MARCH 2020
Thursday 5th March 2020
How many other people think that the UK has gone into a mad meltdown over this Coronavirus thing? The shelves in Edinburgh shops are totally devoid of anti-bacterial hand-wash and loads of other stuff. Obviously it's a massive world wide problem, but seriously................... We live in a very mobile world so it would be totally ridiculous to think that Coronavirus won't spread all over the globe. It's going to happen, lock down or no lock down.
I'm a 'meet & greeter'. Ie, I am a front-line person for meeting people from all over the world who visit Edinburgh. The other day I got a message from the company that I work for, containing a link to show me how to wash my hands properly. Honestly, how old do they think I am? Five?! For goodness sake, we were all taught how to wash our hands when we were toddlers and now it would seem nobody knows how to do it properly. Today I have been out and about 'meeting & greeting' and horror of horrors, I shook hands with an Italian lady. Have I now got the dreaded lurgy? Hopefully not as I was only with her for about 5 mins but the media have hyped up this situation so much, that as soon as I got out of the flat, I actually got out my hand sanitiser. Needless to say the hand sanitiser has been rolling around at the bottom of my bag for a year now. It's probably lost its effectiveness. Having said that, I don't think I'm going to be able to replace it anytime soon, as every single shop I've walked past recently have had big signs in the window saying, 'No hand sanitiser in stock'. The media has really hyped people up into panic buying.
Look at the statistics. Yes people are dying, but a lot more people have died from flu.
My sister even sent me a link this morning about a dog that had tested positive for Coronavirus. She told me that I wasn't to let Trixie, the collie pup, kiss me. Well I don't let the dog lick my face anyway, so I'm not going to start worrying about that one.
Because I couldn't buy any hand sanitizer the other day, I bought some Dettol wipes.................. because my Pilates teacher told me that it killed the Coronavirus. I never buy stuff like that. What's wrong with a cloth and water? Oh well, I'm off to Seville on 22nd March so will take the Dettol wipes with me so that I can wipe down everything around me on the aeroplane. Lol!
As I say, the world is far too mobile for the Coronavirus bug not to spread all over. It's going to happen. FACT. I can't help thinking that all this 'media hype' is really having a very, very, negative effect and is sending most of the country into panic mode.
Friday 6th March 2020
My FB newsfeed is full of people posting photos of empty toilet roll and pasta shelves in supermarkets. Why? The world has gone mad!!!
Monday 9th March 2020
I seriously need to have a RANT! This Coronavirus thing is driving me nuts. What is it about everybody that is making them panic buy? What's the toilet roll thing about? The Coronavirus thing doesn't affect the bowels. Or the pasta thing? If people are stock piling pasta, are they also stock piling jars of pasta sauce or are they thinking they'll still be able to get out to the shops to buy fresh stuff to go with their pasta........... After all, who on earth wants to eat plain pasta?
I can understand the anti-bacterial hand-wash thing.................. Actually I don't really understand that either. What's wrong with good old fashioned soap and water?
The media has hyped this up so much it's driving my crazy. Would everyone have gone so mad if we didn't have Facebook & Twitter & Instagram and all the other social media outlets that are encouraging people to go into 'scared' mode?
The world has gone mad!!
We live in a very mobile society. Fact. I live in Edinburgh where people from all over the world visit. I work as a 'Meet & Greeter'. Ie, I meet people at short term lets, give them the keys to the property, show them how heating/appliances, etc work and then off I go. I'm very rarely with them for more than 5 mins.
However, on 13th January 2020 I met a very nice Chinese girl.
I don't think I'd actually heard of Coronavirus then. But if I had, I certainly wasn't too bothered about it. Anyway I helped a very nice Chinese girl up 86 stairs to a top floor flat, because she had the biggest, heaviest suitcase in the world, and I am a very nice 'meet & greeter' and there was no way she would have been able to take it up that many stairs by herself. So we huffed and puffed our way up all the stairs. Obviously my hands were all over her suitcase and I also shook hands with her, and I was probably in contact with her for more than 15 mins. And did I use the anti-bacteria hand-wash that had been rolling around in the bottom of my handbag for more than a year, after I left? I did not.
Fast forward almost 2 months.......................... She could have had Coronavirus and I could now have it. Because 2 months ago no special measures were in place.
To be honest, I don't really read a lot of news stuff. And I absolutely HATE politics. And for a 60 year old, I'm very fit and healthy so am not in a 'high risk' group. Well, I am, because apparently anyone 60+ is high risk?? BUT, what I have read and what I have heard is...................... FLU has killed more people than the Coronavirus.
