Pros and cons

In some respects, travel has returned to the way it used to be, or perhaps should be.

Quiet airports, a dignified silence, a cleanliness not seen for years, partially empty flights and the list goes on. So you have to wear a face mask and use hand sanitizer, seems like a small price to pay to escape the rabble of summer travellers in the UK!

Of course it’s terrible for the airlines, the holiday and travel industry, the cheap flights and package deals but then again, is it?

It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for travel. Will we go from face masks to hazmat suits and oxygen tanks? It’s certainly hard to imagine going beyond Europe these days.

House Arrest

After a two week sojourn in London where I completely self-isolated except for essential food shopping and a haircut, it was time to return to France for the last hurrah of the summer and sort the house out for the winter tenant.

We’ve been waiting for the French to announce a reciprocal quarantine but it seems they’ve been sensible and have accepted it’s not realistic and, in the case of the UK, completely unenforced.

I’m optimistic I won’t be under house arrest in France where they would be round every day to check up on you.

I’m also hopeful that I’ll be able to travel without any complications and without being exposed to rising Covid numbers in the South of France. The fun continues.

At least I’m not on the trains today!

It’s all white

Five months ago I had a haircut.

It was a very long time ago and while I was tempted to have a go at self mutilation (cutting my own hair) or a home dye job to attempt to colour the little grey hat which sat rather too comfortably on top of my head, I resisted the temptation and I was glad I did.

With five months of regrowth under my belt, I decided to embrace the grey or at least try to. This week I was finally able to get my hair cut and coloured. What a relief!

Three inches of dry straw were chopped off the bottom and rather than attempt to cover the grey, I went for a whiter shade rather than gold and I’m quite pleased. My hair is quite white at the front and darker at the back, it’s a little Devil Wears Prada (or Cruella de Ville) but I’m thinking more along the lines of natural hair colour or free highlights.

Let’s see when I get my next appointment.

The best laid plans

And so with all things Covid and 2020, plans are made to be changed.

I returned to London a week ago. Big T stayed in France. It was all a bit complicated but with quarantine changing daily in the UK and possible quarantine in France, it wasn’t worth Big T taking the risk.

So far the French have kept their side of the bargain and haven’t introduced a reciprocal quarantine but who knows what could happen this week.

I am due to return to France next weekend where we’ll stay until the end of September to get the house ready for the winter tenant and enjoy the last of the summer freedom. Unless something changes of course.

After that, it will be the winter of discontent I’m sure!

Good grief it’s August!

Suddenly it’s August and time is running out fast.

I have been busy (and stressed) with work, we had four action-packed days with family staying, we have rented the house to a new tenant for the winter (unless she gets cold feet) and we have an Airbnb booking starting on the 15th which means we’re heading to London on the train on the 16th.

It’s a lot and needless to say, there’s a lot to be done.

And as before, the future is unknown.

Are we heading back to another lockdown? Or quarantine? Or will France be on the banned list so we won’t be able to get back?

The fun continues especially as the pool has remained stubbornly cloudy for the past ten days which has seriously tested my mettle. Quite frankly, what hasn’t this year?

And so on to vacuum bags to avoid mouldy bedding…