As my hubby is in the “very vulnerable” group we have to do the shielding thing – meaning we can’t go out except to run round the block for exercise. We shop online, neighbours bring essentials and life goes on with just the two of us – has been that way for four weeks now. Our street has a Watsapp group including someone from every single house. Whenever someone’s going to the supermarket they message those of us who can’t go out to find out if we need anything and we all cheer each other up. We applaud the NHS (National Health Service) at 8pm every Thursday evening and Peter and I take our drums out into the road and join in to thank everyone on the front line.
We are the lucky ones, with our own house and garden and each other for company – fortunately my hubby is a lovely, calm man who is very easy to live with and we rub along fine. Chatting, watch a bit of TV, have cut down drinking to an occasional glass, play cards, listen to music and spend hours in the garden (it’s never looked so nice). We’ve dug a small pond and I find myself with a magnifying glass staring at the tiny new life which is already establishing itself there. I’m growing herbs and salads. The birds are singing louder and louder. I really feel for people who are alone, poor, in countries that cope or just anyone who is depressed and finds this hard to deal with not knowing how much longer it will go on.
We live quite near a hospital so the tranquillity is disturbed regularly by ambulance sirens reminding us that these are not normal times. Here in the UK a lot of people have passed away but our city of Bristol isn’t too bad compared to London and the midlands.
I miss our kids and grandkids like crazy but thankfully we have Watsapp, Zoom, Skype etc.
I’m playing the piano a lot in lieu of writing and enjoying learning some old classics – I’m on a Chopin phase at the moment – I can never get it perfect but it’s fun trying.
I listen to a broadcast by my teacher Prem Rawat that he does every day reminding us of the peace we all hold within ourselves which is there regardless of the external situation and this helps me keep my head in this difficult time.
Anyway – that’s me at the moment – so grateful to be well and I know I’m extremely lucky on so many levels.
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