I personally think that the fact that everyone these days has access to 'media scaremongering' is what is responsible for blowing this whole thing out of proportion. Yes, Coronavirus is scary, but that's because it's an unknown virus which as yet doesn't have a cure. And yes, it probably will kill a lot of people before a cure is found. But there again, so did measles and chicken pox and mumps and scarlet fever and numerous other diseases. And did all this panic buying and stock piling of stuff go on in the first half of the 20th century, when people were dying of the above diseases? It did not! Because it was just accepted as a way of life and actually, there was no way of knowing how much of an epidemic the country was facing until one read a newspaper. We might be in the 21st century but 'natural' disasters will still win every time.
All this 'lock down' stuff and 'self isolating' stuff is not going to work. Coronavirus has spread too much for any of this to be effective. The whole world is in the grips of a contagious disease which, as yet, we don't seem to have a cure for. FACT!
Sooooo................. in my opinion, we should just STOP all this stock piling of toilet rolls and pasta and paracetamol and hand sanitiser and whatever else people seem to think they should be stocking up on.
In my opinion, the people who are doing this are being really selfish. The people who are 'stock piling' aren't the ones who are at risk. The ones who are at risk are the elderly and ill and they don't have the privilege to go out and buy 72 toilet rolls at one time. Only quoting 72 toilet rolls because it popped up on my FB feed that a woman had been spotted coming out of Penzance Pound-stretcher with 4 x 18 packs of toilet rolls. WHY?
I personally will carry on with my daily life. I will continue working as a 'Meet & Greeter' and I will continue to shake hands with people. Though I have to say I used my hand sanitizer after I shook hands with an Italian the other day. Media hype is driving everyone crazy.
Coronavirus is worrying. Of course it is. But seriously......................... Let's just all get on with our lives. #lifeisnotadressrehearsal
Thursday 12 March 2020
Perhaps this Coronavirus thing is beginning to get a bit scary now. Italy in total lock down, America banning all flights from mainland Europe, Ireland closing schools, Scotland banning events with more than 500 people.
I've got a mini break to Seville with the girlies booked for next Sunday (22 March 2020). Somehow I don't think I'm going to make it. Should I stay or should I go?
My personal opinion is........... if the planes are flying then I'm going. However, I put a post on FB asking my friends for advice. Two said go and 11 said stay. Am I missing something here? What is everyone so scared of? Perhaps I should start watching the news. Perhaps I should start stock piling toilet rolls and pasta and dog food.
A few days ago I was really aching and thought I might have flu. Maybe it was Coronavirus or maybe I was just aching from working too hard at Pilates. How am I supposed to know if I've got a fever if I don't own a thermometer? Nobody seems to be stock piling thermometers. And if one wants to get tested where does one go? And if I had to self-isolate because I thought that I had it; would it be acceptable to take Trixie, the collie pup, out on her walks providing I didn't stop to talk to anyone? How on earth can a single person in a 4th floor flat, who owns a dog, self-isolate if they don't have a garden where the dog can go for toileting purposes.
Scary times, but hey ho, as far as I know I'm fit and healthy so not at risk, even though I am over 60.
14 March 2020
Sunday 15 March 2020
Looks like I won't be going to Seville next weekend. Flights have been cancelled. Boohoo.
Everyone over the age of 70 has to self-isolate for 4 months. 4 months? How's that going to work then? 4 months is a very long time to be shut indoors.
It doesn't look like I'll be getting much work over the next few months either. I only had one 'meet & greet' booked in for next week and they've just cancelled. As a self-employed person how long is anyone going to be able to exist without working?
Monday 16 March 2020
I went to Tesco this morning to do my normal weekly shop. Coronavirus is worrying, but what is even more worrying is the selfish people who are panic buying. There were hardly any spaces left in the car park and the shop inside was mobbed. And it wasn't just toilet rolls and pasta that weren't on the shelves. It was everything. The 'check out lady' said that yesterday there'd been 60 people waiting outside for the shop to open. What is wrong with people? Apparently sales of freezers have increased and people are doing HUGE shops at one supermarket and then moving onto the another one. ….............And let's face it............... if you can afford to buy a new freezer on a whim and if you have room in your house to stock pile stuff for a few months, then you probably aren't the ones at risk.
