Just a few things that may escape future historians.
We lost our first potato yesterday. Julia put her hand in the bag and winced as she found a rather squashy potato. This is not good, as I have just been saying that we have avoided food waste. I don’t like waste, and I particularly don’t like waste when I’ve just been telling people how well I’m handling the situation.
Shortly after that I spotted mould on the sliced loaf we are using. That’s the problem with buying bread and trying to eke it out for a week. You either end up with dry bread or mouldy bread. I will take the affected slice out and hope that Julia doesn’t spot it.
We will now use the loaf from the freezer and replace it on Wednesday.
We are doing the best we can, only going out once a week or ten days for food. Unfortunately, the doctor and pharmacist call us out, even though we’d rather not go. The neighbours aren’t trying quite so hard.
Tulips at Harlow Carr
One set is particularly annoying. They had a friend round two days ago to help with some work in the garden, and then they had family round yesterday.
It’s difficult not going out, and time-consuming to plan our eating so that we only shop every week or ten days, but we are doing it. We don’t want to be responsible for infecting anyone or over-loading the NHS and, despite feeling indestructible most of the time, I don’t want anyone to give it to me. I don’t mind having it, but I’d prefer to wait until it becomes less crowded in hospital.
I could ring the police, or use the on-line form the police are now using, but I don’t really want to go down that route. It’s bad enough being in the middle of a lockdown without having the additional burden of becoming a police informer.
Mencap Garden in Spring
Three weeks ago we were advised against travel, two weeks ago we were locked down and this week I’m having to wrestle with the concept of reporting my neighbours for having family round for Easter. It’s like something out of the old Communist Bloc.
A few hours ago I watched news footage of mass graves in New York. It feels like watching something from the Great Plague rather than something I’m living through. I’m hoping, that all the bloggers I know over there will stay safe. I don’t think I know any from Kansas, but if I did I’d be really worried, as the State Governor is going to court to stop the State Legislature overturning her decision on limiting church services over Easter.
I thought our politicians were bad, but this is descending to a new level. If the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury are happy to stream their Easter services from empty churches, I don’t see why it isn’t good enough for Kansas.
The pictures are, again, a selection from the last year. For my next selection I may feature a few photographs with crowds in them – don’t worry, they will be historic crowds rather than current ones.
Thistles at Bangor
Those mass graves are for unclaimed bodies. Which gives further pause. People without family, homeless, can’t afford a funeral, sick themselves, who knows. It’s a disturbing time, isn’t it? I go to the garden, and not much else, except for bi-weekly groceries, though I did put gas in the car today. Stay safe and well. Survival seems to be a roll of the dice once you get it. Love the tulips!!!!
It’s making me rethink a lot of things. I hadn’t realised how easy it would be to slip from normality to panic. The difference between the two states seems to be a dozen toilet rolls and a pack of pasta.
I’m trying my best not to catch it as I don’t like the look of the survival rates. They don’t seem as good as we were originally told.
I hope we will all be able to laugh about this in six months…
It is rattling, isn’t it? I never thought going to the store would make me wildly anxious, but it does. It’s also sad that the initial public announcements on this were that it kills certain parts of the population. I’ve been seeing videos of elderly people leaving the hospital and hearing about young people who didn’t survive it. I think the death toll is between 2 and 3 percent, which is way higher than influenza. I’m good for a couple months yet on the toilet paper, but it’s worrying as I can’t find any. Maybe a 5 AM run tomorrow to the Safeway will score me some…if I can get up. Stay safe.
Yes, there was some wildly inaccurate information handed out in the beginning, though I’m not sure I’m happier with the truth. 🙂
We seem to be getting back to normal in the shops so I hope you will be back to normal soon too – you seemed to be a week or so behind us so fingers crossed it happens soon.
We have queues and rationing but it’s all working out now and I have confidence that I can stay home for a week or ten days at a time.
It’s looking like we will be at home for at least another week, if not more. Looking at Italy we could easily be at home for another three weeks – not sure I’m looking forward to that, but I’d rather be bored than dead. 🙂
There are interesting conversations floating about whether it is better to live in an authoritarian country under circumstances or be led by a populist. It seems that the authoritarians are better than the populists at controlling the virus spread because they don’t worry about being popular so much as they are never going to be.
The question of informing on your neighbours is interesting too as keeping an eye for their well being is regarded as good even if it does mean being nosy. Would you call an ambulance for them if you thought that they needed it?
Interesting question. China was far better at controlling the virus than the USA is going to be, but I really wouldn’t want to live there at any other time.
I’d definitely call an ambulance for them. Or a fire engine. Part of the problem is that I can’t see a family visit as a crime, even though it could, possibly, have fatal results.
The photos are lovely, Quercus!
Sprouted and squishy potatoes go out in our garden where they will grow and make more potatoes. Even a half barrel planter works well for that.
We’ve eaten moldy bread. A few rounds in the toaster oven fixes that. 🙂
I just knock the sprouts off and eat the sprouted ones. I rarely get a mushy one but will try planting it next time.
As Laurie has said, probably best not to report your neighbours. Maybe if the behaviour becomes a regular occurrence or it directly impinges on your safety. But if you don’t know what agreements there might be between the people involved in these visits, you could be causing yourself a new headache down the line.
Re arrangements, my neighbour informed me that she and her daughter (plus husband and kids) who lives round the corner are treating their two households as one. This makes sense – gives her support and company and enables the parents to get some kind of break.
On the other side, the neighbours may also have something like this going on, although I am a little more concerned in this case. One of the couple has cancer and I’m not sure her alcoholic, drug-smoking daughter should be relied upon to come and go at will.
I’m not a great one for reporting people, but it came to mind because of the new police reporting system. Also not a great fan of the police asking the public to send in dashcam footage to report other drivers. I don’t want to live in that sort of society.
On the other hand I don’t want to see mass graves in the UK because people can’t show a little self-discipline.
Yes, the mass graves in New York, for example, are quite harrowing.
It made me think.
Yes, it made me think as well. I do hope that we sort this virus situation out soon!
It looks as if you are handling the situation better than Julia. I’d favour even mouldy bread as against a squashy potato.
You seem to have decidedly dodgy neighbours.
I like all the photos.
Yes, there’s something distinctly unpleasant about a squashy potato. I was surprised by the neighbours because it was only a few weeks ago they were standing 12 feet away from me expressing concern about the spread of the virus.
🙂
I, too, saw the mass grave. As I have a daughter in New York City, the sight of that grave made me sick to my stomach. (Fortunately she is still well.) When you wrote about reporting your neighbors, the Stasi immediately came to mind. I know at some point there could be justification for reporting someone, but boy oh boy there must be careful consideration before doing so. I think you made the right decision.
Yes, the Stasi came to mind with me too, as did 1984. However, if their activities were endangering my kids I’d take a different view. I hope you all continue in good health.
Sure thing. Me, too! All bets are off when it comes to the kids. So far, so good here. Same for you and yours, I hope.
It all seems to be going OK so far thanks, but you can never tell. Six weeks ago I was telling people not to worry “because it never spreads like they say it will”. Left me looking stupid, didn’t it?
Well, hard to envision how this darned virus would spread around the world and bring things to a halt. Lord!
🙂
https://pacificparatrooper.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/fun-bear.jpg
Though I’ve often envied the variety of wildlife I see on American blogs, I’m glad my garden wildlife is not as interesting as this. 🙂 Hope you are staying well.
All’s well. Thank you for asking!
Good to hear. 🙂
You have an awful lot of infected residents for a smaller country – please be safe!
Thank you. I’m doing my best – staying inside as much as possible.