backward as well as forward it seems.

Fish for dinner tonight…the fisherman of the household is out catching fish.  Some things thankfully do change. He’s had a spell of not catching so will be in a much better mood tonight.  Four trout returned with him from the Lake!

The trout don’t care that there is a virus around. They won’t even notice when it’s gone.  Lucky old trout.

Stay safe.

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 7 July

After the gales and rain and shockingly cold weather for the past while, the sun has finally appeared this afternoon.  What a welcome and wondrous sight it is too.  For the first time in days, I’ve been outside on my bike rather than on the stationary one sitting in the garden room.  Much more fun being out in the world a bit!  Biking means you see people doing all sorts, and hear snippets of conversations that are intriguing and tell stories in a sentence.  There was a man on one of the greens who had strung a sort of ribbon like length of material between two trees and was practicing his tight rope skills.  I didn’t hang around for long but he seemed fairly confident and competent.  A little further on, a little boy wearing his school uniform, walking hand and hand with his mother said, “Do you remember Mummy before the bad virus came and we used to go to Ben’s house to play after school?” That was a bit of a heart breaker.

The city is a mixed bag of lots of people queuing at food shops, and much less traffic than normal. There are also the usual idiots about who make you take extra care when biking in traffic.  I had stopped and was standing next to my bike waiting to cross the road at a blind spot and a guy nearly hit me.  He was way too far over nearly on the verge. He yelled out the window, “that wasn’t very clever was it”? I retorted, “no it wasn’t terribly clever of you”! He clearly wasn’t good at accepting a driving mistake.  Just as well I was stood far enough away from the road not to be mowed down.

The rich tapestry of life.  Sometimes we forget that there is a pandemic around – but not for long.  A friend came for a cuppa and cake in the garden this morning and it was bliss to see her. We talked about the tiny steps we are all taking to move back into the world.  Carefully.  We are in a book group together and will try and have our next group in the garden socially distancing of course.  Zoom is okay in a pinch but we all so prefer seeing each other in person.  Fingers crossed that the weather turns back toward summer at the end of the month.

Boris Johnson has said people “overwhelmingly” followed the coronavirus rules during the easing of the lockdown in England over the weekend. When he was asked if social distancing mixes with alcohol, he said,  “I think they can mix if people are sensible. Actually my evidence I’ve seen is yes there have been some places where people have been imprudent and you can see there’s been some people who have been getting it wrong. But actually, overwhelmingly, over the weekend I think the people of this country did the right thing. If we can keep it up, if we can keep going in the way we are, maintain discipline, enjoy ourselves but enjoy ourselves safely, then we will continue to drive down this virus and we will be able to get back to life as close to normal as possible as fast as possible.”

We live in hope. The World Health Organisation thinks we will have another spike because we aren’t following the rules.  We shall see.

Life is so often about perspective isn’t it?  I have a little gem of a short Oscar winning video to remind you of just that.  Watch it to the end. It’s a goody.

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 6 July

The 4^th of July dawned grey and dreary.  It was the first day of easing lockdown and we decided to go out for brunch.  We went to a new place for us.  Under the magnificent beech tree at the bottom of the garden!  Just as we began to eat, the rain arrived.  Terry got out our old patio umbrella which has broken, and placed it in a vice so it could stand tall above us and keep off the light misty shower.  It worked!  The umbrella kept us dry and we enjoyed a new spot for brunch.  It wasn’t “out” out, but it was different and they say a change is as good as a rest! We were pleased we spent our first day of easing time “out” under the tree in the gentle rain, because from about noon the heavens opened and didn’t stop for the rest of the day.  Soggy Britain! 

• 

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Unlocking has its benefits but there are still some areas of the economy that cannot unlock.  I ran into a neighbour today who has a great idea for a concert in an empty club with tickets sold on something like Zoom. She’s been told it goes against the rules!  Argggg! Performers need some unlocking support. Performers and the arts are in total disarray and there seems to be little understanding or help for them from any quarter.  We need our cultural events and performances. How will this happen?

This virus seems to be economically dreadful for the young, and physically dreadful for the old.  We oldies have the better deal I think.  Our younger friends and families are still struggling with so much. There remain millions of people who can’t work anymore no matter what profession they are in.  Law courts are nearly silent with huge backlogs, the hospitality industry is making redundancies daily, the aerospace industry is cutting jobs; no sector seems to be safe.  Except perhaps for key workers in caring professions or delivery people.

