In 2020 there was an outbreak of 'flu. It started in China, and by March 2020 the WHO labelled it a pandemic.
The UK government's response was to restrict people's activities in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. These policies meant many people, myself included, were unable to go to work.
I decided I should spend some of my spare time writing this journal. There will be no theme to individual entries; just whatever I feel like writing. The images are (with a few obvious exceptions) taken within a half mile radius of our house.
- Details
Saturday 25 July marked the first day the gym was open after 125 days of being closed. Perhaps you would expect a party for such an occasion, but no. There were approximately 15 gymnasts and 2 coaches in a room large enough to take 80 gymnasts. Everyone was on their best behaviour, with far less excitement than you would expect.
The session was quite different to the ones we used to run; the gymnasts were spread out across the room and everyone is expected to help disinfect apparatus when we move on to the next piece. The gymnasts themselves seemed able to perform far more than I was expecting. We will see how they feel the next day!
After the session I was surprised at how normal it all seemed to be back. I am working about 25% of the hours I was before lock-down. These hours will increase gradually over the coming weeks.
When we closed the gym, I never expected to be out for so long. It will take us a long time now to re-build things. Of course, there are many businesses that have folded over the last weeks and I am sure many more that will close in the coming weeks. I gather many leisure centres are still closed.
Back at home, the chillies are looking good, and the allotment is really beginning to produce for us. The weather is not particularly summery; it's windy.
- Details
British holiday makers in Spain got a shock when the UK government removed the country from the "safe list". This means they will have to self isolate for 14 days when they return. There were complaints of not enough notice. People have already forgotten some people had 2 hours notice when we shut down. There are other countries heading toward the "banned list". I can't see where we are going with this.
We are still walking the dog on Wednesday evening. We sometimes meet people we know on these walks; the novelty of talking face to face has yet to wear off. I am waiting for the topic of conversation to diversify though!
It rained quite heavily this week. The allotment responded the next day. I have picked buckets of French beans and several large cauliflowers. The grass has greened up as well. I can see I will need to cut it soon.
The adults' gymnastics sessions restarted on Thursday morning. It was great to see people again. Many of the attendees feel the measures we use to prevent the spread of Covid may not be effective. We wipe the things we have used with disinfectant as much as we can after the session. We have to do something, and I feel following "government guidelines" may be the best thing to do when I do not really understand how to deal with this.
I am teaching the Hawth boys three times per week. Thursday was the third session I have had with them. They are still so excited to be back in the gym; everything is new and fun. This is the "honeymoon period" I guess. How long does it last?
- Details
The last trip to Sainsbury's was incredibly busy. There was a minimal queue to get in, but there were too may people inside. Social distancing was impossible, and I had to queue to get out (using scan as you go). I would rather queue outside than suffer the crowds inside then queue to get out. This visit was later in the day on a Friday before a sunny weekend. I need to get in earlier in the day to avoid the crowds.
In general, this has been one of the coldest Julys we have recorded, but 31 July was one of the warmest days we have ever had in July, the maximum was 31 degrees and the minimum was over 20 degrees. I am sure the beaches were packed, but we know better than to go.
The tomatoes are loving the weather this year. We are eating tomato salad daily. Lunches have taken on a very posh feel; no more cheese sandwiches for the present.
I suspect we will have a stay-cation this year. We will enjoy every weekend like we are on holiday. We had a barbecue on Saturday evening.
As people look back on the decisions made by the Government over the last few months, there is criticism that we did not close our borders sooner. It should be easy for us, an island, to keep novel diseases at bay. The decision not to close our borders in March (when most other countries implemented stricter border controls) is especially weird considering the Brexit philosophy of separating from Europe to limit immigration.