Week 14 of lockdown and it is all change again
Might need to change the title of these now since we are no longer socially isolated. Although in fairness we still pretty much are keeping ourselves to ourselves. I have struggled to keep up with the rules recently, and worry that if I do something I think is right and post about it on line people will jump on me to tell me that it is, in fact, not allowed. Everyone is a bit on edge now so I think people are being a bit more judgey, which is understandable but it all just feels a bit tricky now. Being locked down felt easier somehow, there were no ifs and buts; coming out, for me, is proving a bit more problematic.
Non essential shops were able to open this week so people made the most of being able to go and shop. The queues outside local Matalans and Primarks were enormous (somebody said it was two hours) and many queried “how badly do you need a new pair of pyjamas?”, but it goes deeper than that, doesnt it? Being able to shop is often more about a feeling of normalcy than a need for the item purchased. It might not have been for me but I can totally understand why others wanted to do it. They were also all flocking to National Trust gardens, though every time I have tried I havent been able to grab one of the slots. I have heard of people staying up past midnight so they can bag slots at their favourite houses in order to have a walk with socially distanced friends and family. Whilst I love a mooch around a NT house it has dawned on me that what I actually prefer is the sausage roll and cup of tea so whilst cafes are closed I won’t be trying!
It made me laugh this week that an airport in Taiwan has come up with the perfect solution for people who want to travel further afield by launching tours and flights “to nowhere”. You can see the video here, it is brilliant.
It has been a relatively normal week for us and at times again I have almost forgotten we are living with Coronavirus in our midst. We have got some jobs done in the garden (including booking some trades people to come and help clear rubbish. (All done at a distance, and paid online) Cooking and baking has continued and I am a grateful for being able to do a weekly food shop online as it means I can plan and not have to brave supermarkets just yet.
A highlight of the week was a call from the hairdressers asking if I wanted to book in my three cancelled appointments. I could have wept. There were a number of caveats such as needing my temperature to be taken on entry, not coming early, no hanging around, no tips in cash, being asked put on your own gown, no magazines, no drinks. I can live with all of that, in fact I could have lived with them telling me I had to shed all my clothes at the front door if it meant I got to have my hair cut again. Roll on July 7th and my first hair cut since March.
Booking a haircut might have been a high point for me but I know alot of people who celebrated Gregg’s reopening 800 shops this week. There’s a lot of love for their sausage rolls out there!
And the focus all week has been on food really because the footballer Marcus Rashford has fronted a campaign demanding the government make a U turn on their decision to not provide lunches for the most vulnerable of children over the summer holidays. It is scandalous that the government can’t see what a huge struggle it is for so many families and having to pay for lunches for children would make all the difference. Marcus has been very vocal on how his family received free school meals when he was growing up, and how they helped him and his siblings. It really saddens me that our government resisted the suggestion until it was front page news for several days.
We made the most of being able to have a “support bubble” with one other person this weekend too. We drove up to Wilmslow to pick up Lady Barrow so we could bring her down for the weekend. Change of scenery for her, and lovely for us to have the company too. It also meant that she got to have a socially distanced meeting with her new great granddaughter, Lily, which was lovely.
This feels like our new normal now, some schools back (though many are still home schooling), shops open, people trying to go about their lives in as normal a way as possible, I feel like we are creeping towards July 4th as though it will be our own Independence Day.
Let’s see what other changes next week brings, here’s to the hospitality industry being allowed to open again.
Photo of two hands holding mugs courtesy of Shutterstock