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Post by Forrest on Apr 9, 2020 20:57:15 GMT
showgirl , that sounds like quite a shopping adventure! (Or more of a queuing adventure, really.) I went to Sainsbury's/Waitrose today (they're right next to each other, and I normally go to both for various stuff) but both queues were so long I went to a smaller Sainsbury's and a Tesco on the completely other side from my flat instead. There were no queues there. (I also forgot to buy most of the stuff I was supposed to, but got other stuff instead. Yay me!) But my day was actually terrific! I've (in)officially joined the Board's 'couch to 5km' club today: I went for a run, which ended up being my first 4km in a long, long time. I paced myself real slow because I didn't want to overdo it (the watch says it was 6:20mins/km, so actually more jogging than running), but it was such great fun, I really do wonder why I haven't started it before. I used to walk some 5km to work and back every day, and I kind of live in the centre of London so I'd walk to wherever else I could too (anything that takes up to about an hour to get to, in lovely weather, if I could find the time) so this lockdown is a bit soul-crushing for me. Then I got home and did a 30-minute yoga stretch/core session. I felt like a new - and very hungry - person after! I've also almost finished reading a fantastic book (Katie Mitchell's 'A Director's Craft'), and wore my lovely new dress to the above mentioned shopping adventure, which made me feel like an actual person after 6 long days of pining away behind a laptop screen. For a day in 'quarantine' - this one was pretty decent!
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Post by longinthetooth on Apr 9, 2020 21:34:01 GMT
One thing I have found is that it is now impossible to have a private conversation. Should you meet someone whilst on legitimate outings, stopping to speak (at the required 2m distance, of course) means that when you have shouted greetings and asked how they are, everyone within earshot knows your business - and you would not believe how many people materialise out of nowhere at that precise moment!
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Post by showgirl on Apr 10, 2020 4:24:51 GMT
I've found it difficult even to have a non-private conversation when necessary in a shop: yesterday in Waitrose I started by requesting a refund on something but at the Customer Service desk, the partner was of course now behind a screen; there was noisy air conditioning and the tills were beeping constantly. I had to ask him 3 times to repeat what he had said, despite explaining the first time that when you are older, it becomes harder to filter out background noise. I think he was very softly-spoken anyway, but in the end he switched off the air-con temporarily and we managed to complete the transaction. At least greeting the few people I see when out walking is easy - though some evidently fear catching Covid-19 from being polite and ignore me, but this is always the way. Impossible to predict, too, so after being blanked by a few walkers or cyclists, I sometimes say nothing when the next approaches, only to receive a friendly "Hello" or "Morning" and to regret my silence.
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Post by peggs on Apr 10, 2020 10:04:52 GMT
Since saying hello has now become a thing whereas normally you wouldn't even necessarily get an acknowledgement that you existed, I now feel somewhat bereft if you pass someone and they ignore you. Or when you meet someone on a narrow path so climb off it or swing out to give correct distance and they look at you as if you're mad.
Lot of DIY going on in my road today, it's going to be a noisy one but bless the birds for competing.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 10, 2020 14:07:11 GMT
Now I'm the relatively noisy one in our row of houses as since my early morning walk (bluebells and bunnies coming out in ever greater numbers so very heartening) I've spent hours on yet more (paper) file-weeding and shredding. Longer than I intended but I was a little lazy yesterday and with the house sale hovering somewhere on the horizon, I need to get this done, then stay on top of it in future.
Ironic that though the neighbours' two small children are usually out in the back garden shrieking unrestrainedly all day, and other neighbours are normally doing deafening d-i-y and mowing lawns, today it's just me polluting the otherwise peaceful atmosphere but that's it for now - both the shredder and I need a rest, but I'm not sharing my afternoon tea with it - well, not intentionally, anyway!
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Post by dontdreamit on Apr 10, 2020 15:06:47 GMT
I’ve spent the best part of today in the garden again today and once again I feel very blessed to have a small garden at this time. I’ve done as much as I can in it for now, so tomorrow we shall be attempting to sort out the shed. It may be small, but it’s packed to the point that I no longer know what’s in it any more.
I hoping to find a big bag of compost in there but I doubt I’ll be that lucky!
