Wednesday April 1st 2020 – Providing support
Mum-in-Law has reported a snapped tendon and needs ankle supports, but it must cover the heel. I am sent out to find one. There is a short queue outside Stoney Stanton pharmacy, which now has restricted opening hours, but they have none in stock. I am advised that a standard elasticated “Tubigrip” will do the job. I agree, but that is not what has been specified. There is another short queue at Broughton Pharmacy, where four ankle supports are available, but the only one that precisely meets the specification is only available in Extra Large. At least I get an opportunity to pop into Broughton Co-op for a nice crusty loaf – quiet, no queues, fully stocked. Checkout staff now serve from behind plastic “sneeze screens”. I phone Chantal for instructions and am instructed to try Sainsbury, which has a pharmacy.
The queue outside Sainsbury is extensive, along the front and side of the store, and across the car park. In a rare burst of assertiveness, I advise Chantal that I am not queuing for an hour for a single item that may not be in stock. I agree to try Asda, but the queue is similar. In the end a Google search discovers several online alternatives, and hopefully a support will be delivered directly to Andree tomorrow, although we have noticed that some expected items and cards are taking several days to be delivered. After the aborted shopping trip it is a pleasure to spend the rest of the day gardening. Chantal Facetimes her Dad in “Up-State” New York. He and his partner are fine, no Covid-19 cases in the area yet. At the start of the New York City lock-down city dwellers migrated north to second homes in New York state. Police stopped vehicles with New York licence plates and sent them back home.
Thursday April 2nd 2020 – Lockdown in the garden
A routine uneventful lockdown day, dog walking and gardening, for which I am grateful. There are mutterings about the necessity of another Aldi expedition. This mornings walk is a little later than usual, and Croft Hill is busy. Social Distancing is already second nature amongst all, and comments on the weather are routinely been replaced by enquiries after health. In the garden I now have the opportunity to sort out years of mistakes – short plants hiding behind tall ones, sun loving shrubs now shaded because a neighbouring shrub has grown. The activity is perfect for the circumstances – fulfilling outdoor exercise within the boundaries of home, with brief chats over the fence with neighbours. We are lucky to have to be in this situation. I sneak next door to collect an offered cutting, a young shrub for our front garden. It feels like sneaking out of school.
I watch the lunchtime news, and wonder if reporters were busy last weekend cleaning, tidying and decorating front rooms, since all are now presenting from home. At 8pm I go outside to applaud the NHS. Wife Chantal and stepson Steven are having a badly timed deep-and-meaningful discussion and stay indoors. Unlike last week I am the only one out on the Lane. I am a minute or so late. Maybe, others came out promptly, but, like me, were disinclined to be clap alone, or maybe it was because there was less publicity – I didn’t realise that there would be a repeat performance of last weeks saucepan banging until an hour before. It may have been silent on our Lane, but I know that we are all grateful to the NHS.
Friday 3rd April 2020 – Shopping under protest
As expected, after this morning’s dog walk, I am again dispatched to Aldi. I suggest that I shop in the Co-op, or postpone the Aldi trip until this evening, but, despite a full and frank discussion, I lose on both counts. The queue is longer than last week, and it is 30 minutes before I hand my pound coin to a nice shop assistant, who kindly fetched me a trolley after disinfecting the handle. As Chantal is vulnerable, I have no option. From my conversation with the chap behind me in the queue I get the impression that he has been sent out for just a few items to get him from under his wife’s feet, while he is furloughed from work. Half of the queue is men, and there is a bit of camaraderie between us. I am not the only one to film the queue in the hope of getting sympathy at home.
As we approach the door there is the odour of alcohol-based hand sanitiser, as customers vigorously wash in preparation for shopping. As I reach the front of the queue, a lady with an NHS identification goes straight to the door, apologising profusely to everyone, and saying that she needs to get back to work. No-one objects.
I soon tick off most things on my three shopping lists, one for home, one for Mother-in-Law, and one for neighbours. On my return home the only criticism is because I spend over £8 on a large free-range corn-fed chicken. The list said “large free-range chicken” and I bought the only large free-range chicken. Apparently, at that price, a medium Farm Assured chicken should have been selected. This wasn’t stated in the specification.
We receive an e-mail from the owner of a Yorkshire cottage, booked for mid-May. The balance is due today, but, under the circumstances, need not be paid until two weeks before. If lock-down continues into May we can defer the booking for up to 12 months
Saturday 4th April 2020 – Taking the Lead
There is talk in the news this morning of requiring that dogs must be on a lead in “parks and public spaces”, which would be another unnecessary restriction in these parts. The potential rule is suggested because city-dogs must be walked in busy public parks. Around here we can see folk coming from 500 yards away, and either keep our dogs close, or attach a lead as appropriate. Difficult to legislate for different environments I suppose.
Wife Chantal’s internet greetings card business is booming. She generally sold one or two a month, but, presumably because High Street card shops are closed, she has had eight orders this week.
