Tags
awareness, Corona, Covid19, India, Narrowboat, narrowboat life, nature, patriotism, question everything, racism, simple life, Travel memoir, Vegan, Voluntary simplicity, Work, writing
Sitting outside after work or on days off the canal has been busy with ducks, ducklings, a moorhen and swans and new babies, way, way better than tv! I am working three days a week, my husband three or four days per week, as we both work in care. There have been some adjustments to working practices but I’ve really enjoyed the way people at work have come together.
There are a lot more walkers, cyclists and joggers both on the towpath on the opposite side of the canal, and also on ‘my’ walk. Living quietly on a narrowboat our day to day lives haven’t really changed, it’s the monthly social/family trips to London and overnights with family in Norfolk which have stopped, although we’ve been to Norfolk to get prescriptions and seen my mum in her garden, wearing masks and keeping a distance.
We do not watch tv and I limit the amount of news media or commentary I absorb. I have taken a light interest in and listened to anyone I know sharing conspiracy theories but I avoid totally believing in anything that will scare me (whether conspiracy or on the ordinary news.) Aside from a few moments right at the start neither of us have felt anxious. I could be accused of being a Pollyanna or an ostrich but that is the same as usual.
I was interested to hear some of the news from the US, parts of mainland Europe and Ireland, about protests against the lockdown. And also news about how countries such as Sweden and The Netherlands have done things differently. In the UK we have seen very little in the way of protests. I sometimes question if it is really as bad as we are being told and is the lockdown proportionate, but I do go along with it all because I don’t think we’ll know until afterwards, and maybe not even then.
I like that care workers and supermarket staff are being valued. I am not a fan of the patriotic sentimentality of the clapping, although I go along with doing it, or the fact that some people on Facebook shamed someone for not joining in! This duality, the good (appreciating the NHS) and the bad (shaming people publicly) of people, is the same as always.
Extroverts in the UK are having Skype dinner parties and nights watching live lockdown performances etc. For us, a few extra phone calls made and received, that’s it. But then we are both still seeing lots of people at work, living together, in an idyllic setting, with a place to walk on site and a footpath right across the road. I feel for those in cities and in flats with no gardens, and those who live alone. I think it’s harsh not to be able to meet a friend at a distance.
Duality again, a sense of us being one world, vs casual racism, which I have been disappointed to hear. I have enjoyed reading blogs from Japan, Cambodia and India. WordPress is great for connecting all of us.
The newspapers report daily deaths and pay tribute to individuals who have died of Corona, which is nice in one way, although it induces a lot of fear, but what about all the other people who have died and will continue to die, of suicide, road deaths, and cancer?
Already people are noting the costs of the UK lockdown: a doubling in domestic violence killings; several instances of whole families being killed in murder-suicides due to worries about money as a result of the lockdown; people suffering and even dying due to all non urgent appointments and surgeries being cancelled; a rise in suicides as people are isolated and mental health support systems taken away; and children at risk or just really missing their friends and extended family.
There has been some confusion amongst both the general public and different police forces about what things are actually part of the new Coronovirus law and what are just things the Prime Minister has said in briefings. Me too so I won’t go into too much detail but for example according to the law we shouldn’t be out without ‘reasonable excuse,’ eg food and essentials shopping, caring for relatives etc, exercise, going to work if you can’t work from home. Non essential shops closed, although some more shops are beginning to re open. As my husband said, the list of what is essential begins to expand as time goes on eg items for repair around the home etc, rather than just food and medicines.
Police forces have differed in their approach. One police chief said the powers they have been given are normally only seen in a dictatorship, and that they were mindful to police by consent and that particular force had only issued one fine at that time. Other police forces have been much more heavy handed, threatening to search people’s shopping trolleys for non essential items such as Easter Eggs; The Government had to step in and say that if a shop is open you can buy anything in it. One police chief said a few days ago that some of the rules don’t make sense to police let alone the public, such as, why can’t people sunbathe in a park at a safe distance but they can queue for an hour outside DIY stores?
Some local councils shut parks, later the government told them they had to open them, but I don’t know if they all did. Some benches in parks had tape over them for people not to sit down, what about old people who need a rest when out for a walk?
Most people myself included shop for necessaries and then add the non essentials with them (for us, some chocolate or alcohol on top of necessary food items.) Shops limit the number of customers and often have queues outside with people spaced out. I have made one trip to Superdrug and bought things I needed such as moisturiser and some nice things such as face packs. I really enjoyed that nice, quiet shopping session, and I was glad to support them as they are treating their staff well and also have lots of vegan items.
I’ve managed to get some potting compost and some onions, bought at the same time as buying logs, and have planted one lot which are coming up, the second lot had to wait until I was able to get another bag of compost.
There are new, adorable Easter card worthy lambs in the field right by us. Last year I struggled with this, knowing what lay ahead for them. This year I seem to have managed to switch off more. This week we have both struggled with watching wild birds trapped in cages; the sheep man traps crows and magpies and kills them later. We have checked and he is allowed to do it so there’s nothing else we can do. We considered leaving but have decided to stay. He’s moved the cages slightly so they are not right by where we sit. I cope by reminding myself this type of horror is everywhere, we just don’t always see it. Other neighbours are not upset by it but they love the swans and ducks. My mother in law has pet chickens but eats other chickens. But I have not always been vegan, and I use a car and fly, against some people’s ethical code; as my husband said, we’re all of us responsible for everything.
My book is almost all at the stage of being ready to be read, and then it will be a finer edit to do, as well as submitting to agents.
