Lockdown 15

Happy days at Kolossi, Cyprus in 2012! Memories!

Hello Peeps,

So, it's the sixteenth week of lockdown. However, there is a difference here in the UK. Boris has eased our restrictions and we are enjoying visiting hairdressers, pubs, zoos, cinemas, shops, or to put it simply, 'going out'. Unfortunately, the dreaded lurgy has not departed our shores nor any other. The virus figures are accelerating at a fast pace and two areas of Spain are back in total lockdown, while Australia has a severe outbreak in Melbourne. Brazil and India are seeing leaps in their number of cases and fatalities. We need to stay vigilant. So, what did I have to share peeps last weekend? Here goes.

Day 103, July 4^th Super Saturday. Independence Day in America.

I was late rising this morning. Its still bleak, drab and windy but not cold. Its rather like summer has taken a holiday and we have moved to autumn. Thinking back to December 31^st last year; not so far down memory lane. I went to the local Oldbury retail park and visited Costa for my panini and latte. Hmm yes, that used to be my little treat. Whenever, where ever, I would go inside a Costa, get my food and drink, sit down inside and enjoy. On that particular day it was so warm that peeps were sitting outside in shirt sleeves (plus a few other items of clothing) and shades, enjoying both the refreshments and the weather. Sunshine and warmth in December when we were more accustomed to snow. It was odd and unusual. Now today, no chance of sitting outside and it’s July. It is very true our world is changing and so is our climate. Alas, whatever we believe we are not in charge of these external forces.

So super Saturday has arrived. I have the BBC news channel on, and it seems that some hairdressing salons were open at 12.01. The earliest possible time today and peeps were queuing for professional hair treatments. A reporter was in a Lancashire salon talking with someone who spoke of the excitement of getting ready to venture out after staying inside for 15 weeks. Such joy. We were shown round the salon. It looked almost alien, staff wearing visors, clients wearing masks after being questioned and having their temperature taken; no pretty mags to read, no drinks, chairs a meter apart.

Again, there are numerous companies talking of downsizing and job losses. I would name them but there are so many and it’s an everyday occurrence. A large number are in the aviation industry but also retail. Many stores like John Lewis, for example, will not be reopening all of their previous stores. A new way of life has developed. Peeps, where possible are still working from home. I do not see the daily rush hour returning. Working from home is the new norm. As staying at home, staying safe has become the ‘in thing’. Peeps have become accustomed to shopping on the Net. It’s like a new habit and one which I think will continue. Goodbye to traditional shopping.

Memory lane, again. Back in the fifties, I remember going on the bus each Saturday morning to Newark for the weekly shop. Our little hamlet did not have shops. The bus was more like a charabanc. There were very few of them, and the maximum number on board would be about 30. I remember looking along the Fosse Way waiting for that bus or anything to trundle along the road. If one car travelled by in ten minutes, it was exciting. Now, that road is a duel carriage way with scores of vehicles zooming along at 70 mph. In those days the top speed of a vehicle was 30 and that was fast. Eventually, the bus from Nottingham would come into sight and take several minutes to arrive at the stop. We would board and ride into town. If it filled up I would be ordered to stand up and give my seat to an adult. That was normal practice. None of this, well she got here first or has paid for the seat. Parents automatically told their progeny to give up the privilege of sitting down.

Once, in Newark we would start at the market and then the shops on the high street, butchers, greengrocers, grocers, fishmonger’s etcetera were all separate places. The supermarket had not been invented. We queued in each shop and I recall my mother having conversations with others in the queues. There was no rushing. Usually, after all the shops our last call was Woollies. (For youngsters that shop used to be F.W.Woolworth; it went into liquidation about a decade ago although it was thought of as an institution). Even in there, everything was at separate counters, sweets, clothes, hardware, cosmetics etc and you queued at the counter. That was the old way of shopping. Then, the supermarket arrived followed by retail parks heralding the death of the high street shopping experience. Now, it seems we’ve moved on again and shopping has become an internet experience. Good for delivery peeps. Well, the art of conversation disappeared with the advent of the box. All you see of your product before purchase is a pretty pic. Changing times!

Pubs, restaurants, and cinemas are now open. I have already mentioned that there is no Silver Screen cinema for the over 55’s. I have such fond memories of the Thursday morning cinema group. We all chatted and sat in our own seats with bikkies and drinks, but we were largely single peeps. It would take up too much room, even with seating one metre apart. I suspect that restaurants and pubs will be pretty much the same. So, single peeps, think we have to stay at home. The seating will be designed for ‘bubbles’. It would be nice to sit in Costa again! For those going out this evening, remember you have to give personal details and fill in ‘track and trace’ forms in case the person in the next ‘bubble’ happens to have contracted the dreaded lurgy. Loud music is forbidden because it would mean raised voices and a greater chance of spreading the lurgy. Temperature taking is now like CCTV. Everywhere. So, be prepared to have your temperature checked. Try not to be too shocked at the new appearance of the hostelry and its ambience. There’s gonna be Perspex glass everywhere. Perspex glass companies are one of the few unlikely to be out of business in the near future.