For me it was another satisfactory lock-down in the garden in warm sunshine. This afternoon I was in the front garden, exchanging socially-distant greetings with several people as they strolled by during a country walk, undertaking their daily permitted exercise. Many cyclists were taking advantage of quiet roads, both families and those for whom cycling is a serious sport, and a lot of expensive-looking bikes passed along the Lane.
Sunday 5th April 2020: Sunday service
WhatsApp from a neighbour who has read my “blog”. At 8pm last Thursday, when I reported that our Lane was all quiet, it seems that the Lane was indeed clapping and banging saucepans in support of the NHS. I clearly arrived late to the party. I will try harder next Thursday.
A second church service today using “Zoom” business meeting software this morning. 17 of us take part, including couples – the online congregation is growing. Zoom works well, but we are having a bit of trouble adapting the normal Sunday service to a format that works with Zoom. Other churches are relying on YouTube, the Minister/Vicar/Priest recording a sermon or talk for the congregation to view at their leisure. I prefer our attempt – maybe not so smooth, but we are meeting together at the same time, and able to greet each other and have a brief chat, just as we would at church.
After the service we walk the dogs around the quarry and down to the wildlife pond near Huncote. Two muscular men are taking it in turns to do press-ups on a grassy patch overlooking the quarry. We put Ellie on a lead to stop her from running over to join in, and the men have enough breath to wish us a cheery Good Morning. A drone flies purposefully from the direction of Croft Hill, turning left over the quarry, and disappears over Huncote, without pausing or hovering as would be expected by a “hobby drone”. Derbyshire Police monitor Peak District trails using a drone. Maybe Leicestershire Police are doing the same over popular “open spaces”. Londoners have been sunbathing in parks, and because of this there is talk of a nationwide ban on exercising out of doors. The logic of this, instead if using Police enforcement, is beyond me, and I have a mini-rant to a neighbour over the garden fence. A further busy day in the garden, and I am still putting tools away at 8pm, but stop to watch the Queen addressing the Nation about the virus crisis.
Monday 6th April 2020 – More support for Mother-in-Law
It seems that every day must have some worrying news. Tigers in Bronx Zoo, New York, have contracted Coronavirus from a keeper. If it has jumped from human to animal, what are the implications for dogs?
This morning we meet with just a couple of dog-walking friends on Croft Hill, and exchange news and views as we are spread out on the side of the Hill. Thanks to Social Distancing our bellowed news was no doubt shared with occupiers of houses along the Lane at the bottom of the Hill. We suddenly realise that we are all so well indoctrinated into social distancing that even both halves of married couples find themselves standing 2m apart.
I am once again sent out to a pharmacist to search for an ankle support as specified by Mum-in-Law. This time I am armed with a photo of her dangling an elastic ankle support that she already owns, held at arm’s length through an almost closed front door. I show the assistant my photograph and explain that the support must meet the specification. Between us we conclude that, of the half a dozen designs available, none qualify. “Your Mother-in-Law is a bit awkward, isn’t she?” the assistant comments. Strange, after such a short conversation. She has seen Mother-in-Law in my photo, and this is Mother-in-Law’s local pharmacy. Just coincidence, I’m sure.
This evening, I have chats with son Simon and sister Ros, on WhatsApp and Facetime respectively. Video calls are becoming the norm. This evening we would normally be at our Dog Training Club meeting. Instead we upload videos to the Club WhatsApp group, in my case demonstrating our pooches Tia and Ellie weaving between poles, and in Tia’s case, jumping through a hoop. We comment on videos of exercises performed by other dogs in the Club. It keeps our dogs focussed and all of us in touch until we can meet again.
Boris cannot shake off Covid-19 symptoms, and has been admitted to hospital.
Tuesday 7th April 2020 – Back to work
Beginning of week 3 of Lockdown. Working at home all day after a week of annual leave, and I find it a bit unsettling without the social contact. The novelty has worn off for the team, and there is almost no “chat” on our Microsoft Teams account. I get up to speed by going back through e-mails which detail about the evolution of our office procedures while I have been “away”, management trying to keep pace with constantly changing Government advice. Initially following the announcement of lockdown the instruction was to attend the office as usual unless vulnerable to Covid. Office attendance was then restricted to those “on call”, who must query whether anyone in a household has Covid symptoms before we visit. 24 hours later the procedure changed to all calls being taken in the office, but visits to people at home visits were banned, and finally the office was closed, less than one week between “total normality” and everyone working from home.
It is pub night, and my study at home evolves from a place of work to a local hostelry, particularly as I have discovered how to have a photo from the pub as a background, complete with “our” barmaid. Six of us meet on Zoom for a pint or two, and a lot of banter, the conversation much more flowing and natural than last week. We are getting used to virtual gatherings. Zoom has re-introduced a 40-minute limit. No problem – I send a second invitation e-mail after 40 minutes, while my fellow drinkers re-charge their glasses in readiness for the second session. The atmosphere was almost, but not quite, reminiscent of the Heathcote Arms on a normal Tuesday night.