Today we had a socially distanced tea and cake time with daughter Naomi and family. Wonderful to see them all.   This seemed easier than the first time we did it with the other kids because we knew what we were in for.  We nearly froze as we sat huddled under sweaters, coats and blankets in the wind at the bottom of the garden.  But hey!  We saw each other and chatted and all agreed this pandemic isn’t anywhere near over yet.  We still maintain more than the rules, as all of the members of our family are.  No restaurants, no pub visits, no holidays or hotel nights away yet for the Feest clan.  We will all watch and wait a bit and see what happens. 

Our next door neighbours have a new puppy which is very sweet and I can watch it frolic in their garden from my study window. Adorable. For some reason it reminded me of Pavlov’s Dog…and Eddie Izzard and Pavlov’s Cat.  Enjoy!

With love

Kathy x

Stop Press

I wrote my blog before I went to bed last night and this morning woke to amazing news!  

The government has provided 1.57 BILLION dollars for Arts and Culture.  Oliver Dowden the Culture Minister says the package is all “new money” which intends to support  “crown jewel” venues like the Royal Albert Hall and the National Galleries but also will help local groups  across the UK.  The scheme includes grants and loans and those bodies applying will have to provide evidence as to how they will contribute to wider economic growth

This can only be good news for the beleaguered arts and cultural institutions large and small in this country. Mr. Dowden has done an excellent job that sees funding set at the higher end than was expected by some working in our arts institutions.

It wasn’t a dream!  The Arts have finally been included in recovery plans.  Hurrah!    Well done minister.  

Feest Isolation Days –3 July

After my walk in the woods earlier in the week, I  keep thinking about how much better I feel after being among the tall and luscious trees. New Zealand kauri trees have always brought a very special mood to the forests. I can feel a kauri tree before I see it.  The quiet ancient presence is pervasive.  The British trees exert a wonderful feeling too, but like different genres of music, some is excellent cool jazz and other trees are more like wonderful violin concertos.  But all trees seem to have a voice. According to the ecologist Suzanne Simard, not only do trees speak but they do so over long distances. Her work of over thirty years is like a song itself.  An uplifting few moments to be found on her much viewed Ted talk.

Sometimes people talk too much and say stupid things.  You wish you could just silence them.  One of those people who says stupid things most of the time is the current President. After weeks of saying wearing facemasks during the pandemic wasn’t something he endorsed, he finally did a big U turn.  Now he says, face masks are okay. But he reiterated that he did not think making face-coverings mandatory across the US was needed, because there are “many places in the country where people stay very long distance If people feel good about it they should do it.”

He says when he wears a mask it makes him look like the Lone Ranger.  He didn’t seem to notice that the Lone Ranger didn’t cover his mouth and nose but his eyes.  You can just see Trump’s followers wearing black eye patches instead of the appropriate gear, if they bother at all.

The virus, if it could speak just cheered! Not so the 50,000 plus people in the States who were tested positive with the disease yesterday.

Then there is true leadership.  Governor Cuomo of New York, noticing that too many people were not wearing their face coverings properly showed people how it’s done. “Don’t wear a chin guard wear a face mask,” He says. It’s the law.  He demonstrates the proper use of a facemask including making a self deprecating remark about his own nose and it sure made me smile.  What a guy!

 You are all very special.  Look after yourself!

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days – 2 July

It’s the small steps that you take that get you back into the world. Some days there are breakthroughs. Without especially planning it but letting it flow, I went for a walk and for the first time in over three months, I went into a shop.  I always said the first thing I would buy was going to be flowers.  And there they were. The Better Foods health food shop on Whiteladies Road, not far from our house keep flowers on the sidewalk.  Or pavement. Sometimes I can’t remember – American or British which is it sidewalk or pavement?  There were gorgeous, glorious lilies outside the door of the shop and I couldn’t resist.  They were forty per cent off the original price and I took the plunge. I picked up the lilies and went into the shop to pay for them. There were arrows on the floor telling me which direction I should walk and there was no one else in the shop.  The Perspex between the man at the till and me was comprehensive.  I hadn’t paid for anything out in the world for such a long time I had to stop and think how contactless payments worked.  Did I need my PIN number?  Oh dear what’s my PIN number?  No I didn’t need it. Contactless. The clue is in the word. You don’t have to touch the machine with your card to pay.  The lilies were only ten pounds. I told the nice young man behind the counter that it was the first shop I’d been in since March and he said he was delighted that I found such pretty flowers. He told me they looked like they were cut especially for me.  It was a strange and wonderful experience. Tiny steps. 

The rate of infection in Bristol is so minimal we must begin to ease our lockdown.  There have only been10 cases in the past week.  These tiny steps are continuing. We are going to have dinner with friends in their house in the next few weeks. Like us, they have been scrupulous.  We will socially distance and be cautious. But we will soon be together. In a home. With great friends.

