This is a sequel to ‘u3a in the Time of Corona’. Some of the writers also contributed to that.

It was felt that people had more to say, because the first book only covered

what we now know was the first lockdown.

We were all naïve and optimistic back then – certain it would be all be over by Christmas.

Now, in the summer of 2021, it’s possible to take a more informed view of this whole extraordinary period, or focus on a particular aspect that has affected our own lives.

Contents

SMALL PROBLEMS from SOMERSET

I have found in these months of lockdown, and easing, and more lockdown, that I and those I have been in contact with, began, in the March of 2020, in a mild state of alarm, not so much for personal safety but for general, What shall we do?! When the virus began to spread, it wasn’t reported here until late January and February, when the media were still saying, Don’t worry; it’s only a mild flu.

But the truth was leaking out and by the first week in March, our Line Dancing class had halved. By 16th March 2020 we were down to a quarter of the usual attendees and the rest of the term was cancelled. Then the summer short term was cancelled; then the September term couldn’t take place but by then, as people do, we were finding ways to work within the rules while still accomplishing what we wanted. Some classes were set up via Zoom. This doesn’t work well with musical groups and the line dancing has been conducted via a dedicated live-streaming site. It has worked well by and large and is in any case Better Than Nothing. But that first week, from 23rd March, when the lockdown was to be reviewed ‘in three weeks’, I have to admit to alarm. I spent the first few days thinking how I could stretch whatever we had to make it last longer than usual: use a cloth instead of a sheet of kitchen towel. It’s less hygienic in some situations but that would spare the paper product. We were fine for then, that week, but what if––––? I worried about our teeth, eyes, chiropractor – and that’s just the planned care. What about emergencies? And what about the cats and dogs? What if they had an emergency? What if the plumbing went wrong? Could we call in a plumber? An electrician? Service the central heating boiler? What about the car? MOT? What if anything went wrong with it?

I don’t know whether the government had really thought about all the small things that would trouble ordinary people (I expect someone else worries about their plumbing) or whether they were pushed into making amended decisions about emergencies as the questions arose. For a month, there was no way of obtaining DIY supplies or building materials. That was an inconvenience for us but a disaster for the trade, both suppliers and builders. (We were building a retaining wall to prevent a field collapsing into the garden. It kept us occupied during the first lockdown.)  After a month, it was possible to organize, by phone, deliveries; and a few weeks after that, collections on the wall outside the yard, with payment by card over the phone and collection times allocated. Gradually, it became possible to work within the rules to obtain the one-off things we might need. With hand gel, one-way systems and gloves, we began to find ways of coping with the demands of safety while still getting what we needed.

The biggest change of course was the push to shop online. We live in the sticks. Trying to get a grocery delivery slot has proved all-but impossible. If you weren’t on the list when it started, you couldn’t get on it at all. We needed to make sure the car had a weekly outing to keep it running so every Tuesday we drove five miles into town to do essential shopping, and five miles home. But what we did gradually start doing was looking for things we needed/wanted (if only to keep us occupied while forbidden to go anywhere) on online sites. I hadn’t made a teddy bear for forty years but I have found a good firm to supply fabric and another to supply the fittings (eyes, joints) and I have made several teddies in lockdown, mostly in lieu of birthday presents. A teddy doesn’t weigh very much and can be packed up and taken to the Post Office with reasonable safety. On the day it became compulsory to wear a mask in shops (24th July 2020) the only Post Office in the city of Wells was permanently CLOSED. The note on the door said they would be moving to Peacock’s. The note in Peacock’s window said, Don’t Ask Us! and within days it was announced that they were going into liquidation. So the smallest city in England has no Post Office at all. But it’s not all bad: we have had to find out when the mini-PO is open in the village shop a mile away and take our stuff there instead. We have also discovered how to complete forms online (new passport (ha! ha!), new driving licence for seventieth birthday; replacement bus pass; Premium Bond details when they phased out the warrant scheme. We have obtained replacement specialist light bulbs for angle-poise lamps, a new basin plug, specific sizes of woodworking files, a seven-inch, very sharp needle for inserting teddy’s eyes–––All manner of small items that would have taken us into hardware shops or other small businesses but which we now find is easier, less hassle, and less wasteful of fuel to order online. And you don’t risk getting there and finding the shop hasn’t got the size of hoover bag you need even though they sold you the hoover in the first place. (Argos, if you’re wondering. We have an Argos shop three miles away but they never have the consumables you need so we now go online. That means we shall probably get the next hoover online as well and Argos will gradually shrink into non-existence.) Same argument applies to printer inks. We even ordered our seed potatoes, onions and vast numbers of seed packets online to make sure we could get hold of some. The problem with closing all garden centres last March was that it was JUST the time when seeds should have been obtained ready for planting. It gave us something to do during the first lockdown but it wasn’t something that could be done ‘later’. There is a time for sowing – and it can’t be put off till next month. If you don’t do it at the right time, you miss the chance until next year. The government did seem to learn that lesson eventually.

The only time I really needed a person to help with a disaster was when the laptop collapsed. I contacted our usual engineer (worth his weight in loo rolls!) and that was in June, when we were allowed some outside contact. We took the poorly machine out to his house (even more buried in the countryside than we are) and they had a safety system of leaving machines in their downstairs loo for 72 hours, then working on them and, when ready, leaving them there for 72 hours before we could collect them. My machine was a write-off and I needed a new one. There were none to be had for love nor money because the government had given them all away to school-children and workers from home. If I had been trying to get a machine under my own steam, I would still be waiting now. Fortunately, the engineer, being a business, was able to obtain one within three weeks and we just had to go without in the meantime, So all that about ‘contact online and via Zoom’ – it’s all very well unless your machine blows up.

Good things to come out of the changes forced on us? We won’t have to waste fuel and time searching out shops for the exact item we require; just go online. Saves polluting the planet. Our U3A committee has decided to continue all future meetings via Zoom for ever. We are a scattered U3A, distributed across the middle of Somerset, and some people have to travel quite a distance to attend classes or meetings. If we meet via Zoom, it saves fuel, time and effort. But classes – that’s a different matter. The whole point of these is to give us social contact (even at six feet apart) and there is no substitute for that, even on Zoom. But I know of members who have taken this enforced break to assess their choices; re-evaluate their wishes. Some have decided to stop doing what they used to and do something else instead. Some Group Leaders have decided to step down; others to step up to the demand. Such decisions are often delayed and put off until something makes us make a choice but in this situation many choices are being made at the same time instead of piecemeal. It will result in a changed U3A but not necessarily a worse one. New blood will have come forward; it always does, and the U3A should emerge re-vitalized, with some of the older members deciding to step back and newer, younger ones (possibly those forced into ‘early’ retirement by the loss of employment during the pandemic) coming in to join us and provide essential new ideas.

I am as irritated with those school children and students who complain that they have not had what they feel they were entitled to (‘promised’!) during this year as I am with NHS-workers complaining that a one per cent payrise isn’t enough for their stress. What about everybody else’s stress? The Covid-unemployed? Stranded elderly people living alone? The mother trying to work from home while looking after her children and at the same time supervising their online learning? Whose stress is the greater?? I have heard only ONE headmaster say that, though you wouldn’t wish this on anyone, the pandemic year has afforded all of us an opportunity no one else has ever had. It is young people who are supposed to be the most willing to embrace change, and want things to be different from what their parents had. But this current generation seems to lack any sort of understanding that they have had a chance that no one else has ever had. When they are parents, their children will ask, What did you do in the pandemic, daddy? As far as I can see, most of them will have to say, Nothing.

FACING the FUTURE

Experiences of a Zoom Luddite - since I have been retired I have been rather reluctant to use modern technology and social media, but being housebound due to the pandemic has compelled me to use both these things, and what a godsend they have been.

Immediately after the first lockdown began our young vicar announced that he would celebrate morning service via Facebook, and true to his word, from the onset he broadcast the service weekly, and more frequently if there happens to be a special day.  Our lay reader records the service and makes copies to distribute to people who are unable to access Facebook.  Fortunately I have access to Facebook and having the service at home has been a lifeline.

In addition, I have been able to speak to my children and grandchildren on Facetime, our vicar has run several courses on Zoom, the Pilates teacher has put her class on to Zoom, and several U3A groups have also used it.  We have even had a Zoom cookery demonstration and several lectures.  My husband sings in a local choir which uses Zoom for their practice, though when they will be able to put on a concert is anybody's guess.  

All these activities are continuing and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to keep in touch with friends and relatives in this way.

NEWS from NORTHUMBRIA

In January 2020 I celebrated my 70th birthday in style, with family and friends.  The cards I received wished me well over the next decade.  Another decade of fun and activity, and hopefully good health.  I had created a life that I was enjoying. It was busy, it was interesting, it was socially active and although our grandchildren were in Scotland, we had lots of opportunities to see them.

Then came The Pandemic.  I fell ill in February 2020 with a viral infection, a hacking cough and fever.  My friend who I had been out with two weeks previously fell ill at the same time.  Friends who came for lunch the day I took ill were similarly poorly two weeks after that.  My husband was untouched. Was it Covid?  We don’t know but it did give me a feeling of immunity, and anyway I am not one to keep to the Rules.

I locked down reluctantly, but aware that I had to do it for the good of Society. Almost right away I registered on Zoom, which meant I could attend my local Quaker Meeting for Worship on a Sunday.  It occurred to me that I could attend Worship anywhere, so by Week Three I was also worshipping at Radnor Quaker Meeting in Pennsylvania, the Meeting of my American penfriend. I still attend.  They are so alike to us, and yet so different.

I started to write letters, by email. Every Monday I would complete my journal, write the U3A diary, and then write to friends.  I started off writing to fifteen of them, and that has whittled down to three every week and six less frequently. I would only write to those who responded. I can write two sheets of A4 every week, and my friend Richard responds with four sheets of A4.  I know a lot about his family history now.

So, family history.  A few weeks ago I went on Ancestry and gave myself two weeks (I love a deadline) to research it.  OK, I won’t be being asked to go on “Who Do You Think You Are”, as the family line is so boring.  Nearly all of them working in the Lancashire cotton industry, right back to a handloom weaver of 1718, the sadly named “Widow Dunkerley”. I feel a traitor that my sister and I have left the Oldham area, the first ones to ever do that. Richard’s family are far more exciting.

I feel I am coming out of this far fitter than I was. I suffer from a sore foot, Mortons Neuroma, which feels like walking on hard stones.  The pain shoots up to the knee at times. But, I am a walker and a walk leader and so I will walk.  I have been doing two long walks a week and resting my foot in between. We have discovered such delightful walks from home, and so many walks within the County area. (Our interpretation of Stay Local has been very relaxed). It is so good now that we can go out on organised walks again so I have restarted my walking group and they were all so happy to be out together again. But there is a lot of form filling involved to satisfy the Regulations.

I was building up a career as a speaker to local groups and organisations. The lockdown gave me the chance to finish off a new talk and add more images to the other ones.  I have also started work on another.  But I lack an audience, because I was speaking to U3As, Rotary Groups, Women’s Institutes, Church Groups, etc.  

But many of those are no longer arranging talks. Partly because they are not using Zoom technology, but also because they exist for people to meet up, not to listen to a speaker.   That is an ancillary activity. I have given a few talks by Zoom but it is a strange experience, talking into the mantelpiece where I rest my laptop.

I finished the home Annual Accounts Summary recently.  We spent far less than our income this last year.  OK, more on food and supermarket alcohol (mainly for my husband of course), and we set up savings schemes for the grandchildren. But far less on holidays, meals and snacks out, fares and car parking, petrol, events and bookings and on clothes.

The media considers that we will have a spending boom when everything is opened up.  Will we spend?  Not as much on holidays, as we won’t be going abroad for a while.  I would be very reluctant to catch an aeroplane to a foreign destination where the virus is still active. Not so much on events and bookings, as I cannot see Theatres and Music Venues opening up fully for a while. I would like to go to cafes and restaurants again, but not at present when it is necessary to book and to sit outside in the cold.

I long for the spontaneity of life.  Just to turn up at a National Trust place, to go into a café without prior notice, to catch a train without booking, not to have to wear a mask.  You know I cannot wear the mask and my spectacles as they steam up.

And I want to see the family in Scotland.  Our son-in-law has been strictly sticking to The Rules. So we haven’t been able to see them since last October.  Actually we did get our five year old granddaughter here for her Easter holidays last week as her Mum was laid up with a bad back. My husband was allowed to go up and collect her, but I wasn’t. We had a super week. Thank goodness for Skype and Zoom.  We have got to know Isobel so much better, but not her little brother, who is too young to sit still.

And Skype/Zoom has allowed me to meet up with friends old and new.  Radnor Quakers, my sister’s quiz group who now include friends and family from all over the UK, my friend the Dame who moved back to London to be in the centre of politics again, my friend who upped sticks and went to live in a very isolated area of the Pennines, the family – we all Zoom on a Sunday afternoon.  

It can be difficult to fill in the day.  There are activities, there is “work” on research, there are meetings.  But none of the bits in between – the chatting afterwards, the journey there and back.  I missed the chatting last week after the U3A Monthly Meeting.  I had considered the speaker to be unpleasant and I would have loved to have discussed this with other U3A friends over coffee afterwards.

I do not know what life will be like, what I will be like, after it is all over.  It cannot be the same, it cannot be as good.  I must feel grateful that we so enjoyed our 60s and were able eleven years ago to retire at 60 with good pensions and a bus pass.

REPORT from RUGBY

I am writing this just one year on from the first lockdown.  I remember the last weekend before the lockdown as I was celebrating my eighty third birthday.  The family had driven up from Swindon to my home in Rugby and we had gone out to a local pub for lunch.  The whole conversation was about the virus and we were careful about washing our hands or using antibacterial handwash in the pub. The family were keen to obtain thermometers as the news was all about checking one’s temperature.  After a search in vain for a local chemist that was open, they resorted to ordering online.

Then a few days later the bombshell was given by Boris Johnson about the first lockdown.  I remember feeling very shocked and anxious about the future, not so much from fear of catching the virus as the anticipation of long days on my own.   My husband died twelve years ago and I had got used to living on my own and filling my days with numerous activities and generally being very sociable.   The whole concept of days without friends and family appalled me.   However I decided, as did so many others, to be constructive and started doing all those household jobs that had been outstanding for so long.   My daughter knows I love writing, so suggested I write a diary, which eventually became part of the U3A In the Time of Corona.  I found the regular routine of writing each day very helpful and I find it interesting to look back at some of my entries, e.g.”30th March 2020 Sadly the death toll has now risen to 1408”.  Little did I know what was to come.

As the weeks went by, I became more used to communicating using the new technology and looking at my emails was very much part of my morning routine.  Mid March (2020) I received seventeen emails all cancelling my regular activities and the calendar became empty.  The word Zoom had meant nothing to me, but over the months this has been a lifesaver.  During the past year I have joined two Singing Groups, WI meetings and best of all the U3A Dance Fun.  Our current Chairman, had previously taken Circle Dancing groups in a church hall, but now we embarked on two groups dancing weekly in our kitchens/conservatories.  They adapted the dances and we now call the group Dance Fun, as we obviously can’t dance in a circle.  