Wednesday 8th April 2020 – Graduating without ceremony
A BBC “One Show” item tonight highlights the compromises that are being made by key workers. About 30 Nottingham medical students graduate early to join the NHS Coronavirus battle. No summer graduation ceremony, no graduation ball or celebrations, just online confirmation that the undergraduates have now graduated. The One Show arranges a Zoom-style virtual Graduation ceremony, but as one Graduate said, it was weird – a few minutes in the garden to throw hats in the air and have a glass of champagne, and then prepare for the front line. Tomorrow evening I’ll be in the front garden making a noise for the NHS.
Thursday 9th April 2020 – Shopping and the art of queuing
Stepson Steven makes at interesting observation. If Coronavirus had spread 20 years ago, could we have socially isolated, without social media keeping us in touch and web communication enabling work at home? On the other hand, with the travel patterns and limitations at the time, the virus may have not have spread so quickly from China and the Far East.
It is Aldi day. I manage to postpone shopping until later in the day, but still queue for 15 minutes, starting in the car park. Car park white lines are more than 2m apart, but we are all now trained not to cross a line, and so the queue in the car park is more spread out. I find myself a bit irritated because a bloke a few places in front stands between the 2m lines, 3m from the person in front. The person behind him does not budge from her line. Thus, the queue before me is now 2m longer than it should be. It makes absolutely no difference to the time to the front door, but queuing has this effect on me. I am beginning to remember where to find items in Aldi, and remember to organise my trolley-loading such that bag-packing at the checkout goes smoothly. I am driving away just an hour after arrival.
I stop briefly at the Co-op, mainly for beer for me and a neighbour – the Co-op selection is better than Aldi. Such is the range of folk on our Lane that I buy fresh fruit for one neighbour, and beer for another. The Co-op has introduced an Ikea-style arrowed one-way system to keep a steady socially-distanced flow of customers around the store. At 8pm Chantal, Steven and I step outside to join many of our neighbours in making a noise to show our appreciation for the NHS. It is still light, and neighbours up and down the Lane wave to each other as we clap and bang our pots and pans, in my case a large and rather noisy metal dog-bowl.
Good Friday 10th April 2020 – Symptoms’?
A day influenced by potential Covid symptoms, at home and elsewhere. Last night we are both woken by Chantal coughing, just for a few minutes. Today she has a sore throat. The cough cannot be described as “continuous, coughing a lot for more than an hour”. A sore throat is only a “reported” symptom of Covid 19, Chantal has no breathing problems, and doesn’t have a temperature. On balance, we conclude that she is not displaying Covid 19 symptoms, an assessment of symptoms being the only way to determine a Covid-positive case. Total isolation for 14 days would be a challenge.
We go for a gloriously warm and sunny morning dog walk along the ridge of the “New Hill” around Croft Quarry, deserted apart from a Dad striding behind two young sons, each frantically pedalling ahead on small bikes. This route would normally be busy on a fine Bank Holiday morning. Buzzards soar and swoop above, and the dogs patiently wait for us to take photos. At the far end of the New Hill we come across two bags of rubbish, the waste and left-overs from a BBQ, almost certainly following a “gathering” of local youths breaking free of lockdown with their families. We retrieve the waste to bring home. Later Steven cycles along part of the New Hill, and finds it very busy, a stream of couple and families walking along the road from Huncote and along the Hill, all stepping aside or waiting to maintain social distancing. Neighbours deliver cash for the shopping that I have done for them. Shops encourage contactless payment, and I use my phone at the checkout, and in consequence I am accumulating cash.
I call John, our electrician, to confirm a visit next Tuesday to install power to the patio at the bottom of our garden. Three weeks ago, he developed a cough, felt terrible, and hasn’t been out since, although the cough has stopped. Under the circumstances, we will postpone until post lockdown. I think that he is relieved.
During the first week of lockdown we were due to have a concrete base constructed for a new greenhouse, but some of “the lads” in the landscaping company developed Covid symptoms, and the civil engineering was postponed until further notice. Fortunately we hadn’t ordered the greenhouse. Instead Chantal has purchased a small metal-framed plastic covered greenhouse as a temporary measure. This afternoon we erect this, after a lunch that included, for me, a pint of full-strength cider. I can see that the greenhouse is essentially a frame tent, and I know what I am doing. Chantal has the instructions, and knows that I don’t. After an entertaining hour or so we have a greenhouse.
Saturday 11th April 2020 – Egg hunt
A brief discussion on the radio about the problems of presenting from home. Apparently a Radio 2 presenter was interrupted mid-programme by her son coming into the room to ask the whereabouts of the butter.