After a socially distanced walk with a friend in Ashton Court, a lovely wooded area of Bristol, we went to the outside café which was serving drinks and small items of wrapped food. I bought a cup of tea.  There were marks on the ground telling customers where we should stand, hand sanitizer before we went to the window to order and collect, and a large Perspex window between the woman who made my tea and me.  Again, contactless payment meant we never touched.  Drinking the tea sitting on the grass as my friend and I chatted away felt so utterly and completely normal.  A woman  passed us by with a much older woman and the younger woman called out “Mother! Avoid these people, go further away.”  Her mother hadn’t got the idea of socially distancing, but she was in good hands. Her daughter sorted her out. 

These easing moments are all so special. They make it seem as though  life is slowly beginning to return to something we recognise and remember. Let’s hope there are many more moments like this.  We aren’t there yet, but we are getting somewhere. 

Things will open up – but until then… Be safe, socially distance, wash your hands, and enjoy!

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –1 July

Pointless. That’s the game show on the BBC at the time we used to watch the Downing Street press briefings. Now why does that make me snicker?

Leicester is being locked down again. Shops that were intending to open on Saturday will remain closed. A hairdressers with five weeks of bookings will have to stay shut.  The city is responsible for ten per cent of the current cases in England.  The virus spike there is apparently being carried by children as well as adults so the schools are closed to all but key workers. 

Once more there are suggestions from some quarters that the government took too long to respond.  Boris and his boys must have been polishing up their Whack a Mole hammers.  When Boris told us he was easing lockdown he said we were moving into whack a mole…hit the virus wherever it appeared.  In the commons, the Shadow Health Secretary said “those areas that do see flare-ups will need greater speed in the response, otherwise we risk no moles getting whacked.”  Doesn’t that analogy fill you with confidence?

The weather continues to pretend it’s winter outside and we pull on sweaters and turn the heat back on as the wind blows and the rain lashes down intermittently. The dark skies are not fun.  I can’t imagine how we are going to manage living with this virus in the winter. Will we not have anyone in the house for months to come?  It’s hard to imagine so we won’t do any worrying about that now. The sun will come out again and we have a good chance of a lot more summer to come before we have to think about that.

Terry is meant to be fishing but the weather doesn’t seem to be obliging so it looks like we will have to make do with the fish cakes that are in the freezer which are the leftovers from last week’s catch.

I need something witty and timely today to help me make fun of the craziness in the world…Step up step up Randy Rainbow!  Enjoy….

🎶Don't spread droplets all over the place, just cover your freakin' face🎶 #CoverYourFreakinFace #WearAMask 😷🙄 pic.twitter.com/KsdLbrkRkj

— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) June 29, 2020

With love,

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –30 June

The weather has been blowing a gale!  Maybe it will blow the virus away and out of the world!  Wishing sadly won’t make that so, instead we find the joy and delight in the moments where we can. 

My eighty eight year old neighbour receives a socially distanced doorstep visit from me each week along with a little posy and something nice to eat. This week when she came to the door she was most apologetic but very excited and said she was  sorry but she couldn’t stop because she was in the middle of a zoom call!  This woman didn’t own a mobile phone or any other device a few weeks ago. Later she phoned me and said a friend had set her up with a tablet and showed her how to zoom.  She now has an email address and is learning the ins and outs of her new found technology.  Brilliant!  Her enthusiasm and excitement were like that of a little girl at Christmas. A sheer delight. She made my day.

Something that didn’t make my day was a drip drip drip in the main spare bedroom.  I’d left the window open as it had been so hot and when the arctic air arrived along with the rain I went in to close the window.  The drip is from an old leak in the roof above the bed that we’ve had repaired quite frequently.  The last time was only last year and involved scaffolding.  The repair men will be back soon again it would seem!  Just as well our expected visitors couldn’t come this weekend.  Silver linings and all of that.

My dear husband was able to put a smile on my face as well this weekend.  He called me downstairs and when I arrived there was my shiny new bike with its new kickstand!  I had been moaning about the bike not having one; and without saying anything he ordered it, and put it on my bike.  A star!  Now my bike experience will be much easier when I want to park up – as soon as the rain and wind stop I will get to try it out. I’m hoping for sooner rather than later.  The exercise bike indoors is not as much fun that’s for sure.

These helpful little moments do help to combat the malaise that sometimes sets in during these lock down times. I’m sure you have them too. Both the helpful little moments and the malaise.  Here’s hoping the first outdoes the second for you this week! 

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –29 June

The kids are coming next weekend, and of course that’s a day when there is a stay and sing planned, and a Zoom dinner party! Why does everything always come in threes?

It’s been a crazy time with crowds continuing to flock to beaches, and Liverpool fans thrilled with their teams win as the Champions of the Football League celebrating and throwing caution to the wind romping all over the streets of Liverpool.

