Corona virus (or covid-19) is spreading all over the world. Some friends went to Amsterdam in February to celebrate a 6oth birthday and found all the museums shut. Other friends had gone to S Africa but had to cut short their holiday.
Week before shut down
Now all restaurants and pubs are closed. Our son’s girlfriend says in Malaysia only supermarkets are open. All gatherings are cancelled. In Italy where it started in Europe all the famous places are empty of people. Venice is still and quiet.
Quieter streets here in England too. People over 70 putting themselves into isolation or as someone put it, “self-imposed house arrest.”
Went shopping in Sainsburys. Some shelves were empty as people were panic buying. Definitely no chicken or toilet paper. Cat food was scarce. No sliced bread, no eggs, very little fruit and veg but plenty of broccoli. I guess most people aren’t keen on broccoli. I only once remember when the shelves were empty like this and that was during a bad snow period when deliveries could not get through.
The stock market has plummeted. My husband is looking very gloomy.
30,000 tourists are stuck in the French alps as ski resorts close.
Weirdest mothering Sunday we’ve ever had.
Week 1
Monday 23rd March, 2020. Total shut down. We run a rescue mission to fetch our son from London. He’s ill but don’t think he’s got it. Nevertheless we take all the recommended precautions and he self-isolates in his bedroom for the week. Fortunately he can work from home. London is not the place to be at the moment, too many people. The roads were very quiet.
Now we’re all self-isolating during this coronavirus pandemic. Only food shops are open.
“Stay at home, save lives,” is the catch phrase of the moment.
As someone remarked,
“Our houses will be spotless and our gardens immaculate.”
What are we reduced to when the conversation revolves around toilet paper!
Good thing I went to the garden centre before total shut down. The girl on the till said they were a bit short staffed as her elderly parents were,
“Hibernating or whatever you call it.”
It is all very peaceful as roads become quieter. Only nature carries on as normal and there’s plenty of birdsong to announce Spring. We have beautiful sunny days. Our cats sleep peacefully in the conservatory blissfully unaware of the dramas in Europe and all over the world.
Prince Charles has got it and now Boris Johnson our prime minister has it too and runs the country from hospital in isolation.
My husband set up the Old Boys Messenger group amongst our friends. It was very busy at first as we made first contact.
One friend’s comment,” Hi all! I thought my phone had developed a fault. It kept going ‘ping’. Now I find you lot filling the ether. Good game!”
The internet and social media has come into its own as we all continue to communicate remotely. We have tried out House party with our boys and watched D eat his tea while C prepared his. I’ve even tried Zoom. In Italy they have started singing from their balconies. Community happens and social networking carries on. People pull together in a crisis.
Some emails from Museum colleagues.
Oh what a beautiful Morning
Oh what a lock in old day. Well, here's to Thursday. I done all the usual chores so it seems like I will have to look around the flat for something else to do. Might get my paints out and paint a masterpiece, fat chance of that.
Luckily having a balcony I got serenaded yesterday by a friend (it wasn't my husband). I felt like. I've got a few plants in the balcony which brightens things up a bit. They also make good missiles. I've got some bubbles somewhere, so might blow a few for the passing children.
I've got a rainbow on my window, sadly not many folk look up when walking down Waterloo Road. There are too many seagulls around!
I get up really early some mornings and go for a stroll before many people are about. It's a lovely time of day.
I miss my trips to the museum hopefully it won't be toooooo long before it's back to normal. The only bit of normality is the clock chiming the hour, and its BST.
Take care all of you and stay well. Winnieplop. X
Hello Everyone,
I'll put our six eggs in now, we have the shiniest windows we've had for months, all the carpets shampooed, the dining room has boxes in it from the loft as that was the first job done so have to make room in the garage which is another job, we could isolate in there for months, whoops, lost L no he's just behind the new fence panels waiting to be put up, they've been moved so many times they could move themselves they know every inch of the garage.
The early mornings are lovely so fresh really worth getting up for, if we were younger it may be different (I have a good memory) nowadays it's the dog jumping into the middle of the bed. The washing is out blowing lovely, I love the smell when it comes in.