Since I have shopped this week, I should not need to join a retail queue for several days, and since Chantal insists annually that her Easter Egg must be from Thorntons, I should not be required to buy an Egg. I am wrong on both counts, and am sent shopping for Easter Eggs, and a few other items. No Easter Eggs at Broughton Co-op. No Easter Eggs at a Broughton convenience store. There is a long queue outside of Croft Co-op, but the nearby convenience store has a reasonable selection of Easter Eggs. I will not be in trouble tomorrow after all, at least not for an Easter Egg shortage.
A successful family get together on Zoom this afternoon, with both of my sisters, niece Megan, Simon, Matthew and partners. We chat for an hour and a half, necessitating a second Zoom invitation after 40 minutes, mostly general chat and news. Junior Doctor Megan is working at Leicester Royal Infirmary, and reports that the steep rise in admittance of Covid-19 patients is not levelling off. Patients are tested for Coronavirus, but those that die may do so before the results are received. The family get together goes so well that I am asked to host one again next weekend. Ironically, we may see more of each other during lockdown than during normal circumstances.
I should be working tonight, but there have been no night duties for over three weeks. On a fine warm Bank Holiday evening I would have had a busy shift. Instead a colleague will be busy working from home on Tuesday morning, listening to the many voicemails from people who expected us to have a normal weekend service despite the pandemic.
Easter Sunday 12th April 2020 – Happy Easter
Out and about early with the dogs on a gorgeous Spring morning. We meet one man and his dog at the narrowest part of the path beside Croft Quarry. Ellie greets the dog, no room to pull her away using her trailing lead, which gets tangled around the man’s legs. Between us we untangle him as his wife catches up, and I step on the lead to prevent her from tripping over it. So much for social distancing.
A Zoom virtual church Easter Service this morning, about 20 of us taking part. I use earphones and mute the microphone, unless joint responses are required, to prevent distraction from noisy dogs and wife. I am tasked with the Easter Bible reading, a different experience at my desk than from the Church lectern. I am happily singing the rousing Easter hymn “Thine Be The Glory” when I realise that my wife Chantal is recording me on her phone. I unplug the earphones, the music becomes audible, and I sing even louder to any neighbours in their gardens, since the patio doors are wide open.
This afternoon it is the turn of Chantal’s family to Zoom collectively, and we meet online after lunch to celebrate the birthday of Chantal’s ex-husband Keith. Granddaughters Bridget and Megan have put together a Murder Mystery for us all (it turned out to be the Maid Who Done It) followed by a quiz. Claire, in Leeds, suggests that we meet again this evening, each with questions on a topic of our choice for another quiz. The agreed time coincides with the Hampshire branch of the family roast dinner, and so they opt out. After rounds on Disney films, Greek Gods, music and human body it is getting late, and we agreed to finish the quiz tomorrow, when the Hampshire family can join us
Monday 13th April 2020 – The reality of a Covid death
A very moving story from a “Covid-19 Widow” on Radio 4 this morning. She and her husband contracted Covid-19, her husband had difficulty breathing, and was hospitalised. For a week he was isolated in hospital, no family able to visit, until the hospital called his wife to report that he was critical. Since she now had post Covid-19 immunity, she could be with him, although it seems not in the same room, conversing through a microphone/speaker. Their sons could only communicate from their homes via WhatsApp. The widow described her last few hours with her husband, him barely able to breath and deteriorating, no-one able to ease the distress. She described a Covid 1- death as “a difficult, not peaceful” death. Now she is at home “not lonely, but very alone”, with no-one to give her a hug. For us Coronavirus is merely an inconvenience, and we hope it stays that way. For others it is tragically life changing.
We get worrying news from dog-walking friend Amy. Last Monday we decided not to meet up, since her eight-year-old son had a cough over the weekend. He developed full symptoms, which has been confirmed as Covid-19. We all met a few times during the previous week, carefully socially-distancing, but her son and I “litter-picked” together on Croft Hill, occasionally getting closer than we should. If Chantal or I develop symptoms as a consequence it is likely to be by next weekend, 14 days after last contact.
This afternoon we walk the half-mile or so to Croft in bright sunshine, dappled by spring foliage, meeting just one couple, with just one car passing. The countryside is deserted, a peaceful escape from the days events.
Tuesday 14th April 2020 – Covid close to home
We enter week 4 of lockdown. For us the time has gone quickly. For others in a less favourable situation time will be dragging. We meet our neighbour on this morning’s walk, and the talk turns to the small convenience store in Croft. The shop is normally well stocked, but ran out of items during the recent panic buying because the Cash & Carry that he uses prioritised customers according to size of business. He did not score highly.
Working today, the first working day after the Easter weekend, and the link to the City Council struggles, the connection repeatedly dropping due to demand. My manager tells me that her family all developed Covid-19 at the end of March and her partner spent 3 days in hospital with pneumonia.
Both our local independent hardware store in Stoney Stanton, and the Post Office in Huncote are closed because the owners have Covid-19. Because of our rural location I have felt that we just need to sit out the pandemic and we won’t be directly affected , but maybe this is not the case. The only outside worlds we directly interact with are dog walking and shopping, and both have been affected by Covid-19. Social distancing is easy on dog walks. Less so in Aldi.
