Confinement Notes
Out for my allotted walk early Friday morning, I made a sharp dive left into the bushes to put plenty of space between me and an older lady and her whippet.
"Thank you for distancing!" she called out cheerily.
It was ace to get thanked for something that's previously been called a character flaw, ha ha ha.
So, comrades. How are you? I always mean that sincerely, but I mean it even more now. I hope you and your families are okay.
I've been at home since the 14th, and the UK has been on lockdown for a week now. On the surface it would appear not much has changed. Gareth's still been out, making whisky for the future. I've been working from home as usual.
But like everyone, it's a daily trot through an encyclopedia of emotions. An undercurrent of unease, hope, worry, gratitude.
It feels strange that for many of us our primary task right now is to stay home, when so many have to go out to work at great risk, to help those suffering and to keep the wheels turning for the rest of us. Not to mention those that don't have the luxury of somewhere to shelter, nor water to frequently wash their hands.
So my head is a mush of feelings and I appreciate the indulgence of these wafflings. But this old blog feels like a calmer place than social media. I spent an hour this morning catching up with the everyday lives of blog pals in my Feedly reader like it was 2005. The quietness of it felt good.
Notes from the last two weeks
Activities:
Working, haphazardly at best
Distractibaking: hot cross buns, malted chocolate chip cookies, bread rolls
Zooming of friends, especially the extroverts
Reading articles on How To Work From Home, despite having worked from home for the past six years
Sternly instructing mother-in-law to stay inside ("Oh yeah, and happy Mother's Day too!")
2/3 of a Zoom yoga class (watched the rest from on the couch with a cuppa).
Soothing things:
Jacinda Ardern's clear communication
Sam Neill reading poems and bedtime stories
Neil Finn's daily mini concerts. Perfectly imperfect with the tunes you know and love.
(Whoa dude... three calming Kiwis!)
If anyone is out there... how are things in your corner of the world? Let me know how you are doing today. This hour, even, as things are subject to change!
P.S. If you need a smile: Aussie Astrophysicist gets magnets stuck up nose while inventing coronavirus device.
