Tuesday 26th May
This morning our Lane is full of heavy plant and men wearing high visibility jackets. For some time the junction at the top of our Lane has been riddled with potholes and sprinkled with gravel from the broken road surface, to the detriment of at least one car and one cyclist who have left the road, at least partially due to the degraded surface. The lane was closed for much of the day, with machinery operating from kerb to kerb, making even passage by pedestrians difficult. Marshalls were in place to allow walkers to pass safely. I’m sure that the workforce were doing their best to socially distance, but tapping the shoulder of the operator of a noisy grinder, to allow me and my dogs to pass, cannot be done from a distance of 2m.
Chantal had an appointment in Stoney Stanton, and since she cannot drive because of a broken ankle, I had to provide a taxi service around the long detour that avoided the road works. I called a friend who lives in the village, to see if he was free for an hour so, to entertain me while I waited for Chantal. With the lengthy road diversion, returning home and waiting for a call was not practical. My friend was ready and set up for a socially distanced chatting, with chairs set up in the front garden over 2m apart. The family has regular health-related visitors, and since these continued during lockdown, the family have been prepared for entertaining from when most of us hadn’t started to think about the practicalities of receiving guests safely.
Chantal’s birthday today, and I have arranged a surprise family Zoom gathering, for both sides of the family, including relatives from the States and Canada, all joining in a PowerPoint quiz organised by our young granddaughters. Having so many people joining in to wish Chantal a Happy Birthday makes it special, but one interesting aspect of modern communications occurs to me. It is not so long ago that a call from a family member living across The Pond was a Special Event, exciting, something to tell friends about. Since lockdown the use of video-gatherings has blossomed, and chatting with friends and family from abroad is as mundane at arranging to meet mates at the pub. Actually, come to think about it, chatting to people from abroad may be mundane, but arranging a meeting in a pub will be a Special Event, exciting, something to tell friends about.
At least conversations during regular international Zoom meetings are relaxed and flow naturally. No more does it revolve around “What Time Is It Over There? And What Is The Weather Like?”
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