We've been taking Besta walking, good for her and us. Why is it people will say 'hello' when with a dog but not other times? Strange things people are!
I need to let L out of the garage but only if he has let me down from finding things in the loft I forgot we had, old photos are the worst boxes of the darn things. Did I really wear a skirt that short and look that slim, Never mind when the lamppost casts a shadow I'm still slim with legs up to my armpits, no harm in dreaming or imagining, no my legs never touched my armpits they always stopped at my bottom.
On that note I'll say cheerio everyone,
So take care, keep washing our hands, looks like we will all be wearing masks soon, what a improvement. Ha Ha.
Regards, A and L.
Week 2
The virus continues to claim lives on a daily basis. It has been called a global pandemic. The effect of the measures that have been put into place will not be seen just yet.
Air pollution has reduced to a significant amount. There’s a lot of good that will come out of this. A lot of learning too.
I go out for daily walks round the village and connect with neighbours – from a safe distance of 2 metres. My next door neighbour has decorated 3 rooms but has now run out of paint. Now when I go shopping we have to keep a distance and only 15 people are allowed into Radco at one time. I always wear gloves. Some people wear masks. I won’t brave Tescos at the best of times. One friend did.
“I felt like I was in some dreadful science fiction-post apocalyptic film set. Not a nice experience.”
We’re all pulling together. The Dunkirk spirit is alive and well.
Now Easter is fast approaching.
A poem from Jane M
Spread me around.
Hi, I'm Coronavirus,
I'm friendly and I'm fine,
The way some of you carry on,
Ha ha you'll soon be mine.
The invisible enemy,
You cannot see or smell
Just carry on, spread me around,
It helps me cause sheer hell.
I know some don't like Boris,
But what he says is right,
Just keep on social distancing,
And you may win the fight.
The weekend may be sunny,
Please don't be tempted to roam,
Open all your windows
And keep safe in your home.
We soldier on.
Week 3
Went shopping in Sainsburys at midday. I was a little apprehensive but it was fine. It was very civilised and peaceful. No queues. Still can’t get loose rice or tin of tomatoes. Feels strange not to go out every day to normal activities.
I find I really enjoy the focus. I walk round the village every day and I plan the meals in detail and try to shop only once a week.
Then I sit down at my computer and read the news on the internet. Now we can appreciate how good it is to stay in our own homes and go out as little as possible. The end is in sight but not yet. As a nation, we are still going through.
I wonder if I’ll forget how to drive the car?
Missing going out to the dance group, the museum, church and bridge in Bath.
One of our members has written a Bridge Poem entitled "Missing Bridge".
The airing cupboard's tidy
Home-made pies adorn the fridge,
But I'd swap this domestic scene
If I could play some Bridge.
The garden's fit for Chelsea
No weeds are left to grow,
But will I say 'twelve to fourteen' again?
If only I could know.
I can cope without the holidays
Flying to Paris or Jakarta,
But I cannot bear to miss the thrill
Of saying 'Thank You Partner'!"
Week 4
I’m contemplating going shopping again. I’m almost looking forward to it as it’s a break from the normal “stay at home” routine. I usually hate shopping. No queues in Sainsburys but found it exhausting trying to remember to keep the 2 metre distance from everyone and working through the long shopping list. Still the hardware shops are open so now can get the green paint to paint the fence. My husband is happy because he has his cider from the local farm shop.
We’ve borrowed jigsaw puzzles from friends so will keep busy.
A friend has a birthday today. We wish him happy birthday over the old boys messenger group.
“A birthday in lockdown is rather unique,” comments our friend.
As I take my daily walk through the village and fields I spot J in her garden. I hail her and she gives me a delightful tour round her beautiful garden. It feels like an oasis of peace in the midst of these troubled times. She has flowers, hillocks, wild bits, stepped gravel areas, a still pond and the garden is surrounded by tall trees which reminds me of Little Grey Rabbit’s house. J’s house has the same sloping roof. I return via the Jubilee garden but don’t encounter the friendly black and white “Jubilee cat”.