I was contacted by a local community group who offered help in many ways, one of which I accepted, which was to do my shopping.  My neighbours also did the same and this support within the local community has continued.  If one can say any good has come from the horrendous situation, it would be the caring nature of people one to another. The Clap for Carers enforced the fact of everyone being in it together and our gratitude to the NHS shared with our neighbours.

Our church services have now been using a telephone system for a year with initial chat between the members, then being muted by the minister during the actual service.  We can sing the hymns lustily with no fear of anyone hearing you.

I have realized the importance of exercise and now do a daily Nuffield Health routine for the over 70s, as well as going out walking.   I try to go out every day on my own, but I remember very clearly the first walk in May with a friend when we tried to keep well apart from other people as well as each other.  Now this has become second nature and no one walks along the pavements in a straight line, but usually carefully keeping 2m apart.   I firmly believe that exercise is so important to one’s well-being.

Christmas was a very strange one last year because of all the restrictions.  My Christmas celebrations consisted of a lovely walk on a beautiful cold Christmas Eve at a nearby country park with my daughter and family. We exchanged presents from the boots of our cars.  On Christmas Day my son and family did a three and a half hour round trip to spend two hours “partying” on my patio.  I was in the kitchen with the door open and they were in deckchairs with rugs, but we all made the best of it.  I was so happy to have been able to spend time with them.

At the start of the pandemic I realized that life would be very different for me but thinking back on the past year I know that I am one of the lucky ones. I feel so very sorry for all those who have had their lives turned upside down and for whom the coronavirus has been devastating. My daily routine has settled into a pattern and I am so grateful to enjoy relatively good health.  I feel blessed to have a garden which proved invaluable last Spring when I sowed seeds and grew my own vegetables.   The long days of Winter did seem very dreary but with the help of my caring family and friends the days passed by quite pleasurably.  I have tried to embark on new projects, the latest being Painting by Numbers, and jigsaws have been a continual source of pleasure.

Now with the arrival of the new year, Spring and better weather and, best of all the success of the vaccine, I am hopeful of better times ahead.  The “end of the tunnel” is in sight, as quoted by so many politicians.  My granddaughter made me a wall plaque with the message “Start the day with a grateful heart” and this is what I tell myself and remember to count my blessings.

MOOD MUSING

Lockdown 1 was cheerful and coping. Was phoning, emailing, texting around friends and family, having a laugh about this new world while staying safe. Was discovering new things, new skills and interests. Was dropping off cake and biscuits on doorsteps. Was Skypeing and Zooming and ‘can you hear me’. Was discovering new paths and routes never walked before; looking at the neighbourhood afresh. Was doing those long-neglected items on the bottom if the ‘round to it’ list and clearing out those cluttered drawers and cupboards – and all those charity shop runs and tip trips when it ended!

Lockdown 1 was positive, was friendly: we kept our chins up – and then celebrated happily in the summer sun.

Lockdown 2 was muddle and confusion: - all tiers and fears. What level are you? What level am I? What can we, should we do? Until the answer was nothing much.

Lockdown 3 is misery, gloom, depression: too much chocolate and not enough exercise through the dark winter months. Is rudderless, is foundering and floundering, is boredom. The urge to self-improve has morphed into a lingering sense of guilt for time wasted.

Lockdown 3 is walking, plodding, no longer looking around, just clocking up the step count.

Lockdown 3 is petty irritations: other people who walk towards you, daring you to pass close by, until you crack and step away to avoid them – some even mock as they go by, while you fume in silence. Most just ignore you – no civility any more, no sense of community any more.

Lockdown 3 is hope about vaccines continually pitted against scares about them: fake news and dodgy views. Real news about long COVID and how bad it can be. Squabbles and spats with the EU: we’ll keep your vaccines for our people / we don’t want your vaccines they’re not safe – but we cannot trust our tabloid stories.

Restrictions lifting – immediate stories of people overstepping new boundaries, acres of rubbish left in parks and beauty spots – what happened to personal responsibility? Busy, busy shops, busy, busy pub gardens – full of people convinced that THEY are being responsible but THE PUBLIC just cannot be trusted. Still worrying high rates in some hot spots. And now there’s another new variant just arrived from India, and the stock markets are plunging again.

The sunshine is bright outside: if only the future looked as bright.

JURASSIC JOURNAL

We are now drawing to the end of Lockdown 3; it has been a less acceptable lockdown as it has been in the winter months after Christmas making it more difficult for people to be outside. For the first time we have spent Christmas at home - just the two of us, it seemed very strange, but so many others were doing the same.

I think that what I have to say is of a more sombre tone to it, I feel that is necessary, this last lockdown has been very hard, the number of covid cases has been huge and so have the number of deaths. Many people are suffering from ‘long Covid’’ which is a legacy from the pandemic which will impact the lives of so many people for a long time. We are now out of Europe and our future destiny depends on us as a country, to focus on the health, welfare, education, the economy and it requires us all to contribute; we need a government that can be trusted and that puts the interests of the people of this country first, before their own desires to be rich and powerful. Which at the moment we do not have. We should remember the people who have died and their families by building a better future for the generations to come.

I have been reading the diaries that I wrote during the first lockdown last year. One does forget just what it was like then, it all seemed rather a novelty, the weather in the main was wonderful which I believe made it much easier for people to cope; families and neighbours became closer and people were always ready to help each other. There was of course the fear of the Covid virus.

I know that I blame the government for all their many faults, although the times were certainly unprecedented - nothing in living memory made it easy to know how to deal with it . I still think we have a useless government in the main, they lack transparency and are not worthy of trust, so my views have not changed there !

Much of the focus these days is on children who have lost a lot of their schooling; they missed their friends and the social life at school as well as the learning ; older children have had their exams severely disrupted. But I do think that children are very resilient and the young ones particularly will settle down as long as they are happy and will catch up with their studies quite quickly. The older ones I think will find it more difficult especially if in the middle of exams, but they will catch up. I think the worse thing would be for them to think of themselves of ‘victims’ blaming the pandemic for things going wrong. The young people who have finished their education are often facing a very difficult time too, they want work, our oldest granddaughter has gained a degree and an MA, she dearly would like a proper job, she has had some online work unpaid doing food writing and how it affects the economy and the health of nation. She has been doing instagram work about food and cooking and nutrition. With this experience she should build up a good CV and hopefully it will not be too long before she can become established in a proper career. There is no doubt that life will be different in every way that is possible.

Housing. I read over my diary entries for last year and I had written that I had hoped that the government would learn from experience of the pandemic, and things that I hoped they would change to benefit society. Housing was one of these things, the government often waffles about ‘levelling up’ but nothing positively is done to achieve this. But housing is one great way of levelling up. In some areas the virus has spread far more rapidly because housing conditions are poor, often unsanitary and overcrowded . Think how children have been trying to do their school work this past year when living in bad conditions, they do not have space to work, they have no outside space to play in; their health is affected because they do not have access to hygienic washing and cleaning facilities. If there is a stigma attached to the place they live in, it makes it difficult to integrate with other people they might meet, it lowers self esteem. But I cannot envisage this government doing anything significant to bring about a better housing facilities that are desperately needed by so many.

One thing that has changed is the health service, everything is different now. It is very difficult to get to see a doctor these days, First you need to ring the surgery and have to wait for what seems like an endless wait while the answer phone message goes on and on about Covid, eventually when a human actually comes on the line you ask to see a doctor, to be told you cannot as you have to have a phone appointment first, so you then wait for some time later for a doctor to ring; you then explain what the problem is, sometimes people are asked to send a photo on their phones to the doctor for diagnosis, often this is not possible, (the mind boggles) so you get an inquisition about your health problem and if you are fortunate you might be given an actual, live, face to face consultation appointment with the doctor . (If not then you will have received the diagnosis as the situation allows and might be prescribed some medication.) Then on arrival at the surgery you wait outside until a receptionist admits you, then it’s sanitise your hands, check in on a digital screen, then you go into a very sparsely occupied waiting room, where other patients sit silently with their faces half covered with their masks . That is a great achievement to have reached this stage; a doctor comes out and calls your name, all masked and gowned so you are unlikely to know whether you have the right doctor or whether you might be led into an operating theatre! There needs to be much more access to face to face appointments.

I have been waiting for 14 months now to have my second cataract done and no sign of it happening yet; my situation has become more urgent now as in February my husband out of the blue had a seizure on two consecutive nights, they were severe and after the second one he went to hospital and they later that day released him, he is on medication and cannot drive for at least 6 months. This whole episode was traumatic for me, I am so fearful that he will have another one. It was something I had not witnessed and knew very little about. I have great sympathy for those who suffer or have to witness their loved ones having regular seizures. Now at my age I am now reluctantly the only driver, my husband does not like to be the passenger, I do not like doing the driving - but needs be…… so I need to have my cataract treated.

Well that is mainly negative news. Some of the neighbours have been speaking of holding a party on our little green at the end of our cul de sac, when the last restrictions hopefully are ended in June; that would be great! We made good use of the green last year in the lockdown and subsequent weeks by doing exercise sessions in the road then moving some to the drive way of a lady round the corner where we did line dancing, but during the winter months and lockdown it all stopped, except when we had a couple of drink and chat evenings, we also had a carol singing session at Christmas, under the light of the street lamp. So we can say that the community spirit has survived. Though I do not think the same deep involvement will remain as time goes on. We find that as we all know each other better now that help is readily there if someone is ill or has a problem.

Things we have been very thankful for during the last year are our family, especially our daughter and daughter in law who have phoned, Skyped, ordered shopping online and let us ‘run up a tab: The neighbours with their friendliness and offers of help and meetings for our dancing and exercises etc. Our lovely shopping ladies in the village who will always get essential supplies and stop for a chat at doorstep when they return with the shopping; Tesco - yes Tesco! for being there for online shopping and their very cheerful delivery drivers. Our local butchers who will take an order for our meat supplies and deliver to us.

I think Radio 5 Live has been a great source of help for many listeners with their ‘phone ins’ on weekday mornings when there has been a great deal of advice given by experts, and listeners were able to express their worries and concerns. I am not a sports fan but my husband tunes in to that station so I listen sometimes in the morning, when I am getting myself ready for the day!

The contact from members of U3A- and we are now planning our first meeting for next month outside of course! All these lovely people who have made such a difference to our life during these awful months. There have been so many people who have supported others and given comfort and happiness.

Last year we took pleasure from the birds nesting in our garden, but our next door neighbour decided to get a cat in lockdown last year, and now the birds nests are being attacked and we lose the birds, such a shame, I am not fond of cats; It puzzles me that dogs are not allowed to keep wandering into others garden but cats and their horrid habits are seemingly accepted.

Great news! I now have had an appointment to have my eye assessed for the hopefully imminent cataract operation. Of course I cannot take myself because of having the eye drops, so I have rung a local charity driver service and they will take me tomorrow morning, for a small donation. I am truly grateful for that service. Our son and daughter have done quite a bit of driving to take me and my husband for his hospital appointments in Exeter so do not wish to keep bothering them. We have never been in this situation before - that we cannot be independent. Now I understand how others feel !

The vaccines appear to be making a great impact on the Pandemic and numbers of cases are now reduced quite significantly. The vaccine was without doubt our only way out of this situation, thanks to all the wonderful scientists and health workers for all their hard and dedicated work. We just go with the hope now that we are seeing the end of this terrible pandemic.

NUGGETS from NORFOLK

I have been lucky enough to work all through the various lockdowns and my life has been able to continue much as normal. We can also see from the figures the positive impact lockdown has had on numbers of infections and deaths. However, there are so many groups of people who have lost this year of their lives, a year they cannot get back, a very long year they may not feel was worth the sacrifices, a year where the gains have not outweighed the benefits.

My Mum (aged 89) has managed to remain proactive and keep both mentally and physically active but knows that, at her time of life and living with severe rheumatoid arthritis, she may not be able to remain this active for long. Normally, she would have gone to London most months, to see an opera. If and when this ever becomes possible again, she worries that she may no longer be fit enough, and lockdown will have robbed her of her last opportunities to enjoy what it most important to her.

Our elderly Aunt (aged 88) has deteriorated dramatically during this year. Living on her own, in poor health, vulnerable, isolated and lonely, her weekly shop on the dial-a-bus was a lifeline to her. When lockdown started, and she was told to shield, she dutifully followed all the guidance to the letter, leaving her completely isolated. With no computer, mobile phone etc, she had no access to the technology that enabled others to use video conferencing or even shop online. With no trip out, she has lost her one social interaction each week, and her one day of physical activity. She has become deeply lonely, depressed and significantly less mobile. She also began to live in fear so that when lockdown ended for the first time, she still refused to go out “I’ve shielded all this time. What if I catch it now?” When her phone developed a fault, she tried to leave home to cross the road to a neighbour to ask for help -but found she was both physically and mentally unable to cross the road. With the following lockdowns only adding to these problems, she is now reduced to simply shuffling between rooms in her small bungalow and her social interactions are limited to phone calls from relatives. The lockdowns may possibly have saved her life by preventing her from catching Covid, but, equally, they have taken away her life by reducing the quality of her living.

An elderly neighbour, aged 94 and registered blind, is in the same boat. Unable to use technology and unable to get out, her world is limited to a couple of rooms. Recently in need of dental treatment, she found she was mentally and physically unable to organise this and get out to attend an appointment. There are thousands of people like these who have lost not just this year, but, because of their isolation, their future years. The same has happened to residents of care homes. Dependent upon visits for social interaction, and, often unable to understand why they are not getting visits, many have deteriorated past the point of return so they, too have lost this year - and any years to come.

So many other generations have also lost out irretrievably to this year of lockdowns – for example, new parents, especially first-time parents. Mothers have been forced to undergo all their appointments and even the birth alone, precisely at the times when they need support, and new Fathers have lost without a trace, any chance to share their unborn baby’s development. This is time that can never be made up. Mothers are having to cope in those first exhausting, inexperienced weeks and months without their own mothers to help them and offer advice. This is an opportunity gone for ever. Grandparents have not had the chance to support their own children or to bond with their grandchildren. Children develop so fast, and that precious early time can never happen again.

As a teacher, I have seen the effect on young children. My class is mixed age – Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. The children have proved themselves remarkably resilient and the Y1s and Y2s have amazed us with their ability to keep learning whatever the circumstances -but our youngest children have begun school with no concept of life without Covid and have missed almost a year of learning through play, of developing social skills, of learning vocabulary, basic academic skills….The basis of their whole school career is missing. Will the rest of it stand up without any foundation?

Similarly, at the other end of the scale, students starting university have had no opportunity to develop friendships, social life, to learn to live away from home, take up new opportunities, develop new skills and interests, and to learn from others.

People have had to start new jobs without meeting colleagues, seeing their offices or having the usual induction. This must have a huge impact on their work, their confidence and their ability to operate within a team. I know of many people who have fallen by the wayside and, especially if this is their first job experience, are now scared to try again. It will be incredibly hard for them to make a new start once lockdown finishes – even assuming there is anywhere for them to make a new start.

