Week
8: 4-10 May
Sylvia
8 May 2020
I've been thinking about why emails have
slowed down/dried up and I've decided that it's possibly because we have now
settled into a new way of coping with lockdown. Initially we were
struggling to work out what we could do during our enforced isolation and
making sure we kept in contact with our friends was high on the list.
Now, although at least theoretically, that is still very important, we have not
only settled into some form of routine, but also found new ways of keeping
occupied, be it picking up on old hobbies, starting new ones, discovering Zoom,
Facetime, WhatsApp, etc., all of which fills the time writing emails was
filling in the early days.
What do others think? Will this
email trigger another load? Don't feel you have to respond if you're too
busy!
Stay well and love to you all, Sylvia
Jane 8 May 2020
Dear all,
I thought I ought to stop emailing as you
were probably all fed up of hearing from Grumpy! And it looks like you in other
parts of the world will be let out before the Scots. Grrrrr
Val - do pass Birthday greetings to Roger
from me for Sunday!
Love, Jane
Val
8 May 2020
Thank you, Jane! And a very Happy Birthday
to you, too on Sunday! I was going to
send greetings on the day! Unlike some of the rest of us, you weren’t here for
VE Day!
Roger’s not locked down, but mainly working
from home in Central London which he says is
So eerily quiet.
We’re grumpy as none of his cards or
presents have arrived despite very early posting! The whole family will be on Teams on the day
though to see him.
Hope the rest of you continue well.
A friend’s mother died on Tuesday, not of
the Disease as it’s known round here, but apparently a lot of non Covid deaths
are having it added to the death certificate in addition to the true cause for
more funding!! Could this explain why the UK figures are high?!
Lovely weather today, sleet forecast for
Sunday (hopefully not in St Andrews!)
Love to all, Vally
Howard
8 May 2020
Good idea, Sylvia
Our Island
has been in 'almost' complete isolation with no passenger boats for weeks now.
Still no apparent cases.
We have been very much in the hands of Guernsey. Fortunately Guernsey
seems to be doing an impressive job. The Chief Medial Officer happens to be a
virologist with a lot of common sense and the ability to communicate. In
contrast to the shambles of Boris. Guernsey
has had no apparent new cases in he last week.
We have moved to phase 2 of the plan which
allows us to mix with one other household. So we are celebrating the 75th
anniversary of liberation from the Germans on Sunday with a leg of local Sark lamb with the family (a neighbour). Apologies to
those of you who are vegetarians. At least the food miles are low.
I think Sylvia would have been with us
around this time in normal circumstances. Hopefully next year.
We had our first potatoes from the garden
recently. Grown in the greenhouse. Food has become such an important part of
the day.
I really enjoy our exchanges. Don't mind
the grumping!
Best wishes and lots of love, Howard
Sylvia
8 May 2020
Oh Howard, your email made me feel so sad
as I accepted that our arrangement that I would come to Sark
this spring wasn't going to happen. I knew it, of course, but I had put it to
the back of my mind, along with other plans for this year, i.e. a trip to Nuremberg, another to Edinburgh, plus one to Lytham St Anne's, not
to mention our annual foray to Patterdale on the shores of Ullswater with my
walking group. I have to look on the
bright side and tell myself that nothing is cancelled, only postponed.
How fortunate you are to be in the hands of
someone with "a lot of common sense".
Would that we were! I'll be
thinking of you on Sunday with your meal with others. Who knows how long it will be before we can
do that. You mention phase 2 of the
plan. If only our government had a plan,
but having vacillated for so long, I fear that they will continue to bumble
along for some time longer.
Jane, you will have gathered from the
above, that I don't mind grumpy either!
Stay well and much love to you and Mandy,
Sylvia
Sue 8 May 2020
Hi
Many thanks for the nudge, Sylvia, I'd been
planning on sending an update from NZ, so here goes!
Not sure if I got "Jill's message" though.
