Saturday 30 May:

From this weekend, the government has changed the ‘lockdown’ rules. Some schools will re-open on Monday; up to six people can meet up in parks/gardens etc (provided they maintain 2m social distancing); you can drive to other destinations (provided you can get home the same day) if you’re taking exercise (although use of public transport is to be avoided unless ‘essential’); non-essential shops will be re-opening from 15 June (although cafés, pubs, restaurants and hairdressers will remain closed).

The government has relaxed these rules despite the fact that some of its own scientific advisors have been warning about the risks of easing the rules too soon.

But, for the ‘vulnerable’ over-70s (like us), nothing changes… the old rules still apply.

Actually, Moira and I both feel that, even if restrictions are soon lifted for oldies such as us, it’s likely to be several months (perhaps, even well into next year?) before WE will be prepared to ease some of these conditions - for example, we certainly don’t envisage using public transport for the foreseeable future.

So, while the rest of the world slowly returns to some form of ‘old reality’, many of our own self-isolation restrictions will remain in place. In some ways this feels incredibly unfair – we have made particular social/environmental choices over recent years (eg. we have no car; we rely on public transport – buses and trains – to visit places outside Bristol), so there’s a sense that we're being punished for being conscientious citizens! Of course, it’s not quite like that… but while our family and friends jump in their cars and drive to the nearest beauty spots and beaches, we can’t do that. Yes, we’re members of a car club – but, given our ‘vulnerable’ status(!), should we risk using its cars in the present circumstances? The company says it’s trying to ensure that cars get regular, thorough cleaning - but there’s only so much they can do. For us, continued use of the car club, certainly in the short term, cannot be without its risks (and what about having to fill up with petrol?)… and so we’re unlikely to take chances.

Inevitably, there will be some, like me(!), who fear that many people will now stop taking notice of any government advice (don't get me started about Mr Cummings!). There's already a sense that many of the restrictions are being largely ignored by large numbers of the public (particularly 16-30 year-olds... and especially males it seems). 

Easing restrictions too soon and risking a second wave of infections would have devastating consequences. 

Random image: there are definitely far more planes in the sky this week!

Tuesday 5 May:

I’ve also actually ‘tried’ to write some prose (definitely not poetry!) - vaguely related to the current crisis, but I just don’t have the skills. It’s frustrating because ‘writing things down’ seems to be a very good part of the ‘healing process’. I came up with this in response to an email from Emily Gould (it was ‘bashed out’ quickly, so probably makes no sense!):

It all seemed to happen so quickly.

Suddenly, a pandemic engulfed us…

We hadn't been here before, so we were all at sea.
We were asked to ‘stay at home’ and change to a new way of living.
It was tough, but that's life... and sometimes death.
Some of us oldies even began to wonder...

Had we already hugged our loved ones for the very last time?  

Such sobering thoughts shake us to our souls.

Scary unknowns, stark possibilities... life's uncertainties.
And yes, we made lists of things we would do if we came through it.

We would hug all our families and friends.

We would meet up in cafés and bars, go to cinemas and galleries.

We would jump on to buses and trains.

We would walk along beaches.

We would arrange to have picnics and sketch out of doors.

We would huddle in queues.

We would never forget the simple pleasures of life.

When this is all over…

And yes, through it all, huge positives did emerge.

We learnt to live more simply.

We were humbled by the kindness shown by people.

We didn’t drive cars; there was no daily rush; the planet began to breathe again.

We could see clearly in more ways than one.

We rediscovered things that we thought we’d forgotten.

We learnt new things about each other.

We talked to loved ones ‘almost’ face-to-face and kept in touch.

We learnt how important friendships were.

And yes, we also learnt some huge lessons…

We must stop greed and profit taking over again.

We must limit the power of corporations.

We must have politicians who want to work for us, not themselves.

We must work towards having a more balanced media.

We must value the workers and reward them accordingly.

We must look after our beautiful world.

We must treat all people with kindness.

When this is all over…