March 21st 2020: Coronavirus Day 7

It's been a week since we started self-isolating or social distancing.  We feel OK at the moment.  We've kept busy.  Today Peter cleaned his walking boots, cleaned the lime scale from a tap nozzle, put up a hook for my apron in the scullery, put up a picture in the TV room and took the garden furniture out of the shed and put the tables up. Together we cleaned the downstairs loo and the TV room.  I did a pile of ironing and made phone calls to Kate and Gill and Jo and sent a text to my aunt.   I made stracciatella a la Romana for lunch from a recipe in the Guardian Feast section.   Chicken broth, parmesan, eggs, lemon rind and polenta.  It was very good.  I did some gardening - as much as I could manage having pulled a muscle in my back in the morning with over-enthusiastic dusting! In the evening we had Jamaican vegetable curry which turned out well.  And I started knitting a jacket for Pearl for next winter.  So small accomplishments. 

Etty 'cooking' 

We got WhatsApp messages from Rupert and Laura in Southwold, with pictures of Etty, and had a long conversation with Eliot.  We are worried about the children and grandchildren and they are worried about us.  

The news tonight laid great emphasis on the need for people to stop hoarding food and to stay at home.  It's hard for those with children cooped up in in London, but 'escaping' to the coast and tourist spots is not going to help stop the spread of the virus.  We may see compulsion before too long if people don't stop 'going out'.  We are supposed to be two or three weeks behind Italy in terms of the virus and today they announced that people must stop exercising out of doors.   It's very challenging.  These are exceptional times. 

March 20th 2020: Coronavirus Day 6

There's a change of theme and background for the blog to reflect our more 'at home' life.   The seascape background was reminding me too much of Southwold!

Another day of busy doing nothing.  The days are getting shorter, not longer!  By the time we got down to breakfast it was almost 10.00am.  I, of course, had been up since 6.30 reading the news on line, messing about with the appearance of the blog and setting up various Zoom conversations.

I had a trial run of the walking group Zoom meeting with Penny and Gill and it worked really well, apart from the fact that two invitees didn't see their email. 

Peter and I went out for a short circular walk through Chapelfield Park and on the way back, Peter went into the bakers for a baguette.  The people in the queue were keeping well apart.  I got three birthday cards from the frame shop and managed without touching anything suspect. 

After lunch I went and sat in Kate's garden for a while and had a cup of tea.  Roll on warmer weather!  We were both a little chilled by the end, but it's always good to see Kate and to chat. 

Peter and I turned out one of the upper cupboards in the kitchen and that concludes the kitchen spring clean!   Next the TV room and the downstairs loo.   And there's also a large pile of ironing waiting. Mañana!

At 5.00pm we watched the Prime Ministers briefing.  Many new measures to give financial support to workers  and businesses and the closing of restaurants, bars etc. All good but the Conservatives are recasting themselves as the party of compassion!

First day off school - busy cooking! 

Abe and Saul have been busy in the kitchen today.  Looks like guacamole Saul!  Abe is in PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) but we're assured that's onion related not coronavirus!

Etty

Etty is blissfully unaware and enjoying her new balls and Pearl has been out and about as usual.

Pearl snacking

March 19th 2020: Coronavirus day 5

Day 5?  Mm.  Seems like a lot longer! 

After Peter's first conference call of the day we went to Southwold intending to start work in the boys' bedroom by lifting and removing the old carpet. However, once we were there we decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to travel back and forth between Norwich and Southwold and that we would be better off isolating ourselves in Norwich.   So, I did a little gardening, we packed the house plants into the car and talked by phone to Nigel who puts out our bins for us.  We left what we owed him with the lady in the charity shop next door, had a cup of coffee and drove back to Norwich. The idea is that we won't return to Southwold until the situation changes and we are no longer required to stay put.  According to the news today, that's going to be at least three months and probably longer.  We're very sad about it and will miss Southwold.

