Self-isolation: Day 127

Life, at last, has got busier and more expensive.  As the government knows full well, going out and spending money are inextricably intertwined.

I read an article in the Times yesterday about the many people who have suffered from depression during lockdown.  It suggested that it doesn’t help to hear about people who claim to have been content, even happy, under ‘house arrest’.  So, if you are a half empty person, with a tendency to be negative and anxious, I beg you to read no further.  My flippant ramblings will do you no good at all.

Since my last blog, I’ve played croquet twice on a friend’s private lawn (I did warn you not to read on!).  Despite not playing since early in March, the intricacies of the advanced game came flooding back, and I even experienced what I can only describe as beginner’s luck. Croquet is ideal for social distancing with only one player on the lawn at a time.  It’s also an absorbing  tactical game where, for three hours, it is hard think about anything else. In fact, if you ignored the health warning in my last paragraph and have got this far, I recommend croquet as the perfect antidote to depression.

I’ve also driven to London and back to have a follow-up appointment at St Thomas’ Hospital after my cataract operation.  After numerous checks, conducted by young women clad in layers of PPE, I gathered that all was well.   Well, I think that’s what they said. Unfortunately they were all quietly spoken and, deprived of the opportunity to lip read, I struggled to hear what they were saying!  Never mind new eyes, I need new ears.  I have been given a date to get my other eye done, 31st July (and it’s in writing so there is no misunderstanding).  So, I’m back to protecting the NHS by self-isolating for 14 days.

I did a couple of walks whilst in London.  A short walk along the Thames from Waterloo Bridge to Blackfriars and a longer walk over Westminster Bridge, up Whitehall, through Trafalgar Square, along The Strand and back over Jubilee Bridges and past a deserted Festival Hall.  It was eerily quiet with very few pedestrians. Only the tumbleweed was missing.  By contrast, the centre of Windsor is much busier with people shopping, eating and drinking alfresco and, noticeably, not wearing face coverings or social distancing.

Family not seen since January, including our one and a bit year old granddaughter, have visited with lunch enjoyed outside on the terrace.  We have even ventured out for lunch with friends and been to a garden centre with huge arrows  guiding you round the one way system.  Unfortunately,  most of the things we wanted were out of stock.  But never mind, it was an outing.

See what I mean about being busier?