Covid-19 – Week five: beginning 06/04/2020
Monday has arrived and with it news that the prime minister is in hospital. It would appear he was putting on a brave face when he ran a cabinet meeting from isolation. After ten days of symptoms some remain and so he has been admitted to hospital for tests as a precaution. While in Scotland the chief medical officer has resigned after breaking lockdown rules to visit her holiday home two weeks on the trot. I cannot believe either of these pieces of news, and my sense of worry is not helping my mood. I am impatient, emotional, and having a good old moan at my partner. It’s one of those rare occasions I agree with the statement that he couldn’t do right for wrong. A prime example he is emptying the dishwasher but because he doesn’t put all of the items away, I bite. Then he offers to load up my laptop, but because he doesn’t put the power in or attach my second screen I bite. It gets worse, I am making breakfast of poached eggs and toast, I can’t get the toaster to work. I want his help and when it doesn’t work well for him either, I demand a refund, not a replacement toaster. In hindsight, as I cry, I realise how illogical I was being: how is he going to give a refund? He is not an employee of the shop we bought it from, it might not be under warranty, and after all – it’s only toast. I guess these times are trying for us all. I should also add this was all before 8:00am on a Monday morning, let’s hope the week flies over, as these little dramas are exhausting.
I just feel so tired a lot of the time, but I know I am not alone, many people are riding the corona coaster. At work in the morning catch up the feeling is mutual among the team. The most exciting weekend excursion was a trip to the supermarket. However, one colleague has plans to make her own bread and pasta. Yet, even she admits she doesn’t know if she’ll have the time.
Yet even I have to admit, one positive of all this home working, as I am sure you will all agree given some thought, is improved lunches. Free from the restraints of small shared fridges, kettles, and a microwave if you’re lucky. We now have a fully functioning kitchen to dive into anything we like. Gone are the days of a pre-packed salad, sandwich or tin of soup grabbed in a rush. We don’t have to worry about hogging the microwave or fridge Jenga. Below is a summary of my lunch exploration so far, enjoy:
• Pan fried scramble egg on toast, fresh and ready to eat
• Poached eggs on toast, or go full hog and have a full English
• Chucky eggs and soldiers, going back to your childhood can be so yummy
• Tined baked beans or spaghetti hoola hoops on toast, sometimes the basic are just the best
• Pasta with vegetable tomato sauce, using up whatever veg is in my fridge at the time
• Noodles, chicken and veg, maybe with a nice curry sauce
• Microwave baked potatoes, with tuna, salad, or beans. Who knew you could pop it in walk away and in 15 minutes a yummy baked potato?
• Home-made soup still cooking away in the slow cook on the side, taste tested throughout the morning obviously
• Calzone wrap pizza. Nom these are the best, dead easy, just put a wrap in a frying pan and fill one side with pizza fillings fold over and fry both sides lightly until the cheese is oozing out
• Picnic, literally raid the fridge, no one is looking
• Leftovers, this is the best no judgement
• Alternative Gregg’s Cheese and Bean melt. Wholemeal wrap filled with cheese, baked beans and sausage and fried on both sides; it is to die for.
So the later were a bit of fun, but some days we are all slaves to the naughty foods we buy in for a treat. At the time they are so good. And I am sure the list will get additions as the weeks go on. Have you got any to add?
And like that it is lunch time. The day is flying over, after having spent most of the morning on video calls. Lunch time has brought a new sense of strange as I queue to get into the local post office. Well at least it is still dog friendly, so Lady accompanies me and we both stretch our legs on route. We decide to do a ‘wave past’ a friend who lives locally, my new expression for walking past a friend’s house and waving with no intension of stopping, just a little way to show her we are thinking of her. It is strange to think less than a month ago I dropped my friend and her young men off to school and work, how much things have changed.
But some things are continuing, a friend starts a new job this week. However, rather than excitement when I call her, she has mixed emotions. So I listen as she explains she hadn’t: given a leaving speech, had farewell drinks, got a card, gift or given any final goodbyes. The issue: no closure. The solution, well in my eyes anyway, was easy. I find a card in the house, not a new job card but a so sorry your leaving card. The card she should have received, filled with the comments she had expressed during our conversation. The congratulations for her efforts I am glad to report has been well received.
In fact, some people are successfully changing and adapting to meet the new demand. But more importantly to keep their business from going under. Digital companies teaming with pharmacy chains to build online prescription delivery services. There are pubs doing takeout meals, home deliveries and care packages. And on a more delicious note for Easter, there is a cafe doing home delivery on Easter egg cheesecakes that are, get this, encased by an Easter egg – drooling as I think about this. So, I just need to adapt too and so when work ends to help keep some transition between work and home life, I move into the front bedroom to enjoy the evening sun.
But, the madness of being trapped behind four walls doesn’t end with the dawning of a new day. Boris Johnson is now on oxygen and in intensive care, I don’t know what to think or how to feel. But now is not the time to be getting a new Prime Minister. Not as his letter has also arrived this week telling us: “We all have the power to influence future events by staying at home. We all have a responsibility to protect each other.” Talk about playing on peoples’ conscious. I feel like a house hermit, but the house is looking good so if I am helping others by tidying, cleaning, and decluttering the house, then that’s good with me. Who knew helping people could be that easy? So I am not going to think about the PM. Yet as I try to avoid my thoughts, I am surrounded by other jobs to do in the house, they close in on me and demand my attention. So I do the worst thing humanly invented I list everything. This starts with a single sticky note, then many, a pile and finally I reach for my phone and type them up, so I can see the refrigerator once more. The jobs range from the weekly chores like hoovering to the wish list items like decluttering. Being cooped in the house all day, it is the reality faced by people everywhere, it is not new feeling. Is this what it will feel like when I retire? Just a bit premature for my twenties. However, I can learn from retired people and cut myself a break, accept that during a change, a crisis, coronavirus things are allowed to get a bit crazy. I’m not alone, right?