Sainsbury's 

Back at home Peter made delicious Welsh rarebit for lunch and then had his second conference call of the day!  We talked to Rupert as he and Laura were driving back from the supermarket where the shelves were empty.  They wondered what they were going to cook with three random ingredients!  There was a clip on the news tonight of a distraught care worker on her way home who couldn't find any fruit or vegetables to buy.  She was in tears, begging people not to hoard food and panic buy.   The queues outside supermarkets are ridiculous.

Gill went shopping today to the market and kindly brought us some fish.  I met her at the back gate and we swapped.  I took the fish and she took a packet of radish seeds I had.  She'll plant them in our shared veg plot.  I talked to Mary V. via Zoom and we were pleased to have made it work!  I talked to Phyl in Italy who's got permission to go out tomorrow to collect a new computer and do some shopping. Lots of WhatsApp messages with family and the knit and natter group and our pottery tutor has also set up a WhatsApp group for her classes.  So much communication on my phone that my battery only lasted me half a day! 

Peter made spaghetti Bolognese for supper.  That's twice today he's cooked!  I made the humous and raw veg as a starter.   I think that both being at home for lunch every day is resulting in eating too much.  This, combined with lack of exercise, could become a problem.  

We keep having to remind ourselves what day of the week it is and to check our diaries.  There's so little in the diaries that it's easy to forget to look.  We seem to be filling the days with odd jobs.  

The prime minister Boris gave another press conference this afternoon.  Not very convincing at all.  He comes across as lukewarm and unlikely to inspire people.  We expect that measures will be taken quite soon to make people stay in.  Too many people still going to the pub!

Dropping off to sleep I thought "What shall I wear tomorrow?" and then I realised...IT DOESN'T MATTER!  No one's going to see me, I can wear the same thing day after day (hygiene permitting!).  To every cloud there is a silver lining and we're going to have to keep looking to find them! I do worry though about what I'll look like after no visit to the hairdresser for months!  

March 18th 2020: Coronavirus Day 4

Another late start to the day, but not before I had written to 2 friends in the USA , read the news online and answered many emails. Working from home?   I'm working from bed!

Long call from Eliot with his take on solutions to the economic situation.  The boys are still at school but that can't last long.  Nancy also still teaching, but pupil numbers are low and staff are off sick.  She's been taking a long walk to school to avoid the bus.

Rupert and Laura are going to Southwold this weekend.  Laura needs to get out of the house!   I think we shall all be using Southwold as a bolt hole.   We are lucky to have it.

Finished cleaning the kitchen before lunch and Peter is now vacuuming the floor before I wash it.  Long time since I did such a thorough job.  Our nice cleaner, Agata, is stuck in Poland with no way of getting out.  We messaged each other today and we paid her a week's wages with a little extra.   We won't be seeing her for a long while.

Kate came round this afternoon.  I made her a cup of tea in her own cup and we sat in the garden under the clematis, well wrapped up and 2 metres apart.  We chatted for over half an hour before it got a little cold and damp!   That's going to be our mode of social interaction for a while.

Peter drove to the chemist this afternoon to collect his prescription and to buy some eggs.  Earlier I had contacted our Chester Place What'sApp group to ask if anyone was going shopping.   I immediately got an offer of help and then Peter reminded me he was going out anyway.  I'm totally confused about what we should be doing. Kate went shopping to the market today.  Ros as gone to Pilates and is going to the hairdresser tomorrow.  I wish the Government would tell us what to do and take the guess work out of the situation.  I'm not as good as Peter at grey areas.   I like things in black and white!

This afternoon several members of the Wednesday knit and natter group attempted a Zoom conference call.  It took us all a while to get it right so we could all hear and see each other and then we all talked over each other and one person kept moving her ipad and swinging in and out of shot until I felt quite sea sick.  Kate and I got the giggles.  It was a scream!  However, it will work if we can engender some discipline!

We talked to Pearl on WhatsApp today and even got an email from Abe.  He was celebrating the fact that school is shutting down from Friday.  We don't know yet if Nancy will be needed to teach pupils for whom schools will be staying open - children of key workers.

