22nd April 2020: Coronavirus Day 38

Still the lockdown continues.  The media is full of bad news about deaths, especially of minorities, and government incompetence.  Today the UN warned of famine of 'biblical proportions' for people in the third world.   We wake daily to sunshine and our little sheltered existence.  It is quite unreal.  Apart from giving money, we are unable to do very much.  I add neighbours' shopping to my online list, but it's a infinitesimal contribution.  

A highlight of the last week was a brief visit from Rupert, Laura and Etty.  Etty has developed so much! The three of them stood outside the house and we talked to them from the front door.  It was hard not to give them a hug.  They had come to collect some antibacterial wipes which Laura is finding hard to get.  I've added some to my online shopping order for them, so we shall get another distanced visit soon.  We also passed over a bag of Rupert's stuff we have liberated from the loft!   

Seagull in the study!

We also liberated a mobile - a large wooden seagull.  Peter went to great lengths to fix up a fishing line from one corner of the study to another in order to hang the bird.  Pull the string and it 'flies'.   That's the sort of thing you get up to when you're hunting for something to do!   I've finished a sweater for Pearl for next winter, and have returned to the large sloppy sweater I'm knitting for myself, which is taking ages!   I must persist with it.  

For Pearl

Two large plastic troughs have arrived for growing more stuff in the garden.  Now to decide what to put in them!  Flowers or vegetables! Definitely some basil.  


We have two films to watch before a cinema club meeting by Zoom on Friday.  We have seen one, The Last Metro, and did not enjoy it.  We are hoping for a better experience from the second film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, which we'll watch tonight.  

Looking through my diary is an interesting experience at the moment.  It's full of things that aren't happening.  This week Rupert and Laura should have been in Spain and Peter should have been in China. I should have been going to an art lecture at the university and Peter should have returned from China and gone to watch the football at Norwich City.  We were supposed to be having friends for Sunday lunch.  Instead I have three Zoom meetings (one with the Walking Group, one with Etty and Pearl for a story, and the cinema club discussion) and an online shopping delivery! 

15th April 2020: A digression

Peter just reminded me that we began this blog in 2012 just before we were due to go to College Station, Texas for several months.  I was wondering what I'd find to do to keep me busy and so I made myself a speculative list.  Here is it: 

• Visit all the museums and art galleries in Bryan/College Station

Well, I certainly did that.

• Locate a craft shop, buy some yarn and do some knitting

I did plenty of knitting and even went along to a knitting circle where they had someone each week to give a talk about some form of textile craft.  I didn't go very often as I didn't find the ladies particularly friendly! 

• Hire a bike and get some exercise

Failed on this one! 

• Go for walks (if I can find pavements!)

Surprisingly we found a number of walking tracks in small parks and green spaces dotted around College Station which were very enjoyable, even if you had to drive to reach them.  Our best walking was done at weekends when we would drive for a couple of hours to reach a state park.  We often had the forests to ourselves. 

• Do slow shopping (i.e. shop little and frequently, European style)

Nah!  The supermarkets are huge and fascinating so once there I was mega shopping.  There was nowhere to walk to buy a few groceries anyway.  It was drive and get a trolley full or nothing.  I loved HEB in College Station, all the huge vegetables and fruit glistening in the misted spray.  

• Investigate the public library

I don't recall using the public library.   I found a lot to browse through in Barnes and Noble, the book shop.  There were plenty of chairs and tables so browsing was encouraged. 

• Read
• Join a book club

I was lucky enough to be invited to join a book group almost as soon as we arrived.  We read some interesting books and I enjoyed the meetings even though we met in a strange room in a golf club.  We ordered lunch from the menu brought round by a waitress and ate while we talked.  The food was horrible!  Nobody liked it much but the golf club didn't charge for the room.   I made a good friend at book group - Lynn McCarl - and saw her on a recent brief visit to College Station. 

• Write this travel blog

Yes, and it's still going! 

• Research and plan weekends away

I paid a visit to my cousin David in Florida.  We visited lots of small towns around College Station.  Some had old high streets with verandas others had interesting historic trails.  We had some good walks around Lake Somerville. We visited Houston, Dallas, Bastrop to see Bob and Mary, Galveston and 

• Make friends and visitI 

We got to know lots of interesting people.  Chief among them Carol Parzen who took me under her wing and came and collected me every Wednesday morning.  We'd drive somewhere for 'an adventure' which always involved lunch!  Most visiting was done in restaurants and cafes.  I was introduced to Patricia Cleer who I met for coffee many times and who took us to a 'Victorian' tea party in a town outside College Station.  The Needlemans, the Saslows  and many more...

• Take a class (art? language?)

Who would have thought that I'd be going to aquafit every morning!  It was in a heated outdoor pool.  I'd get into my swimming costume at 8.30 am and drive to the pool in my dressing gown.  Swim, exercise, chat and then get back in the car (wet) and drive home for a shower.  No one bats an eye at people driving around in the dressing gowns! 

• Volunteer

I volunteered at the Carnegie History Library in Bryan.  I transcribed audio tapes into word documents.  The ladies were very kind to me.  I found the aural history of the black and Latino residents of Bryan fascinating.  At lunch time I went across the road to a cafe called 'It Must be Heaven'  and had a sandwich and fruit lunch. 

Carnegie History Library, Bryan, Texas

Well, that was a happy time and great to bring back memories! 

