What with being so totally compliant with the Lockdown and welcoming the gradual easement, we have found ourselves doing a little galavanting.
This galavanting is all very well but we do have the usual domestic chores to attend to. This included me being an on-looker to Rachel almost turning to drink, drugs or simply chucking the phone out of the window and into the garden pond.
You see we have these smoke alarms, they were free courtesy of the very nice Fire & Rescue peeps. “Even better” they explained at the time “when the batteries run out, you simply ring up and someone will pop a new one in the post”.
Naturally there has to be a catch. The catch involved Rachel spending ages on the phone being past between pillar to post, and that was, of course, once she had already spent 20 minutes listening to the “your call is important to us….” garbage. Eventually Rachel did manage to speak to a human being, in the outsourced fire alarm department and who couldn’t understand why they should send a smoke alarm to us completely free of charge.
Once the deal was done, the remaining step was for us to post the old one back. The only snag, once wrapped up and ready for posting, was me accidentally holding the package in the wrong place and setting the alarm off. We had visions of a Royal Mail sorting office being evacuated because our smoke alarm had inadvertently gone off! So the package duly unwrapped and re-packed.
As I said, it nearly drove Rachel to unspeakable things, or unrepeatable language but it could just as easily have been me. I am beginning to identify more and more with Victor Meldrew these days.
Back to the galavanting
We seem to have clocked up almost 1,000 miles in the last week or so. This included visiting my mother and bringing her back with us for a couple of days. Then we returned her to Weston-super-Mare and another 300+ miles. It was delightful having her with us. On our return we stopped at Burford, a favourite spot for us and I couldn’t resist the above photo. Perhaps another reminder of how good a simple iPhone can be?
On Wednesday we drove down to the south coast to see Hannah, nicely settling into her new water sports job. This coincided with Rachel’s birthday and so we celebrated in style, as we often do these days. Ironically we found ourselves parking next to a Mazda Bongo at a beach carpark which Rachel wondered whether it was “a sign”. I pointed out that if it was “a sign” it was a rusty sign and best avoided.
Nevertheless we are thinking of investing in a Bongo or something similar. This has been on the cards for quite some time now; the only trouble is that so many other people are thinking exactly the same and this will inevitably push the price up once the good’uns have been snapped up. We might, just might, have a cunning plan, right on our doorstep (well, almost).
Coronavirus thoughts
We need to keep reminding ourselves that we remain in a very serious situation. Sometimes I almost find myself forgetting the need to steer clear of people as they seem to forget as well. We seem to have been well protected so far, answered prayers for sure.
I do wonder whether we should really trust the Government or not. I understand the need to get the economy going; failing to do so will plunge the poorer people further into poverty and their health is likely to suffer even more. I understand that. But seeing people larking around as if there’s nothing wrong, seems so foolhardy.
While the infection rate and the death rate are, thankfully falling, we see the virus is swirling around the globe in a terrible way just as our borders are being re-opened. Is it not possible to stop people coming into the UK, just for now? For our imported food and other goods, surely lorries could simply bring them to the UK, leave their trailers at a dock and return to continental Europe? Or something like that?
Feeling a tiny bit apprehensive
I am due to have a coffee with someone I knew through the blummin Council. She’s very nice and it will be nice to catch up with her; we have some business to discuss. While that is welcome, as I do need to ensure I have enough to keep my brain buzzing and not to fritter time away, I do feel apprehensive.
Let me explain. I am hesitant as it might seem like I am returning to work at the blummin Council which was not, it has to be said, always a smooth ride for me. I have steered pretty clear of all of that for the last couple of years and yet this is definitely a good cause, so we’ll see where it goes.
As I type this from the garden shed….
….and you can see my view below, I need to cling onto the sense of “all’s well with the world”. Except we know it isn’t true but at least in our little corner we can say that.
Although the world is broken, battered and bonkers, I do always cling to the hope things might improve. Perhaps out of the tragedy of the Coronavirus, COVID-19, some good can come from it. Perhaps, just perhaps, it may.