So many businesses have closed as they couldn’t manage without custom, especially round here, where hospitality and tourism are our only employers. This has cost them everything and they will have no chance to “catch up” once we are freer again as, once lost, these businesses are gone for ever. And who would dare start up a new business in these uncertain times with no guarantee that, shortly, we will not be in the same position of having to close again.

As well as the immediate impact on those desperate to find work, we are seeing families unable to remain here without work, having to move away from all they know, where they were happy, in an often vain attempt to find work. Again, this year has lost them everything they had, with no guarantee of anything better anytime soon. Devastating for them. Worth it to keep themselves Covid free? Not all would say so. Although we have all been touched by this illness and are aware of how incredibly serious it is, many feel that their life has been destroyed anyway and there was always a hope they wouldn’t catch it, whereas now they have no hope for life at all.

And for those of us left behind here in our rural area, what will life be like now? No work. No shops. No families. And who will move in under these circumstances? Could our way of life have been lost for ever? All for a year of lockdown?

Personal health has also been an issue. Lots of people who could have life changing operations (cancer, heart, hip replacements etc) have been denied treatment and by the time the NHS has caught up, it will be too late for many. We all know of examples where a year of lockdown to save life has actually cost a life. People younger than me, who could have expected many more years of a happy and fulfilled life, will now miss out on a future.

And, apparently, some hospitals have seen as many attempted suicides in the last two months as they did in all of 2019 – particularly amongst young males and older people. Hopefully, with support, many of these will go on to happier times, but, sadly not all will -more lives lost as a direct result of our attempts to save lives.

And, of course, devastatingly, lockdown has meant people have been unable to say goodbye before their loved ones have died or hold funerals for them. Imagine having to go to your death without being able to see your family one last time, with neither party able to say those precious words that mean so much to both those dying and those left behind. Tragic. Nothing will ever bring that moment back.

This is such a difficult and emotive subject and, despite all my ruminations over the year, I really didn’t know whether the end did justify the means. I can understand why it was done and, for people like me, I definitely feel the benefits outweighed the disadvantages. However, for some groups, the drawbacks have been far more severe than maybe were anticipated and I feared that maybe the damage to individuals was just too much.

However, I then began to discuss this piece with those most closely concerned and, the more they talked, the more I was amazed by their spirit and their ability to find a positive in all the despair.

Their overwhelming message was that it has been a bad year, but they have coped and are alive. They didn’t think they could cope – but they have. They are proud of themselves, and the strength and resilience that many didn’t even realise they had. They are grateful to those who have made it possible – including all those following the rules, local volunteers, NHS workers etc. They have all still had enjoyments, however temporary - from something as simple as delighting in the blue sky, to new hobbies, new interests and even new recipes. In fact, lockdown has possibly helped them appreciate these things even more than before.

They all agreed that, like the war, it would impact for ever upon the lives of all of us who have lived through it, but, for most people, it couldn’t ruin their lives. They left me with an abiding message of joy and hope -because we have stuck to the rules, even though it has cost us so much, we have come through it as a country, to move forward with hope, with pride in what we have all done, to enjoy life now and in the future.

SHIELDING in SHROPSHIRE

The Covid Threat has been sufficiently long lasting to turn a temporary adjustment into a settled way of life. The home-based lifestyle seemed an outrageous curtailment of our freedom, but gradually became a new set of expectations and habits. What started as an urgent escape from an invisible enemy came to be a cosy retreat from the stresses of society.

The last entry in my last year’s Living History Diary was on Sunday, 31st May 2020, and it ended thus:  

It’s now evening, on the last day of the driest, sunniest May since records began.

Today we come to the end of 10 full weeks of lockdown. The view from our back gardens, via various press and TV reports, is actually fairly clear, if one brushes aside the camouflage of vocabulary. In plain terms, the virus (a killer) is still out there. Possibly 400,000 people have caught it (274,762 have tested positive, but an unknown number have also been ill and recovered at home); just under 40,000 have died. There are about 66,650,000 people in the UK – so about 66.25 million people have not yet contracted the disease. The NHS has coped with the first big onslaught, with a huge effort and sacrifice from the population, plus vast damage to the economy and many people’s lives.

As the lockdown is eased (and we can’t stay banged up forever) it is no use thinking that it’s safe out there. But we can have a little more space because there is spare capacity in the NHS to cope with cases that arise. If there’s any evidence that they are beginning to be swamped again, these little freedoms will end, and we will be back on square 1. It behoves us to TREAD ON EGGSHELLS for a long time yet.

Sadly, this was prophetic. There were some very pleasant moments in the interlude between lockdowns. One June morning, we went for our usual walk and were greeted in the car park by our daughter and granddaughter, who had driven over 200 miles to surprise us. We spent the day walking, and sitting, socially distanced, in the garden. In the evening, they drove home again, as staying overnight was still proscribed. We formed a “bubble” with our other daughter, who lives alone, and that arrangement is still a great benefit. We also have three sons. One of these we have been able to meet on two occasions at a garden centre; the second we have been able to see, with his family, only in the sad context of a funeral. The third lives in Australia, and the prospect of seeing that part of the family still seems far in the future.

Four elderly relatives died, two of these cases being Covid related. We attended our first “online funeral” – a very strange, almost out-of-body experience, as we were positioned, with the film camera, high up behind the small congregation.

A raft of family celebrations had to be cancelled – an 18th and a 21st birthday, a silver wedding, my husband’s family get-together to mark his 80th birthday, and, of course, Christmas.

Just after Christmas, 2020, we both fell ill. Philip had attended a vaccination centre about a week earlier, the first encounter with other people in weeks. However, his symptoms, and mine a few days later, didn’t tally with the advertised Covid cough and fever. We had upset stomachs, loss of appetite and dry throats. Extreme fatigue built up as the days went by. We called it a “bug” and soldiered on, though we felt too ill to go anywhere. Some weeks later, we heard that a relative (many miles away) was in hospital with “gastric Covid” and similar symptoms. We came to the conclusion that we might well have caught and recovered from the virus without ever realising what it was.

As release from restrictions approaches this year, we feel inclined to carry on being extremely cautious, even though we are fully vaccinated. Our U3A branch is keen to resume our general meetings, but we will not be attending. Group meetings in gardens are a different matter, but I personally have enjoyed the convenience of Zoom, Meet, Teams and Jitsi. I have joined about a dozen online meetings per month. The most successful has been a very productive Poetry Workshop that meets every two weeks and has produced 216 pieces of work between its 8 members. The quality has been amazing. Personally, I am hoping that we might alternate between online and face-to-face meetings in the future.

So – is it over? Clearly, from the evidence of India, not! It will be a long time before the old freedom of choice returns, and many of us have got out of the habit of wanting things that are out of reach.

EXPERIENCE from ABERDEEN

I consider myself lucky that I have had no direct experience  personally with the virus. I have watched daily television reports describing the impact of the virus on a wide variety of people throughout the world. The first indication I had of the severity of the virus was when I heard my friend’s son who lives and works in Beijing was under strict quarantine. Who knew it was going to lead to a global pandemic and so many lives were to be lost. I only  know two people, friends of the family in their 40s, who have contracted the virus, with only minor symptoms. Close friends report similar experiences.

So my experience of the virus is more about the impact brought about by the restrictions of lockdown. I am lucky in many respects that I live alone so was able to form a family bubble with my daughter, son-in-law and four grandchildren. This was a life-saver, allowing regular contact with all members of my family and my eldest granddaughter’s boyfriend. He had become isolated from his family in England as he was studying at the university here in Aberdeen. We may not have acted entirely within the law as we had to cross one local boundary to be together as a family but I think the benefit to my mental health outweighed the restrictions and seemed a common sense decision.

During the lockdown, I have not taken advantage of home deliveries from supermarkets and have been able to shop regularly on my own, following all guidelines. Shopping habits have changed from weekly to fortnightly and sometimes less than that - depending how long a litre of milk lasts. Despite restrictions with doctor/ nurse and dental appointments, I have been able to access prescriptions online , a  routine visit to the nurse and an emergency appointment at the dentist. I had the Pfizer vaccination in February at a very well organised operation at our local TECA. I am currently eagerly awaiting my second dose of the vaccination and the freedom that comes with that.

The impact of lock down and the restrictions have weighed heavily on my social interactions with family and friends. I was disappointed that I could not help my elder sister when she fell on the ice in January this year. She had a compression fracture at the base of her spine and is only now able to walk short distances. In normal times, I would have stayed with her for the 6 weeks she was totally incapacitated as I am retired and have lots of free time. She had formed a bubble with her youngest son and his partner so they had to take full responsibility in caring for her during that time as well as working from home full-time. I missed not being able to attend several funerals and grieve fully at that time. The norm was to stand at the roadside clapping or standing silently as the funeral  cortège passed. Plans to go on holiday to China and London were put on hold but I found that only a minor inconvenience. There was an easing of the restrictions in the summer of 2020 so my family and I spent a week in Fort Augustus, very much a socially distanced experience. I missed being able to socialise with my friends more than anything but occasionally managed to go on socially distanced walks with one person.

The service I missed most was that of my hairdresser. The last time I had a hair appointment was in December. My hair grows really quickly and I am not a DIY expert in hairdressing.  I am learning to embrace the ever expanding gray roots - but a hat has become my new must have accessory.  The upside is that restrictions mean only my family have to look at this unkempt sight and there is light at the end of the tunnel- a hair appointment on the 15th April 2021.

In March, I was able to help with home-schooling my 9 year old granddaughter. All of my grandchildren enjoyed the home schooling (or was it not going to school) experience and seem to  have emerged unscathed despite the doom and gloom forecast. I was really impressed by the hard work and enthusiasm of the teachers in supporting the children at this time. I feel it was particularly hard for my eldest granddaughter in 2nd year at university - everything online and having to pay for accommodation away from home. Fortunately, she had the full experience of university life in 1st year for most of the time.

Once restrictions are totally lifted, I am looking forward to celebrating all the events put on hold eg birthdays, anniversaries, but mostly just seeing my friends.

I think technology has had a huge impact on many people during lockdown. I am a digital immigrant but have enjoyed FaceTime and WhatsApp calls mainly with friends as I see my family fairly regularly. One of my friends has formed several new WhatsApp groups  to keep in touch with others. She has been impressed by how an elderly family member has embraced the new technology  to combat isolation. Several of my friends are competent users of Zoom - setting up meetings with family, enjoying lectures on a wide variety of topics, having virtual afternoon teas/ cheese and wine tasting and engaging in beauty masterclasses.

My friends and I have made much more use of online shopping although we all prefer actual shopping with the opportunity to see and touch the goods we are interested in. I particularly look forward to returning to the shops although we have lost so many high street shops because of the pandemic.  Friends in more rural areas have made good use of home deliveries but have missed the opportunity to shop at their usual supermarkets that are out of zone. As an avid reader, I have made great use of the CLICK & COLLECT service offered by our local library but again am looking forward to visiting and browsing. I have been able to continue with my U3A Poetry class via email - this has led to much more in-depth discussion on the poems as our responses have all been in writing. During the pandemic, I have subscribed to an online version of my daily paper. It is much cheaper but I still buy the Saturday edition for the magazine with weekly tv guidelines. 

My son-in-law has set up a range of television networks for me, eg Netflix, Amazon, I- player, so I am never short of programmes to watch. I was able to watch a friend’s funeral service on YouTube. While I would have preferred to attend the funeral, it was comforting to experience the service.

However, humour has permeated this period of lockdown, helping us to have an occasional laugh- with so many witty video clips etc pinging daily into my WhatsApp.

Much of my lockdown life has been spent walking for exercise.  I had walked approximately a mile a day before lockdown but this was accelerated, particularly when my family and I  took on a charity challenge - March into Spring - in March 2021. During this month, we walked/ran/cycled over 680 miles in our family bubble. I think regular exercise as a family will continue, and already has as we are recording this on our Strava App during April.

During this period, most of us will have been using credit/debit cards for payments, either online or  for retail preferences. When I was in Finland a few years ago, the country was moving towards a cashless society. I believe we will follow suit in the next few years. I can barely find a coin in my purse, especially as cash machines only issue notes.

Pre lockdown, I travelled from Aberdeen to Dundee to a hairdresser who “knew” my hair. Since local restrictions began, I have chosen to stay local and this will continue. I will aim to shop more in the local area and support smaller businesses, who have been truly resourceful and entrepreneurial during the last year.

Takeaways have been  a substitute for dining out, one of my pleasures. However, I think I will revert to dining out as soon as the opportunity occurs as I usually  only have a takeaway when my family is with me. Some of my friends have enjoyed regular takeaways during the pandemic. They said this would likely continue, but again prefer the dining out experience or sharing a takeaway with friends. One of my friends said he would never have considered buying takeaway fish and chips but is now a convert.

At the very early stages of the pandemic, our local authority was allocated some money to make our environment socially distant friendly. Like many local authorities, measures were put in place  very quickly to help us become socially distant. This was almost a knee-jerk reaction in Aberdeen. An area of Union Street was pedestrianised, buses rerouted, pavement areas extended and seating areas established.  I feel that a great deal of money was wasted. While I welcome the pedestrianised areas, I felt the pavements were already wide enough. Some of  the seating areas were removed very quickly  as they attracted street drinkers ,who became intimidating at times, and encouraged groups to gather socially near takeaway venues.

During the pandemic, there was much less traffic on the roads, with many people encouraged to walk, cycle, run etc. Unfortunately, a major side effect of that was to find cyclist of all ages using the pavement and becoming a hazard for pedestrians. However, I am sure it led to less pollution form vehicles.  As lockdown continued, it was disappointing when a minority of people chose to disregard the recommendations and gathered together without socially distancing eg in pubs, for demonstrations. A friend in Aberdeenshire commented there were many more dogs in her area and this resulted in more dog mess and littering of poo bags.

All of us are looking forward to the new normal, but friends and family who have been more isolated are somewhat apprehensive and cautious about socialising more widely.

HORRORS from HAMPSHIRE

We either love them or avoid them, Dentist.  We all need a dentist at some time in our lives, the thought of attending dental appointments fills most of us with a mixture of fear, dread and sometimes, relief that the toothache has been taken away.  Dentists have a bad press, stories of teeth being extracted with monstrous tools, blood flowing for hours after treatment, fillings that drop out as you leave the dentist’s chair, COVID-19 has just been added to the list of reasons to mistrust and dislike the dentist. The Coronavirus was such a big drama, the medical profession and Government were stunned into rapid, sometimes, rash decisions, the reasons were right but the implementation was suspect. The closure of the dentists throughout the land is a case in point.

It is very understandable that the Dental profession feel extremely vulnerable, COVID-19 is transmitted by small airborne droplets from the nose and mouth (breathing), thus treating patients for any dental matters is always going to be a tricky affair.  The initial lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for all the NHS medical staff at the start of this pandemic, was a crisis, it was even more acute for dental practices as they were thought to be of a secondary priority, along with residents in social care homes, I do understand the difficulties experienced, this pandemic is quite out of anyone’s imagination.