It’s as though none of this has happened and many people still seem to think it’s all over!  But it just isn’t.  We are managing to find our way through it all as many of our friends are as well. I suspect that some people can’t stand being cooped up anymore and without any true leadership they are rebelling.  There are parties in London and in Bristol and the police seem to be unable to stop many of them from happening.  Boris is not giving a lead. Instead, he is allowing deceit and complicity in his Cabinet.  When he doesn’t want to talk about something, like the widely reported instance of Robert Jenrick abusing his office, he simply says, “the matter is closed”.  Why aren’t the Daily Briefings at least weekly?  People seem to think the government has given up so why shouldn’t they?  The Dominic Cummings effect continues to be wide and deep.

Who knows what will happen after the 4^th of July when things really do begin to unlock.  From the 6^th of July, travel around Europe is beginning again.

Not for this household!  We haven’t even ventured to a shop so we certainly aren’t heading into the world beyond these shores. We will wait another three weeks after the unlocking proper and see what happens to the infection rate before we make any further decisions on what we can and can’t do.  I suspect our little steps will continue for a time.  I could do with a haircut though!  We shall see when that will occur…

Thankfully the wind and rain arrived over the weekend which paused the movement of so many people.

The numbers of infection worldwide have reached ten million with half a million deaths so far.  Across the pond, America is in a mess. The cases are mounting and the response is not what it needs to be in many places.  Arizona and Florida have finally begun to stop the opening up of their States, but in a half-hearted kind of way.  The projection of people carrying the disease in the States is high.  We watch in sadness as the Arizona hospitals become filled to capacity and no real leadership emerges.

In other American news, in New York, Milton Glaser, the man who came up with the iconic “I love New York” logo, died at the age of ninety one. In 1977 he designed the artwork on an envelope while in the back of a New York taxi. His remit was to promote tourism in the city.  When Milton was a young boy, an older cousin drew a bird on the side of a paper bag to amuse him, He says of the experience, “Suddenly, I almost fainted with the realization that you could create life with a pencil. And at that moment, I decided that’s how I was going to spend my life.”

Not a bad decision!  If you want to know more about this wonderful man’s work, you can read his very uplifting obituary in the New York Times here.

Thank you and well done that man. Rest in peace.

Stay safe!

With love

Kathy x

Feest Isolation Days –26 June

Okay! Enough is enough. Time for thinking about something other than THAT virus! A friend dropped by for coffee and brought her own drink…okay I can see why it’s hard not to let THAT intrude into positively everything we do, so how can we tame it a little?

I guess taming it means quieting our over anxious minds and returning to basics. At one hundred and four days maybe now would be a good time to stop and reflect once more about all this.  When I say all this I guess I mean life in a pandemic.  Picked an easy topic for myself today didn’t I?

Over the years I have had coaching, counselling, mentoring, friendships (that fulfilled  all those roles) and a lot of love.  What I’ve learned is that identifying what is troubling you is the first step in sorting out how you feel. And life is all about how we feel don’t you know.  And in order to find out what is troubling you, or even what is making you feel great –  it’s a really good idea to remind yourself what you consider to be your core values.  We all have plenty of time at the moment and reminding ourselves of what we truly value in life is never a bad thing to refresh.

So here goes.  No I’m not going to share mine with you, but I am going to offer you the opportunity to think about what your core values are.  This is not a bad way to spend a sweltering afternoon! And it might help you reboot your feelings about where you are at the moment.  Certainly helped me!

Here is  the link: https://www.cmu.edu/career/documents/my-career-path-activities/values-exercise.pdf

Sophie Hannah who’s a gazillion selling author and runs a great coaching course for writers gave me this idea. She’s got more ideas and books here…https://sophiehannah.com/about-sophie-2/

Now that we’ve got that all sorted out it must be time for some fun! The country does seem to be going mad with the heat and the beaches are overwhelmed in Brighton and Bournemouth.  Half a million people have descended on Dorset.  Leadership required! Please stay away from the crowds…have a go at this it might fill a few minutes.

Geography quiz questions and answers to follow (thanks to the Radio Times who have plenty more of this sort of thing if it’s of interest!)

Questions

1. What is the largest landlocked country in the world by size?
2. Which US state was Donald Trump born in?
3. If you completed the Three Peaks challenge, which three UK mountains would you have climbed?
4. Which UK city is situated further west – Bristol or Edinburgh?
5. How many countries are there in the region of Europe? (Recognised by the United Nations)
6. What is the capital of Finland?
7. What is the currency of Vietnam?
8. What language is spoken in Brazil?
9. What do the French call the English Channel?
10. How many permanent members are there on the UN security council?

For the answers, please click here!

With love

Kathy x