March 17th 2020: Coronavirus Day 3

Just a point of clarification...it isn't actually day 3 of the pandemic...just day 3 of us biting the bullet and self isolating.   Of course, that's been overtaken by national events and now everyone is socially distancing.  Some silly man on TV news last night, downing his pint at the pub, said he was still going to go out!  I wonder how long it will be before police are on the streets sending people home as they have been doing in Italy?

Here are the headlines today.

Guardian online 17th March 2020

Our day started with a bang!  Literally!  I was lying in bed, slowly coming to the surface when there was an enormous crash from downstairs.  Cautiously we crept down, expecting to find a burglar with a broken neck or a tree through the window.  No, it was a picture cord that had given up the ghost.  It lay face down on the carpet, amazingly with glass intact.   We retired back to bed with a restorative cup of tea and wondered..,was that a metaphor?

It's only 8.47 and already I've been exchanging lots of emails with friends in the walking group. We've realised that we can't walk as a group but they are a lovely bunch and so I'm encouraging everyone to get on Skype so that we can meet virtually on our usual walking morning.  Am also trying to set up a book club Skype group so we can talk about the book on book club day.  Sadly, we won't be able to eat cake together!

Etty and banana! 

Pearl in the park

Laura is sending us lots of pictures of Etty who has just started on solids!  They are making us very happy!   

What is not making me happy is that the online grocery sites have crashed!  I just managed to get a slot for a Waitrose delivery and was about to start filling my 'trolley' when it disappeared.  No doubt when it comes back on the slot with have gone! (It had!)

It's 10.25 am and I still haven't had any breakfast.  Too much tapping on the laptop!

It's good to see that Pearl is still getting out to the park.  We had a WhatsApp video call with her today and she did some fancy dancing for us!

Our neighbours, both doctors (and now working from home) and younger than most in the street, have started a What'sApp group and offered to help with shopping and essential errands.  It's a great idea. With two doctors, a nurse, a health visitor and a virologist on the street we should be OK!  We all signed up to the WhatsApp group and I gave the doctors some of the addresses they had missed.

So, my day got off to a slow start but I managed to begin cleaning the kitchen.  Two shelves and a dresser have now been cleared, dusted and re-organised.  I decided to clear out a couple of cookery books I don't use and some of my less successful pots from the pottery class.   I put them in a box and left the box at the bottom of the road with a sign 'Help yourself'.   I shall be curious to see if any have been taken. 

Saxlingham Nethergate

After lunch we drove to Saxlingham Nethergate, not far outside Norwich and took a walk which lasted 2 hours.  It was a beautiful day, warmish and the countryside was empty apart from about 3 dog walkers to whom we gave a wide berth. The planned walk was longer than I thought so we cut back along a lane to rejoin this lovely sandy path before re-entering the churchyard for a sit-down!

Graveyard

Back home we treated ourselves to tea and orange cake and had a surprise Skype call with Abe and Saul. 

Had a telephone conversation  this evening with Ros with whom I share a cleaner.  We decided between us that it wouldn't be right for her to continue to clean for us as the advice is not to let people in to your house.  We watched the news tonight.  Rather gloomy both at home and abroad and continued to be amazed at the number of people who don't seem to be taking this seriously.

So far have managed to get three of the book club signed up to Skype!

March 16th 2020: Coronavirus Day 2

Day two of our social isolation.  

We got up late.  I wonder if that will become a feature of our closed in life?  After the usual chores and admin., we deep cleaned the utility room!   It was really satisfying to take everything off the shelves, the surfaces and the floor and give it a good going over!  Our very nice cleaner has gone off to visit her family in Poland.  Poland has now closed its borders and we're not clear if she will be able to get back to the UK.  Our plan is to do one room each day!

Had a long telephone call with a neighbour, Kate, with much discussion about what we should and should not be doing.   We decided that when the weather permits we should get together (at a distance) in each other's gardens.  

Lunch was a healthy salad with butter beans, red onion, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, lettuce, tuna and garlic with a balsamic dressing.  

After much deliberation I decided to accept an invitation to tea with a friend in the next street.  We sat a safe distance apart and the virus was a hot topic, but not the only one.   We also talked about our shared veg. plot and the seeds to be planted for this year.   When I got back I dug out some courgette seeds and will start them off tomorrow.