Dental surgeries are like doctors’ surgeries, clinically clean, all the usual hygiene protocols apply, so why did the dental practises have to close? Perhaps a week or two of closure was sensible while extra measures for the enforced super cleaning and arrangement of patient treatment flow and rearranged appointments were made and implemented, but for the Dental hierarchy to advise no dental episodes to be undertaken, except under very severe and exceptional circumstances, seems mad to me, it will take years before we return to decent dental health again, fluoride or no fluoride.

It was a disgrace that dentists and their staff were not given the support needed for them to carry out routine and very necessary treatments. Specialist protective hoods preventing COVID-19 germs being inhaled, should have been a priority after the hospital frontline staff had been supplied with their PPE.

I had a long-standing dental appointment last March, the week after the first lockdown, that appointment was postponed until August, I went along with the delay, it was only a check-up after all.  A month before my next due date, my previously delayed appointment was postponed again until October, by now I have lost two large fillings, big hole in teeth, no pain, thank goodness, I have also had a nasty fall out dog walking where I could have lost two front teeth, more luck than management that horror did not happen.  At the beginning of October 2020, I had yet another missive from my dental surgery, my new appointment would be March 2021, I await with baited breath, (pun intended) for another postponement.

When my first filling fell out in September, I rang my dental practise for help and advice, that was a revelation, I could go to a local chemist and buy a do-it-yourself tooth filling kit, a brand name was recommended, the cost, only a few pounds.  After trying two local pharmacies without success, the brand I discovered had been discontinued years ago, the surgery, obviously unaware of this vital piece of information, a third chemist I tried, said they did have a kit somewhere in the shop, if I could wait, they would see if they could locate it, found it, I was very pleased.  Once home, the DIY tooth filling kit instructions were examined as was my very large tooth cavity, the gaping chasm, beyond my capabilities for repair as it is at the back of a molar, facing the throat, I gave up at that point, lost the will to live, fortunately I have not had any toothache, fingers crossed that my next appointment takes place and that I have not sustained any long-term detriment to my rather elderly teeth.

PANDEMIC PONDERING

Looking back at the time of Covid it is reminiscent of A Tale of Two Cities: ‘it was the worst of times, it was the best of times’.  The majority of kind good hearted people rushed to find some way to help others, making masks and PPE equipment, volunteering to deliver food and set up community support systems. This is what decent people do in an emergency; try their best to help other people in need.  These are the sound foundations every society needs in order to function.  I was heartened to see on the news how communities had come together to build support networks.  In Ballachulish a group devised and gave out a simple sign for householders to put in the window to indicate that they were OK or that they needed help.  Across the country, people who had never met their neighbours, came together in groups to help one another and protect the most vulnerable.

Then we heard of a greedy minority who got into the act, and started to con the vulnerable via the internet or phone calls, with extraordinary levels of devious cunning and bad intentions.  I was appalled that groups were actually stealing family pets to sell on for profit, causing devastating heartache, to add to the high levels of anxiety and distress caused by the pandemic.  This is what evil selfish people do when they see that others are in trouble, as they take advantage of an emergency to get rich quick. Some scammers actually sent emails to con individuals into paying for a vaccine appointment. How low can you sink and still claim to be part of humanity?

And now we are hearing about the cronyism contracts that gave vast amounts of taxpayer’s money to selected rich individuals, many of whom were not in a position to make PPE or ventilators, or indeed anything else.  Donating to a political party seemed a guarantee of becoming a preferred candidate, overlooking honest candidates who were fully able to service contracts and deliver the goods. I was astonished that some of the sleaze contracts were set up by email, with assurances that the recipient would not need to pay extra tax on the windfall.  I am truly appalled that the taxpayer may have been funding millionaires to purchase a second yacht, or stash more money in an offshore account.  I will be incensed if nurses do not receive the pay rise that they are due, when I look at the vast amount of wasted money that has flooded into the coffers of the undeserving rich.  This is what some of the privileged do when there is an emergency, and they should be truly ashamed of themselves.

Then there were the covid deniers hypnotising their followers with fake news about phone masts causing the virus, and the vaccine containing a tracking device.  This proved to me that there are literally thousands of gullible individuals who are not interested in scientific proof or facts, but prefer to feed exclusively on fake information from social media and its deluded influencers.  This is very sad, that many people are unable to decide what is true reality and what is fake deception.  Social media has provided a platform for these cults and their followers to flourish, and there needs to be some new solutions to stop this form of wickedness ensnaring the unwary and the defenceless.

Finally, during this pandemic crisis, the good-hearted majority learned the value of working together to achieve goals and save lives.  If only we can remember this time, replicate this effort, and carry forward its lessons to help save our planet from the polluters and the selfish minority, who only ever think about themselves and feeding their greed.  The majority need to use their voices and their votes to achieve change and preserve our beautiful Earth from destruction.  This is vitally important and imperative. We all have an important part to play in this huge endeavour, but where there is a will, usually there is a way.  At least working together we stand a chance of shaping change for the better.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

NEW TECH from NOTTINGHAM

Zoom 1:  to move or travel very quickly, as in "He jumped into his car and zoomed off".

Zoom 2: to change smoothly from a long shot to a close-up or vice versa, as in "The camera zoomed in for a close-up of his face".

I probably indulge in Zoom 2 on average about eight times a week, and what a change in my behaviour that constitutes. I don’t like anything with a screen except a cinema – I don’t have a television. I only have a mobile because my daughter bought me one when her first baby was born, just in case she should want to reach me in an emergency, such as ‘Why is she crying?’, ‘Why has her poo changed colour?’ ‘What’s this rash on her neck?’ Not that I would have had the faintest idea how to answer any of those questions. Pre-mobiles she had once called me when I was at work from France, where she was a nanny in her gap year, to find out how to make guacamole, so she’s a bit prone to instant gratification on the communication front. I only have a tablet and a laptop because I was moving house five years ago and was going to be on holiday at a crucial stage of negotiations so felt I should be on tap. I went out to buy my first smartphone, and somehow came back with the full trio.

And I certainly don’t like seeing a close-up of my face with such frequency. But if I want to do the things I would normally do and this is the only medium, I have to use it. It has enabled me to continue with creative writing courses; local history, poetry and art talks; the Nottingham Playhouse theatre club, virtual tours of Nottingham; my U3A groups like Etymology, Cryptic Crosswords, French Conversation and Traditional Games. Committees I am on have been able to meet.

 Zoom has its hilarity, too. There is always someone who can’t see or can’t hear or can’t be seen or can’t be heard or falls asleep in full view or forgets to mute and can be heard in the presence of the speaker telling his wife he’s just been listening to an incredibly boring talk.

Meanwhile, YouTube gives me plays, concerts and films, and I play Scrabble online. I did get a bit carried away in the beginning, having over 40 games on the go with heaven knows whom residing heaven knows where, so not wanting to sign in to an addiction clinic, I gave myself a good talking to and reduced it to ten, only accepting games from opponents with my average or above. WhatsApp enables me to see my lovely family when talking to them in Carlisle, plus several friends on a fortnightly slot basis. In fact, I’ve seen my daughter and grandchildren more than I normally would, I just can’t touch them – kissing the screen doesn’t quite do it for me. I had never used videocalls before.

So technology for me has been a real boon, which is not to say I am going to continue with it when life resumes some form of normality. I shall be the first one to close down all my devices and streak out to the cinema for a proper screen binge.

BULLETIN from BARRY

It is now a year since the full impact of Covid19 became apparent and there have been life changes worldwide.  Who would have thought that taking holidays, visiting the local high street, socialising with friends and family would have been banned by the Government. Agreed this was in an attempt to protect the public and, in the UK the public health services, from being overwhelmed and to keep the death rate from the disease as low as possible.

The difference between this pandemic and previous pandemics such as the Black Death 1347 – 1351 or the Spanish Flu 1918-1920  is that we now have easier and quicker access to information and this may be a mixed blessing as media hype can cause panic.  I remember the Asian Flu in the 1950s and being one of only three children still in class at school for a couple of weeks and I am sure there were many deaths during that time but people just got on with daily life and it was accepted that if you became ill you either got over it or died.

I think that Technology has been a great blessing to many during the past year, we have been able to continue shopping for food and also for the so called non essentials which one is barred from buying even if a visit to the supermarket is possible.  Technology in the form of Zoom, Skype, Facebook etc. has been invaluable as we have been able to keep in contact with family and friends which has been a great boost to mental health especially for those living alone.  A big thank you to all our Techies -without you life would have been so much worse during lockdown, for many of us life has changed a lot as we have adapted to using the internet more and more.

In December of 2020 we put our house on the market and in February 2021 accepted an offer and put an offer on another property.  Viewing properties had to take place mainly online and when a physical viewing was arranged the estate agent instructed that the occupants had to be out of the house and that windows had to be open while the aforesaid agent took potential purchasers around the property. Masks of course were mandatory.   I write this in March 2021 and all is going well with sale and buy so we hope that by June we shall be in a new home.

Another interesting happening was in June 2020 when our much loved 18 year old cat had to be put to sleep and we decided to adopt another cat from Cats Protection.  I went online each Wednesday to have a look at the cats being featured for adoption and after a couple of weeks fell in love with Jazz, a black and white female aged 7.   Cats Protection were contacted, the adoption papers were filled in and approved, I changed the name to Jasmin as I thought she was far too pretty to have a name like Jazz.   Jasmin was duly delivered in a cat carrier and deposited on the doorstep, me complete with mask signing the receipt for her. I think this illustrates that many things are possible even when the world is in lockdown.

The Health Service staff have done a wonderful job but praise must also go to the Council Bin Men who have carried on removing household waste all through the worst of it and certainly deserve recognition, without their efforts the environment would not be very pleasant.

In conclusion we have all lived through a strange year but as I said earlier pandemics have happened before and will no doubt happen again.

CARAVAN CAPERS

June 2019, we returned from a motorised trike holiday with the anticipation of another holiday in our very ‘des-res’ caravan later that month. David went out to check on the ‘van, extremely bad news, it had been stolen from the storage yard.  The storage is not the sort of high walls and locks and keys, the storage was in a motorbike workshop yard and home grounds of the owner of the business. The worry was that this yard must have been under surveillance by persons unknown who waited until the workshop owner went out one evening for a business meeting, returning back that evening, unaware of the caravan’s disappearance until the next day. The workshop had not been burgled, so our caravan from a choice of another dozen ’vans was the target.

Frustratingly the caravan was ready ‘to roll’ for our next adventure, beds made, cupboards stocked, dog food loaded, ‘Fairy’ liquid under the sink, only short of us and our clothing.  We lost everything, water bowsers, deck chairs, radio, everything.  The theft took place just before two important events in this area, Summer Solstice at Stonehenge followed by Glastonbury Music Festival.  Both events are enhanced by the use of a fully equipped caravan, all that is required is a toothbrush and a change of clothes.  

The police were informed, the insurance company came to assess the loss, they were very generous, paid up quickly, money in the bank within 8 weeks. This experience made us stop and revisit the figures of buying another caravan, the costs just did not make sense, hire a ‘van with all the accessories included when required, no storage fees, no insurance (which is horrendous). Why buy when you can rent?

We sat on the insurance compensation cash. We lost our holiday campsite booking fees. No hope of another holiday as autumn came and went, missed the freedom of the caravan, the year ended with the news of some weird disease that was killing hundreds of people in China.

New Year (2020) started well for our family, Grandson was getting married in May, Granddaughter had requested that we host her 21st Birthday party in February.  Meantime, this illness called Coronavirus was making more in-roads in areas of China, spread to Italy, parts of Spain and was likely to be imported into Britain, anytime soon, not to worry though, it was just a bad form of flu, people dying in China was being over played by the media.

We perused the holiday brochures that filled our letter box in January, our minds had started to re-consider buying another caravan, our local dealer was having a sale, why not go and look, not going to buy though, famous last words. Identified super little ‘van, older than our stolen one, smaller too, downsizing made sense, we can take dogs away with us, we really missed the freedom to roam, just going to clinch the deal – LOCKDOWN.  Dealer had to shut up shop, Britain went into full shutdown for at least 12 weeks in an attempt to stop the spread of this newly entitled disease – Coronavirus, (December 2019, (COVID-19)).

The weather was glorious all spring 2020, lockdown easing was slow, hope of a cure/treatment for COVID-19 was on the cards, the scientists were working day and night to find a vaccine. It would be life as usual come June 2020, then hopefully the autumn, maybe Christmas at the latest.

Lockdown restrictions imposed and then eased, Christmas was ‘on’, then cancelled the week before the Festive Season, everyone’s hopes and dreams of family gatherings lay in ruins, only Christmas Day allowed for any kind of a party, 6 people or one other household only.  So much disappointment, so much heartache as the death toll from COVID-19 continued to rise, devastating news hit the media headlines, elderly people’s care homes became the focus of the disease, families unable to visit their relatives, attendance at funerals very limited, death stalked the land, dreadful.  A vaccine was available, announcement came just as the Festive Season was upon us, a wonderful Christmas present for the nation. just needed to be authorised before a vaccination roll out could be made to the British public in the new year.

All through heatwave, beautiful spring of 2020, we planned our purchase of this little caravan, where we would go for the first holiday adventure.  I ‘nested’, when I could, I bought things in the supermarket to restock the drawers and cupboards with cutlery, crockery, all the things that had been stolen in our previous caravan. I sorted through the linen basket for towels, bedlinen in the cupboards at home for replenishments, but until bought the caravan, nothing could be made of our aspirations.  

Early June 2020, lockdown eased and was lifted, raced down to our caravan dealer and bought the replacement caravan.  We were so excited, the purchase and planning of the ‘van had kept our spirits up all through the spring restrictions. I took up my tapestry again and created a Coronavirus/COVID-19 cushion which now decorates one of the sofa-beds along with a tapestry cushion that I finished off in time for our first expedition.

July 4th saw the national campsites opening up for touring ‘vans, although the toilet/shower facilities remained closed, not a problem as most modern caravans are self-sufficient with bathrooms fully equipped with hot showers and superb toilets, better than some bathrooms in brick houses.  We booked our holiday tour, starting at the beautiful Cannock Chase in late July.  All so exciting, all my ‘nesting’ was put to good use, the caravan was re-stocked and ready to tow.

Two weeks before we are due to go on this epic adventure our Grandson announced that his postponed wedding from May 29th, would take place on 23rd July, he would love us to be part of his family guests.  (Government restrictions allowed only 30 guests at a wedding – no indoor reception), wedding breakfast would be in their garden, a picnic box - just fabulous.  We re-jigged our holiday plans, arranged to come back from the Cannock Chase campsite and attend the Wedding of the Year, then back to our new holiday home to resume the tour of the Britain planned all through the spring lockdown.  

September, we set off on another jaunt with the caravan, down the East Coast of Britain, the weather was good, the wind howled through the off shore windfarm near Mablethorpe (absolutely fascinating), it was a great holiday, the little ‘van did us proud.

Here we are again in April 2021 planning our next ‘get away’, our salvation in winter lockdown, no foreign travel this year- the COVID-19 crisis is still raging in Europe, calming down in Britain, travel restrictions are likely to be in place for some time, but who cares we will be away with our little caravan having a great Staycation in our own beautiful country.