We may, or may not, move to our so called Level
2 on Tuesday, depending on whether the figures are still tracking in the right
direction. NZ's been so fortunate so far, that it all seems a
bit scary. As you know, we are really just a big village spread over
several islands, so we are all pretty much aware of the various clusters etc;
but we also have our fair share of idiots who risk jeopardising the
gains. Here's a link to the government website in case you are
interested.
https://covid19.govt.nz/alert-system/alert-level-2/
It sounds as though we will be following the
German pattern and allowed to do things like go to the hairdresser etc, and it
sounds as though it is working OK in Germany - is that what you feel, Anne? -
so that should give grounds for optimism.
We've had some loosening up during the current 2
weeks at Level 3 so could for example take our recycling to the local tip -
needed an appointment, and it actually wasn't particularly well
managed. Some post offices have reopened, but it is hard to
work out the logic as to which have and which not - we've always been able to
source stamps for local letters via the supermarket, and use post boxes which
continue to be cleared, but now we'll be able to send parcels and overseas mail
again. With most bank branches being closed, the banks aren't picking up
their incoming mail, so trying to pay our credit card balance by cheque has
caused us problems (no, we don't have internet banking, but we do, fortunately,
have telephone banking). I suspect the new normal - when it comes -
will see a massive reduction in bank branches and a push to internet banking
for all. Better brace yourself for that, Jane!
Hospital appointments for postponed diagnostic testing have
resumed. We can, like Howard, enlarge our bubble to an extra local
household.
And some good things have happened, like housing
the homeless in otherwise empty motel units. Let's not even think
how much this, and all the other supporting measures are costing, and will
cost, both us and future generations; but the alternative would have been ...
Locally the shelter-belt trimming has started up
- a noisy and messy business - but at least a sign of returning
normality. The postie who, on Rural Delivery runs, like ours,
doubles as both the courier and newspaper deliverer, is working longer and
longer hours to keep pace with the on-line shopping surge.
We've still got some anomalies, like despite the
fact that incoming travellers (mostly Kiwis returning home) have to be formally
quarantined for 2 weeks, that doesn't apply to the air crew who travelled with
them - and that's even though there are surplus air crew being sacked
because of the fewer flights, so I would have thought it would be easy to
roster fresh crews. But a couple of chaps did fly to LA and
back and when their carry-on bags were checked in Auckland were found to contain
drugs worth $NZ 8 million, so some businesses are obviously continuing to
thrive! And perhaps you've read of the camper-van heist...
We are being encouraged to look ahead to local
travel, to keep the economy ticking over. As to overseas travel, it
sounds as though NZ-Oz may be the start, perhaps because so many Australians
like to come over for the skiing; presumably even that would have to be a lot
further down the track.
Glad you have your new potatoes, Howard; NZ
gardeners are supposed to be able to put home-grown new potatoes and garden
peas on the table at Christmas; we managed the new potatoes last year, but only
because they sprouted up in our compost heap...
I'm really enjoying the exchange of emails, I
hope we can keep it up. It must be so satisfying to be able to feel
that you are actively assisting with those scrubs you are making,
Lesley. My sister-in-law has run up some face masks, but I
think they are just for her own use.
Take care of yourselves and stay well. Love, Sue
P.S. Please buy NZ butter if you can; with no
tourists, we need the dollars...
Angela
10 May 2020
Dear All,
Good to have the flow of e-mails starting
again, now at a gentle pace! I had been thinking along the same lines as you
Sylvia about the slowing down of e-mails – a flattening of the curve? – and I
am sure your analysis is spot on. I felt they had become almost
overwhelming at one point but now things seem to be just at the
right level. I have also noticed that the spate of ‘viral ‘funnies’
has given way to clips of more gentle, amusing animal
antics. However, I still appreciate how good it is to be
in more regular contact with our group and especially to hear how people from
such different parts of the world are coping. Sue, Howard and Ann’s accounts
are fascinating. I really loved the thought of Sark
lamb eaten with a group of neighbours. We will see what Boris
reveals later today!