It's the same old story. The old, the vulnerable and the low income families are the ones who are going to catch this horrible disease because they haven't got the luxury of being able to stockpile and self -isolate.
However, there were so many people in Tesco's this morning that if I do end up with Coronavirus, that's probably where I'll have got it from.
Met the girlies in the 'Slug & Lettuce' for a pre-holiday briefing. Except we aren't going to 'Seville' next weekend now. Our holiday has been cancelled. No flights flying. It was like a morgue in the 'Slug & Lettuce'. I know it's a Monday night but I've never seen a restaurant or bar so quiet. There was hardly anyone on the bus either. Where is everyone? Do people really think that there is some deadly disease going around that is going to kill them the minute they step out of their front door?
Tuesday 17 March 2020
Today I travelled on an empty bus. And then I went to ASDA, which was mobbed. So people are avoiding public transport, due to the fear of getting Coronavirus, but they're quite happy to get it while they're panic buying and stockpiling in supermarkets???? #theworldhasgonemad
I forgot to get celery on my weekly shop so popped into Asda. The shelves in Asda today were pretty much empty of EVERYTHING. There was NO celery. Why would people want to stockpile celery? #peoplearegoingmad
Obviously as I live by myself, were I to go into isolation, I wouldn't need anything like as much stuff as a family would. BUT, at the moment I'm just doing my normal shop. All this mass hysteria is driving me crazy and to be honest, it's starting to make me wonder whether I should be starting to stock up on stuff for the next three or four months because it seems like that is what everyone else is doing.
OR, do you think there might come a point where people will think that they actually have enough of everything and stop buying? I don't understand why there were no fresh vegetables in ASDA today? A lot of the stuff that people are buying is going to end up being thrown away because it has a very limited shelf life. Like eggs? They don't last forever and as far as I know, hens are still laying eggs.
Apparently more people are starting to home bake? Don't really know how true that is, but the flour aisle was pretty empty?!
Oh and the dog food aisle was pretty empty too. I usually buy my dog food at 'Pets at Home' once a month and at the moment I have enough to last Trixie, the collie pup, about 3 weeks. Should I be stock piling dog food???
And two more things........................
If I were to 'stockpile supplies, where would I keep it? I only have a small kitchen with limited space, so would I, in effect, turn my spare bedroom into my own little mini supermarket? Is that what people are doing? Or are all the people who are 'stock-piling', the ones who live in big houses with lots of extra space?
Who are the people who are actually stock-piling? Everyone I talk to and everything that I've seen on my social media feds agrees that this 'stock-piling' culture is crazy. And yet still it goes on.
Today in Asda, the lady in front of me at the check out, bought more than 20 pizzas. So let's assume she's feeding a family of four. Is she really going to feed them pizza for the next 5 days? No she's not! The pizza's will be going in the freezer and she'll be off to another supermarket to buy more.
The 'supermarket' thing is really annoying me. Even the crisps and the confectionery aisles were empty. WHY? We're in the middle of a global epidemic problem and people want to make sure they've got crisps & chocolate. Duh................ It would probably do a lot of them good if they didn't have crisps or chocolate for 3 months!
Wednesday 18 March 2020
All schools in Scotland to close by the end of the week. Scary times.
And apparently all the major supermarkets have set up measures to prevent stock-piling and help the elderly. Not sure what these measures are. I guess I'd better take more notice of the news.
Mmmmm............ took Trixie the collie pup to the park this morning and she had a lovely play with a 7 month old whippet called Trevor. It wasn't until I was walking home that I realised I'd been standing next to a stranger, chatting, for more than 10 mins and was closer than 2 meters away. Is this really a problem??
What I don't understand is............................... if I feel unwell and decide to self-isolate................... and then after a few days, I feel OK, how do I know if I've had a common cold, or flu, as opposed to Coronavirus if nobody is getting tested? And if I stay in by myself, how ill do I have to be, before I contact the doctors surgery or phone 999 because I can hardly breathe? I don't think we're getting much guidance here.
Oh and the other thing..................... my work as a self-employed 'Meet and Greeter' has pretty much dried up. My main 'income' comes from renting out my home in Cornwall when I'm not there.
My plan was to go down there in April to get it 'guest ready' for the summer. However, already there has been so much negativity on FB re 'second home owners' coming down to Cornwall and putting pressure on the hospitals down there.
I have to say I totally disagree with all of this. I lived and worked in Cornwall for more than 20 years. In fact, I only decided to make Edinburgh my permanent home last year. And yet, now I'm being told that I should avoid going to Cornwall because it is going to put too much pressure on the one major hospital there. Seriously??