We still hope to go to India a few days after Christmas and return around 18th March. Flights are still cheap and oh so tempting to book as they might go up but we know that would probably be unwise, as India may not let us in, or may not be open, depending on a second wave, etc.
Wherever you are, I hope you are doing okay and I wish you all the best
Thank you very much for reading
Rachel
Rachel 
Those chicks are adorable!
Yes, they caused much oohing and ahhing from everyone! Thanks for visiting!
That’s a shame to see the crows being trapped there, one of the joys of our area is seeing magpies and crows hopping along the backs and plucking wool off the sheep in the fields at nesting time of the year.
Good to hear that life is not too different or difficult for you otherwise Rachel. Best wishes.
Oh I often see magpies sitting on the backs of sheep and going from sheep to sheep, I actually hadn’t realised they plucked wool and used it for nests but how lovely! I have always loved magpies anyway (I think they mate for life, which is romantic) and crows too (who always stay together in groups, and in India we got very fond of Indian house crows). There are still lots free, thankfully. And yes, everything else is okay. How are you doing there? Has the tourist invasion settled down or not?
From reports from friends who live closer to the coast, there are still surfers out most days and the occasional camper van turning up still. Some idiots are still being fined and sent home, but very few now. Recently a couple arrived from the South East in St Ives, having driven down overnight, because they fancied ‘just getting away to see the Cornish sea for an hour or two’…
But thankfully rare now and easy enough for us to be alone here, I’d probably not be going far with so much happening out in the garden now anyway. 😉
Good, glad you are staying safe from other people’s germs and enjoying your garden!
Thanks for sharing, Rachel. It is good to be gain some insight into the lives of individuals around the world, personal stories, rather than just statistics.
Thank you very much for reading and sharing. I had avoided writing anything until yesterday because I wanted to avoid the trap of making judgements or opinions which could change or become irrelevant but keeping it very personal seemed to work better for me. Thanks again
Love the photos. It’s funny how the the picture of Britain is different depending on if you listen to Boris or to the public. I keep hearing that the public wants to get back to the old world ASAP. Actually no, I think many want to get to a better world.
I read somewhere that only 9% of people want a return to exactly how it was. It’s an opportunity for all of us to change as individuals, if we want to, and thereby change the world…
It’s interesting to read about daily life in your corner the UK right now. Like every other major issue facing us, there’s so much bad data floating around that it’s impossible to know what’s actually happening or what to do about it. And of course, lines have been drawn as people become divided on every issue. I feel even less informed than I did at the beginning of this pandemic, as my opinions have now gone full circle. Your approach of limiting news was probably smart and more logical than my own.
The sheep man’s inhumane behavior reminds me of how this virus may have got started the first place. Unnatural animal practices cause disease, as well they should. Magpies and crows are beautiful and intelligent birds and I’m lucky to see and hear plenty of them on a regular basis. I love talking to them and always wonder what they’re thinking.
I smiled when I read about extroverts having Skype dinner parties. I live with one extrovert who has managed to keep her sanity through online interaction during this confinement.
Your pictures and description of your surroundings seem very peaceful. Whether it be in the UK, India or Thailand, you always provide this reader an interesting glimpse into a world that is both familiar and foreign, and always insightful. Thanks much, Rachel!
Thank you Des for such a thoughtful and reflective comment.
In so many ways, I am reminded again and again that what is happening is really just a more exaggerated version of what is always happening. People being divided (like by either Brexit here or pro/anti Trump there); people being afraid, possibly manipulated using fear, and people being distracted either by outside forces eg politicians or the media or by themselves and their own minds.
I am on the fence as to whether its nefarious outside forces or just our own minds, that are responsible! For me, the path, and the ‘answer’ is the same as always, to go inwards, reflect on my own behaviours etc, and of course, to enjoy nature and the garden!
So we have both reached the same conclusions and are doing the same things, albeit me on a very small scale, planting, enjoying the outdoors and a quiet life!
I read a WordPress post by Jem Bendell of the Deep Adaptation movement, he thinks it crossed from bats, and his point was that human action has stressed the environment, caused insect collapse, therefore bats don’t have enough to eat, have to go further for food, so change where they go, whilst getting run down, getting sick and then shedding viruses. So although of course I’m not a fan of live wildlife markets in China if that is where it came from, I’m also not a fan of live markets, transportation and intensive farming here, and ultimately, we are all responsible for environmental damage and possibly the crossing over of viruses. I’ve heard people blaming China, and I’ve also heard vegans blaming meat eaters, but I think we’re all responsible and that if possible we ought to allow it to bring us all together rather than separate us, or as yet another way to divide us. It’s a challenge but as individuals I think we make a difference by not allowing ourselves to be divided from other people. (Even the sheep man, who has such a different view to me.)
I’m glad you like crows and magpies too, they are such lovely birds.
Thank you Des!
Good to hear from you…and thanks much for getting back to me Rachel. Stay safe over there!
The line, “This duality, the good (appreciating the NHS) and the bad (shaming people publicly) of people, is the same as always.” struck a chord. Here in India the Army upon being asked by the government showered flowers upon hospitals and centres where the patients of the pandemic are being treated. As much as it sound like a good gesture I could not help thinking about the money spent on doing this! The money could have been utilised to purchase the necessities needed, or purchasing food packets for the migrant labourers. Yes I do appreciate our health workers, clap for them, light candles as a mark of solidarity but there is a time for everything.
Thank you for reading and commenting. I have been following the news from India. For now all I can do is send my good wishes but I hope that at the end of the year I will be able to come and visit and support the economy in a small way by staying for a few months.
We are all hoping that things get better soon Rachel 🙂 You stay safe and well 🙂
Thank you, and you!