Week four of ‘bay’ I mean ‘graves watch’. It starts like any other outing to the local cemetery for our daily exercise. We walk briskly, chasing the rising sun to bask in its light. With 80 acres of paths to explore it’s the perfect place to adhere to social distancing regulations. There is also ‘SPARKY’ and ‘Dix’ one of which I have already introduced you to – well not literally because they’re dead. But rather their weathered headstones get my mind going with hypothetical what ifs of their stories. But today’s challenge is finding their location. Half an hour in we find SPARKY, but where has Dix gone, maybe out on their daily exercise!
The evening brings new excitement with a new pet to the house. Not an invited, expected or purchased one at that: that got you guessing. But luckily no gross visitors here. I am in the bathroom treating myself to a bubble bath when out of the corner of my eye I spot something red. I can’t help thinking about what a perfect pet this would make, it could live in the bathroom enjoying the plants and – and nothing I already have a pet. This ladybird needed to go back to the outdoors and maybe find a new home in our makeshift garden, also known as a backyard with potted plants. So I open the window, guide my new pet onto my fingers and watch as they fly out of the window. Am I deluded in my jealousy that the Ladybird is free to explore the outdoors?
Thursday begins like any other, but after breakfast I am free. After a three day working week. Every worker’s dream. It’s the week of good Friday and my work are in the Easter spirit. They are rewarding all us workers with two extra days to enjoy the Easter break. Armed with my days of freedom, now don’t get cynical there are still things to do. My Fiancé and I have decided to re-decorate a few rooms in the house.
But first I am going to beat the Easter weekend rush to the shops. Wrong so wrong. I mean I had waited until after the early shopping for NHS and allowed a 30 minute grace time. Logical, I had thought. The queue didn’t end. It literally snaked the car park. Should I turn around, should I wait, should I come back later or tomorrow? Surely it is just long because of the 2 meter gaps? After that procrastination I take the leap and join the snake. I was going to call it the conga but there was no singing, swaying, or smiling in this queue. But there is movement and within 5 or 10 minutes at the most I am in the shop. Trolley cleaned and into the one way system. Well I would have been if I had noticed the arrows on the ground on every isle. Although funny, the shrieks of a short store assistant at other unsuspecting customers breaking the one way system on purpose accidentally, soon has me in check. I feel like I am in a dystopian society: The Hand Maidens Tale, The Stepford Wives, who knows what is coming next? An hour and a half later I escape the shop. Let’s just say it isn’t the retail therapy I was hoping for. With low supplies of tinned, fresh, frozen, eggs and cleaning supplies, my shopping trip is also going to bring about a rethink to next week’s menu. But what can we expect?
Thursday evening brings the news I am dreading Easter is cancelled! Lockdown is extended until who knows as we are ‘guided by the science’. With mortality numbers in the UK over 7,000, increasing hospital admissions, it is clear we need to stay isolated for some time yet. So to help I have decided to follow in a friends footsteps and make lollipop stick activities to lift my mood and keep busy. They range from: painting my nails, to selecting a memory from the same date last year, to balloon volleyball. All positive thigs I can be doing during lockdown, when I’ll have time to do my lollypop activities is another matter.
What I do have time for is chocolatey treats, so I guess Easter is not cancelled after all. These treats have been added to by both our parents who have delivered Easter treats in the post – it turns out some things never change. A lovely chocolatey treat to accompany our successful decorating endeavours. I mean let’s not lie there have been a few domestics, but this is to be expected. Then there are the family comments on the few photos we post, ‘ that’s not an emulsion brush’, yes! Because that brush helped me paint like a three year old. The end result is what matters and a smaller brush does the job faster, easier and more effectively. So as we sleep in the sofa bed, I can’t help feeling smug. Sleeping in another bed is like being on holiday! This is a holiday.
Day two and the decorating part is complete! We make a good team, my Fiancé and I. Heated discussions are kept under the carpet today, relationship bliss. Easter Sunday comes, and we are starting to rebuild the bedroom. We even have a clear out and both donate clothes to the dusting pile, we would have liked to donate it to charity, but it’s just not possible in the current climate. Later we enjoy movies finishing off our Bond box set binge, sharing an Easter egg and a game of top trumps.
Even after starting our Easter treats early, moderation and sticking to plan has rewarded me with Slimmer of the week! The biggest loser, that’s me and so proud. I lost 2lbs this week and am losing weight steadily. I am so close to losing two stone I just can’t believe how simple it has been, just small lifestyle changes. Today’s session is full of advice about healthy alternatives to get us through Easter and reminders of syns in Easter treats. I am very honest in telling others about my treats this week and intentions to indulge in more Easter treats. Everyone agrees that as long as you log the syns, you are still on plan, in control and life is not a straight path to success in anything.
This statement couldn’t be truer for the Prime Minister who after taking a turn for the worst earlier this week is now out of intensive care, on the mend and addressing the nation for Easter Sunday. It’s the Easter message I need to remind me there is still hope. A survivor of the coronavirus, a sigh of relief that people can come out of hospital and make a full recovery. Although the death toll is now over 10,000. Maybe I can come out of lockdown fitter, healthier, lighter, and more resilient to change.