The first weddings are taking place, after three months of their non-existence, but a maximum number of 30 and only close contact with those in your bubble. I’m thinking again… memory lane. “I’m for ever blowing bubbles…” Who else remembers those tube things you used to get with a kinda of small circle on the end of a stick which you blew through and you got pretty bubbles? Childhood memories. Can you still purchase those things?

It’s afternoon and lunchtime while I listen for those melodic tones. Also, time to make that phone call.

Yes, the person I missed yesterday answered today and we had a long chat. Alas, my Antonio did not make an appearance.

Figures! I’ve just checked local figures and they’ve shot up by 600. It’s higher than its ever been remembering that it dropped down by 200/300 about two weeks ago and then just a few cases each day. Scary, although I’m not surprised after the recent marches in Birmingham. The global figure is 11,303,942. The USA is approaching 3,000,000. Brazil is almost at 1,500,000. Spain has had a rise in cases and has imposed restrictions on certain areas. Will we still be allowing peeps to fly there? Australia has reported a rise of cases in the Melbourne area . India also has a rise in the number of new cases. What baffles me is that we seem to have lost about 30,000 cases. In the middle of June we passed 300,000 but now only have 283,757. What’s happened? This is weird. If you have cases they are either in recovery, active or death status they cannot suddenly disappear. Peeps still want to go on holiday? This is all a mystery to me. Miraculously, by losing a few thousand cases we are now eight in the league table instead of fifth.

Evening time. Dinner. Have resorted to watching old videos. Yes, I still have videos and recorder. Have just watched, The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady.  I videoed it thirty years ago, the sound quality wasn’t brilliant but the pic was good.

Soon be bubble bath time and bed. Back tomorrow.

Day 104, Sunday, July 5^th NHS 72^nd birthday.

Good morning Peeps. Sunday for me is a special day and I look forward to Songs of Praise and, if I’m lucky a church service! There is talk of a second wave of the dreaded lurgy in the winter. Is that why we have all these Nightingale hospitals? If that does happen, then the Sunday morning church service will probably make a return.

Church services are taking place for the first time in three months but no singing of hymns as it is believed singing, by it’s nature of raising the voice, could lead to the dreaded lurgy being spread through the droplets being spread further a field.

However, today is a more special Sunday than usual. The NHS was born 72 years ago in 1948. I believe in those days there was renewed optimism for a brave new world, a rebirth and new beginning after the austerity of the war years. What went wrong? Personally, and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I fear it was my generation who messed up. We experienced the ‘you’ve never had it so good’ years when things changed in the sixties. It was a time when we enjoyed a tidal way of good fortune. We rode on that wave and we were going to make even better ones. We could change the world by our protests and marches for freedom, union power, solidarity and removing restrictions, discipline and the old order. We did not understand the concept of the wisdom of the years. We believed the wisdom of youth was the way forward. How wrong were we?

Well, this afternoon at 5.00 pm we are going outside to clap for the NHS again. There’s a lot of noise outside again. Two doors down the youngster is outside playing a kind of tennis game with one of the adult’s resident in the house. She, an only child, and on her own in a house of adults since all of this started, what will she think of it or remember in her adulthood? Will today’s youngsters really suffer from mental illness or other problems as a result of these horrendous but challenging days?

Antonio has delivered. So, I’m happy today.

Let us have a look at the situation. Globally, we are almost at 11,500,000. Accelerating. We have still lost 30,000 cases and according to the data today we only have 22 deaths. Don’t believe it. Some good news is that most peeps were sensible yesterday; there were only a minority who became intoxicated. Places were not overflowing with peeps determine to celebrate freedom. May it continue until the next lockdown!

5.00 pm. I’m off outside clapping. Where is everybody? Just me. Not having that. Go and bang on a neighbour’s door. It seemed that the message of today’s session has not reached West Brom. Well, I did my bit.

It’s gonna be a relaxing, lazy evening. Tomorrow we begin week 16 of lockdown. It is still lockdown; whatever peeps choose to think. As long as there are new cases daily, deaths daily this virus is here, and we are in lockdown.

Sleep well and stay safe. Lady M xxxx