Social distancing is at its easiest at the “pub” – tonight is Zoom pub session night, six of us spread over 90 square miles of Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire, enjoying a chat over a pint.
Wednesday 15th April 2020 – A busy day in the (home) office
An early dog walk before each of us start work at home. We meet neighbour Tim and his dog. Tim is a decorator and has been able to work painting an empty house. He now has to stay at home – not for self-isolation purposes, but because he is unable to obtain paint from his supplier.
An exceptionally busy day working at home, with 67 voicemails about nuisance neighbours to listen to. About a third are about smoke from garden bonfires. It seems that people are using the lockdown as an opportunity to clear gardens and burn garden waste, when others wish to use lockdown as an opportunity to relax in their garden, and the two activities conflict. There is also a higher than usual proportion of complaints about shouting, arguing and doors banging, more difficult for neighbours to ignore during lockdown.
Thursday 16th April 2020 – Gathering rubbish
Just a couple of hours working at home this morning, calling new complainants about noise and bonfires. I have a habit of walking around during phone calls, and have to apologise for the interruption when I step on a squeaky dog toy. Afterwards I walk the dogs on the fields, meeting a colleague who retired a few years ago, together with her dog. We walk together, 2m apart, until our routes diverge. The three dogs also walk together, but totally ignore social distancing guidance.
Electrician John is at home when I return, having been summonsed to repair the shower which refused to operate for Chantal, but is apparently faultless. Just like me then. He did repair an emersion heater switch, all from the socially-distanced safety of the bathroom while Chantal remained in the garden.
Tonight, we walk on the “New Hill”, meeting three lads carrying beer, disposable barbeques, and bags with, presumably, food. Chantal warns them not to leave rubbish, and grumbles for the rest of the walk about such gatherings in these socially-distanced times, threatening a Facebook exposé. Her mood is worsened when we come across waste from another BBQ, some of it thrown into a tree. We remove what we can. Much as I have sympathy for those whose circumstances are less favourable to lockdown than ours, the rubbish left thoughtlessly for others to clear up is inexcusable. On our return the lads have clearly met up noisily with others on the wooded side of Croft Hill. Their shouting and laughter is still audible at 8pm, when I have no doubt that they were taken by surprise by an eruption of loud cheers, claps, and banged saucepans from our Lane, the weekly demonstration of our support from the NHS. The Hill was quiet by the time we finished, but probably not for long.
An amusing WhatsApp from Junior Doctor niece Megan, trying to adjust from today’s day shift at LRI, to tomorrow’s night shift. “Had a nap after work, and was woken by some nutters clapping, cheering and honking on the street!” Just saying Thank You, Megan!
Friday 17th April 2020 – Gatherings spread “Corona”
This morning I walk the dogs around the fields, less stressful than a walk around Croft Hill with Chantal “Facebooking” rubbish. Nevertheless, I finish with a short detour up the Hill and find no BBQ waste, just seven bottles, appropriately from “Corona” beer, under bushes where last nights “gathering” occurred. Being charitable, these could be bottles not located after dark. A neighbour reports more waste further round the Hill, possibly from a previous “gathering”.
Working at home, the number of complaints about nuisance neighbours is overwhelming. I have phone conversations with three colleagues, and realise how good it is to talk. One colleague lost his father two days ago, although not directly from Covid-19. His father had deteriorated since family visits to his care home had been limited. My colleague is finding it difficult and surreal, because he was apart from his Dad during his final weeks, each living in their own imposed isolation. Now the family are unable to be together for mutual support and grief.
Aldi this afternoon. A short queue hints at an easy shop, but inside the store is busier than previous weeks. I am not happy that in places social distancing is impossible. A sprinkling of customers wear masks. Some staple items are unavailable, sugar, milk, and, surprisingly, lemonade. The Co-op fills most gaps in my list, but only Croft Convenience store can supply lemonade. At home some forgotten items are noted, as is, once again, the cost of the free-range chicken. A twice weekly Aldi trip is suggested, and promptly rejected by me. I grab the dogs and leads and go for a long stress-free walk.
Saturday 18th April 2020 – Line dancing
There is an ongoing debate about whether facemasks should be required in all “crowded” locations, as part of lockdown relaxation.
Rain this morning, and I dog-walk wearing my leather hat, not worn for a while. It doesn’t fit as well as it did. I need a haircut, but no prospect of that for several weeks. I visit Broughton Co-op to purchase items forgotten in Aldi yesterday. The queue in the rain is short, and the shop only moderately busy, the atmosphere relaxed, with customers and staff friendly, smiling, and socially distancing. This is in contrast to Aldi where customers tend to be grumpy, focused and difficult to avoid. Come to think about it, I am grumpy and focussed when in Aldi. I leave the Co-op, unavoidably pushing my trolley past those queuing to enter, and there is a synchronised double side-step as the queue moves to the right as I pass to their left, which I find a bit disconcerting.