On Thursdays at 8 o’clock we clap for the brave NHS. I was down the garden when I heard the clapping and cheering. I clapped with everybody else along with dogs barking and the sound of the Somerset quarry sirens going off in the distance.
Week 5
Went shopping in Lidls this week but didn’t feel as safe as in the other shops. Nobody checks numbers in and people wandering here and there.
It is announced on the radio that we will now have a virtual parliament. There’s discussion about dress code, pyjamas will not be allowed! Cats, dogs, children to be kept out of shot as well as tasteless wallpaper.
The number of deaths has been going up alarmingly sometimes reaching over 700 per day. This week the daily toll has dropped for the first time in two weeks. But the relief is short lived as the numbers have gone up again.
Because man all over the world has had to slow down, less planes flying around, fewer people travelling in their cars, nature is recovering. Dolphins have been seen in Venice, the Himalayas have been seen from India for the first time in 30 years because air pollution has subsided and the coral reef is growing back because there are no sightseeing boats gliding over it. These are good things indeed.
Old friends got us some shopping and dropped it off. We managed a 2 metre distance conversation in the front garden. She, brandishing her bright yellow marigold gloves for shopping is a sight to behold. I wear discreet black ones myself.
Each week seems to get longer and longer as time seems to slow down.
Now we approach week 6 and still the death toll remains high, now stands at 20,000 dead. However a lot of people recover.
We soldier on.
Week 6
Finally the number of deaths are coming down. Boris is back in the driving seat but only in a part time capacity. He says we have reached a turning point although it doesn’t feel like it. He encourages us by giving direction and hope. Without that, everything just seems to drag on. When will this nightmare cease? There’s a lot of talk about wearing masks now.
I listen to radio 4 a lot. One lady describes her experience during shutdown.
“I’m learning to do things in a different way.”
Jane M describes her walk out each day.
“Walking out using my escape and evasion tactics I gleaned in the Territorial Army.”
I know how she feels.
I’ve since discovered that the Jubilee cat is called Princess. J was weeding in the Jubilee garden again and Princess came running out and put her paws on J’s garden bag and peered inside. She is such a friendly little puss.
The knock-on effect of all this is going to be huge as the government tries to balance shutdown with the economy. Clothes have not been brought, plants at garden centres to be chucked away, less cash been used. People who rely on “notes and coins to run their lives” are in the minority. More people are shopping on line and using contactless. I haven’t used cash for ages. All the activities I use it for, Bridge, dance, have all been shut down.
Great excitement as our new jigsaw puzzles arrive.
Rain replaces the hot sunny days. As I walk down through the village and look across at the distant hills there are moody clouds stretching all around the horizon.
Many people are finding the little shops are best and better stocked. I walk out of the village and visit the little garden centre on the edge of the village. It’s not really a garden centre, just a family growing their own flowers in their back garden. It’s a funny little place but it has lots of plants that can’t be bought anywhere else because all the garden centres are shut.
We are still passing through. Care homes are now on the front line.
I hear on the news that Spain is allowing it’s people to exercise outside for the first time since their shutdown. At least we could go outside even if the parks are closed.
Sometimes it feels like a huge wave or dark cloud is passing over our heads. The menace passes overhead, over our nation, the world…
We soldier on.
Week 7
In these unique times everybody, the whole world, has had to slow down, stop and think and revaluate.
The buzz phrase now is “the new normal”. What will it look like as our government tries to get everybody back to work. It’s a serious balancing act. In Italy - stopping the dying but killing the economy.
8th May we celebrate VE day – 75 years ago. Flags are flying in our street. We were going to take a teapot and cups but when I checked out what was happening, everybody was drinking booze. Well it was good to sit and talk with the neighbours and eat homemade flapjacks. The gin bar across the road was doing well under their huge sunshade. Dogs, small children and chat. It was a beautiful evening with pink tinging the small clouds in the West.
Week 8
Boris has outlined the plan to ease the lockdown but it wasn’t very helpful. People are encouraged to go back to work but to avoid public transport and walk or cycle to work. Some shops are open now. At least I can check out the garden centre. We had a ground frost and all my beautiful runner beans are done for.
Our hair gets longer and longer. The hairdressers will be booked up for months by the time they are allowed to open.