LEAVING LONDON

My initial reaction, “I’ve done nothing” because most of the activities which I was involved in on a regular basis stopped dead in March 2020 and none of them have re-started yet in the same way.  However, thinking more deeply I realise that I have actually done a lot and it hasn’t all been bad.

In U3A terms I was a member of several groups, the walking group obviously stopped yet I have walked a lot (admittedly not so much in winter) my walking has though been more local and urban.  The reading group initially stopped but following interest from a number of people a small group began again on Zoom, eventually getting back to full numbers again.  The craft group has not met regularly but we did have a couple of summer in the garden meet-ups when the weather and covid rules allowed.  My non-U3A book group happily embraced Zoom and also increased our meetings to weekly – 3 chats and 1 book discussion each month.

I was also about to sing in a concert at the Royal Festival Hall with my choir and we had been rehearsing hard – it was cancelled at two days’ notice.  The positive from this was that a group of us had been working together on some difficult parts of the music and got to know each other much better than in the normal weekly rehearsal time.  For the whole year we have been Zooming weekly on the day we would normally rehearse and provided support and friendship to each other in a way which without the pandemic we would not have done.

In terms of technology what has struck me most is the way in which having empathy for others has been essential.  My partner and I have spent time with several people helping them to use their devices to best advantage, whether that be to access Zoom as a basic way of connecting with others, learning how to set up a meeting themselves, learning how to “share screen” if they were presenting to their group – or in one case removing a sticker from the camera on their laptop!  Having a one-to-one rehearsal has I hope provided increased confidence for some people.

My partner and I had been talking in a very general way about moving out of London and we had begun to list our criteria, and identify different places where we thought we might want to live in the future.  The weekend prior to lockdown we were, in fact, having a short break in one of our possible locations in order to get a “feel” of the town.  During the following few months when we spent a lot of time together – often walking the streets – we had the time and space to discuss our future plans and by August were considering the fact that if life returned to normal and all our activities re-started, we might get back into them for a year or so, then stop and move so we asked ourselves “Why not move sooner and when normal life returns begin again in a new location?”

There followed some major activity getting all the little jobs in the house that had been left for later done – a bit of painting, some re-grouting, a new roof on the garden studio, garden tidying, de-cluttering and so on prior to talking to an estate agent about the state of the market and potential valuation.  At this point we were in a relatively easy period of time when we could mix more freely and life seemed to be somewhat more “normal”.  Two estate agents and quite a few viewings later we accepted an offer and the real fun began!  We had this very sensible idea that we would pack up our home, find a nice unfurnished house in our proposed new location to rent for a year whilst we assured ourselves that this was what we wanted permanently.  All I can say is that looking for a home during Tier 4/Lockdown is not easy!!  I should say that house moves are one of the things which were allowed within the restrictions.   It also transpired that we were not the only people looking for this type of property so if we didn’t get to view on the day a house came on the agents’ books it was gone.  Estate agents also have magic cameras which make places look much better than reality so we could drive for two and a half hours to see something which seemed possible, enter the property and within minutes know that it would not do, and then have to drive straight back again.  Meanwhile we were going through all the usual hassles of selling, trying to get agreed exchange and completion dates, finding endless guarantees and other documents relating to the house and dealing with solicitors who were working from home and/or self-isolating!

Finally it all began to fall into place with just one problem – we had nowhere to go.  So we found a removal company and arranged for storage in our desired new area, and were very fortunate to be able to take advantage of a “half way house” by being able to move into a currently empty cottage belonging to a relative.  This was the point at which the snow arrived just to add to the fun and we were back in lockdown!  So our first move was from London to Surrey with a variety of possessions which could not be stored – all our house plants and all perishable items (ie food), along with minimal clothing to get us through an unknown period of time.  A week or so later we viewed a furnished flat in a rather lovely building within minutes of the sea and we arranged to move in a few weeks later.  So here we are, now in Dorset just in time to celebrate(?) the anniversary of Lockdown 1.  The fantastic removal company managed to search through our ten storage containers and bring us our clothes and a TV and a few random pieces of furniture and we are happily beginning our exploration of the area – including needless to say looking to join a U3A as activities begin to run again.

So – what a year it has been, shocking in the power of the virus to disrupt and kill, worrying when family members contracted it, disappointing when family events could not be celebrated, sometimes emotional with feelings of isolation, boredom, and lethargy.  On the other hand, wonderful to have the benefit of great neighbours (sad to leave them), proud of my family who have worked throughout or dealt with home schooling or on-line university courses, relieved to have received my two vaccinations, and most of all grateful to have had the time to stop and think, to make changes, and to begin a new adventure with my partner.

RESOLUTION from READING

The  standout  memory  of  2020  for  me  is  the  feeling  of  isolation. I  did  not  catch Covid  and  neither  was  I  obliged  to  self-isolate  because  of  being  in  contact  with anyone  who  had  caught  the  disease,  but  going  through  periods  of  lockdown  while living alone meant  that  I  was  isolated  for much  of the year. I  have  lived  on  my  own  since  getting  divorced  over  thirty  years  ago  and  I  have  always appreciated  the freedom  it has given me. Until last  year for  me  being  alone  has not meant  feeling  lonely. I  have  always  been  good  at  enjoying  my  own  company  as  well as  enjoying  the  company  of  others,  being  neither  an  introvert  nor  an  extravert.  Indeed  I  often  felt,  rather  smugly,  that  there  was  something  lacking  in  people  who said  they  were  lonely.

2020  however  has  thrown  up  a  new  me,  and  not  in  a  good  way.  I  have  had  to  admit that  there  were  many  days  when  I  desperately  missed  the  presence  of  other  people.  To  experience  many  consecutive  days  without  seeing  or  speaking  to  another  person face  to  face  left  a  huge  yawning  gap  in  my  life  and  in  my  psyche. I  felt  miserable, bereft,  sad,  empty  and  depressed,  feelings  which  were  not  part  of  usual  psychological make-up. Without  the  day-to-day  interactions  which  had  been  part  of  my  previous life  I  was losing  my sense  of  self.   Who  was  I  now?  

I  had  lost  much  of  my  previous  self-motivation. I  was  always  someone  who  had  a project  on  the  go,  someone  good  at  making  plans,  a  person  with  a  goal,  but  where had  she  gone?    My  sleeping  patterns  had  altered;  I  often  woke  in  the  night  and  stayed awake  for  many  hours  tossing  and  turning  and  consequently  I  was  getting  up  late.  My  energy  had  taken  a  huge  dip  and  my  days  were  often  spent  accomplishing  very little.    

Very  many  of  the  things  which  used  to  give  meaning  and  purpose  to  my  life  were being  denied  to  me. I  missed  seeing  my  son  and  my  daughter  and  my  sister  on  a regular  basis,  I  missed  meeting  my  friends  for  lunch  and  days  out,  I  missed  browsing around  the  shops,  I  missed  my  volunteering  at  the  local  hospital  and  of  course  I missed  my  holidays. Since  I  retired  my  regular  trips  abroad  have  become  something of  a  hobby  and  I  was  used  to  going  away  several  times  a  year. As  well  as  the  holidays themselves  I  enjoyed  the  weeks  of  planning  and  preparation,  the  anticipation  and then  the  memories  afterwards. Some  of  these  adventures  were  enjoyed  with  various friends,  some  on  my  own,  some  with  an  organised  group  of  single  people  and  others, most  of  them,  were  taken  at  my  favourite  alternative  holiday  centre  in  southern Spain,  where  I  know  lots  of  people. I  was  making  bookings  and  having  to  cancel them  time  and  time again. My heart  was  aching  to go back there.

I  have  always  been  acutely  aware  of  the  passage  of  time  and  how  important  it  is  to value  the  days  and  years  we  have  on  this  earth. Yet  I  found  myself  frittering  away some  of  those  precious  moments,  spending  far  too  long  on  Facebook,  Twitter  and Google  and  yet  unable  to  stop. What  was  happening  to  me? On  the  other  hand, there  were  certain  days  when  I  did  manage  to  pull  myself  out  of  this  torpor  and  on those  occasions  I  glimpsed  a  view  of  my  former  self. This  usually  happened  when  I received  an  unexpected  email  or  a  phone  call  inspiring  me  to  focus  on  the  kind  of activity  which  used  to  give  meaning  to  my  life,  like  embarking  on  a  piece  of  writing or  planning  to  upgrade  my  kitchen. Those  were  bright  days  which  brought  a rekindling  of  the  energy  and  purpose  which  used  to  be  familiar  to  me.    Perhaps  all was  not  lost.

As  the  spring  of  2021  brings  the  prospect  of  a  relaxation  of  some  of  the  restrictions of  lockdown  my spirit  is  beginning  to  reawaken  and  I  am  starting to  make  tentative plans  once  again,  plans  to  meet  people,  plans  to  book  holidays  and  plans  for  inviting friends  to  come  and  stay  at  my  house. But  last  year  has  had  a  lasting  effect  on  me, and  this  time  in  a  good  way. Whereas  I  used  to  be  very  disappointed  every  time  an event  was  cancelled,  a  visit  postponed  or  a  holiday  crossed  out  in  the  diary,  I  am now  finding that  I  can  face such things with  much more equanimity. The Buddhist concept  of  “non-attachment  to  the  outcome”  seems  to  have  crept  into  my consciousness  and  although  I  may  make plans  for  the  future  I  am  learning  to  let  go and  to  accept  that  they  may  or  may  not  come  to  fruition. Or  as  Doris  Day  once sang,  “Que sera,  sera”.  

NON-ESSENTIALS from NOWHERE

What is essential? Who decides? People are individual – for a reader it’s books, for a gardener, plants and seeds – it could be paint or flour, sewing thread or an Easter Egg for a child – all essential to someone but all deemed non-essential in 2020 (apart from the flour which was just unobtainable).

For many it was loo rolls but my only bit of panic buying, right at the beginning, was an extra pack of printer paper - you can replace loo roll with newspaper in an emergency but your printer really won’t like that treatment.

Yet supermarkets in Wales were taping off whole aisles because someone ‘in authority’ had decided that buying, for instance, a kettle, during lockdown was just frivolous. It might be frivolous if you were bored with the colour of your current one and fancied a change but if the current one has given up, getting hold of a new one immediately becomes an essential.

Luckily there was such an outcry over this that it wasn’t tried in England.

Books became my biggest problem as I usually buy them from charity shops, which of course were closed. I was reduced to adding a paperback to my weekly food shop (at ten times what I would normally pay). I’m not short of books at home but in stressful times (and no-one can deny they were stressful times!) it can be a real treat to have something new to read.

Circumstances are so different – we are of all ages, working or shielding, with a garden or stuck in a flat, alone or with others, able bodied or dependent. We all use the same shops, in person or online, but our needs, our necessities, are so varied and can’t possibly be defined by some jobsworth, whether they’re in Whitehall or Wrexham.

The rush to judgement spread to trips outside the home – it was accepted that exercise was essential but only if you kept moving – a pause on a park bench during a walk was illegal and tape was wrapped around it to remind us of that fact. Car parks were blocked off, leading to cars stopping in narrow lanes – the woods couldn’t be closed but the dreaded tape was seen on the seats nearest to the road, even a waste bin was draped in it. It was reluctantly recognised that two people could walk together, socially distanced of course, but if they dared to carry a cup of coffee it became a picnic and liable to a £200 fine.

According to the new laws, the only danger was Covid, to be avoided at all cost, while normal considerations, like general health, mental health, contact with other people were all swept aside because of the sometimes infinitesimal risk of Covid. It was a disproportionate response and only time will tell how much damage these attitudes have caused.

Psychologists agree that certain things are essential – food (now unaffordable for some, unobtainable for others), shelter (for most people that means rent or mortgage) to be paid for from employment (which many people have lost), good health (under threat as never before), family, friends and a social life (completely forbidden unless on screen) and one’s own self esteem, which is dependent on all of the above. So that’s Maslow comprehensively trashed by the government and on top of all that they dare to tell us which scraps of normal life that we’ve managed to rescue from the wreckage they consider to be non-essential!

EXILED in ENGLAND

When I made a decision that I was going to retire to the UK and leave my dog behind in Singapore way back in 2019, I never imagined my little world as it is now. I left Singapore on December 4th and travelled overland just ahead of COVID arriving in the UK on Eurostar at the end of January 2020. I left behind a very old Rottweiler – Marmite, a very big tennis habit and a life filled with friends, fun and sunshine. I brought home a bag full of memories.

I came back to a house with a broken boiler, grey skies and cold weather. Frankly, I didn’t expect very much more than that. I had plans – big plans – for starters, I had a lot of catching up to do and lots of bottles of wine to drink with friends that I hadn’t seen for quite some time. There were also holidays I had planned – not Cambodia, Australia or Indonesia but Margate, Devon and The Lakes! This was going to be uninterrupted joy. I had retired and the world was my oyster.

On my journey home there had been mutterings about a new virus, and having lived through SARS in the Far East back in early 2000s, I knew this would impact my life. The first few weeks at home I had a trail of handymen sorting out my home while I awaited my shipment. I couldn’t travel much because of this. Flushing toilets and functioning fridges were high on my agenda at that time – not COVID. My friends in the Far East were already in lockdown, while here, Boris prevaricated. People in the UK didn’t seem to get a handle on how serious this could be. There were mutterings at the time about a worst-case scenario of 20,000 deaths!

About the same time, I got an email from a Syrian friend. This man I had met while working in Syria, where he had invited me to play tennis with him and his friends. The last I had heard of him was that he was safely in Sweden. I never imagined he would become my lockdown companion.

In the email, he told me he had been facing deportation to Syria from Sweden and had escaped to the UK where he was being held in detention in Morton Hall. Having been imprisoned and tortured by the regime, he was not dealing with his new imprisonment UK style. He emailed me not knowing I was back home in the UK. He was desperate. What could I do? I picked him up and then just a few days later we were lockdown partners!

We quickly settled into a daily routine of too much coffee, bike rides, chess, silly games of table tennis without a table and Arabic lessons for me! On the downside we had battles with the Home Office who had sent other people’s details to him, sent conflicting information about his status, but sent no sign of financial support. Their excuse – Lockdown! My impression – incompetence.

We volunteered to help a local charity by delivering food parcels. This was an eye-opener. I could see at this early stage that COVID was damaging the fabric of British society and far too many people needed basic help. Each week we visited the same area and got to know the back stories of the people we delivered to. I looked forward to my Tuesday morning jaunts. It felt good to see a smiling face open their door to us and in some cases, we were probably the only human contact they saw. There but for the grace of God, go I sprang to mind time after time.

There are things that I haven’t been so fortunate with. I haven’t had a proper hair cut since I was in Paris in January 2020. I have the sort of hair that resembles Coco the Clown if it is not cut well. My lockdown partner did his worst on me a few times. On colder days it doesn’t bother me as I can wear a hat. I now call my style a Boris. In the past bobs, crew cuts, mullets and beehives trended. Now I reckon we will look back on this time as so many will have had amateurs snipping their locks into a lop-sided affair and call these cuts a Boris.

