Daily Archives: 01/05/2020

Covid-19

Lock-Down U.K. Day 39

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Day 39 Friday 1st May

May Day has always been a day for festivities and frolics. In Scotland and Ireland it was Beltane, the beginning of the summer, when cattle and sheep were led up to the hills, to their summer pastures. Various ceremonies and rituals were performed to ensure their safety. Something similar still survives in Switzerland and Austria.

In England, the festivities traditionally centred around the Maypole and crowning the Queen of May. Both traditions were frowned upon by the Puritans in c17th. Many village maypoles were cut down at that time.

In modern day Britain we have invented a new folk dance, “The Physically Distanced Queuing Shuffle”. It is very simple to learn. In the approved version you do not take your partner. You line up in the car park of a supermarket the regulation two metres apart, ideally with a trolley. On the signal of the security guard everyone (except those who have become engrossed with something on their phone) start to shuffle forward, until the security guard says stop. At some point one person will make the traditional call to the phonees “Oi mate wake up the queue’s moving”. Upon hearing this the phonee will immediately run forward to their proper position in the queue. The dance then repeats until you have entered the shop.

The Physically Distanced Queueing Shuffle

Inside the shop a different dance takes place. It is less formal. The best way to describe it would be a chaotic gavotte, where everyone dances around each other, trying, but failing to remain two metres apart. Between them they could replace maypole dancing and Morris dancing on May Day.

Bedroom

Things are progressing. We have wallpaper, we have paint, we need to apply it to the walls, and we will be finished. More or less, unless we change our minds.

We spent most of the afternoon in B&Q buying the stuff. Not a lot of fun. I do however approve of what we had for supper. Charlie Birgam’s meals are not particularly cheap, but they are very good. I thought the lasagne we had tonight was excellent.

Happy May Day

Covid-19

Lock-Down U.K. Days 37 & 38

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Day 37 Wednesday 29th April

I might be running out of things to write about. Today seemed pretty much like yesterday, except it didn’t rain (as much). Work is still strange. I’m sort of getting used to not having anyone around, but today’s first inspection in an office building that normally has around five hundred people, now reduced to a couple of security guards, and a facilities engineer, felt very strange. It does have the advantage of there being no one to get in the way. They are not a shipping company, an underwater infrastructure builder, would describe them better. They had some good models of their ships on display.

Seven Artic — a pipe laying vessel
Bedroom

The plaster on the ceiling has dried and the ceiling has been painted, white for the time being, until we change / make up our minds.

Other News

Our Prime Minister’s girlfriend (fiancé?) has produced a child. Probably the first time that a Prime Minister has fathered an acknowledged out-wedlock child. Possibly he didn’t have much choice this time.

The official UK Covid-19 death toll has increased by 4,419 after the government included deaths outside hospital for the first time.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, total of 26,097 patients had died in hospitals, care homes and the wider community after testing positive for coronavirus in the UK, according to Public Health England.

Guardian Website

This is considered a success by our government.

Day 38 Thursday 30th April

The 30th of April was just another day, until four years ago. Four years ago it became the day that Grace died. My life has changed a lot in the last four years. It has gone from a feeling of complete and utter desolation, and not knowing what I wanted from my life. If I even wanted my life to carry on, to today when I can look forward to a future with Diane.

We went to visit Grace’s grave and leave some flowers, purple lisianthus, because Grace always liked them. There were a few tears from both of us, but we have each other now, and, especially at this time that means a lot.

I am thankful, that this pandemic was not happening four years ago. It would have been absolutely horrendous if Grace had needed to spend the last weeks of her life without being able to see her family and her friends for the last time. Anyone who finds themselves in that situation today has my complete sympathy.