Groundhog Day

I think my new least favourite term is “New Normal” followed closely by “Unprecedented Times.”

Yes, I get this is not normal. Three weeks in, it’s rapidly becoming normal but let’s be honest, it’s a bit dull.

As griping as the one topic of conversation and the leaderboard of deaths are, it would be nice to talk about something else!

On one hand, I wish I lived in Germany as they seem to have better testing facilities, then on the other hand, Sweden seem to be going to restaurants, bars and schools without dying so they’re probably having more fun. France and Italy are still dropping like flies despite complete lockdown so who knows what’s working?

Eat, sleep, work and repeat!

 

 

The two metre stick

Yesterday we met a lady with a two metre stick. She was standing outside the local bakery and had a hint of the eccentric about her. Mind you, increasingly these days I can see the benefit of have a big stick to poke a few people so might have to find one of my own soon!

This morning a man was standing outside with a large sign telling people how selfish they were to be outside. Seems like he was being more selfish by standing outside telling them, at least they were there to buy bread…

And so the madness begins!

 

 

Two weeks

It’s the end of two weeks and social distancing has become the new normal. What an adaptable species you humans are!

Working from home continues to go well with a flexible schedule to allow time to exercise and do P.E with Joe, a relaxed lunch hour and then an early finish to allow time to cook, enjoy an aperitif and have a bit of a dance in the kitchen starting with my nightly rendition of Solitary huMan. Personally I’m really quite enjoying it and might even prefer this to going into an office.

On the home front we have been busy moving along with the Gentleman’s Club (aka Red Room/Panic Room) and I have taken over kitchen installation as the fitters are isolating. So far I have installed drawers and shelves and am planning on hanging a door and installing the knobs so we can even open the drawers!

And today my Coronavirus impulse buy of a new heavy-duty sewing machine arrived. Intended for upholstery, it will fuel my “make do and mend” mentality as I can turn all my old clothes into new and exciting fashion choices for the summer… as if, let’s see if it makes it out of the box!

So with all that going on, as well as full-time work, walking the dog and maintaining a good dress sense, there’s not much time to think about the doom and gloom of the statistics.

Happy inside.

 

Two metre shopping

This morning I went out on my bike for a few essential supplies.

Shopping now means standing outside a shop on lines marked two metres apart as customers enter one by one (a maximum of two).

In order to pay, customers stand on lines two metres apart where a person wearing a face mask, sunglasses and latex gloves doesn’t touch anything.

I wore my beige cycling mask which makes me look like half my face is missing so I was perfectly dressed for the occasion!

Funny how it’s all becoming quite normal.

Routine workout

On a lighter note, this morning we started what is going to have to become our new morning routine, P.E. with Joe.

At 9am every morning, The Body Coach Joe Wicks is live streaming thirty minutes of personal training and so it seemed like a great idea to give it a try.

Over 900,000 people joined in online and as we jumped around and stretched in the kitchen with heart rates lifted and sedentary muscles a little surprised, suddenly we were positive, energised and ready to face the day.

Tomorrow we’re busting out the lycra and really going for it. Maybe we’ll be ready for bikini season after all, even if it’s in the kitchen!

Lockdown in London

Well, so much for waking up and finding it was all a dream!

Today is the first day of proper lockdown in London and the rest of the UK and it will be interesting to see what happens next.

It’s a lovely sunny Spring day, the clocks go forward this weekend, and the British,  particularly Londoners who don’t have gardens, take to the parks.

I have never seen so many joggers so perhaps there’s hope for obesity but what concerns me the most will be the closure of the parks so we can’t walk Agnes.

I went out at 6:30am this morning before the joggers had arrived and managed to give Agnes some time alone. The vibe is certainly different as people have stopped saying good morning and instead veer madly off the path to stay the obligatory two metres apart. But not everyone’s doing it and I worry that further measures will be taken…

 

All patched up

The trauma of Friday seems like a long time ago as the central heating is repaired and the floor is patched up. It’s almost like it never happened. Almost.

All we need now is to wake up and find that Coronavirus was just a dream or a big global hoax and we can all get back to doing what we do, just with more awareness and of course, in a more responsible, sustainable way.

Wouldn’t that be nice?