Quite some time today was taken up with a debate about walking in a group.  It was suggested by one of our regular walking group and there was considerable enthusiasm.  That is until the news this evening.  The prime minister, for once with a straight face and no gags, announced new measures to control the spread of the virus.

"Everybody in the UK has been asked to stop non-essential contact with other people and avoid all unnecessary travel. This is known as social distancing."

We got a video clip of granddaughter Etty trying out cucumber today and a sad string of messages from her mum Laura who is not looking forward to life at home with a baby and no clubs, outings etc.  We are all going to have to work hard at adjusting.   I've started by cancelling my meeting with a friend, Miriam, for coffee and replacing it with a Skype call.   Tomorrow I'll try and set up book club on Skype.  

Lovely sunny day today.  Soon we'll get out the garden chairs and tables so that we can sit in the garden and enjoy the sun and fresh air as much as possible.   

Also, made an orange cake!  

15th March 2020: A new chapter: Coronavirus Day 1

It's been a while since we went to Cadiz and put anything on this blog.   Christmas has come and gone and we were looking forward to Spring, holidays and family gatherings when the Coronavirus pandemic made life suddenly rather serious and depressing.

BBC news 15.3.20

I'm not writing here about the virus as it's in every newspaper, online, on TV and radio worldwide.   The news at lunch time was sobering.  Over 70s (that's us!!) may be asked to stay at home for 4 months.  It's difficult to imagine the impact on the very old and the lonely, or indeed how Peter and I will shape our lives if this happens and over such a long period.

We went to the cinema last Friday and had dinner with our cinema club friends.   It may be the last such outing for a while.  We were prompted to start thinking about protecting ourselves and so have opted for 'social distancing' - basically keeping away from other people.  It started yesterday.  So far the virus has affected us in the following ways:

• Peter has had meetings cancelled and his 2 trips to China are off for the foreseeable future. More 'phone calls and conference calls are planned.
• Son no. 1 and partner cancelled their trip away and we are not now going to London to look after our granddaughter Pearl.  His business is in jeopardy as so many of this clients are in the restaurant and entertainment industry.
• Our son who's in the advertising industry may find looking for work more difficult. 
• Our trip to Nantes for my birthday will be cancelled as the French museums and restaurants are now closed and what's a holiday in France without those? 
• My birthday lunch with friends may be cancelled as the restaurant, a new French bistro in Norwich, is tiny and we wouldn't be able to keep our distance sufficiently.
• I've done an online shop and bought a few extras, but have followed the advice and not stockpiled.  We are assured that there is enough food if people shop normally.  Anyway I have cupboards full of stuff and it will be a good thing to go through them and use them up even if the best before dates are alarming!  
• This morning the delivery man put the groceries on the door step, as requested, and stood a good metre away.  
• I've already got chapped hands from washing them so frequently - which reminds me! 

For the future:

• The family gathering at Easter/Passover may have to be cancelled. 
• We may turn down the invitation to supper at a friend's.  We haven't really got our heads round not seeing people! 
• We're worried about not seeing our youngest grandchild who is only 20 minutes away.  Should they come round? 
• We'll make more WhatsApp, telephone and Skype calls as it will be important to actually talk to people rather than text (which is a very poor form of interaction in my view and leads to all sorts of misunderstandings!). 
• I've ordered more bread flour! 

On the brighter side:

• We may read more
• We'll have time to clear the loft and do some decorating at the Southwold house
• I'll be on top of the gardening
• I may talk to friends every day!  

So, today we got up late.  Ate homemade bread for breakfast.  Took in the online grocery order, did a load of washing.  Went for a walk at the university.  Talked to a friend who lives round the corner. .  Tried to talk to friend in Italy. Rang brother in law. Exchanged chat on WhatsApp with my cousins and second cousins one of whom lives in Hong Kong.  Had lunch. Went down to The Plantation Garden (here's a link if you don't know it) to put some money from the sale of guide books at my talk last week into the box for the treasurer.  Made chicken soup. Wrote the blog and then did a pile of ironing.   Watched the news - twice!