To be honest, we have been luckier than many. So in our own little prison of lockdown we explored country lanes; travelling further and further away from our base each week. With few cars to disturb our serenity, we revelled in the blossoming nature, the hedgerows and the birdsong.  On one occasion we set off in sunshine for Winslow from Wolverton but hit a hailstorm just outside Winslow. We got soaked. I had packed a picnic, so while we stood under a dripping tree in the market square, I suggested we tucked in. I think the hailstorm had something to do with my dear friend’s mood. He ranted. He fumed. He told me he would never have done such a stupid thing if he had been in Syria. His wife would never have got him on a bike.

I pointed out we weren’t in Syria, that I wasn’t his wife and it was par for the course for me to lead friends to places they weren’t happy going to. I told him it was a family thing as my children would happily testify. The huffing and puffing eased. We ate the sandwiches in less-than-ideal conditions and set off on a circuitous route home – google led us to unmade roads on new estates and eventually we got back to base after 27 miles cycling. He wasn’t happy; but it was a day to remember. That day made me smile. I reckon that day I tried to do to Nasser what Assad had failed to do.

Contact with friends other than my lockdown companion happened through video links. My Singapore friends contacted me very early in the mornings because of the time difference. My local friends chatted in the evening. I took to having a glass of wine and a chat – it was marginally better than drinking alone. I definitely don’t like living my life through a 10-inch screen. It is limiting and frustrating. In a strange way, however, this small screen gave me a link to a big wide world I couldn’t go to – a boon in such circumstances. I even did the Trouble Brewing Pub Quiz in Singapore on Zoom.

The first lockdown eased around the time of my birthday so with my daughter and her boyfriend, the four of us had a joint celebration for Ramadan – a fusion of cultures. We later went to Scotland to visit my son in St Andrews. I felt like a kid let loose in a sweet shop. It was an absolute joy to go travelling even though we stuck to the limiting rules of meeting up.

I booked a family trip to Centre Parcs for all my family too. It was something to look forward to and it was the first time we would all have been together for quite some time. It never happened. Such were the times -  my daughter was told  to isolate 9 days before we were all due to meet up there. She had sat opposite someone at her work who subsequently tested positive. Everyone around the table had been wearing PPE but such were the times that some work places went overboard protecting their staff. My son-in-law has had three false positives at work which has also caused no end of inconvenience – despite actually being negative. I cannot begin to describe the emotional roller-coaster we handled each time.

Much of the three lockdowns morphed into a surreal existence. When one day was so much like any other, I found it hard to motivate myself. I got especially angry with the Christmas debacle. It was my first Christmas back in the UK and I wanted to have my family around me. The Centre Parcs trip didn’t happen.  Christmas didn’t happen either of course. COVID may not have made me ill but it has dragged me to the depths of despair on occasions.

This big non-event of Christmas was followed by a further lockdown in January that has all but turned me into a hermit. Meanwhile, my friends in Singapore celebrated Chinese New Year with gatherings of 8 people. Pictures popped up on my FB page of my tennis team together and playing competitive tennis. Other friends met in restaurants and ate out. Normality!

Singapore has handled the situation so much better than we have here in the UK. A strong autocratic leadership and a compliant population coupled with financial support right from the beginning enabled life to carry on in a restricted way. As a result, my friends have come out the other side into a new world order where they can do almost anything but travel. My decision to return to the UK really has been the short straw in so many ways. I still miss Marmite, my 14 year-old dog. I miss tennis, I miss the sunshine and most of all I miss being with people. My little world needs someone to hug.

HOBBIES from HAMPSHIRE

Most people have a hobby or a habit that annoys the family or just entertains the inner self.

For most of my life have enjoyed needlework of all kinds, it has kept me occupied, whiled away hours of what have been very lonely times, kept me dressed in unique fashion clothes (no two people make the same outfit in the same fabric for the same occasion). A hobby that is a pleasure and sometimes fulfils a need.

Tapestry became my way of ‘losing’ the first lockdown in 2020.  I returned to the hobby after a number of fallow tapestry years.  I re-loved the hobby.  A big plastic storage box was rediscovered in the attic and the outcome was a cushion cover completely designed around oddments of coloured tapestry wool, but with the added design of ‘Coronavirus/COVID-19’ incorporated to commemorate the awfulness of the virus, the different colours signifying that no-one of any race, colour or creed is immune from the illness and the long term affects for some people.  The cushion cover was shown in the previous U3A Diary Project publication. (I was very humbled by the inclusion of the picture of my tapestry work, thank you).

This period of lockdown has been more difficult to bear, the long dark nights of winter engendered lethargic moods, it was hard to get motivated, but I overcame my lethargy and took up knitting again, three garments later and some baby bits for our first great grandchild (due in May), the winter has disappeared and spring is on the rise, the nights are getting longer and lockdown is easing this week. The black moods are fading.

My husband has been fulfilling his life long desire to learn to play the banjo.  I cannot say I have enjoyed the experience of this hobby, but it has been his way of coping with the boredom of COVID-19 lockdown, a man who is usually in the thick of things, he was reduced to almost no volunteering, organising of social activities or using his very astute brain.  Thankfully one civic volunteering duty has returned and is carried out from home every Monday.  As the Man of the House, he has felt rather under used, not a great D-I-Y-er, capable of great ideas and inventiveness but of a certain age and now unable to do the heavy lifting, just adds to his feelings of redundancy at times, he has tried very hard to keep the body and mind fresh, like me the winter has made things tough at times.  The banjo has been his challenge and I have to admit that he has made great progress.

We are not gardeners, love the finished product, so glad we have one, but not good at retaining the state, a jobbing gardener is our lifeline, Will does a lovely job, the Master likes to do the lawn, keeps his hand in, a box of weed and feed is a treat!  Not a hobby for us, so many others have found getting their hands dirty very therapeutic in the lockdown, socially distanced, fresh air and home-grown vegetables/fresh cut flowers, make for a wonderful hobby.

We have a neighbour who after registering blind, two years ago, has taken up wood turning, helped by a national charity.  This hobby has kept him very busy throughout the pandemic, I think the next WI stall may be the place to go and perhaps buy some of his wares.  I do wonder, I am unsure how a visually impaired person using such dangerous tools as a wood turning lathe, manages not to lose a few fingers, but our neighbour is very successful and produces some really beautiful wooden artifacts and has retained his fingers (as far as I know).

At the end of this peculiar period in history I wonder how many people will retain their newly acquired/renewed skills.  Once back into the ‘normal routines’ will any hobbies be continued.  Filling empty days and evenings for a few months is one thing, keeping the enthusiasm flowing can be difficult not to mention expensive. Buying that new knitting pattern and wool, or researching ancestry on line, just reading all the books on the wish list and acquiring them all takes time and cash.  Hobbies have never been cheap, even beachcombing can be costly, although a lovely way to ‘spend’ a few hours (pun intended).

We never think about the hours of work when actively carrying out our hobbies but they are not without a cost, a car mechanic charges anything from around £30:00 per hour, we do our hobbies for love and so often give away our products for free.  Hobbies can be a great way to meet new people and socialise, ZOOM-ing like-minded acquaintances has proved to be the way ahead for so many, lets hope these new found friendships and hobbies stay the course and out-live the Coronavirus.

RELIGIOUS RE-ALIGNMENT

A ‘round robin’ type email dropped into the in-box this week from the Parish Church Councils of our three Benefice Churches. Only parishioners who are on the Church mailing list will have received this missive, most of the three villages inhabitants will remain ignorant of the ‘bombshell’ that COVID-19 may be thrown into our community infrastructure.

I cannot blame the demise of the Anglican Church congregations wholly on the virus, but its impact will be felt for generations to come. Congregations were already in decline before the pandemic, the Coronavirus has just speeded things up. Less people, less cash, large buildings too costly to maintain, the salaries and pensions of the clergy, the list grows longer by the day.

The email has announced that our Benefice of three parishes are to become a combined Benefice of eight parishes, if the consultation proposals go ahead, all in radius of about 6 miles.  Two new stipendiary clergy will be appointed, all to reduce costs and balance the Church of England’s bank accounts, plus the fact that the clergy have not been immune to the virus and that the small attendance of church services has declined by default, by average age of the congregations and by the COVID-19 virus, most congregations do tend to be made up of the older population (well in this area certainly).

This upheaval will just about finish off some of our Community Hubs, the Church playing a pivotal point in village life for many parishioners, even the non-regular church goers want a priest at times, weddings, christenings, funerals, we all expect a vicar to be at our beck and call, with the new proposed arrangements two priests are going to be very stretched to cope with the demands of 8 villages’ needs.

I know that our current vicar and her husband have both unfortunately been victims to COVID-19, (they are making a good recovery I understand), they relied on the non-stipendiary clergy to keep things going during their isolation.  Will the new extended Benefice Incumbents be able to show care and compassion if they too become ill, should the ghastly virus surge again among their Flocks.

Another big effects on many religious communities, the Government decreed, during lockdown, all public places of worship must remain closed except for funeral services and even then, only limited numbers of mourners are allowed to say their ‘farewells’.  Other church related activities, choirs, fundraising events, nursery/playgroups and the like have been put into suspension until the virus is declared ‘manageable’, by the medical experts.

The reduction of a religious hub or core in any village community is a massive blow, combining parishes is most likely necessary for credo survival, financial reasons and probably practical needs too, but the news coming during COVID-19 lockdown just makes the population ask serious questions about the relevance of the church building to the average ‘’person in the street’, in the main it is the older generations who support most liturgical pursuits, parish doings, carrying out the everyday housekeeping of very large, dusty, draughty old edifices, the young are too wrapped up in social media to get involved physically, one more reason for the dilution of the local religious flock, could be said to be a metaphorical symptom of ‘Long Covid’.

Some Church Services have been broadcast, during the lockdown over ‘ZOOM’, that has no doubt fulfilled the spiritual needs for those who can manage/own a computer, I know that a number of elderly parishioners in the current Benefice do not have that capacity, the likelihood of them travelling to another village church for a monthly or oddly timed Matins or Communion or any other type of Service (when the restrictions are lifted) will be remote, where will their religious guidance come from, the new vicars will be unfamiliar and will be ignorant of the devotional expectations of these older inhabitants, that is not a criticism, just a fact.

I have no doubt that the pious and devoted will continue to meet, faith will prevail, we all need  a Higher Something to believe in at times of euphoria and travail, just how and where that requirement is fulfilled is yet to be ‘shown’ to us, maybe we need some Divine intervention, for the virus and the future of our village parishes.

SUNDAYS in SOUTHEND

Last year in we got used to queuing to shop with the other older people at 8-30 on Spring mornings, there was a shortage of flour for breadmaking, eggs or toilet rolls for a while and we got used to the hand cleaning and masks. At the beginning I put our coats on the line outside after going out and cursed the “don’t give a toss brigade” who refused to keep their distance.

We went for walks, appreciated the flowers and colours and heard a cuckoo, the planes stopped flying and all was peaceful. I had a phase of making things like a door curtain made from years of hoarded ribbons and I painted stones to go around the pond, not to mention making cakes and sprouting seeds. It was all a novelty having more time at home. I appreciated my husband’s presence and we have been happy.

It began to feel like “a month of Sundays” but in the summer we were able to go on coach trips provided we wore face masks, did not use the onboard toilets and no eating or drinking. Fortunately, we were spaced out in couples and groups as most passengers took their masks off to eat their snacks despite the rules. We even had a train trip to the British Museum following a guided route around the exhibits.

There were zoom calls with colleagues and at Christmas with the family, but it is not the same. My grandson’s voice has broken, and he’s grown several inches, he’s turned into a young man over Lockdown, and I feel I don’t know him anymore.

We have become curtain twitchers and a renovation over the road with cranes manipulating skips and bricks has provided entertainment. The days, weeks and weekends have flown by hastened by the repetition of life at home.

I’m not anxious to go abroad I just want to use the buses and trains, stay in hotels, ramble around new places and above all hug my family and friends.

LEITMOTIF from LEEDS

Recently-retired and living alone, the internet, especially social media has been a huge support throughout different degrees of lockdown.  Use of FaceTime, Zoom and Teams has become the key vehicle for continuing pre-lockdown activities such as maintaining my social life, helping with childcare and learning new skills.  Importantly, it’s maintained the thread of relationships throughout the past year.   Notable highlights have had a musical theme and are the focus of my summary.

During the first lockdown, as a substitute for their teacher at school, I helped two young relatives continue their music practice.  They made progress with their keyboard and guitar, although beginner trumpet fell by the wayside, a casualty of closed schools – I couldn’t match the skill, enthusiasm and motivating force of the beloved teacher and sadly witnessed its decline.  I purchased online a guitar to be able to demonstrate fingerings and prepped for sessions.  At the end of each lesson, personalised “Well done” stickers were put onto a home-made ‘chart’, which were handed to the children with a certificate of achievement when lockdown restrictions eased.  It was a joy to spend time, albeit online with my young relatives and help them to enjoy and make progress with their playing.

Weekly music play sessions with my 2-year-old great-nephew were also very special: he became familiar with certain stories, songs and puppets, we both had fun and it was fascinating to witness his development over that time (and it gave his mum the opportunity to get on with jobs nearby, uninterrupted).  

Thanks to my teacher offering online lessons (surely a move enabling economic survival for many self-employed tutors), I continued with an activity I’d started fairly recently, that of learning the treble recorder.  Every fortnight, however much or little I’d practised, we met via Zoom.  The lessons provided fixed points, a purpose and routine with an end goal which sustained me during the strange months when so much had stopped.  Small matter that my teacher couldn’t hear my playing clearly due to IT reasons unknown by me: the act of playing to her and receiving her feedback sustained my learning.

We had similar difficulties using Zoom for recorder trios.  A friend set up weekly meets for 3 recorder players.  Freezing screens and time delays between our playing prevented synchronised performances.  Combine rubato of fellow performers with Zoom latency and we had fun trying to adjust to one or the other’s playing.  Our weekly meets morphed into playing less and chatting more, but since first meeting in March 2020 we feel very satisfied that our repertoire has expanded from primary school hymns to folk and popular songs, often playing in parts.  

The heady interludes of lockdowns 1,2 and 3 when restrictions were eased enabled socially-distanced music-making.  We sat during late afternoon in a secluded area at the bottom of my friend’s garden: our synchronised playing, often accompanied by birdsong with the fragrance of honeysuckle, was sheer delight.  The setting sun necessitated the donning of scarves and jackets  whilst we played to our hearts’ content.  

We planned a pre-Christmas garden get-together.  On the day, torrential rain moved us into my friend’s garage, with the door wide open and social distancing observed.  In the dim light, we sat on plastic garden chairs, surrounded by the paraphernalia of family summers, bicycles and garden implements, our music propped on the dust sheet-covered billiard table.  We fitted in well with this assortment of objects, our common denominator being that there was nowhere else to go!  Clad in hats, scarves, quilted jackets, fingerless mitts and with a hot water bottle on our knees, we pulled home-made Christmas crackers, shared corny jokes, donned paper hats and downed mince pies with hot drinks before playing Christmas carol trios to ourselves and a feline interloper.  Festive, musical companionship and increasingly numb fingers as the rain poured down outside are fond memories of that afternoon!