Schools to go back in June. The new normal has arrived.
Mad times indeed.
Week before shut down
Now all restaurants and pubs are closed. Our son’s girlfriend says in Malaysia only supermarkets are open. All gatherings are cancelled. In Italy where it started in Europe all the famous places are empty of people. Venice is still and quiet.
Quieter streets here in England too. People over 70 putting themselves into isolation or as someone put it, “self-imposed house arrest.”
Went shopping in Sainsburys. Some shelves were empty as people were panic buying. Definitely no chicken or toilet paper. Cat food was scarce. No sliced bread, no eggs, very little fruit and veg but plenty of broccoli. I guess most people aren’t keen on broccoli. I only once remember when the shelves were empty like this and that was during a bad snow period when deliveries could not get through.
The stock market has plummeted. My husband is looking very gloomy.
30,000 tourists are stuck in the French alps as ski resorts close.
Weirdest mothering Sunday we’ve ever had.
Week 1
Monday 23rd March, 2020. Total shut down. We run a rescue mission to fetch our son from London. He’s ill but don’t think he’s got it. Nevertheless we take all the recommended precautions and he self-isolates in his bedroom for the week. Fortunately he can work from home. London is not the place to be at the moment, too many people. The roads were very quiet.
Now we’re all self-isolating during this coronavirus pandemic. Only food shops are open.
“Stay at home, save lives,” is the catch phrase of the moment.
As someone remarked,
“Our houses will be spotless and our gardens immaculate.”
What are we reduced to when the conversation revolves around toilet paper!
Good thing I went to the garden centre before total shut down. The girl on the till said they were a bit short staffed as her elderly parents were,
“Hibernating or whatever you call it.”
It is all very peaceful as roads become quieter. Only nature carries on as normal and there’s plenty of birdsong to announce Spring. We have beautiful sunny days. Our cats sleep peacefully in the conservatory blissfully unaware of the dramas in Europe and all over the world.
Prince Charles has got it and now Boris Johnson our prime minister has it too and runs the country from hospital in isolation.
My husband set up the Old Boys Messenger group amongst our friends. It was very busy at first as we made first contact.
One friend’s comment,” Hi all! I thought my phone had developed a fault. It kept going ‘ping’. Now I find you lot filling the ether. Good game!”
The internet and social media has come into its own as we all continue to communicate remotely. We have tried out House party with our boys and watched D eat his tea while C prepared his. I’ve even tried Zoom. In Italy they have started singing from their balconies. Community happens and social networking carries on. People pull together in a crisis.
Some emails from Museum colleagues.
Oh what a beautiful Morning
Oh what a lock in old day. Well, here's to Thursday. I done all the usual chores so it seems like I will have to look around the flat for something else to do. Might get my paints out and paint a masterpiece, fat chance of that.
Luckily having a balcony I got serenaded yesterday by a friend (it wasn't my husband). I felt like. I've got a few plants in the balcony which brightens things up a bit. They also make good missiles. I've got some bubbles somewhere, so might blow a few for the passing children.
I've got a rainbow on my window, sadly not many folk look up when walking down Waterloo Road. There are too many seagulls around!
I get up really early some mornings and go for a stroll before many people are about. It's a lovely time of day.
I miss my trips to the museum hopefully it won't be toooooo long before it's back to normal. The only bit of normality is the clock chiming the hour, and its BST.
Take care all of you and stay well. Winnieplop. X
Hello Everyone,
I'll put our six eggs in now, we have the shiniest windows we've had for months, all the carpets shampooed, the dining room has boxes in it from the loft as that was the first job done so have to make room in the garage which is another job, we could isolate in there for months, whoops, lost L no he's just behind the new fence panels waiting to be put up, they've been moved so many times they could move themselves they know every inch of the garage.
The early mornings are lovely so fresh really worth getting up for, if we were younger it may be different (I have a good memory) nowadays it's the dog jumping into the middle of the bed. The washing is out blowing lovely, I love the smell when it comes in.
We've been taking Besta walking, good for her and us. Why is it people will say 'hello' when with a dog but not other times? Strange things people are!