I now pay FULL council tax for a property that I spend less than half a year in and I'm being told that I shouldn't go to Cornwall because I'd be putting too much pressure on the NHS. When I lived there full time I got a 25% reduction on my council bill for being a single person. Is the council going to refund me because I'm not there??? I very much doubt it.
Having said that, I totally realise that we are on the brink of a global epidemic, so I have actually cancelled my stay in my own house in Cornwall in April. And no, I won't be opening it up for visitors either. Morally, I feel that it is the correct thing to do, but I have to say, I'm not happy about it.
I'm really lucky. I only have myself and my dog to look after and we're both pretty healthy and financially secure. Well obv the dog doesn't know that she's financially secure. Lol! But she is!!
I can't even begin to imagine how hard it's going to be for people working in the hospitality industry or on a zero hour contract.
Went for a swim at Juvenate (my fitness club). I was the only one there. It's like the whole world is too scared to go out?
Thursday 19 March 2020
Things are getting a bit scary in Edinburgh now and I'm wondering whether I should 'self-isolate', just to be on the safe side. Safe side of what? I'm lucky! I'm not elderly or 'high risk' or on a zero hour contract or living hand to mouth, or have a young family to care for, or an elderly relative to look after.
There's just me and my dog in a very nice flat in Edinburgh. I have food for about 2-3 weeks and plenty of toilet rolls. Not sure I've got enough wine, but hey ho, that's probably a good thing.
What isn't a good thing is.................. my main source of income is from my house in Cornwall, that I rent out to holiday makers. I've got loads of bookings for the summer but today I got my first cancellation and I'm sure lots more will follow. I've been expecting this and to be honest, I have to put people's health first.
I was planning to go down to Cornwall for pretty much the whole of April, but in line with the 'Government Guidelines', my trip down there is 'non-essential' travel, so I won't be going. And I won't be opening up my house for bookings either, because as a 'responsible person' I don't think I should be encouraging non essential travel.
Having said that, I could just put a message on my website page to say........... 'Go & self isolate in Cornwall because everything is still open'. A lot of holiday home owners seem to be doing that. BUT, if FB is to be believed, Cornwall only has 15 ventilators for the whole county? How long are they going to last if the population doubles?
I'm 61 years old. I started working at 13 when I had my first paper round and I've supported myself ever since. There's no reason for me to 'financially panic' yet, but I'm self employed; so there might be in 6 months time.
Oh and the other thing that is really annoying me.................... the government hasn't issued a directive telling all pubs/restaurants to close. Having worked in the hospitality industry in Cornwall for more than 20 years......................... it's no good just advising people not to go to the pub. Most people in Cornwall are existing on minimum wage and those that run/own the pubs/restaurants are already living on the breadline. Unless they get an 'official' directive from the Government, ordering them to close, they can't claim anything from their insurance companies. Obviously they are going to try and stay open for as long as they can. Wouldn't you, if you wanted to feed your family??
Went to Juvenate for a swim. Nobody else there. Apparently the club is closing for a month.
Friday 20th March 2020
The government has issued a ban on the opening of all pubs, clubs, restaurants, coffee shops, cinemas, fitness clubs etc. Probably about time. The number of people who were sitting in coffee shops today less than 2m away from each other was incredible. I feel that I didn't start to worry about Coronavirus until a lot later than most of my friends, but there's obviously still a lot of people who haven't given it a second thought.
Schools have closed in the city until after the Easter hols. Having said that, I thought it was so children could self isolate and stay home with their families. Walked through the Hermitage this afternoon and there were about 20 kids playing together in the burn. Seems like the children are seeing the closures as a chance to all have a little jolly together.
It's the same with the over 70s. They seem to think that the government advice to stay at home doesn't apply to them. There were loads of them wandering about in the Hermitage and Blackford Hill this afternoon, just sitting in the sunshine together. They seem to think they're immune. I bet it will be a different story in a few weeks time. In fact I heard today that a group of age 70+ friends who can't meet up to do their normal thing are planning on meeting up to go for a walk together. Sooooo............. you have four/five over 70s in a car together to get to the start of a walk. If anywhere is going to be a breeding ground for Coronavirus it's going to be 5 people squashed in a car together. Seriously?! What part of self isolating do they not get?