A Zoom family get together this afternoon. I have discovered virtual backgrounds, created from one of my photos, and chat to everyone from the Yorkshire countryside close to my sister’s home. On this evenings dog walk we meet Alec, once our postman, now retired, with his wife Janet, who was at school with me. Alec asks after many of our neighbours in the Lane by name, and we update him on their welfare. So far, no Covid-19 on the Lane.
Sunday 19th April 2020 – A moving tale
We dog-walk after my weekly Zoom church service, and meet a lady who was in a house move chain as lockdown started. To ensure a sale she vacated her house, but the lockdown delayed the purchase of her new house. Her family and dogs must remain in self-isolation with three separate relatives, despite the new house now being available. She cannot find tradesmen prepared to visit. We provide details of our plumber who also does general house maintenance, and who we are sure will visit an empty house. We continue our walk, watching buzzards gliding around The New Hill, oblivious to the troubles of “our” world.
I tidy up the front garden and meet and greet several neighbours enjoying their daily exercise. One vulnerable couple tell me that, thanks to self-isolating for over three weeks, they are relaxed and no longer worry about Coronavirus. This evening we walk down to the village and chat to a regular dog walker and her daughter. The lady is a nurse on the front line with Covid-19 patients. She reports that the common pattern for admission is mild symptoms at home for a week, followed by dramatic deterioration. The good news is that she has all of the PPE that she needs, and that virtually all of her patients make a full recovery.
This evening we walk down to the village and chat to a regular dog walker and her daughter. The lady is a nurse on the front line with Covid-19 patients. She reports that the common pattern for admission is mild symptoms at home for a week, followed by dramatic deterioration. The good news is that she has all of the PPE that she needs, and that virtually all of her patients make a full recovery.
Oversees news – we have a brief Facetime get together with Chantal’s Canadian brother. The Canadian Prime Minister proposes to keep the border with the USA closed – some U.S. citizens are refusing to socially isolate. My father in Law is in New York State – his partner is in hospital following a heart attack. As would be the case here, he is not permitted to be with her.
Monday 20th April 2020 – Escape to nature
Work at home all day. 41 complainants leave voicemail messages over the weekend, mostly about music and parties. Some folk deal with lockdown by partying. Many messages are not brief, and it takes over an hour just to listen and to note the details.
After work I am ready for this afternoon’s dog walk. We are lucky to have such easy access to the natural world, and spend some time photographing a kestrel perched on a fence post just yards from us.
A friend phones tonight. She has a very busy social life under normal circumstances, out nightly in drama groups, dance, coaching and playing football. Now she fills her socially-isolated evenings by calling a different friend every night. There is good news about a couple of reported local Covid 19 cases. They are not Covid 19. A friend’s son’s Covid 19 turned out to be measles (some symptoms are apparently similar) and the closure of the local post office, announced by a notice to be because of “Coronavirus” appears to be some sort of business decision. No need to panic then.
Tuesday 21st April 2020 – Tales from the cellar
Virtual pub night on Zoom. We are joined by the brother of one of the regulars, known to most of us for many years, “Zooming” from Wiltshire. The five Tuesday night regular pre-pandemic “dog-walkers” have expanded to eight, thanks to lockdown and Zoom. One of our original regulars met our pub landlady, who reported that the brewery is supporting their tenants during social-isolation closure, promising that when pubs re-open, they will replace the beer that was in the cellar on the date that pubs were required to close. No rent is due while pubs remain closed. Despite virtual pub gatherings, we miss our Local.
Wednesday 22nd April 2020 – Stay healthy (and that is an order)
For a brief moment today, while gardening, I forget about lockdown. I note how dry the ground is now, and consequently that there will be no mud on Burbage Common. For a brief moment I decide to visit the Common at the weekend for a walk and bacon butty. Then I remember that walks must be local, around Croft Hill, and bacon butties must come from our own kitchen. We walk around the fields this evening and meet a neighbour who tells us that her GP practice called to arrange her periodic asthma assessment, and could have undertaken this today. She concluded that the surgery must be quiet. Not surprising if her GP practice is like mine. During the first week or so of lockdown I received several texts which essentially told me not to be ill, and if I do, don’t visit the surgery. An international feel to the The Hill this evening. Two traditionally Asian ladies are picnicking on the New Hill, overlooking the quarry. Dogs are promptly put on leads to prevent them from mugging the picnickers. Three African, rather than Afro-Caribbean, young men follow us onto The Hill for a stroll, or in one case a half-hearted run, to the top. Tonight, we once again scan the night sky for the string SpaceX’s Starlink satellites passing overhead. Again, all we see are stars.
Thursday 23rd April 2020 – Stress at the checkout
The daily tally of Covid-19 hospital deaths is reducing. There is talk of a plan about a plan for eventual easing of lockdown. There is also talk about there being no normality for the foreseeable future. Working at home will continue. I take a break from working at home to walk the dogs, meeting a friend who, until lockdown, was the barmaid at the local pub where friends and I met every Tuesday evening. From being busy childminding granddaughters during the day and working in the pub on some evenings, she is now at a loose end, with granddaughters isolated and the pub closed.
