Day 390 - Lockdown Easing - Stage Two

Day 390...

Today saw the start of 'stage two' of our governments 'roadmap out of lockdown' which means that personal services can resume, non-essential shops can open and hospitality can operate outside only. Although social distancing, masks and track & trace all still apply...so yes we can do more but we effectively still have 'one hand tied behind our backs' so to speak.

But as it was Monday we still had the usual morning job of collecting our weekly grocery shop which also involved dropping a few bits and pieces off at my dads as he is still without a car.

We then had the helmet that Simon had made last week to post off before we made our way into one of our closest cities, Nottingham. We decided that we would venture into the city and just see what the day brought, with no expectations other than to have a walk and perhaps grab a coffee.

We were curious to see just how far we would walk on a trip to an urban area and whilst it was a more relaxed and gentler paced walk than our usual countryside walks we still managed 4.12 miles. Thankfully we had a dry and sunny day, if a little chilly at times, and were able to meander around the city and take in the sights and sounds that we have not been able to do in such a long time.

Nottingham City Centre

Enjoying a coffee on a walkabout

The city was quite busy and it was lovely to be back out amongst people and to soak up the atmosphere that a city has to offer. We have loved walking over the fields on our doorstep but it was so good to be back in a city and just wander.

As we had expected there were some shops that had ridiculously long lines and although I would have loved to have popped in and seen what was on offer (especially Disney stuff) we really weren't that desperate! So we walked and picked up a coffee and were pleasantly surprised to see the amount of work being carried out on new buildings and remarked on the changes since we had last visited. 

I remember Molly and I visiting the city last August but it will be over a year since Simon and I have visited together and it was just lovely to be back and doing something a little closer to normal and to simply soak up the surroundings. It was sad to see a large number of shop fronts all boarded up and empty and it will be interesting to see going forward which venues survive and whether these unused shops will ever get filled again.

But we did manage to get a little shopping done...well it would have been rude not to have taken advantage of a special offer at Hotel Chocolat...

And then when we discovered we could walk straight into the Disney Store we just had to have a look around and although there wasn't really anything that took my fancy we couldn't not pick up a Star Wars figure for Simon...

The Mandalorian, already set-up on Simon's work desk.

Although I did get to choose the shopping bag!

Something suitably girly...princesses!

As we came home we stopped by an out of town 'DIY' store to look at some fencing as we need to replace some trellis panels; although we went in with one idea and think we may have left with something different...still in research phase though.

Once home we had a coffee and just spent some time chilling in the back garden as the sun was shining and it was actually quite pleasant. Simon has been doing some more digital drawing and just tonight was lamenting missing our regular life drawing class, Dr Sketchy's, and how we are so looking forward to hanging out with people we haven't seen for way too long now, and giving them a big hug when we do. While Simon got arty I managed a little more reading of my Gary Taubes book 'The Case for Keto'.

And then another almost normal event today was taking Molly to her kickboxing class...the first time since before Christmas! And although they are not allowed any contact at least they can now train in a proper gym kitted out for their sport.

The day was rounded out by making martini's...I had read up that vodka and gin martini's were both good low carb alcoholic drink options and had decided to give them a go! Actually both worked really well and then Simon discovered a Smokey Martini made with gin and whiskey!

Best stop typing now!!

Take care - cheers!
xx

Sometimes it Snows in April

Day 383...

So to quote from one of my all time favourite Prince tracks 'Sometimes it Snows in April' is how the day started...all be it a few flurries that didn't last for very long. But the day was bright, sunny and noticeably much colder than the last few days.

First job of the day was to go and fetch the weekly grocery shop and then on the way home to drop off the groceries for my dad that we had added onto our order.

Whilst I put all the shopping away Simon had a phone call to return which now means that we have new flooring for our living room, Simon's office area and our bedroom on order.

We then ventured out into the sun and cold and boy was it chilly, especially as we turned towards home and found ourselves walking into the wind. We completed the same walk we had done on Saturday but this time in reverse, managing 3.9 miles in one hour and 16 minutes. We were very glad of, and in need of, a hot coffee by the time we got home.

After a spot of lunch Simon ventured into the garage to start the process of molding a Mandalorian helmet as he had received an order in the last few days and wanted to get the casting underway today. I decided to complete another round of the garden pulling up weeds which thankfully wasn't too onerous a job today just one I need to keep on top of.

We then had the excitement of our new steam mop being delivered which resulted in floors and the bathroom getting 'steamed' by Simon!

So late this afternoon we received the news that our government's 'roadmap out of lockdown' will proceed as planned seeing the next lot of restrictions lifted on Monday 12th April. This will mean that non-essential retail and personal services can re-open and pubs and restaurants can open for outdoor dining only. This is great news even if all the now usual 'covid secure' measures will still have to be in place; the wearing of masks, hand sanitising and keeping socially distant. Both Simon and I have hair appointments booked in, although I will still have to wait until mid-May for mine to come around.

And here in lies the dilema as we start to get our lives back; we are still going to have to live with some restrictions for some time to come. Will a trip to the shops be as fun if numbers in side shops are limited, if masks are needed everywhere you go and you can only grab that coffee and cake if there's somewhere to sit outside to eat them (and this obviously assumes that the British weather is going to be kind all the time!!).

We are now free to go on holiday in England...in a self contained unit...with members of your own household. So, basically that's like being at home, like it has been for the past year but just re-located to somewhere else...mmm...perhaps going away with those we have not been able to escape from over the last 12 months is not what we are all really longing to do!!

And now we are being told we can all get tested twice a week for free and that we can get the tests sent to us in the post. So easy, so convenient...but why? If you have no symptoms why would you want, sorry need, to take a test? Surely the more tests that are carried out the more 'cases' will be found because all tests, no matter which sort, have a false positive rate. If millions of people suddenly start testing themselves twice a week the 'case' numbers will appear, but with no follow-up diagnostic analysis how do we know if these 'cases' are actual cases or simply a statistical anomaly.

And then don't get me started on 'vaccine passports' or what was it being referred to as today?...'Covid Certification'...why does this feel like the start of a slippery slope towards 'ID papers', towards big companies knowing more and more information about us and having more and more control over what we do, when, with whom and how. Last time I checked we lived in a democratic society where my private medical information was just that...private to me. Why should those who have not yet been vaccinated or choose not to be vaccinated suddenly find their lives impeded? Why are we being made to feel like we are at fault if we choose not to, or are unable to, take up the vaccine? 

We are dealing with a respiratory virus that has a death rate of well below 1% and that affects the very elderly and those with existing comorbidities in the overwhelming vast majority of cases. Yet the whole world is now petrified of getting something that most of us will be able to get over and may not even know we have had. The whole world is shaming any of us that dare stray from the scare mongering and fear narrative that we are being fed by the media each and every day. There are scientists out there trying to present an alternative view that are simply not being given any opportunity to do so. And the whole world seems ready to give up their lives as they once knew them, along with their freedoms, their liberties and just accept the one message being pumped into our homes every day.

Covid is real, it is out there and we need to accept that and learn to live with it but we can't let it rule our lives and stop us from doing the things that we love. I, for one, would like a holiday abroad, would like to see a band in concert, attend a burlesque evening and more importantly see my friends and give them a hug. Are we going to let one mind set stop us from living the only life we have? 

Open up the discussion, let's hear all view points and prove that this is not an opportunity for those with power and money and data to get even more control over us.

Take care.
xx