So the lockdown continues as we carry on the fight against COVID-19. Apparently here in the UK, we are now at the peak of the virus and I heard it mentioned on the news today that deaths have now passed the 20,000 mark (although if the truth be known, there are probably far more people who have lost their lives than that figure). The Government tell us it is too early to relax the lockdown restrictions in the fear that if they did, there could be a second spike as it were, and all the protection caused by the initial lockdown could be wiped out at a moments notice. The Government continue to urge compliance with distancing rules to lower the curve. Yet you do actually wonder if the message has got through to some people. Yesterday, on a grassed area adjacent to my home, the family living in the house on the other side of the grass decided to put up bunting and to celebrate their child’s 6th birthday. But they didn’t do this alone and many other people living in the street were there with them. By what I could see they were observing the 2 metre distance rule, but surely they know they should not be there in the first place? Someone (I don’t know who) must have reported the gathering as after a while the Police arrived to disperse the party and send everyone back to their own homes. It is continually drummed into us that any gathering of more than 2 people, unless they are from the same household must not happen, but are we beginning to forget the advice, or are we just letting our defences down? It is greatly worrying however that NHS staff are suffering shortages of PPE. It is ridiculous that at the same time the UK was waiting for a shipment to arrive from Turkey, we were exporting another load to Spain. We would not and do not expect our carers to have to wear the same clothing at work for more than a day, yet this is apparently happening. But how long will the lockdown continue? It is reported that in Belgium they have unveiled plans to reopen shops from May 11th and schools a week later. Are we that close to a similar situation here in Britain? I certainly hope so, but I think life in the future when restrictions are lifted will be very different from what we experienced before. .
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So how are you coping during the lockdown? The UK has supposedly been adhering to the Government’s advice to stay at home for 3 weeks now and it seems more than likely that this will be extended later on this week. But is it working? Are we winning the battle against this Coronavirus? The jury is out on whether an end may be in sight, but every day we hear the amount of deaths is rising and it is thought that when this comes to an end, we may have more casualties here in the UK than any other country in Europe. I wonder if rather than continually reporting the total number of deaths (we all know it is far too high), maybe if we were given a figure of the number of people who have recovered from the virus instead, it would send a more positive message? But are the lockdown measures being taken strict enough? Currently we are told we can leave our homes to shop for necessities, going preferably just once a week. There is nothing more enjoyable than standing in a queue outside of a supermarket, 2 metres away from the person in front and behind you. I imagine the Eastern European community, living in this country, are feeling quite nostalgic about returning to their way of life back in the day! We can leave the house for medical reasons and to go to work, if we are unable to work from home that is (it does depend on whether we still have a job to go of course, but I digress). We are allowed one form of external exercise a day, either alone or with a member of your household. You can bet your bottom dollar that this direction is being totally abused, but in a country where you very rarely see any police on the streets (our policing is pretty much undertaken by cameras), who is going to enforce it? In France, you have to have paperwork to leave your house explaining the reason. In theory, probably a good idea, but could you really see that working in the UK? In fact, it would be interesting to know if it actually works over the Channel? I an in the “lucky” position to still have a job to go to - I work part-time hours (usually nights) in a petrol station and as this helps keeping goods in the country on the move, this is classed as an essential occupation. Since the lockdown started my hours have been cut as the garage has been closed down at night. I now work during the day, which I intensely dislike, and in fact, I would be better off financially was I to be furloughed and not have to work at all. Believe me, there is nothing more invigorating than serving customers who really should be at home stopping the spread of the virus. The company have installed a screen that covers about a quarter of the serving area. This is supposedly sufficient to stop the raging masses coughing, spluttering and spitting all over you. It’s totally inadequate in my opinion, but the person whose brilliant idea it was doesn’t go near a customer from one year to the next so he/she doesn’t really give a damn about the safety of the plebs left on the front line! So we hear that on Thursday the Government will announce whether the lockdown will continue. We are not exactly holding our breath as we know full well that it will. How the country is going to recover from the colossal outlay that will be paid to staff unable to work and to business that is temporarily closed down is something of a mystery. The IMF says that this pandemic has plunged the world into a “crisis like no other”. Stand by for one hell of a recession! I have heard so many people say that once this is all over, our amazing NHS staff should be given a massive pay rise to say thank you for the wonderful job they have been doing. Even though they saved his life, if you pin back your lugholes you can already hear Boris Johnson telling us that there is no money for any increases and then continuing in the next breath to bring in the most severe austerity measures any of us have ever witnessed. You wait and see…. I love to read. To be anything of a success when it comes to this writing lark you have to be prepared to put in the legwork and read, read, read and when you finish, read even more. But what should you read? Should it be fiction, or non-fiction? Novels or magazine articles, essays, comic book strips or even the back of a cornflake box? Simply the answer is it really doesn’t matter – just read it anyway and enjoy it (and while you are at it, enjoy eating the cornflakes as well!). In these trying times of Coronavirus, many people are, for the first time in years, finding the time to read – and hopefully it is a forgotten joy that will remain in their lives long into the future. I have something of a penchant for crime thrillers. My favourite authors are (in no particular order) Karin Slaughter, Joseph Finder, Kathy Reichs, Ann Cleeves, Kate Rhodes and I have recently got into the Jim Carruthers set of novels by Tana Collins. Delving back in time I love the horse racing novels of both Dick Francis and John Francome and often I will pick one up and read it again for nostalgia sake. In other genres I enjoy the work of Ken Follett, Rachel Joyce, Lisa Jewell and Stephen King among others. The lists is truly endless. Anyone interested in writing themselves must read Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Outlining what he considers to be the basic tools of the trade, this is considered to be part memoir and part master class by one of the greatest writers of a generation. I truly cannot recommend it highly enough. Another writing textbook to consider is The Elements of Style by William Strunk. Originally written over 100 years ago, although revised on a few occasions since, Strunk recommends using each word well and omitting any unnecessary words. It is a highly influential guide to English usage in the late 20th Century (the Kindle edition is currently only 98p on Amazon). If I’m not to be found with my head in a book, then a magazine is usually close at hand (or generally in my case a Kindle with a downloaded periodical). I’ll read magazines on history, gardening, fishing, football, cricket and on and on. If it’s there, I’ll read it. So in this time of self-isolation, lockdown and staying at home avoiding the virus, pick up something to read. It may well rekindle a long-lost love. |