Let’s dance in the rain …

Back in January when Aunty Ruby came from Hong Kong to stay with us …

we were a little concerned about the virus, which was at that time rampant in China and neighbouring countries.

And as one of the many thank you presents (and no virus amongst them) that Aunty Ruby gave us was this mug.

The quote from Vivian Greene is a good reminder.

But that is not the only reason that has become a favourite for Mum. But also because it holds more Matcha Latte!!!!

Shall I have some?

May’s comment: Quite a few of our friends have asked with concern how we’ve been dealing with the lockdown. Have I been climbing the walls? Has it been difficult being stuck at home since we travel so often?

None of the above.

I was as prepared as I could be for the anticipated period, not forgetting, I was already in self-isolation for 14 days after I came home from skiing in Hokkaido, Japan in February. I had already planned on the all the things I wanted to do and never found the time. Those two self-isolation weeks flew by quickly. And two weeks later the lockdown in the UK began.

We went with the flow and made the best use of our time. I had set goals but soon realised it was unrealistic to meet them all. But pleased to say we did one of the four! Plus the tax returns!!! That deserves a compulsory victory dance!

Even though we’ve cancelled four trips that were scheduled during the last two months, I don’t feel sad about it. I figured those destinations will still be there when we can travel safely again. One of them was an 80th birthday party at The Carlyle in NYC and we all had our swinging 20’s outfits. You can imagine, it was never ever going to happen in NYC in early April. Yes, it was most disappointing for the person celebrating as it was indeed a big birthday, but we have also discovered that big life moments can be just as special and remembered in other ways – like Zoom calls. LOL! And though we may have been self-distancing and in lockdown, there has been a lot more talking and communicating. And we’ll see each other again when we come out of this storm.

If and when we can be safely back on the road – of course we’ll be off again, but not in a hurry. We have enjoyed our time of being home – and I suppose extremely grateful that I had moved a year ago into our new flat, that everything had been sorted. It would have been difficult if we hadn’t.

These days when we hear the roar of the rare plane flying overhead we stop to look up at the skies … and wonder who those people are flying across borders in planes.

The thing I loved most of all about this lockdown was an empty agenda. We didn’t have to oblige any social meet-ups or events. Definitely no FOMO! LOL!

All that said, we are now ready for things to return somewhat back to normal – the new normal. Hair salons – please!!!! And maybe the nails will be revived. And I would love to go to the cinema! I’ve seen lots of series – our favourites – After Life on Netflix and This is Us on Amazon Prime series, and thoroughly enjoyed Normal People on BBC1. But missing the popcorn and also the doggy cinema.

I do look forward to some of the restaurants returning – mainly to be supportive. In the meantime I have so enjoyed having meals at home. Thanks to Deliveroo, and amazing neighbours who cooked for us – I didn’t have to resort to cooking every meal from my limited repertoire.

The shopping didn’t stop as much as I would have preferred but definitely the activity was on a much lower scale. These days it is so easy to click onto Amazon or any website and buy all sorts of things. Some items were necessities e.g. I had forgotten to buy printing paper before Ryman’s closed. But a lot of the other things – well, I could have done without but I guess it was nice to see the delivery man at the door! LOL!

It was 24/7 with the dogs the first three weeks. Only when I started to volunteer at the nearby PPE production did I leave the dogs for any amount of time.

But also because of the dogs, I wasn’t completely confined at home. We went for early morning walks to the nearby deserted park

where they ran and played.

We went out three times a day as dog walking was essential – even if it was around the block. Sometimes we walked in the middle of the road when there are other people coming towards us on the pavement!

But with more cars back on the road, we better not get used to doing this! LOL!

We also find things on the streets which we had never encountered before!

Things have moved on since the last week – and the streets are more populated though in a more orderly way. There are queues outside every shop. The queue outside the post office is particularly long. Almost everyone with face masks or gloves and self-distancing.

And outside Whole Foods, they are handing face coverings to all shoppers who do not have one.

But this queue outside a Gelateria says a lot – being able to enjoy the little things again but with respect to the situation surrounding us.

But there are streets that are still quiet and empty.

This past Saturday was the first time in over three months that I had left the neighbourhood. I went to Bayswater to a food shop. This street before lockdown was bustling with people from early morning till late at night. But at 10am on Saturday, it was deserted.

So we adapted. We danced in the storm to a different tune.

Things that I will not miss – the media reporting. Reporting during this Pandemic has been sensationalist and from a largely negative perspective resulting in greater panic and stress. We haven’t got through it yet and they are asking unanswerable questions with the benefit of hindsight.  Whenever I sat down for daily briefings, I needed a stiff drink.

And brush out Darcy and George – and the more annoyed I got with the media, the more thorough they were brushed! LOL! In speaking to friends in other countries, they too felt the same. So maybe there’s a pandemic of the virus in the heads of journalists. When I learnt to switch off the news, the home became so much calmer and serene. I am not dancing to their noise.

On reflection, this stormy time had given many of us a chance to re-evaluate what’s important and to adapt to the new norm. I know it has been for me. How was it for you?