I've decided that as from tomorrow, I'm going to self isolate. I believe it is the correct thing to do. I'm only going out to take Trixie for her walks and if I need any shopping I'm going to shop local. I won't be going out in the car because if I have an accident that will put extra pressure on the emergency services and I won't be meeting any of my friends.
It's going to be a very lonely existence!
Saturday 21 March 2020
Sooooo............... today was 'Self isolation – Day 1' and I rearranged my living room to create my own little fitness studio. And then I jumped around the room doing a You tube fitness workout. I can't say I was very inspired but I will persevere.
I also washed the windows, washed the kitchen/bathroom/hall floors and sorted out a load of financial stuff. #howmotivatedamI Normally on a Saturday morning I would just slump on the sofa drinking coffee and eating toast.
It's only day 1 and actually this self isolation thing is quite hard. I took Trixie, the collie pup, on a really long self-isolating walk this afternoon which was fine. But then, once I was back home that was me back home for the rest of the afternoon/evening. And the evening is most definitely stretching ahead of me. I thought about popping out to get a bottle of wine because I feel that if I don't continue leaving Trixie 'home alone' she will become too dependent on me. And also I have a fear of running out of wine. Lol! However, I'm not going to, because wine is not an 'essential' item.
Also I was planning on going down to St Ives for a month in April to do a bit of painting, weeding and re-potting but can that really be classed as essential travel. As a responsible person I haven't opened up my booking calendar for the time that I was going to be there because Cornwall is really struggling re medical stuff, (only 15 ventilators for the whole of the county) and how long are they going to be able to cope for if the population doubles. Having said that I have a booking that has gone into my house for three days from today. They booked last weekend. Apparently Airbnb is offering a full refund to clients. It's the owners who will lose out and to be honest I just have to accept that. BUT why are people still booking when they've been told to avoid all non essential travel?
Am I worrying? Yes of course I am. Is there anything I can do about the situation? No there isn't. However, my main income comes from renting out my house in St Ives and every month I have two lots of council tax, energy bills, wifi, TV licence, etc, etc, whether I am making money from it or not. Oh well, ho hum, I guess I'll be OK for a few months. After that, who knows?!!
Sunday 22 March 2020
Self isolation – day 2 and I'm fed up with this already. Did another Youtube fitness class but I'm fed up with that too. It's no fun if you're not interacting with other people.
Took Trixie for a really long walk up the Pentland Hills. It was actually quite busy, but as it's such a large area I didn't come into close contact with anyone. However after walking for more than 2.5 hours I had sore feet so when I got back to Fairmilehead I jumped on a bus and came home. OK I know that going on public transport cannot be considered 'essential' travel but having said that, there wasn't one single person on the bus and the bus driver said that between Morningside and the terminus at Hyvots Bank and then all the way back to Fairmilehead only one other person had got on the bus. I suppose at least people seem to be listening to the government and are avoiding public transport.
Not so in other things though.......................
I live in Edinburgh and apparently hoards of people are heading to the Highlands in their camper vans. And in Cornwall people are still arriving in their droves. What part of 'avoid non-essential travel' do these people not get?
This weekend I should have been in Seville for a little holiday with my mates. The hotel had a lovely rooftop bar which is where we would have been tonight. Looks like the most exciting thing I'll be doing this evening is having a glass of wine on my balcony by myself.
Monday 23 March 2020
YOU MUST STAY AT HOME! Borris the PM has spoken on the 10 O'clock news.
From tomorrow everything is closed and no one can go to work unless you are a 'keyworker', ie, an NHS frontline worker or you work in a supermarket etc. Apparently the whole of the UK is going into isolation for three weeks.
When I took Trixie for a walk in the Hermitage this afternoon I was very pleasantly surprised to see that there were only lone dog walkers there. People must be taking heed of the government.
I had a conversation with a friend this evening who had woken up this morning with a sore throat so she phoned NHS 101 (this coronavirus thing is making us all paranoid). She was asked if she had a temperature or a cough, which apparently she hasn't. Her son got married in London today but the wedding had to be scaled right back. There was only the wedding couple and two witnesses.
Also my 91 year old aunt died last week and it wasn't possible to have a normal funeral. Just another example of how things are changing during this crisis. Hopefully we will be able to have a proper celebration of her life once this is all over.
Three weeks of enforced isolation. It's going to be a very long three weeks.
Oh and just a thought........................ In three weeks time, we're all going to know what colour people's real hair colour is. Lol!
Tuesday 24 March 2020
OK for the past three days I've been self-isolating because I thought it was the correct thing to do. Now I'm in an enforced lock down for three weeks, I feel totally different. I no longer have options.