15th April 2020: Corornavirus Day 31

There's been a significant slow down in commitment to recording our current, very limited life.  Somehow it's difficult to summon up the energy.  It's 9.15 in the morning and I'm sitting at my laptop, which is now permanently on the kitchen table.  Early on there was a decision to move my 'work station' out of the study that Peter and I share.   I didn't rationalise it to myself at the time, but it's been a good move.   It means we are not on top of each other all day. 

There's a constant stream of messages coming in on the Pottery What'sApp group which is a combination of the Wednesday and the Friday classes and the tutor is putting up pottery YouTube clips for us to watch and a newsletter.  It's a very brave attempt to keep people interested, but mine is waning.  I had thoughts of going back to pottery in the autumn term after taking the summer term off, but the newspaper is suggesting that social isolation for over 70s may go on for a long while.   Not a message to cheer us up.

Nothing in the news is cheering at the moment.  A terrible death toll in care homes, not counted in the official figures, though heaven knows why.  The cartoon in the Guardian today is entitled: 'At last, a plan for social care'  and shows a giant roll of government branded black bin bags. We have a blustering government treating the pandemic as a 'war' and constantly trotting out inappropriate metaphors. Their inefficiency is highlighted daily. There's a myth going round that G5 causes the virus and arsonists are destroying G5 phone masts.  We laugh at 'simple' folk in other countries and their misguided beliefs and it's reminded me that we have plenty of nutters of our own.  And in the US Trump is threatening to withdraw funding from the World Health Organisation and generally behaving like a deranged despot. 

We did some good in the past few days.  On our almost daily trip round Gill's garden we helped her by working out how to assemble her new garden table. And yesterday we worked out why her television wasn't working, much to her delight. All managed at a distance.  I have also added a long list of groceries to my Waitrose order for Caroline, some items for Ros and a few things for Gill.  The bill this week will be over £200!  We have a colour coded list so that when we unpack we can sort the groceries into new bags for collection at the back gate! 

The garden gets greener by the day and I've planted lots of seeds in pots and seed trays.  Apparently growing things is of benefit to well being!   Let's hope so.  

9.40am.  Time to get dressed! 

11th April 2020: Coronavirus Day 27

A hot sunny day.  Nothing much happening except sitting and reading, a bit of gardening and a failed attempt to create a photo book.  But here are flowers in the garden gladdening the heart! 

10th April 2020: Coronavirus Day 26

Passover and Abe's 10th birthday.  A double celebration and a family first...a Zoom seder.  It was certainly experimental.  We didn't quite realise that synchronised singing would be so difficult, but we managed and it was really lovely to see everyone join in.  Etty and Pearl were rather non-plussed but at least Pearl knew who everyone was, even if she wasn't sure what was going on.  Abe and Saul did a sterling job of reading and playing their instruments to accompany our ragged singing.  Here we all are in a screen shot.  Eliot is concentrating on taking the shot and Laura and Rupert are discussing technical problems.  The rest of us look on in anticipation! 

Seder 2020

The cover of our Haggadah

Next year in person we hope! 

8th April 2020: Coronavirus Day 24

Been busy Zooming. Yesterday was Brian's birthday so we joined a few friends on a birthday Zoom for him.  

Brian's birthday Zoom 

Walking group Zoom

Today it was Walking Group meeting online.   Thank goodness for the internet!   

It's a beautiful day with warm sun and blue skies.  The washing is on the line and I'm making good progress with my book, though every now and again I come into the house to cool off!   

And other thing - today was the first time this year I've worn sandals.  It feels marvellous. 

April 6th 2020: Coronavirus Day 22

So, we have started our third week in isolation.  Not going out, except to walk round Gill's garden in the next street, and online shopping only.  

I've not written anything for the last 5 days as there hasn't been much to report really.  We get up fairly late, we have breakfast, we take our time getting dressed and can usually manage to fit in a bit of emailing, WhatsApping, laundry, tidying up before coffee time.  Peter has a steady trickle of work, I have Plantation Garden stuff to respond to and gardening to do and we sit in the garden when the sun shines and read and potter. 

The Knit and Natter group had a Zoom meeting last Wednesday.  It isn't particularly satisfying as we are a rather loose group and many people don't know each other that well.  Conversation is rather low key.  Story time with Etty and Pearl is at 4.0pm on Thursdays.  It's lovely to see them.  Etty looks at the screen and if she makes too much noise, Laura thoughtfully mutes her mike.  Pearl is a serious listener to the stories and songs, but some cartoons are noisy and upset her.  I'm trying to find the right mix.  

On Friday we had our first Zoom book club and it went really well.  We were disciplined and took turns to talk about the book before we had a general conversation.  No one was that keen on the book, but we had a thoughtful discussion.  

A little more work has been done in the loft.  Notably by Peter who erected a shelving unit that he remembered he had in the cellar. 

On Saturday we had a Sainbury's delivery!  What excitement!  Delivery slots are like gold dust and I'm very conscious that I'm one of the few people round here who has priority and can usually find a slot either from Sainsbury's or from Waitrose.   I'm reaping the benefit of not being coy about giving my age when I sign up to things, an asset now that they are prioritising 70+ existing customers.  Unfortunately, some friends who need slots are finding it very difficult to register that they are in the vulnerable category.  The system can't cope.  At present I'm working on a Waitrose order for next Friday and have included some things that Ros needs. 

Bread! 

More signs of spring in the garden.  Narcissus coming out and also my favourite, hostas.

Made two lovely looking loaves of bread today.  

On the national front, the Prime Minister is in intensive care with Covid-19 and Brockwell Park is closed which cuts off an exercising space for the Brixton crew.