In December 2020, after weeks of uncertainty (‘Will it be cancelled?’) I achieved my pre-lockdown goal of taking a recorder exam.  Lockdown conditions governed the arrangements, with candidates waiting in their car in the car park until it was their turn to enter the building and warm up before the exam. I set up my music on the car dashboard and in cramped discomfort played through my scales and tricky parts of pieces, until a masked administrator tapped on the window to summon me inside the eerily-quiet building, a lone instrument playing in a far-off examining room.  The masked examiner was safely placed behind a tall Perspex screen: my mask was removed only for performing and the one-way system in and out of the building ensured a lack of contact with anyone but the administrators, cheerfully sending hails and farewells from a safe distance. (Reader, it was nerve-wracking but worth it: I passed.)

There’s been more to my lockdown than just the musical experiences and as for so many people there have been challenges, serious concerns and sadness.   Learning new ways of using the internet this past year has been worth it, as essentially, it’s provided support during an isolating, difficult time: it’s facilitated contact with treasured people and development of one of my interests, which I can continue now that life is returning to some kind of ‘normal’.  No matter that the screen freezes, music-making doesn’t synchronise properly – the overall sweep of the meetings have provided shape and structure to the locked-down months, carrying things forward and enabling those all-important personal connections which have given me the incentive and inspiration to continue with my interests and make something positive out of the past year.

Due to lockdown, I gather that society has moved to working, socialising and living online in one year what was forecast to take ten. I’ve certainly learnt the value and advantage of virtual meetings - reduced daily travel for one (less personal exhaustion, reduced environmental pollution) - and hope that in the post-lockdown world, these will feature more in both my musical and non-musical world.

APPRECIATION from ANNA VALLEY

International Women’s’ Day.  This particular date in the calendar has never ever really featured much in my life in the past, it was a day like any other day, World Nut Cracking Day or International Cake Tossing Day, this year it is different thanks to Coronavirus COVID-19.

I’ve remarked several times to my husband over the past year how so many ‘Dame Professors’, suddenly seem to have come out of the shadows to brief the world on the Coronavirus, its impact on society, the suggested way to approach the dreadfulness of the disease.  Up until this year I, like many others, I suspect, had no idea that we had so many fantastic female chemists, virologists, immunologists, leading the nation on advice, beavering away in the laboratories, getting on with the day  job of creating new cures and vaccines, these ladies have rarely been heard in the media, their male colleagues taking the lead in press briefings and therefore becoming, in the population’s mind, the ‘Go To Experts’ in almost any ‘serious medical field’.  

I should declare at this point, I am not a feminist by nature, I just like to think that credit goes where it should, male or female. This COVID-19 year has had the wonderful by-product of drawing out some amazing female academics, their voices are suddenly ringing in the ears from the television and radio briefings, running rampant on social media outlets.  These outstanding female academics are no longer ‘seen (occasionally) and not heard’. Their advice, comments, opinions, warnings and alerts are being listened to, so rarely has this happened in the past, now their judgements matter, have been noted by the Government Ministers, acted upon, sometimes rather reluctantly, chauvinism still sometimes tries to prevail, then ‘The Men’ just have to agree that the information and data given is the very best and should be given due credence.

There has been much press coverage of the ‘World beating,’ success of the UK vaccine rollout.  This vaccine ‘recipe’ was the brainchild of the most brilliant Professor Sarah Gilbert, she was and still is, the leader of a laboratory team in Oxford University, two thirds of whom are female colleagues.  I do not know how many of that cohort are British or foreign nationals, but they have done so much for this country, the world, in our hour of need, we owe them a great deal of respect and admiration.  It is very humbling to read in a national newspaper that she has been awarded and has accepted, various medals and accolades for the Oxford Vaccine Team’s achievements, and unlike so many male academics, Professor Gilbert has made it known that she was not alone in the design of this amazing medical breakthrough vaccine, but that it was a team effort.

On the international stage, credit must be given to The World Health Organisation and the very prominent number of women from around the globe who are promoting the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine to their nations, especially trying to reach the women in remote parts of their country, emphasizing immunisation of the COVID-19 will be a benefit to all, the future and prosperity of every family/tribal member, that no one is immune from COVID-19.  The hardest message to be communicated is, the vaccine is safe, no voodoo curse, just a way of keeping everyone safe and the next generation healthy.

I feel that the international press reporters too should be given due credit for the way, that such as Orla Guerin of the BBC, has filed, honest, heart wrenching, factual reports of the awful devastation that COVID-19 has wreaked in places like the Yemen, bringing home to us in the UK how much the Oxford University Team’s efforts are vital if this virus is to be conquered, because until the world is vaccinated COVID-19 will always be stalking us in the wealthier nations.

Nearer to home we must salute the wonderful, dedication and hard graft performed by female health workers, female doctors from the BAME community of all colours and faiths, nurses, both British and from across the world, who have given their all, sometimes even their lives, to help give victims of COVID-19 a fighting chance of recovery, sadly their tireless work has failed sometimes, they should not feel any guilt, they did their very best in the most harrowing of circumstances, we in the UK have lost over 121,000 people to the virus, but so many more patients have survived, perhaps with some long term affects, but they are still here in the bosoms of their loved ones, alive to tell the tale.  The selfless acts of kindness from nursing staff have made life a real cause for celebration, we should and must say ‘Thank you’.

Women all over the globe make a difference in many ways, not all as life changing as Professor Sarah Gilbert and her Team’s outstanding achievement of a COVID-19 jab, but as the advert says ‘Every Little Helps’.

SOUTHERN SORROW

How do you console those left behind after the death of a life-long partner? The British are not good at saying the right thing at the most dreadful time in anyone’s life.  We think of death as best skimmed over, almost ignored, we are afraid to mention the name of the dead, the bereaved might collapse in tears, we cannot cope, all very embarrassing.

My husband is a natural organiser, loves banter, likes mixed company and a pint of real ale in a local hostelry.  Over the last 15 years or more he has fostered a ‘Drinking Boys’ group, a sort of ‘Men in Sheds’, self-improvement society (old men enjoying a drink and a banter with a fry-up lunch). The wives are invited, on occasions, for a lunch or supper.  The group started with just two of them, Husband and Collin, then by the start of the first lockdown the society had grown to eight couples.  The wives sometimes arranged their own ‘’Ladies wot Lunch’ parties, but not as often.

Of the eight men, two have lost their partners in this year, one wife is now widow after 60 years of marriage.  None of these deaths are attributed to COVID-19, the pandemic just makes the grieving process more heart breaking as no one can be hugged or given a comforting hand when words are not enough.

The first death came the first week of lockdown in March 2020.  Sue had not been ill, not too well in the last couple of years, a heart problem was diagnosed and medication prescribed, all going well.  Sue had been known to have a couple odd blackouts, doctor’s advice was that she should surrender her driving license, duly, reluctantly surrendered.  Months later, Sue fainted, missed her footing and fell down the stone steps in her back garden, hit her head, got up, saw stars for a few moments but soon regained her composure, only real damage was to her dignity.  Collin was concerned, but reassured by Sue, she was fine, life continued.  The next day, Sue felt unwell, collapsed, rushed to hospital with a massive brain bleed, she died later that night.  Collin along with their youngest son (who still lives at home) were in a complete state of shock, Sue’s death was just not expected.

The funeral was the next hurdle, COVID-19 lockdown made the mourning process almost impossible.  The registration of death had to be completed on-line, Collin is no fool, but not very computer literate, son was not really up to negotiating the official proceedings either, however, with determination that task was accomplished.  The funeral/cremation Service was the next thing to be arranged, only eight mourners allowed, Sue’s family live in the Cotswolds, Collin’s family come from the east end of London, travel restrictions meant that none of the family members (all quite elderly) could make the Service, Collin, was bereft.  The elder son, Mike did travel down from Lincoln with his girlfriend and my daughter (a long-time friend of the family) attended the ceremony, that was the ‘send off’ for Sue.  No words seemed adequate, no way could the Drinking companions give Collin a hand shake or bearhug of consolation and sympathy. Many of us would have dearly liked to have attended Sue’s funeral, COVID-19 had other thoughts.  Lockdown regulations forbid a Wake, no way to offer any kind of solace to Collin and the family, a source of great regret.

Unexpected death number two, happened in May 2020.  Kath and Chris had celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on 29th February, a lovely party just before Coronavirus was making its presence felt. We were all invited to this big event, supper in a local hotel, really special evening, I took some photos on my mobile phone.  Chris and Kath, eldest son and family were all enjoying a barbeque in their garden, Chris suddenly felt very unwell, slide down his garden chair, died instantly of a stroke.  True, Chris was the oldest member of the Drinking Club, so death I guess was not so unexpected, but a shock to all concerned none-the-less. (His love and knowledge of homebrewed beer was legendary).  Son took over the official registrations and legal procedures, funeral arrangements all took place seamlessly.  By May the lockdown restrictions had been eased, now up to 30 people could attend the funeral Service, still no Wake.  Chris’s cortege walked through the village street so we were able to pay our respects from a distance at least.  I learned some weeks later that Kath had no pictures of the 60th Wedding Anniversary party, my humble photos were duly extracted and copies given to Kath, I hope that they made a difference.  Sad to think that Kath and Christ had lost their Daughter to cancer only months before, a double tragedy in one family.  Words failed us all, how do you find the right expressions of condolence to a lady who has lost her soul mate of so many years and her daughter?  I have no answer.

The third death happen earlier this year.  Tammy had been ill for some time, she was an early transplant patient, given about 10 years to live by the medical profession at the time of her transplant, she lived another 22 years.  Her husband has been her fulltime carer, and a fantastic one at that, a very caring, loving man, his whole life was Tammy.  The respite from caring duties came in the wonderful vegetables he grew, both in the garden and in his allotment. Tammy was a mischief, always full of fun, saw the good side of everyone and everything, the result of being given a finite time to live I suspect.  Tammy’s health had deteriorated badly after Christmas and by the end of January she had slipped away in hospital, her loving husband by her side.  For all, Pete must have been prepared for the final departure of Tammy, somehow it is still a massive earthquake to the system.  The COVID-19 restrictions moved into the funeral arrangements again, up to 30 people allowed to attend the Service, no Wake.  All social distancing rules strictly enforced. The Crematorium was a very peaceful place, Tammy’s favourite hymns were played (no singing permitted), wonderful video pictures displayed on a silent screen, a much nicer ‘send off,’ for Tammy.  Pete is now battling the lockdown, ‘working from home bureaucracy,’ not easy when one department is not always speaking to another department, particularly the banks.

COVID-19 might not have been the cause of these deaths but the interference from it has been heart wrenching for those caught up in it.  No one can just give that physical kiss or reassurance that we care, we mind and that we are still here if the partner left behind wants to talk, let off steam.

My husband has been doing his best for the widowers, regular telephone calls, encouragement to one of them learning to play a musical instrument to pick up the instrument and play it for their beloved.  A boozy picnic with Pete was had in the park today, the lifting of that social restriction gave permission to meet in a public space for a one-to-one picnic, Pete’s homebrew was tasted and I am told was excellent, I provided the quiche.  The widow, Kath is staying with her family until the summer, she will be very pampered, spend time with her grandchildren, I wonder if she will want to return. The ‘Drinking Party’ is now much reduced, but will enjoy future get togethers, absent friends will be toasted, once COVID-19 is sent packing, until then we will try to find the right words to say and the right actions to take.

[Ed: As a mark of respect, I have changed the names in this piece & altered some locations.]

SAVED in  SURREY (by technology!)

Technology was our saviour in lockdown. Lockdown cut us off from friends and relatives physically, but technology put us back in touch. It also brought about changes of behaviour that will be become permanent. If the Covid-19 pandemic had occurred in the 1980s, before the internet and today’s new technology, my wife and I would have found enduring it much harder than we actually did. We were also fortunate during the lockdowns and other restrictions from March 2020 until Spring 2021 that we were retired, had no jobs or income to lose, had a house and garden, and had each other for company.

During this long surreal period there have been four ways in which modern communications technology helped us.

Technology kept us in touch with friends and relations. Through WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, texts, emails, Zoom and Facetime we not only kept in touch with many of our friends and relatives, but also were in touch more often in most cases. It even expanded the range of people with whom we were in contact – including some of the people to whom we normally only sent Christmas cards.

Technology kept many of our communal interests going. We could no longer play bridge at our U3A bridge group, discuss novels at our U3A book groups, meet friends at Arts Society lectures, or see people at numerous other activities. Fortunately Zoom enabled us to see an extensive programme of lectures arranged by U3A, the Arts Society, and the Research Network; and we could attend a streamed AGM of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust. Aquarobics at the gym was replaced by Joe Wickes exercises on the internet at home. These activities were not the same as meeting face to face, of course, but they were good substitutes. Some of our normal activities could be pursued through specialist websites. The most important to us was playing bridge several times a week in a very realistic and enjoyable way on Bridge Base Online, supplemented by using WhatsApp to display video of each other for chatting. We could see streamed theatre productions and watch streamed movies, and see videos from art galleries and others.

Our shopping switched to online. Pre-Covid we had been doing a weekly grocery shop in store, but during the first lockdown we were unwilling to go into shops and we switched to weekly deliveries from Waitrose. We had long used Amazon for a few purchases but during the pandemic we bought almost all goods we needed on Amazon, or sometimes online from other merchants such as Marks & Spencer or Boots. For birthday cards we designed them ourselves on Moonpig, personalised with the names of the recipients and our own photographs.

Lockdown created time for a new project using technology. By cancelling our face to face activities lockdown created more spare time. For me, this led to a new project. I wrote up the mass of information about family history I had collected over a period of years, and turned it into a book. This meant much more contact with relatives than normal, including relatives I rarely corresponded with, for I was using emails, Messenger and texts to ask for information or for comments on drafts of relevant chapters.

Vaccines were the biggest contributions from technology, of course. How emotional it was to receive our jabs.

After the pandemic there will be a new balance between the old ways and the new technology. Covid has greatly accelerated many trends that were already in sight, for it forced us to try new methods, and we found that the new technologies were surprisingly effective and rewarding.

For example, pre-Covid we’d been reading the printed edition of a daily paper; in lockdown, we switched to the digital edition on iPad; the experience was so good that we will stay with that after the pandemic. For food shopping we will continue having groceries delivered, perhaps with a small amount of perishables bought in shops. For other shopping Amazon et al are so convenient that we will continue with it for many things.

Technology in lockdown has shown we don’t need to go into town centres for shopping. In future we will go there primarily for entertainment (theatre, cinema, restaurants, art galleries, lectures) or personal services (hairdressers, key cutting).

Post-pandemic will be a brave new world.

HINDSIGHT from HARWICH

It is late March 2021 and the U.K. is nearing the end of a year spent under the threat of the Covid-19 Coronavirus. As we approach this unwelcome milestone it is interesting to look both backwards and forwards at the changes in society that this disease has brought about and might yet bring about.

