Most of today has been a day of getting through it.
I slept badly, walking up from 4.30am. I’m not an early morning person by nature. Around 7am is generally the best I can do to have a reasonable day. 4.30am is not a good way to start the day.
I managed to doze little to finally get up in a pretty filthy mood. My musings from yesterday sit there, already a distant memory.
I feel trapped. I feel bored. I feel frustrated.
That’s where the afternoon nap came in after a walk through a few Dulwich parks. I find a nap an answer to many things even when I don’t know what the question is. I’ve woken up in a better mood.
There’s lots of speculation about lockdown rules being tweaked. There’s talk of expanding ‘bubbles’. Separate bubbles is a good way to describe how we’re all living now. My bubble is my own as it is for many of us, others are families, couples, houseshares. There’s now a story doing the rounds about the bubble and its power.
The story goes –
There was a dad walking down the street with his three kids. Sometimes the kids are boys, sometimes girls, sometimes a mix. The kids were doing what kids do and were all over the place, making it impossible for anyone to pass at an appropriate distance. Someone was walking towards them. Dad clocks this person and then yells to the kids, ‘bubble formation’. The kids cluster together, giving the stranger enough room to pass. Sometimes included in the story is the final bit which I’m not so much a fan of …The dad looks at the stranger, nods, and says ‘That’s discipline’.
So, the bubble. The rumour is that we may be able to expand our bubble to up to 10 people – friends, family, partners living in other homes. And once you’re in your expanded bubble, that’s who you stick with.
But this may be some time off. The numbers keep rising, another 813 deaths in hospitals across the UK bringing the total to over 20,000. The actual numbers will be so much worse once virus related deaths and those at home become part of the formal count. I’m not sure why the figures from the Department of Health and Social Care aren’t including these figures, even with the timelags for deaths registrations. We don’t have the full picture. We only have the stories, from paramedics, from care homes, some limited figures, to give us some glimpse of the true horror.
Strange times.
I want a change of scenery. I want to see the sea. I want to see the countryside. I want to see friends.
For now, I’ll satisfy myself with walks in parks and my local woods. With daily walks and a once or twice a week trip to the shops for essentials, chats with my neighbours, phone calls, video chats. At least I have that and count myself grateful for a lovely quiet street where the dominant sounds these days are birds, neighbours chatting, and sometimes children playing in their family bubbles. I don’t have noisy neighbours. I don’t have neighbours having parties or BBQs with friends and family over despite the glorious warmth and sunshine. Thank you dear neighbours.
So that’s it for Day 33. Stay safe, stay well, and stay home!