434: Lockdown Week 6

Negatives

1.  Another two weeks are about to be added to the quarantine, making almost two months (so far). It strikes me that prisoners get time off for good behaviour, whereas we're getting time added on! If they'd said two months at the beginning I think they may have had a mutiny on their hands.

2.  It has been raining, it is raining and it promises to be raining for most of this week. Nice! Not! I suppose it doesn't matter if we're indoors anyway. Miss the sunshine.

3.  The mosquito season has started and at least one of them did a few circuits of my bedroom last night. Thankfully I have king-size sheets on a double bed so can just pull the sheet up over my head and practice being in a morgue. 

4.   Even with all this extra time on my hands I still find there aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I would like to. Most days I end up with more on the to-do list than when I started the day. (I suppose, intrinsically, I'm just an idle bugger) 

Let's see if I can't balance the Yin and Yang.

Positives

1.    I'm spending more face-to-face on-line time with both family and friends.

2.   I'm slowly improving my Spanish - despite no longer having the same opportunities to speak it.

3.   The Spanish language database I have designed and am developing is slowly progressing. Will it ever be ready to sell and make me a multi-millionaire? Perhaps not.

4.   There is a glimmer of hope with the quarantine. I read that Regional governors are pressing Sanchez to allow us out for some exercise (like people can do in many other countries). Children are apparently going to be allowed out from 27th April. I might be asking friends if I can borrow a few! It must have been hell for those with no garden to play in. Registered coronavirus deaths are finally below 400, although weekend totals are notoriously inaccurate. Last Thursday I sneaked in a little 'expedition' to the local Lidl. It is 1km from here. I enjoyed the walk so much that I'm going to do it again next Thursday! 

And now for the odd cock a snook (British informal) at the coronavirus. I'm sure you will have seen a few of them but hopefully there is something new here for you:

Three video clips today:

Hello Mama, Hello Papa - prompted because of the rain in Spain this week

On the eve of destruction - prompted because of coronavirus (I know it's an anti-war song, but the title sounded right)

Mountbatten Military Music festival 2020 - from The Royal Albert Hall - stirring stuff

433:Lockdown Week 5

Greetings fellow hermits! How are you coping with the monotony? It seems that every time you fix your mind on an end date they move the goal-posts and you find yourself 'banged up' for another two weeks.

I can see the sense of quarantine, and self-isolation, and social-distancing. But I can't really see the sense of not being allowed out for a (long) walk. I would be on my own, neither passing, nor receiving, the dreaded virus. Perhaps after the next planned lockdown end date... "From that moment on, the relaxation [of the confinement orders] will happen progressively so that citizens can begin, in an orderly fashion, to return to normal life, to the streets, to the public squares.” Spanish Government spokesman on 8th April.

Happy Easter.

It's Easter Sunday today, at least in the Christian calendar. In the Russian Orthodox church, which has Easter on a different date because they still use the Julian calendar instead of the Gregorian one that 'we' use, today is вербное воскресенье or pussy-willow Sunday, the first day of their Holy Week.

The message is the same: Jesus Christ has risen from the grave.

More pictures than words this time, 1) because I have so many of them and they just keep on coming, 2) because it's getting harder and harder to find themes to write about when I'm stuck indoors all day and every day and 3) because it's time to cook dinner! 

 

432: Lockdown Week 4

Week 4, already the stay-at-home regime feels like the new "normal". What was life like before? Who can remember? I had my 69th birthday on Thursday of last week. Many of my friends on FB were kind enough to wish me Happy Birthday and some even visited me in "Des's virtual pub". It was nice to see, and talk to, some people I hadn't seen for years. Perversely, this lockdown is bringing us closer together - although no touching/hugging/kissing is allowed.

I have the utmost admiration and respect for those people who still have to go to work, to keep the world turning: nurses & doctors and all emergency services including the military, food shop staff & delivery people, care home workers, people working in public transport, postal workers and so on - the list of 'key' workers is long. Not all of them have the correct PPE (personal protective equipment), which is scandalous. Even with PPE they are putting themselves "in harm's way" and I applaud them all for that. I've heard that in UK people applaud key workers, especially NHS staff, every Thursday evening. Here in Spain, the applause rings out from the balconies every single night. 

I'm also very aware of those enduring lockdown with difficulty. This post, from a friend of mine on FB, seems to sum it up nicely. "My sobbing 6 year old daughter: 'Mummy, I just want a normal day'. So do I, my darling, so do I." 