Second homers coming up for weekends continue to be an
issue here in North Norfolk. The Parish
Council has sent letters round asking for co-operation, and the beach roads and
car parks have been closed to traffic for some time, however, their quite
politely worded notice boards urging people to
stay at home have mostly been removed or
vandalised, so it is obviously a hot topic. We have people in a house just
below us clearly coming every weekend. They are not very subtle about it though
as they play really loud music from their rooftop terrace and recently were flying a drone! I think there may have been
complaints though as they were thankfully rather
quiet yesterday and the gales and rain today will have cooled their ardour
somewhat!
I hope your wrist is healing OK Lesley. Making scrubs is
a really positive thing to do. We are contributing to material for scrubs which
my cousin is making. She is in the fashion business and has organised a group
of her colleagues into ‘Scrubs Angels’ supplying GPs and care homes.
Jane, I really do like to hear some ‘grumpy’ news. It is
far more like normal life than some of what you read
(not our group of course!) about the number
of amazing achievements ticked off during lock-down, so please keep your emails
coming. It is interesting to think that the people in the news recently who
have been raising our spirits are all 'oldies' - Captain Tom Moore,
the Queen and some of the amazing veterans filmed for VE Day! I have just now
remembered seeing some time ago a short interview with Wilf Saunders where he
reminisced about his wartime experiences which were quite impressive. You could
immediately recognise him by the twinkle in his eye!
The fine weather has kept us in the garden and cleaning
the house is now a thing of the past - nobody
comes in now anyway so no worries! The trick is to get the balance between
active garden work and paying for it afterwards with aching muscles. We now have two cleaned
and newly painted sheds - the sides that show anyway
– the rest can be done later when the muscles have recovered!
My art group continues to meet ‘virtually’ and last
month’s topic was to illustrate a poem or quote. I did like the ‘Pandemic’
poem, sent by Sylvia, so I had a go at painting a frame for it. It wasn’t as
easy as I had originally thought - just
getting the printer to print on watercolour paper was tricky and the rainbow,
originally intended to be beautifully merging pastel shades, ended up like pea soup,
hence it’s final vivid colours! Anyway, it was a
good learning experience and I have even more admiration for all those monks
who spent their lives illuminating manuscripts! I have attached a copy just for
interest.
I don’t envy anyone involved in the detailed planning for ‘unlocking’ the lock-down, teachers
especially. Let’s hope it all works out, but I feel it will be a very long job.
I think Janet and Pat may have slipped
off the list on some of the more recent e-mails for some reason. I have added
them now so they should be able to catch up with this thread.
Hoping everyone continues to be in good health. Love, Angela
Pat
10 May 2020
Thanks, Angela, for including me in the
list of recipients. I don’t think I got the email from Sylvia that you mention.
I kept a copy from The Times of Wilf Saunders’s obituary for some time. I
will see if I still have it.
Ghastly to think of people owning 2nd
homes in Norfolk
travelling miles and flaunting the rules. I know someone who lives in London and Norfolk
but I think she’s been staying put.
Like you Angela I’ve been concentrating
on the gardening and like you I am aching from muscle strain and from bruised
legs having fallen forward when a bamboo cane I was trying to push into hard
ground snapped. I fell over a path and the will ooden surrounds to raised veg
beds got me. Ouch. But overall I am so pleased with what a transformation we
have been able to exert over the garden these last 7 weeks. My son has done a
ton of cutting back so that I now have access to some paths through the
undergrowth that were hitherto (all of the 22 years I have lived here)
impenetrable. Also it is such a wonderful time of year in the garden with
changes in flowering to observe every day. I was listening this morning to
Desert Island Disks and Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate, made a sage and helpful
remark for these extraordinary times. He said “I see the miraculous in the
everyday”. He also described being Poet Laureate as an exhilarating
contradiction: “You can only pretend you are Poet Laureate in your own house
for about 5 minutes”!! I love his northern accent, his introspection and his
modesty. You may know that he lives in the West Yorkshire village
of Marsden and is Professor of Poetry
at Sheffield. I am about to start reading his
account of walking the Pennine Way.
He travelled as a modern troubadour without a penny in his pocket and “sang”for
his supper in village halls, churches, pubs and living rooms along the way. It
is called “Walking Home.”