What a difference a day makes. I went back to the Hermitage with Trixie this afternoon and it was like the whole population of Edinburgh was there. Boris said we could go out for one hour of exercise a day. Bit of a rash statement if you ask me because people have obviously interpreted that to mean that they must go out. There were people jogging, little kids learning to ride bikes, old people ambling a long. And dogs?! OMG! I didn't even know that so many dogs lived in Edinburgh. Most of these dogs must never get a walk. It was really difficult to stay 2m away from other people because the paths were so busy.
I bet the next thing that's going to happen is that all the parks and open spaces will close because they are too over-crowded. My friend, who has an apartment in Spain, says that has already happened there. She says you're still allowed to walk your dog but only one person at a time. That sounds quite sensible to me because I passed loads of families of 5/6 people all walking together.
Oh and I have another problem which I don't actually know the answer to................... I've tried googling but no answers so far. Trixie is the friendliest little dog in the world and people are always stroking her and touching her. If coronavirus is spread by touching something that someone with the virus has touched, will I catch it off Trixie's fur? How long do I not have to touch her for after someone else has touched her?
A lot of the supermarkets are taking on extra staff. I'm not really quite sure why. Is it so that they have enough cover, once high numbers of their workforce catch Coronavirus. Apparently they're taking on extra staff immediately on 13 week contracts. I thought about doing that, mainly just to get me out of the house for a few hours a week, though the money would also be handy. If I did that would I be taking away work from someone who needs the money a lot more than I do. At least I'm not living hand to month and only have myself (& Trixie) to support.
Wednesday 25 March 2020
I'm getting really fed up with these Youtube fitness classes but I'll persevere for a bit longer I suppose. It's not like I've got anything better to do is it? Actually there's masses of fitness classes popping up online but one needs to be really careful about what you sign up for because after the initial 'free' week most of them appear to be charging huge monthly fees. Grrrrrr.............. Nothing like cashing in on vulnerable people is there. We're only going to be locked up for three weeks. It's not like we're facing a lifetime of isolation is it?
After my fitness session I sorted out all my clothes and bagged up masses of stuff ready to take to the charity shops once they re-open. I bet the charity shops are going to be overwhelmed with stuff when they open again because everyone seems to be having big tidy outs.
Went to the park this afternoon. It was very busy with mummies and little people playing together and I'm pretty sure they weren't all from the same family. Apparently the police were up at Mortonhall yesterday telling off groups of more than two people who were walking together. I met a dog walker I know and we had a chat albeit 2m apart so it felt like we were shouting at each other, but it's the first person I've talked to in real life since last Friday. She seems as un-motivated as me. Neither of us can be bothered to get dressed up if we're not going anywhere. Honestly if this is how we're feeling on day 2 of lockdown, imagine how we're going to be feeling at the end of three weeks.
Got home from the park at about 4pm and immediately poured a glass of wine. Wine o'clock has very quickly moved from 6pm to 4pm. Not good!! From what I've read supermarkets are rapidly running out of wine. I'm trying to hold off from going shopping or just nipping out for a bottle of wine. I'm going to make a list and do a proper local shop in two/three days. I'm really lucky as I've got loads of really decent shops in my local vicinity. There really isn't going to be any need for me to go out in the car at all. That of course, will pose another problem................... if I'm not going out in the car for the next three weeks, will lack of use damage it if it's just sitting stationary?
Just had a text from the friends that I was supposed to be in Seville with. They want to set up a 'zoom' chat thingy. That all sounds a bit technical to me. I guess I'd better google how it's done. To be honest, I'm not sure if I want to chat to people on line. I only see these friends about once a month anyway so I don't really feel the need to go online and chat to them just because we're locked up for three weeks.
Thursday 26 March 2020
Had a trek around town with Trixie, the collie pup, this afternoon. It was eerily quiet.
I'm becoming a bit obsessive about washing my hands as soon as I get back into the flat. When you think of all the things that I touch when I'm out – stair rail in the block of flats, lift buttons, communal doors, pedestrian crossings, etc. - I'm surprised I haven't caught it already. I bet at the end of all this there's going to be a lot of people with OCD.
However, there still seems to be a lot of people who are disregarding the rules. A post popped up on FB today about how police had stopped more than 150 people in the Hayle/Penzance/St Ives area of Cornwall yesterday to ask them why they were driving. Driving to the beach to have a walk is not essential travel. What part of essential do people not get.