We are allowed to go shopping and usually, and sensibly, I go to the closest supermarket - about 200 metres away. Yesterday I sneaked out early, shopping bag in hand, to venture a little further for my favourite bread. The streets were deserted but there was evidence that the rubbish containers, which are almost on every street corner, had been disinfected. More key workers. I did some 'panic buying' and bought three loaves. They went straight into the freezer and will last me for weeks saving me another trip to that particular shop.

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, the beginning of hol(ida)y week when Salou would normally be waking up from its long Winter hibernation and getting ready for an influx of rowdy tourists. It will have to sleep a while longer I'm afraid. 

Talking, briefly, about Religion, many (most?) Christians will believe that the corona virus is the work of God and He has chosen to inflict this on mankind at this time. For myself I wonder how closely He has chosen to micro-manage the spread of the virus or has he just thrown us a fast ball and is sitting back watching how we deal with it. Enough theology.

Have you noticed that after even a simple sneeze, or a single cough, the irrational part of your brain cuts in and says "oh-huh, this is it and I'm going to die!". Thankfully, logic prevails.

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, warned that an eventual return to normality would "not be easy" and that a new world awaited. "The world that is coming, in which we are already, will not be like yesterday, but even less will be like the day before yesterday." 

While we're looking forward to tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, here are a few more jokes/GIFs/Memes that I've come across on the internet and saved for your delectation. Enjoy. 

431: Lockdown Week 3

Just beginning week three of our lockdown here in Spain. I suspect that governments around the world were trying to break us in gently when they 'suggested' a 2-3 week lockdown. I'm beginning to think 2-3 months might be nearer the truth. Mustn't complain though as it's keeping us safe (I hope). 

The clocks went forward this morning (Spring forward, Fall back). Got up at my usual time of 6.30ish and realized that if I hadn't put the clocks forward it would only be 5:30ish. Early even for me.

I heard birds singing when I woke up and thought how lucky they were - they can fly about as they please! 

Two Skype video calls today, one with the members of the local bible study group, bolstered by the addition of cousin Raymond, and the other with my family in UK. Two secrets to making Skype video calls - you can wear what you want on the bottom half, or even nothing at all, unless you mess up the camera angle!, and you can put what you want in the coffee mug and nobody will know what you're really drinking. I've set up a group called 'Des's virtual pub' which I will activate on my birthday, Thursday 2nd April. I will put a link on Face Book, please feel free to dip in and out during the day to wish me happy birthday. You'll have to bring your own drinks I'm afraid, but you will get to meet a nice class of people. 😇

Went shopping yesterday. I used to go once every two or three days as then there wasn't so much to carry. Now I'm trying to shop only once a week and just put up with the longer arms I get from carrying heavier bags. Don't like to leave my little bubble unless I absolutely have to. The shelves were full in my local Bon Preu supermarket and I was invited to don some disposable gloves before I could start my shopping. It's quite funny doing the new self-distancing dance - a bit like magnets repelling each other as soon as they get close.

One of the only advantages in these crazy times (it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good) is that many companies are offering 'stuff' for free. The Bolshoi Theatre is streaming live opera and ballet. So far I've watched, and enjoyed, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Next up will be the Tsar's Bride on Wednesday. A reminder to any of you may who have been watching - Russia no longer changes clocks for winter/summer so 19:00 Moscow will be different in your local time zone to what it was last week.  I'm slightly puzzled as to how the dancers and all the staff at the Bolshoi are immune to the effects of the virus currently sweeping the world.

It's Sunday today so a day off from on-line fitness training. Time for a self-isolation party. All three of us will be attending:

430: Lockdown week 2

Last night they sprang a surprise on us. Because we'd all been doing so well under 'house arrest' they rewarded us with another two weeks. Until (at least) 11th April. I have already cancelled my March trip back to UK, now the April one is looking a bit 'iffy'. Too early to decide one way or the other and I will review the situation nearer the time.

Lst night, during the night, I heard a neighbour coughing for what seemed like several minutes. Oh dear, persistent coughing is one of the symptoms of the dreaded virus. Poor guy, I hope he hasn't got it. I shall pray for him. I'm quite pleased that the virus doesn't permeate through walls.