So, in sympathy with my aches and pains
today I am taking it easy and have watched two episodes of The Crown on
Netflix. It’s so easy to do that and time passes so quickly! I’ve got to 1964
and Olivia Coleman has just taken over as HRH from the other actress, whose
voice and face I preferred.
I guess many of us will be watching what
Boris will say tonight. Apparently his speech was pre-recorded and there have
been a few leaked facts. One of which is a change to the main slogan, so
instead of “Stay at Home” It is to be “Stay Alert”. People will be puzzled. A
junior doctor tweeted “Please can someone tell Boris that it is not a physical
assailant.”To stay alert to something that’s 0.0001 millimetres in diameter? I
fear that the slightest relaxation will send some people going back to meeting
in groups and generally undoing any good that the restrictions have done. I
guess the message will be to stay home as much as we can. I doubt if he’ll
mention the “vulnerable” of us who have been self-isolating for 12 weeks. If
this period is being extended my son will want to know from his employer if he
is to continue to stay off work with pay to shield me or whether he will have
to be tested daily before going in to work. He is a key worker.
It’s a tad late but two days ago I
started writing a Coronavirus diary. Has anyone else done one? Photographs
would be good too, if we could get out to take them.
I envy you living on Sark,
Howard. Only been there once, a long time ago, probably late 80’s, staying for
2 weeks on Guernsey with the kids with a very
old Morris Oxford that kept breaking down. The tides were not favourable for
going over to Herm, but we made it to Sark one
day and it was memorable. We just did the touristy horse and cart ride. Seen
stuff on the telly since, including Island Parish and the film “Guernsey Potato
Peel Pie Society”.
All for now. Love to everyone. Keep well,
Pat
Anne
10 May 2020
Hello
everyone
Yes, I
had also been thinking along the same lines as Sylvia as to why the flow of emails
had suddenly dried up. The situation is becoming more normal so we don't feel
the need to report on our doings. We have our little routines and are adapting
to the restrictions. As I write, or maybe already reported, your leader has
been telling you what the next stage is.
A very
interesting comment in the latest Guardian Weekly: those countries where the
crisis was tackled better and where the casualties are proportionally lower all
have female heads of state: Finland,
Denmark, Norway, Iceland,
Germany, New Zealand and Taiwan - does this tell us
something?
Sue, I
found your account of the situation in NZ very interesting, of course NZ is a
smaller country, as are the Scandinavian countries, and the island of Sark,
and a more scattered population. Big cities seem to come off worst generally.
Jane, I
love your grumps. Ange, I love your painted frame for the poem, you are very
talented. Pat, good to hear your garden is in good shape now I wish mine
was. Can you send your son over here?
Yesterday
was a lovely day and in the afternoon I met up with my friend in a small town
nearby - we felt very bold. First of all we went to a nursery garden where I
bought a lovely plant , Diplodenia, for my new terrace. Then we went to the ice
cream parlour and bought icecreams which we ate sitting on a bench in the
market square - very daring. Then we went for a walk in the forest nearby. An
almost normal day except we had to wear masks in the shops and keep our
distance when sitting and walking. However, I just hope people won't rush
things too much. The dreaded "R" factor has already gone up to over 1
when it was 0.7 last week. I think the idea of football matches taking place
again, even without spectators, is quite stupid.
What I
also don't understand are all the comments about how Germany has managed to keep the
number of infected people and deaths so low by intensive testing. I only know
one person who has been tested, because she is in charge of 3 Kindergartens.
She managed to get tested by her GP right at the early stages of the lockdown
and had the results within 24 hours I think. Otherwise one hears about people
who have had a test done and have to wait days if not weeks for the result. I
really wouldn't know where to go to have a test done, there is no propaganda put
out telling one to be tested or where to go.
Today
was Mother's Day in Germany.
Our local hostelry had a special menu which could be ordered in advance and
picked up to take home. A neighbour and I decided to take up this offer and we
ate on my new terrace enjoying this new freedom.
I note
that you now have a new command: Stay alert, so you just do that! Take care and
don't rush things, and keep those mails coming in.
Perhaps
we should not send the whole lot every time we reply ? I have deleted the earlier
mails.
Love to
all, Anne