This afternoon we Facetime our Vancouver friend, getting her out of bed for birthday greetings. Lockdown in Canada seems more relaxed, with no limit to time exercising out of the home. Social distancing rules are as in the UK, but shops have no queues. Our friend may soon be back at work, and a facemask has been suggested so that she can work safely. She is not sure that this will work – she is a speech therapist.
I shop at Aldi this evening, and find no queue, and the store not too busy. At the checkout the lady before me is a fast-packer, and I have no chance to organise my items for packing before the belt whisks them away. The goods are already piling up at the other end as I arrive with my now-empty trolley, and packing into bags quickly without crushing vulnerable items is stressful. I pay with my phone-app, but it is rejected. My bank has chosen this transaction to randomly require a card and PIN. My card is in the car, and I have to sprint to retrieve it while a queue forms behind my waiting trolley. The lady behind me is forgiving. I’m not sure about those behind her. I arrive home just in time to join neighbours noisily thanking the NHS at 8pm.
Friday 24th April 2020 – Back to the pub
Our pub has re-opened! Well part of it. A local retailer has opened a fruit and vegetables stall in the skittle alley on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and we combine a dog walk with retail therapy. With a bag of fresh produce and two pre-planted hanging baskets to carry, it is a long way up the hill to home. While shopping we meet other pub regulars, one of whom offers to “lend” us a bag of garden compost, a commodity difficult to purchase since garden centres are closed. I collect it from their drive later, leaving five tomato plants in return.
I go to a pharmacy to collect prescriptions for neighbours. Unlike my last visit, there are 2m spaced lines for those queuing, but the queue is short. Also unlike the last visit the pharmacist is wearing a full face visor in addition to being behind a screen, maybe more practical than a mask when discussing medication. My next visit is to our GP Surgery to collect a prescription for Chantal, following signs to the rear, where a masked nurse hands me the items through a partially opened window. Final visit of the morning is the usual post-Aldi trip to the Co-op to purchase items forgotten or unavailable at Aldi the precious day.
Working this afternoon, when I retrieve a voicemail from a loud and angry lady who has received a letter from advising her not to have bonfires. She calms down when I return her call, agrees not to have any more fires. and tells me, as a single mum in lockdown with 5 kids, our chat is the longest adult conversation that she has had for a month. It is perhaps unsurprising that neighbour-relations get strained.
Saturday 25th April 2020 – Evening Calm
I walk the dogs along a route that I have not used for months – it has been too muddy and only now can puppy Ellie manage this slightly longer walk. The path runs down the side of the M69, and I shout a “Good Morning” to someone on a path on the far side of the quiet motorway. That would not be possible with normal Saturday morning traffic. I cross the sports field, completely unoccupied. No Hornets Club practicing on the BMX track, and no Saturday morning football practice. Not even any other dog walkers.
The unseasonably warm weather continues, and after a busy day in the garden it is pleasant to walk the dogs along the “New Hill”. The air is warm and balmy in the evening sunshine, and there is no-one else about. I settle on some rocks looking over the South Leicestershire countryside, and spend a few minutes enjoying the peace. Returning home, I note that, despite a few warm days, there is no rubbish, no signs of barbeques, no gatherings audible on The Hill. Maybe the Police have been monitoring for potentially breaches of social isolation, and “had a word” with groups walking to the Hill.
Approaching home, I notice that the only young child on our Lane has chalked a message on the driveway in support of the NHS, in addition to the rainbows in the front window. Her mum is a nurse. Rainbows are commonly displayed in houses during the Coronavirus pandemic, a symbol of hope.
Sunday 26th April 2020 – Furlough in the family
Over 20 people attend our Zoom church service this morning, and we chat afterwards. Among the congregation we have a nurse and also someone working for a care company. The nurse has adequate PPE, but the care company, doing over 4000 home visits a month, does not have enough masks, relying on full face visors.
We have Sunday roast in the garden – with Mum-in-Law at home self-isolating I feel it is not worth opening a bottle of wine. Mum-in-Law, on the other hand, thinks otherwise and texts to say that she is enjoying a glass or two of the red that we bought her last week. Another quiet walk this evening, meeting just one group of four.
This evening I call my son. He is being furloughed for three weeks from Monday. The architect’s partnership that he works for decided to furlough half of the staff for three weeks, and the other half for the following three weeks. My son is in the second tranche, and until now has been very busy working from home. The partnerships work has reduced significantly, but not halved. With half of the staff furloughed, the rest have been working additional hours to keep up. He is looking forward to a three-week break, although has a list of jobs to do. He will have to do them quietly – his girlfriend, an architect for another partnership, is still working full time from home.
Monday 27th April 2020 – Bad news v good news.
