Monday 11th May
A frustrating afternoon working at home as the connection to the office network repeatedly drops. In line with last night’s Boris Broadcast, we receive a corporate e-mail confirming that we will continue to work from home for the foreseeable future. Factories may open subject to social distancing. A factory owner points out that reducing occupancy of a shop floor will mean night shifts to maintain production. This could have implications where factories are located close to houses and cause complaints, although it will be some time before we are out and about monitoring.
I text my fellow drinking buddies to postpone tomorrows Zoom-and-a-pint session, since I will be enjoying a Zoom family quiz organised by Bridget and Megan, to celebrate Chris’s birthday. Tonight, we share dog training exercises with our Dog Club, and so the virtual pub will have to open on Wednesday evening. Lockdown is one long social whirl.
We have more details of the roadmap for lockdown relaxation, and even more questions. Weeks ago, I subscribed to Government e-mails which added details to the regulations and guidance for social isolation. The stream of e-mails became an avalanche, with protocols, procedures and practical arrangements that dealt with issues and questions as they arose, too many to read. I had to unsubscribe. No doubt the issues and questions of the relaxation plan will be similarly dealt with, details and clarification being released over forthcoming weeks. Whether or not relaxation of lockdown should take place at all at this time will certainly be discussed at length.
It seems that lockdown will continue for us pretty much unchanged. We can now walk the dogs twice a day, and meet a dog walking friend on Croft Hill, socially distanced, so that our dogs can run together. No change there then. Masks are recommended in busy indoor spaces where social distancing is not possible. Aldi falls into that category, as does Sainsbury until late afternoon, but not in the evening. I will take a mask on my next shopping trip, just to be prepared.
There is a suggestion that two people from a household can meet socially outdoors with people from another.
So that will be G&Ts on the patio with the Hayes’ up the Lane. The guidance evolves to state that up to two people from one household can meet with one from another. OK, so Richard and I drink beer in one garden, while the Ladies drink gin in another. We can cope with this, in the interests of being socially responsible. The final clarification is that meetings must take place in public spaces. We can drink beer and gin as described, but only on the grass verge at the front, part of the highway. Ramblers and dog walkers must cross the road to maintain social distancing. The concern about gardens is, it seems, the possibility of having to go indoors for lavatorial purposes. Richard and I would be in a garden full of large shrubs. Just saying.
Similarly we can visit Andree, who is vulnerable and has stayed safely within her home and garden for over seven weeks, but instead of sitting, 2m apart, in her enclosed and sheltered back garden, we must sit with her, socially distanced along the pavement in front of her bungalow, while others in the Cul-de-Sac try to weave past us.
The problem, of course, is that, like the question of when to wear masks when shopping, the answer to the question of “Is it safe to meet one friend in a garden?” is “It Depends…” and folk don’t like “It Depends”. So is that Yes or No then?
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.