I need to let L out of the garage but only if he has let me down from finding things in the loft I forgot we had, old photos are the worst boxes of the darn things. Did I really wear a skirt that short and look that slim, Never mind when the lamppost casts a shadow I'm still slim with legs up to my armpits, no harm in dreaming or imagining, no my legs never touched my armpits they always stopped at my bottom.
On that note I'll say cheerio everyone,
So take care, keep washing our hands, looks like we will all be wearing masks soon, what a improvement. Ha Ha.
Regards, A and L.
Week 2
The virus continues to claim lives on a daily basis. It has been called a global pandemic. The effect of the measures that have been put into place will not be seen just yet.
Air pollution has reduced to a significant amount. There’s a lot of good that will come out of this. A lot of learning too.
I go out for daily walks round the village and connect with neighbours – from a safe distance of 2 metres. My next door neighbour has decorated 3 rooms but has now run out of paint. Now when I go shopping we have to keep a distance and only 15 people are allowed into Radco at one time. I always wear gloves. Some people wear masks. I won’t brave Tescos at the best of times. One friend did.
“I felt like I was in some dreadful science fiction-post apocalyptic film set. Not a nice experience.”
We’re all pulling together. The Dunkirk spirit is alive and well.
Now Easter is fast approaching.
A poem from Jane M
Spread me around.
Hi, I'm Coronavirus,
I'm friendly and I'm fine,
The way some of you carry on,
Ha ha you'll soon be mine.
The invisible enemy,
You cannot see or smell
Just carry on, spread me around,
It helps me cause sheer hell.
I know some don't like Boris,
But what he says is right,
Just keep on social distancing,
And you may win the fight.
The weekend may be sunny,
Please don't be tempted to roam,
Open all your windows
And keep safe in your home.
We soldier on.
Week 3
Went shopping in Sainsburys at midday. I was a little apprehensive but it was fine. It was very civilised and peaceful. No queues. Still can’t get loose rice or tin of tomatoes. Feels strange not to go out every day to normal activities.
I find I really enjoy the focus. I walk round the village every day and I plan the meals in detail and try to shop only once a week.
Then I sit down at my computer and read the news on the internet. Now we can appreciate how good it is to stay in our own homes and go out as little as possible. The end is in sight but not yet. As a nation, we are still going through.
I wonder if I’ll forget how to drive the car?
Missing going out to the dance group, the museum, church and bridge in Bath.
One of our members has written a Bridge Poem entitled "Missing Bridge".
The airing cupboard's tidy
Home-made pies adorn the fridge,
But I'd swap this domestic scene
If I could play some Bridge.
The garden's fit for Chelsea
No weeds are left to grow,
But will I say 'twelve to fourteen' again?
If only I could know.
I can cope without the holidays
Flying to Paris or Jakarta,
But I cannot bear to miss the thrill
Of saying 'Thank You Partner'!"
Week 4
I’m contemplating going shopping again. I’m almost looking forward to it as it’s a break from the normal “stay at home” routine. I usually hate shopping. No queues in Sainsburys but found it exhausting trying to remember to keep the 2 metre distance from everyone and working through the long shopping list. Still the hardware shops are open so now can get the green paint to paint the fence. My husband is happy because he has his cider from the local farm shop.
We’ve borrowed jigsaw puzzles from friends so will keep busy.
A friend has a birthday today. We wish him happy birthday over the old boys messenger group.
“A birthday in lockdown is rather unique,” comments our friend.
As I take my daily walk through the village and fields I spot J in her garden. I hail her and she gives me a delightful tour round her beautiful garden. It feels like an oasis of peace in the midst of these troubled times. She has flowers, hillocks, wild bits, stepped gravel areas, a still pond and the garden is surrounded by tall trees which reminds me of Little Grey Rabbit’s house. J’s house has the same sloping roof. I return via the Jubilee garden but don’t encounter the friendly black and white “Jubilee cat”.
On Thursdays at 8 o’clock we clap for the brave NHS. I was down the garden when I heard the clapping and cheering. I clapped with everybody else along with dogs barking and the sound of the Somerset quarry sirens going off in the distance.