I walk into a room where Chantal is watching the BBC news, which features images of people, set to rather doleful music, people who have died from Covid 19. I feel for the friends and relatives of victims, and in particular the thought that anyone’s last days, unexpected only weeks ago, will be without family by their side is upsetting. Each death is tragic, and I thank God that, to date, none of my many friends and relatives have suffered fatally from the disease. But it seems that the BBC wallows in bad news. As the pandemic began to affect the UK, I followed the news closely, finding the facts and interpretation helpful in understanding a deteriorating situation. Now, although the situation remains dire, there are signs that the worst is over. But the BBC seems to seek the negative storylines, and it is difficult to find the positive headlines that I know are there. The BBC News site is no longer my home page, and (to my surprise) Apple News is now my main source of news, where I can browse a variety of reputable (and some less reputable) news sources.
Thank goodness for Captain Tom, raising millions for NHS charities by daily traversing the family garden, pushing his walking aid, a heart-warming story that has become so big that even the BBC cannot hide it. On Thursday, when I show my noisy appreciation for the NHS, I might sing Happy Birthday to Captain Tom on his 100th birthday. I spend today gardening. After weeks of relaxed lockdown, I suddenly find myself getting a bit stressed by an impending deadline. I must get urgent gardening tasks complete before tomorrow’s rain.
Tuesday 28th April 2020 – Silently remembering.
I pause from working at home for one minute at 11am to join the nation in silently remembering health professionals and carers who have died from Covid-19, infected in the course of their duties. On Classic FM follows the silence “Abide with Me”, singularly appropriate and very moving.
At lunchtime the Scottish Parliament recommends that face masks be worn in crowded situations, including supermarkets. Other countries require face masks for some activities during a relaxation of lockdown. Boris, recovered from Covid-19 and back at work, has a habit of implementing measures at short notice. Maybe I will be required to dress appropriately for my weekly Aldi trip, and I feel a panic purchase coming on. Amazon offers a variety of face masks, although many unavailable for delivery until June. I refer the purchase to Chantal, the household Amazon Prime subscriber, who after reading reviews that some are not quite as described, orders three packs of differing specifications for imminent delivery – those that prove inadequate can be returned.
Tonight is virtual pub night on Zoom. Bespoke backgrounds are still a novelty, and some of our regulars stop chatting to browse photographs, and display images of us all from many years ago. Maybe next week I’ll suggest everyone displays one photo during each of the two rounds of drinks that we enjoy.
Wednesday 29th April 2020 – Retail therapy.
We’ve had floods. We’ve had fires. We have pestilence. And this morning that BBC warns of a low flying meteorite today. It misses, but apparently, in astronomical terms, it was a close thing.
Friends have commented that our local Sainsbury is quiet during the afternoon, and so my wife finally gives in to temptation, finishes work early, and sets off on her first shopping trip for six weeks. Over the next 3 hours I receive joyful and excited WhatsApp messages with images of a near deserted store. She browses, and purchases, clothes, kitchen accessories, garden lighting and other “non-essentials” before eventually reaching the food aisles. She arrives home with a satisfied smile and several shopping bags. Thanks to a quiet store and “scan-and-go” technology, social distancing was not a problem, and the mental-health benefit is obvious.
Thursday 30th April 2020 – Happy birthday Captain Tom
For once watching the morning BBC NEWS uplifting. I stop to watch Captain Tom Moore celebrating his 100th birthday in his garden, as a Spitfire and Hurricane fly past. Captain Tom is a joy to watch, never short of something to say, grateful for the donations that raised over £130m for NHS charities, following his daily fund-raising walk in his garden, and commenting that, having experienced Spitfires used in anger, it is good to see them used for peace.
It is Aldi day, and once again I shop after 6pm, when there is no queue and the shop is quiet. Thanks to Chantal’s trip to Sainsbury yesterday, my shopping list is short. Other customers are polite and friendly, most items are in stock, and there is no queue for the checkout. I am served by the Fastest Checkout Operator in the West, scanning items at a speed that considerably exceeds the rate at which I can pack them. Thanks to the relaxed retail experience, I am chilled-out at the check-out, unlike my stressful experience last week, and calmly pack at my own rate – it is the operator, not me, who is overwhelmed by an increasing pile of goods and he has to stop scanning while I carefully place items in my bags. A short trip to the Co-op fills the gaps on my list, and I choose some nice bottled beer as a reward.
While shopping I receive a WhatsApp from a friend and neighbour who reminds me that I had suggested wishing Captain Tom Happy Birthday as part of our weekly “Make-Some-Noise-For-NHS” tonight., and so that is what we do, joined by our neighbours on The Lane, singing Happy Birthday To Captain Tom, both before and after we noisily show our appreciation for the NHS with bells, whistles, horns, saucepans and dog bowls.
CLICK IMAGE TO GO TO MAY 2020 DIARY
Restrictions begin to be relaxed, but in a restricted sort of way.
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Life in the UK changed for everyone in March 2020.