This 'go out for an hour's exercise' thing is really annoying me. All my normal dog walking routes are now full of joggers, parents teaching little kids to ride bikes and people who have probably never gone for a walk in their life. The world has gone mad. Why can't people just exercise at home. There are plenty of free fitness classes online. I do 45 mins every day via YouTube.
Having said that, I am very lucky. Owning a dog in a 4th floor flat means that I do actually have an essential reason to go out. I am panicking a bit though. What would I do if I got ill and there's no one to take Trixie, the collie pup out? Irrational I know, because I'd just put a post on FB asking my friends to help
But can you imagine if this had happened in the days before the internet? Then we really would have been isolated. At least these days we can all keep in touch via social media. It's good to stay connected but on the other hand, it's actually quite scary because a lot of the posts are just scaremongering.
Went out onto the balcony to do the 'Clap for the key workers' at 8pm. It was weird. There seemed to be a lot of people clapping but they all seemed to be standing by their windows. I was the only one who was out on the balcony. It was actually quite emotional.
Friday 27 March 2020
Thought for the day – It will be really interesting to see what we're all posting on FB a year from today.
I feel as if all this isolation is driving me crazy. I've actually been isolated for a week now because I did three days of 'self-isolation' before the proper lock down started. We are told it's good to have a routine. A week ago I had a routine. The routine included stuff like tidying out wardrobes and drawers, tidying all the kitchen cupboards and defrosting the freezer.
For the last two/three days the routine seems to have been..................... take the dog out, have breakfast and then do a YouTube fitness workout and then, the routine goes to pot! I can't be bothered to do any of the jobs that need doing so I just sit around watching daytime TV until it's lunchtime. Have a bit of lunch, not because I'm particularly hungry but because I'm sticking to a routine. Lol! Watch a bit more TV, then I wander into the bedroom/kitchen wherever and think I should really get on with some of the jobs. But I don't because Trixie needs an afternoon walk so there's not any point in starting anything if I haven't got time to finish it. #anyexcuse
Take Trixie out for a couple of hours. I think one is only supposed to be doing one hour of exercise a day, but let's face it; who's going to know. I've taken to trekking around the city streets because it's much quieter than going to the actual dog walking places.
Get home about 4.30pm and I immediately open a bottle of wine. 4pm has become the new 6pm with regards to my wine drinking routine. Today I had to nip out to replenish my wine supply. Not really essential I guess but hey ho rules are made to be broken. I went to the little Sainsbury's and the wine shelves were all empty. I bought some sausages and mushrooms just in case anybody thought I was a desperate middle aged alcoholic who had just come out for wine. Which of course I am. Lol! Managed to get some in one of the weeny, teeny little shops. M&S and Waitrose both had huge queues outside with everyone standing 2m apart. The great British public love to queue don't they?
By Sunday I will have run out of bread so I am going to make a proper shopping list and do a proper shop for the week. Hopefully if I go out early there won't be these ridiculous queues.
Oh and I forgot to feed the dog this evening. She normally gets fed between 5.30-6pm. I suddenly realised at 7pm that I hadn't fed her. Coronavirus is driving me mad. I feel like such a bad Collie pup mummy.
Saturday 28 March 2020
The weather was beautiful first thing this morning so after I'd done the dog walk I just stripped off and sat on the balcony until 11am when it clouded over. And then because I hadn't done my daily online fitness class, I didn't bother. I always do a 7min a day workout as a warm up first and it hasn't done what it said it would on the tin. Ie, within a week I should have reduced my waist measurement by 1-2 inches and I haven't. No doubt that's another part of my daily routine that's going to be abandoned.
Also I'm getting fed up having to keep Trixie on her lead the whole time. I get really jealous when I see photos of dogs on social media that live in rural areas having a great time running around off their lead. All the Edinburgh parks are full of people who have taken up jogging in the last week and now that there are all these new rules in place for dog walking, I feel like I should abide them.
Back in the human world................... is anyone else panicking that they're ill? First I thought I had a sore throat, then my neck hurt, then my hand hurt, then my foot hurt and I started to feel all achy so wondered if I had the start of flu or Coronavirus. By 6pm, I'd had two glasses of wine, so nothing is hurting now!
Oh and my new project is to chat to three people every day. Not on WhatsApp or Messenger, or Zoom or House Party or any of these other video things that seem to have become the best thing since sliced bread. We all have phones. Let's use them.