As we entered our first lockdown in March 2020 I believe that very few people realised how long this pandemic would last and perhaps that was just as well. Now, the benefit of hindsight makes me feel foolish; like all those people who believed World War 1 would be over by Christmas, but back then I and most other people were stunned by what was happening. We mostly thought it might last a few months and we’d all be back to normal.

So what has happened during the past year and what might the implications be for the future?

Sadly I think that one very negative effect has been a further division of Society. Britain was already very divided by the question of Brexit and in many cases this had already split friends and families with feelings running high on both sides of the argument. Now there is a further division over the “correct” response to the Covid crisis, often interestingly, drawn along the same lines, with extremes on both sides being either terrified of the increasing death rates and convinced that everyone must stay isolated for longer, or espousing the view that the long-term damage to the economy is far more significant and we should have ditched Lockdown altogether and just weigh up our own individual risks and act upon that. The devolved Governments within the U.K. have also appeared to compete with each other for the Crown of who has handled the crisis best, rather than working together for the common good and there are increased calls for Scottish and possibly Welsh independence. So as we emerge from the crisis it seems there is discontent an almost all sides, rather than a desire to rebuild and work together. Possibly this is always the case when a nation faces a huge threat; heightened anxiety leads to extremes.

And relations with our neighbours on the continent, already at an all-time low because of Brexit are now even worse due to the vaccine situation. The one area we in the U.K. finally seem to be handling rather better than a lot of the world is the rollout of vaccines against this disease. Our Government invested millions in vaccine development and ordered huge quantities of doses early on, but in Europe the EU was insistent that all member countries must buy as a bloc and not as individual countries. As a bloc, they were later than the U.K. in ordering and consequently the delivery of the Astra Zeneca vaccine was delayed as millions of doses had already been sent to us in the U.K. This caused some heated exchanges and possibly because of the lack of these vaccines, both Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel publicly cast doubt on its efficacy. Unsurprisingly their citizens are now reluctant to take that particular vaccine and Europe is way behind us in their vaccination programme. And as I write this the situation deteriorates even further, as a small number of people on the continent have died from blood clots following injection of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine. Their deaths are being blamed on the vaccine, despite the WHO and the EMA saying the vaccine is safe and there is more danger of death from Covid itself than from the vaccine. But the citizens of Europe are ever more wary of this particular vaccine which does not auger well for the continent, or indeed the wider world, being free of this disease any time soon. Some EU member countries have begun to order vaccines independently and some have banned planned exports to overseas countries, meanwhile sitting on a pile of Astra Zeneca vaccines that no-one in Europe now wants to take. And there are signs of a third wave of Covid building up throughout the continent. Needless to say, none of this makes for harmonious relationships between countries and seems somewhat to point to the regrettable truth that in a crisis despite fine words, it is often every man for himself.

Whilst we in England. might feel slightly smug about our vaccination success, our politicians, guided tightly by the SAGE scientists, are in no hurry to let us out of our Lockdown, muttering darkly about needing more data. Scotland and Wales meanwhile have just announced a relaxing of rules for their citizens which I have to say smacks more of making a point against Westminster, rather than any proof that their infection rates are any lower than in England. Division and acrimony seem to be the order of the day and I find it rather dispiriting.

But how has everyday life been for most people, living alongside Coronavirus for a year, with the constantly changing rules and regulations, the restrictions on liberty, the restrictions on family life, the opening and closing of various types of business, the loss of friends, family or jobs? For most people it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and it is certainly true that again great divisions have opened up between those who have been severely affected by loss of work, income, family and health, both physical and mental and those who have been mostly unscathed by the whole process apart from perhaps the inconvenience of having to stay at home more than usual. Many people have actually emerged better off financially than they were before and with a better life/work balance as they work from home and give up the daily commute. The furlough scheme has certainly buffered many from an immediate loss of job, but businesses are collapsing and furlough has often just delayed the inevitable.  More worrying to my mind is the mental anguish that has occurred. I consider it cruel to deny visitors to care home residents, especially those suffering from dementia who have no understanding of the situation.

As a snapshot of the differing situations and responses, our own family have had very different experiences. My brother, who has learning difficulties, has had all contact with the outside world effectively removed as the few specialist organised activities he was able to attend have all closed. Luckily I have been able to visit him throughout, but he is lonely and bored and needs some outside stimulus. My husband and I are retired and so, in many ways this pandemic has not affected us. We live in a small town, not a large city and there is plenty of space to go for walks or cycle rides. We miss our busy social lives, but know ourselves to be lucky. We have made full use of the technology available nowadays with Zoom sessions to friends and families, but only last night, after a Zoom “Party” with some friends, my husband, who always claims to be level-headed and not to suffer from stress – and who had probably had too much to drink – started saying he was desperate to get away, feels like a prisoner and can’t stand this any longer. Our eldest daughter has been extremely stressed throughout. She is a single parent with two girls and she has a full time job as an accountant. Suddenly she is expected to work from home full time, at the same time home educating two children. I have tried to help out via Microsoft Teams and again, we must be grateful for today’s technology, but it has not been easy. One son managed, seemingly against all the odds, to emigrate to New Zealand this year and sends the rest of the family enviable videos of a carefree life most of us have almost forgotten. And another son has worked the whole way through, caught Covid and then carried on again. For him life seems hardly to have changed, apart from being unable to see friends and he has looked with a touch of envy at the crowded beaches and furloughed families enjoying themselves on what seems almost like a year long paid holiday.

It would be nice to think that some lessons will be learnt from this whole experience, but I am slightly less optimistic about this than I was at the beginning of the pandemic. Back then, with few cars on the roads and air travel reduced to around one tenth of the usual, people did appreciate the lack of noise, pollution and frenzy of our modern lives, but as restrictions relaxed it did not take long for cars to return and the concern over travelling by bus or train has exacerbated this. Air travel will possibly not return to quite the level it was and this will be a good thing, but I read somewhere that, despite the huge initial reduction in all forms of travel, there was a negligible effect on carbon emissions. Policing has become far more heavy handed and I fear their powers and the powers of government may not return fully to previous levels. I am concerned about the level of power the SAGE committee has enjoyed throughout this pandemic and concerned also that so many people seem to be unable to evaluate levels of risk. Life is full of risks, but the pandemic appears to have skewed our senses somewhat and many people appear to believe that we must all be kept alive at any cost. The Government and the media have, intentionally or unintentionally, fostered this by the dramatic reporting of deaths and endless graphs and figures demonstrating doomsday scenarios. This has largely had the effect of keeping people to the rules, but once frightened, some of the populace will take some time to be reassured that it is safe to go about their business again. On the plus side, working from home has shown many people that a daily commute to a busy city centre office is not necessary and many have enjoyed a better work/life balance which I think will continue after the pandemic is over. Companies can see that it is not necessary to spend so much on office space or overseas conferences but I wonder how our city centres will look in ten years time or so. Less people working in a city might make it a better place to live, but we may find large empty office blocks and small businesses who relied on commuters will not survive.

Will we be prepared for future pandemics? I think we will be a lot better prepared if this happens in our collective living memory and I am sure a lot can be learnt from incorrect responses this time around, but I rather hope another pandemic will not come along that soon. The downside of that of course is that mankind may once again flounder around as it looks for answers on how best to deal with highly contagious disease.

NOTES from NORTH LONDON

There is a Chinese curse - May you live in interesting times.   And over the last year, that’s just what we’ve done. Everyone was very anxious at the start of the pandemic.   I had mixed feelings as I read about the death rate.   There weren’t enough ventilators for all seriously ill people, what would I do if I needed one?   Would I have the courage to refuse so that a younger person could have one?   Thankfully, I wasn’t tested.

At first it was so hard to get food delivered, and I hated having to rely on my daughter.   She recently let slip that she had felt enormously stressed and burdened.  Panic buying was another problem - no toilet rolls, antibacterial gel, tinned tomatoes or pasta!

I’ve been reflecting on the many changes to daily life.   Within a couple of days of the beginning 4 notes were put through our door, offering to shop for us, and I got to know neighbours I hardly spoke to before.   We used to chat during the clap for carers.

I started to walk the dog really early to avoid most people and joggers. It’s so wonderful very early. (Later, of course, in the winter.)  The air is so fresh, and the bird song is absolutely wonderful. And I met a few other people who also walked their dogs that early. We became dog walking acquaintances. In the early days there were very aggressive joggers, pushing forward, oblivious of those of us who were walking on the paths. There are still a few around. Now, instead of getting angry at selfish joggers or walkers, as I used to, I hold the dog’s lead out wide and smile. I usually get a smile back. One jogger ran past me with his arms out at a slant, like a plane. We both laughed.

Learning to use Zoom was a new skill to be acquired, and u3a Zoom meeting have been an absolute boon.   What would any of us have done without them?   My choir was paused indefinitely.   I tried a virtual choir but I didn’t like the sound of my own tinny, little voice.   On the plus side, preparing presentations for other meetings has proved intellectually stimulating, and the meetings and discussions afterwards are very enjoyable.  

Last year I tried to send money to my grand-daughter in Canada.   I couldn’t do it through the bank, because the help lines were so busy early on.   I’d never banked online before.   I tried through Western Union and I don’t know what I did wrong, but she never got the money, and they were very unhelpful.   Eventually my bank got my money returned, and it helped me send funds to her.   They were really wonderful.  

A friend said to me, “It’s worse for us, we’re old, we haven’t got so long to live”.   But this year has been harder for people living alone, for Carers, and much, much harder for the unhappily married, those in abusive relationships, for people working from home, not forgetting those short of money and those home-schooling children.   The already disadvantaged have suffered the worst.     Children from families without English as a first language, with little money, or from large families will fall even further behind.   How can they study at home?

I stopped having cleaning help before the first Lockdown.  We haven’t profited from it - we donated that money to the Trussell Trust and to Magic Breakfast.    (Which we will continue to do, even after she comes back to us.).  With no holiday, few new clothes, and no eating out, we’ve actually saved money over the year.  

I shall continue with some habits started during the last year – like the early morning walks.  And I’ll have supermarket deliveries, both for convenience and in case of a future Lockdown.   I’m sure we’ll have one, and I want to remain on the priority list.   I think many people’s shopping habits will have changed permanently.   I feel sorry for retailers, restaurant owners and hairdressers – I can’t wait to get my hair cut!  

I’m going to recount 3 differing experiences of having a close relative die just before and during COVID.   My older sister was very ill in an NHS hospital in December 2018.   It was dreadful going to visit her.   It was impossible to park near the hospital and the bus journey was long, bitterly cold and depressing.   She was confused and didn’t understand why she was there and was very angry because we wouldn’t take her home.   The last time I saw her, I’d only been there a few minutes when she screamed at me, “Go away!   Go away!”   She died a few days later.   At the prayers after her funeral, when the mourners were sitting in a row and people were filing past us offering condolences, my brother’s friends ignored me, and leaned over me to get his attention and shake his hand.  It’s not nice to be invisible.

April 2021, my brother-in-law, my sister’s widower became seriously ill.   He soon died at the same hospital.   It wasn’t COVID but because of the epidemic his daughters couldn’t see him until the day he died.   The zoom funeral was very cold and surreal.   It wasn’t helped by the fact I was unfamiliar with zoom at the time.

My twin brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January, 2020.   There were already long delays in NHS treatment before the COVID emergency lead to an increased waiting time, even for cancer.   Luckily he had private medical insurance and could start treatment immediately.   He died last July.   He lay dying in a private hospital (paid for by the medical insurance) and I was allowed to visit him.   I didn’t want to take the train because I was nervous to drive in my emotional state.   My daughter took me in her car with the roof down for health reasons.   We were both allowed to see him.   Two days before he died, (we knew it was going to be that weekend), he whispered to me, “My lovely sister.”   I cannot tell you what that means to me.

His funeral was restricted to a few close family members.   Friends and other relations were on zoom.   There were issues with the funeral, no Loop – really hard for me to hear, no prayer books – we weren’t warned to bring them, but some aspects of the funeral and the prayers afterwards were easier   I found the  restricted numbers at the funeral and the prayers (on zoom for most family and friends) much easier to cope with and I wasn’t invisible.  

In conclusion, I would say that it’s certainly been ‘an interesting year’.   None of us thought a vaccine would be discovered so quickly.   After a while, we all worked out a new normal and although life will never return to the old normal, we’ll all be able to mix and go out more soon.   I think, as an older person, it’s been easier for many of us.   A lot of interesting sociological research will be written about this year in the future, but none of us will be able to read it.

BALM from the BILLY LINE

It’s a year on and the blackthorn is blooming again; a milk-white spray foaming in the lane. It’s a year on since my son handed me a bunch of flowers and a box of chocolates on Mothering Sunday telling me that I must look after myself as I wouldn’t be able to see him for awhile. A year ago since he used the chilling words about the virus.

‘It’s like the Spanish flu Mum. Lots of people will get sick and there won’t be enough ventilators at the hospitals. Thousands will die!’ He wasn’t wrong. It’s a year on and I still can’t hug him.

The thing which really helped me cope, was writing my U3A diary and my poetry and most of all the prescription of a daily walk. Taking exercise after our lunch became second nature to myself and my husband Tom. We live in a town but close by is a disused railway line which has evolved into a nature trail. This leads to the shore and Langstone village. In the first wave of the pandemic, we truly did not know if we would live or die or if our grown up children would fall ill with the virus. We never once voiced these words but our fear at the time was overwhelming.  We took our medicine each day and tried to find solace in nature by walking the Hayling Billy Line. Sometimes we walked on those lovely, warm, balmy summer evenings.  Spring blossomed into summer and the blackthorn flowers faded but something inside me told me that when it bloomed again, the world would have ‘turned a corner,’ I had to hopeful. The vaccine at that time was nowhere in sight. As I write today I am extremely grateful to the scientists who developed the means to protect us.

It was my daily walk with Tom which opened my eyes to the real beauty of nature, which pulled me through. It gave me the inspiration to write a sequence of poems reflecting on my surroundings despite feeling numb with shock most days after listening to the bulletins about the number rising infections and the growing death toll. Each day l stopped to look at the flowers on the banks: daffodils, celandines, primroses, dog-roses, periwinkles the delicate forget-me-nots. Even the beauty of a stark funeral – six mourners in black and the priest in a while alb, saying prayers at the grave, under a pink flowering cherry tree, in the churchyard, seemed spiritual.  We kept taking our daily dose of fresh air enjoying the nature trail to Langstone. The beauty of the feathered plumes of the tamarisk tree, lapped by water along the shore is etched on my memory.

We finally saw our daughter and son and their partners in the garden; this was the highlight of the year  – the six of us together, nothing else mattered. They had all been working from home and had kept safe. However, in my head, I knew I had to keep a coffin’s length away; knew I couldn’t hug them in case I killed them. Coming out of lockdown, I am still in shock; still can’t hold my children and the padlock on the church and the Corona Virus notice pinned to the door, will haunt me for the rest of my life.  I still feel the need to walk the Billy Line nearly every day. I treasure those balmy summer evenings when Tom and I  just walked and walked listening to the rhythm of the sea. I know I couldn’t have got through without him.

A u3a Shared Learning Project 2021