Saturday May 16.
So here I am (in week 7 of lockdown, or is 8?), feeling a little lethargic (today is a strange cool, slightly windy day with strains of sunshine). 33 years since that day at St George’s when Rebecka was born. 33 years, incredible.
Yesterday though was special. I took Joe out for a socially distanced bike ride to St Nicks. We have seen him a couple of times since #LockdownBritain (a phrase Joe gets very frustrated with Granny — it’s ‘just Lockdown Granna’). But each time is so precious; a small flavour of how he grows up. We cycled over the the Stray near the Uni, up and into Tang Hall to St Nicks. He loved showing me the stone circle, supping his hot chocolate (‘Granny always does my hot chocolate the right temperature’), telling me stories about owls and how they don’t twit-twoo (the male twits, the female twoos!).
We explored St Nicks walking down to the beck through the lovely pathways in the woods (how such an incredible piece of nature exists so close to the centre of city is something of a miracle) and then made our way up to Derwenthorpe for a picnic lunch of tuna ciabattas, chocolate brioche and cheese and onion crisps before returning home.
A grand total of 6.68 miles apparently said Joe as we arrived back, so proud and pleased with his bike computer! We did both socially distance although in honesty, taking care of him at traffic lights on large junctions means you perhaps go a bit closer than the official guidance.
These though are the moments that are so special. Most days are fine, we are managing really well (moreover we are bloody lucky to have the green space, the house, the city) but all the same it can feel a little bit groundhog … wake up, go for a run (if you are sufficiently motivated), log on to work, do what seems like back to back meetings on Teams/Zoom/Skype and then eat, watch TV and sleep. And then the weekend, some gardening, cleaning out the hens, read, sleep/doze! Even when the sun shines (which it isn’t really doing today), these days can feel a little flat. And make you feel a little sad. Not just for those who are going through loss, grief, or working in incredibly risky situations but just because human beings are intended to be social creatures and without that social interaction, life isn’t the same (even when we can connect through tech).
Nature continues to be a thrill. The ducks continue to pop back every day, if anything they seem to be permanent fixtures. Slightly worryingly, we haven’t seen the fish in the pond for the last few days — whether that is due to them stirring up the pond with their vigorous swimming (or shagging) or if it is due to them eating the fish remains to be seen. Either way, they have been a welcome addition to the back garden.
Earlier in the week, we had a large urban gull which collided with the wall, got stuck in the rose bush, eventually got unstuck, fell on the ground upside down and then gradually found its feet but stayed around that evening right outside the back door. I confess I wasn’t sure what I’d do if the gull had stayed permanently but it did fly off the next day. Squirrels — and baby squirrels — pootle around. I confess I don’t like them — rats with tails. Sadly Alyaz is still looking disturbingly unwell … she ‘can’ move about but huddles up next to the wall. I don’t want to take her to the vet as I know he will prescribe euthanasia but the flip side is she doesn’t seem to have much quality of life. I keep on hoping she may re-emerge with some zest.
Otherwise, the political ramifications continue (Britain is seemingly the worst country at handling the crisis across Europe or perhaps even the world?). But the general population still seem in favour of how they handle what seems a form of unintended/intended eugenics. Football is back in Germany, in empty stadiums, where echos can be heard, where bumping elbows is in vogue and celebrations seem bizarrely hollow. Interestingly, no T-shirts thanking our key workers — when Premier League football is back, I almost guarantee that will happen. There still seems some way to go before that happens and I still think they can’t play out the season, but money trumps everything so it probably will. The naked self-interest of football is never so marked as playing in an empty soulless stadium. Or perhaps in the sovereign state of Saudi Arabia taking over Newcastle United.
Who knows what comes next week?