Sunday 29 March 2020
We're now being told that this lock down could go on for 12 weeks. 12 weeks? I'm struggling after 6 days.
So, after saying yesterday that I wasn't going to bother with any of these video chat things, I had a chat via WhatsApp with 5 of my friends. Unfortunately we're not that techie so couldn't work out how to add more than 4 people to the chat so had to keep taking turns to 'sit out'. To be honest I didn't really mind that. I hate staring at myself on the screen the whole of the time I'm chatting.
It's incredible how much my life has changed in less than a week. Everything that I took for granted was taken away when Boris uttered 5 little words – YOU MUST STAY AT HOME.
I did a supermarket shop this morning. Not at Waitrose or M&S because the queues were absolutely horrendous and I don't do queuing. I went to the little Tesco Metro, where there were no queues, but hardly anything on the shelves. I bought what I could (which didn't include wine) and then I had to use a self-service check-out because there were no staff operating any of the tills. The member of staff supervising had to come to me three times as I haven't a clue how to use a self-service till. Nor do I have any desire to learn. I guess if this lock down is going to last for 12 weeks I'm going to have to learn?!! To be honest I don't understand how self service check outs are safer than staff operated tills. Just think of all the customers who are touching the screen. It's not like they're being wiped down after every use is it? Surely it would be better to have one member of staff operating one till and then when another member of staff took over they could just wipe it over.
Actually, I'm not sure this shop local thing is a good idea anyway. If I went to a bigger supermarket in the car I would only need to go out once to get every single thing that I needed for a week. Is it really better to go out 2-3 times a week to local shops? I've not been out in the car for more than a week, which in itself poses another problem.................... do I have to go out and rev up the engine every now and again to make sure it's still working?
And the other thing that seems absolutely mad...................... My sister has three kids who are all back from uni, living at home, so in effect she has 5 adults in the house who are eating every single meal at home. I've never done an online shop before (I so wish I had and obviously now no one is taking on new customers) but apparently the online supermarkets are limiting orders to 80 items (the average is 60 but has gone up to 120). That to me is stupid. They're obviously not taking into account that everyone is now eating every single meal at home.
My other sister lives with her partner in the North Yorkshire Dales and her life doesn't seem to have changed at all because she's pretty much permanently self-isolating there anyway.
It's 'city' people who are having to adapt to major changes in our lives. The whole of my life as I knew it, less than a week ago, has ground to a halt. I can't go out socialising with my friends, I can't go out for a meal or out for a drink, I can't go to my fitness club, I can't continue my work as a Meet & Greeter to short term lets and I can't rent out my home in Cornwall.
It's no wonder, I'm having a major meltdown everyday with no one to talk to except the dog. Thank God for Trixie!! I read an article that said it was perfectly normal to rant or cry or drink more than normal, or not clean the house or sit around watching TV all day or stay in your Pjs or not be motivated to do anything, etc, etc.
Yep, that just about covers me, except the staying in your PJs bit (and that's only because I have to take Trixie out). Oh well, heyho, at least I know I'm normal!!
All I can think about is 12 weeks? Surely this can't go on for 12 weeks?
12 weeks, 12 weeks, 12 weeks, 12 weeks........................................
Monday 30 March 2020
A whole week in lock down................... Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!
This afternoon I took Trixie for a walk up the 'secret path'. The secret path runs between Mortonhall Golf Club and the Buckstone Estate. It's a nice woody area with lots of space for Trixie to run about in. Usually there's only one or two other people walking, so my intention was to let Trixie have a good run about off her lead.
It would seem that the secret path is no longer secret. The whole of Edinburgh seem to have taken up jogging, cycling and dog walking so the secret path was extremely busy so I had to keep Trixie on her lead. Grrrrrrr.................
Oh and I have one bottle of wine left in the house. I'm going to drink it today/tomorrow and then I am going to go alcohol free for the whole of April or until lock down ends. Whichever one happens first.................
Tuesday 31 March 2020
I've decided that it's good for my mental health to get outside as much as possible. I'm so lucky to have a balcony where I can sit outside for a little bit of peace and tranquillity.
This afternoon I was passing a friends house on the dog walk so I texted her and asked her to come to the window so that we could have a chat in real life. Trixie, the collie pup, hasn't quite got the hang of this social distancing' thing yet and tried to jump in through the open window. Lol!
I'm feeling a bit happier today, probably because the weather has been lovely and also I think I've resigned myself to the fact that this situation isn't going to go away anytime soon.
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