With no longer being allowed to walk outside, other than the short distance to the nearest shops, I was faced with a decision. In order not to pile on the pounds I had to either eat less or, somehow, exercise more. I've already cut out chocolate biscuits and cakes, and, let me tell you, that wasn't easy! The next step was to reduce the size of the portions or even, heaven forbid, cut out or cut down alcohol. In order to avoid either of those 'drastic' 😁steps, I searched You Tube for free workouts to do at home. There are hundreds of them. I chose this one. How could I not: "30 minute, low-impact, fat-burning workout for beginners". I enjoyed it, although I was sweating a bit by the end. Only the scales will tell if it has made a difference and, of course, I mustn't expect miracles after only one session. Nowhere near as powerful as my fellow Spanish student Inesa is doing. I've seen a video of her doing planks and all sorts of other exercises with her 3-year old son is sitting on her stomach or her back. спортсменка!

Here are some more jokes & memes about coronavirus and shortages in the shops. Luckily, at the moment anyway, we don't have shortages in the shops here. Perhaps Spanish people are more responsible than Brits? 

429: Lockdown - purgatory or sanctuary?

I understand, very well, that this current lockdown, here in Spain and most of Europe, may well be purgatory to many people. Especially to those having to entertain fractious children 24/7 or those with no hobbies or no access to the internet. For all those people, and many others, this enforced stay-at-home is probably a nightmare. For those trapped in the wrong place at the wrong time, when lockdown started, life can't be much fun either. All of those groups of people have my sympathy.

Personally, I find it more of a sanctuary, allowing me time to catch up on so many things that I've been meaning to do for ages: trying to progress from basic to intermediate Spanish, spending time developing and improving my Access databases and my web site (i.e re-learning VBA & HTML), keeping in touch with friends and relatives. Not to mention reading books, watching TV and DVDs.

Most importantly, inside my own little bubble, I'm away from that nasty virus that is particularly dangerous for older and vulnerable people (not that I'm in that category yet of course). We're allowed out to go shopping, but I try to restrict such expeditions to perhaps twice a week. I use my balcony, and sun lounger, to catch the sun and top up the Vitamin D. I use the stairs, in my block of flats, to walk up and down to get some exercise and stop muscles and internal organs from atrophying.

Using the stairs worked well - until yesterday. On my 2nd walk past floor 2 an elderly gentleman came out of his flat and started talking to me. I hope he was talking in Catalan, because if he was talking in Spanish I should be ashamed of myself at how little I understood. I did understand that he needed help so I followed him into his flat. There I saw an elderly lady, with tubes in her nose, sitting on the floor. It quickly became obvious that they needed help to get her back onto the settee. The man took one arm and I took the other and we soon had her back where she should be. I left and went back to my flat. As a precaution I not only washed my hands but had a shower and put all my clothes for wash. Overreacting? Probably, but better safe than sorry.

Too much talk. Coronavirus has shown that people still have a sense of humour. Here are just a few of the gems (gems, not germs) that I have come across in the last few days. You've probably seen some of them but not all. Mostly funny, I thought so anyway, the odd one simply wistful. Enjoy. More on request.

Breaking news: Spain has just become the 4th country to register >1,000 deaths - after China, Italy & Iran. 

This pandemic will end eventually. What we don’t yet know is when.

428: A lovely day in Tongue

Tongue is a small village (population 560) in the far North West of Scotland. A friend of mine was going to visit a client in Skerray, a bit further North, and he kindly invited me along for the ride. We stopped in Tongue for coffee and a bite to eat in the delightful Tongue Deli and Post Office. What a lovely little shop - used by locals and tourists alike. You must drop in if ever you're in the area.

Alisdair left me there, and collected me later, while he went off to visit his client. 

What a lovely day it was. The temperature gauge in the car, showing the outside temperature, varied between -7 to and +2. A crisp frost in many places. The road, once it gets North of Lairg, is single track with passing places. On the way we startled 3 magnificent stags but they stopped long enough to have their picture taken. I had an hour or so to myself in Tongue and enjoyed a walk around the village, heading out towards the long-abandoned Castle Varrich. Had I had a bit more time I would have walked the extra mile or so to reach the castle. 

On the way back we planned to stop at the Crask Inn, an isolated 'outpost' in the middle of nowhere, for some warming soup but it turns out it was closed, and will be until 7th Feb. We drove on to Lairg and found a pub that was open and the bearded bus driver therein gave me permission to take a photograph of him with his beard decorated ready for Christmas. Here are a few pictures of the day.

They tell me Christmas is just around the corner. I always know that Christmas is close when I hear Jona Lewie singing  'Stop the Cavalry'