Week 5
Went shopping in Lidls this week but didn’t feel as safe as in the other shops. Nobody checks numbers in and people wandering here and there.
It is announced on the radio that we will now have a virtual parliament. There’s discussion about dress code, pyjamas will not be allowed! Cats, dogs, children to be kept out of shot as well as tasteless wallpaper.
The number of deaths has been going up alarmingly sometimes reaching over 700 per day. This week the daily toll has dropped for the first time in two weeks. But the relief is short lived as the numbers have gone up again.
Because man all over the world has had to slow down, less planes flying around, fewer people travelling in their cars, nature is recovering. Dolphins have been seen in Venice, the Himalayas have been seen from India for the first time in 30 years because air pollution has subsided and the coral reef is growing back because there are no sightseeing boats gliding over it. These are good things indeed.
Old friends got us some shopping and dropped it off. We managed a 2 metre distance conversation in the front garden. She, brandishing her bright yellow marigold gloves for shopping is a sight to behold. I wear discreet black ones myself.
Each week seems to get longer and longer as time seems to slow down.
Now we approach week 6 and still the death toll remains high, now stands at 20,000 dead. However a lot of people recover.
We soldier on.
Week 6
Finally the number of deaths are coming down. Boris is back in the driving seat but only in a part time capacity. He says we have reached a turning point although it doesn’t feel like it. He encourages us by giving direction and hope. Without that, everything just seems to drag on. When will this nightmare cease? There’s a lot of talk about wearing masks now.
I listen to radio 4 a lot. One lady describes her experience during shutdown.
“I’m learning to do things in a different way.”
Jane M describes her walk out each day.
“Walking out using my escape and evasion tactics I gleaned in the Territorial Army.”
I know how she feels.
I’ve since discovered that the Jubilee cat is called Princess. J was weeding in the Jubilee garden again and Princess came running out and put her paws on J’s garden bag and peered inside. She is such a friendly little puss.
The knock-on effect of all this is going to be huge as the government tries to balance shutdown with the economy. Clothes have not been brought, plants at garden centres to be chucked away, less cash been used. People who rely on “notes and coins to run their lives” are in the minority. More people are shopping on line and using contactless. I haven’t used cash for ages. All the activities I use it for, Bridge, dance, have all been shut down.
Great excitement as our new jigsaw puzzles arrive.
Rain replaces the hot sunny days. As I walk down through the village and look across at the distant hills there are moody clouds stretching all around the horizon.
Many people are finding the little shops are best and better stocked. I walk out of the village and visit the little garden centre on the edge of the village. It’s not really a garden centre, just a family growing their own flowers in their back garden. It’s a funny little place but it has lots of plants that can’t be bought anywhere else because all the garden centres are shut.
We are still passing through. Care homes are now on the front line.
I hear on the news that Spain is allowing it’s people to exercise outside for the first time since their shutdown. At least we could go outside even if the parks are closed.
Sometimes it feels like a huge wave or dark cloud is passing over our heads. The menace passes overhead, over our nation, the world…
We soldier on.
Week 7
In these unique times everybody, the whole world, has had to slow down, stop and think and revaluate.
The buzz phrase now is “the new normal”. What will it look like as our government tries to get everybody back to work. It’s a serious balancing act. In Italy - stopping the dying but killing the economy.
8th May we celebrate VE day – 75 years ago. Flags are flying in our street. We were going to take a teapot and cups but when I checked out what was happening, everybody was drinking booze. Well it was good to sit and talk with the neighbours and eat homemade flapjacks. The gin bar across the road was doing well under their huge sunshade. Dogs, small children and chat. It was a beautiful evening with pink tinging the small clouds in the West.
Week 8
Boris has outlined the plan to ease the lockdown but it wasn’t very helpful. People are encouraged to go back to work but to avoid public transport and walk or cycle to work. Some shops are open now. At least I can check out the garden centre. We had a ground frost and all my beautiful runner beans are done for.
Our hair gets longer and longer. The hairdressers will be booked up for months by the time they are allowed to open.
Schools to go back in June. The new normal has arrived.
Mad times indeed.