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Post by NeilVHughes on Apr 10, 2020 15:36:38 GMT
Bluebells
First sighting of the year, nice to see nature isn’t in a lockdown.
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Post by lynette on Apr 10, 2020 15:39:26 GMT
There is a home with a swimming pool on the adjacent road to mine. Makes me sound v posh but this is just N12. The swimming pool v unusual. But the lovely sound of shrieking kids is making it feel very summery and holiday like. The sound carries across the gardens in between the roads. Thankfully far enough from me to be background.
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Post by alece10 on Apr 10, 2020 15:43:50 GMT
Bluebells First sighting of the year, nice to see nature isn’t in a lockdown. Just been watering the plants in my garden and my bluebells have just started to flower. It's those Spanish ones though and not the lovely English ones. Anyone also noticed lots of lovely butterflies and not just the plain cabbage whites. Some really pretty colourful ones around. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 10, 2020 18:03:13 GMT
Yes butterflies and more small birds. Coincidence or maybe less traffic?
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Post by peggs on Apr 10, 2020 19:16:02 GMT
Well think it is the time for butterflies, the few that have over wintered come out looking a bit tatting and others are freshly emerging from chrysalis stage and they're all dancing in pairs to start it all over again. But yes I expect not getting splatting by as many vehicles helps and think a lot of us are paying more attention to the wonders around us at the moment. I saw lots of peacock and possibly commas out on my exercise and they were a sight to see.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2020 19:23:33 GMT
think a lot of us are paying more attention to the wonders around us at the moment I think that's it. People have less to do now — fewer people are spending time commuting and hardly anyone is going out — so there's more time to pay attention to things you'd usually overlook. My clearing out the weeds in my garden to leave bare soil has been very popular with the birds. There have been loads of sparrows rolling around in the dust, and this morning a wood pigeon was having a great time picking through whatever it could find out there. |
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Post by alece10 on Apr 10, 2020 20:23:32 GMT
Well think it is the time for butterflies, the few that have over wintered come out looking a bit tatting and others are freshly emerging from chrysalis stage and they're all dancing in pairs to start it all over again. But yes I expect not getting splatting by as many vehicles helps and think a lot of us are paying more attention to the wonders around us at the moment. I saw lots of peacock and possibly commas out on my exercise and they were a sight to see. See this is facinating. I've been seeing lots of pairs flying around in the last few days and I wondered what they were doing. |
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Post by peggs on Apr 10, 2020 21:14:24 GMT
I have to admit it was twitter that told me though I did then wonder why I had never clicked before. I follow a couple of butterfly societies on twitter and would heartedly recommend, it's both cheering and calming in these times and also amazing, like the numbers of moths that are brightly coloured and fly in the day, I was brought up being told they were all dull and only came out at night to attack your lights.
Oh and means you can feel better about leaving some of your weeds, dandelions great early butterfly/bee food and they need somewhere to lay their eggs.
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Post by londonpostie on Apr 11, 2020 7:49:20 GMT
I can't get over the birdsong. It may have been there before and the droning of aircraft and rush hours just dominated but now birdsong feels important and integral to the day.
I know things will go back to abnormal when the herd is immunised or vaccinated but this is a truly fascinating insight into another way.
You know one of the things I dread most? Being swamped again by tourists. Is that a bad thing ..
Anyway, in news from the daily grind, I was in and out of Lidl before 8 this morning - no queue to get in, no queue at the checkouts .. I cycle past Kings to get there and Kings has the largest number of deaths in the country - it's just there on the road, this place where so much life is struggling and too often losing. A few staff sit outside in their kit getting a little sun and air, a couple having a puff. Has the media somehow normalised a thousand deaths a day; no more birdsong for a thousand people a day.
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Post by Someone in a tree on Apr 11, 2020 9:40:21 GMT
My day can get no better! I was walking back from the bakers on a crossiant run when I spotted this doggie queuing, social distancing and no doubt on a sausge run  |
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Post by Mark on Apr 11, 2020 10:07:51 GMT
Has the media somehow normalised a thousand deaths a day; no more birdsong for a thousand people a day. 2015-2019 the average number of deaths a week in the country was around 10,000. Whilst every death from the virus is sad, I worry about the poverty and unnecessary deaths that will happen due to postponed cancer treatments, people not seeking help for other ailments, and people being unable to get an income. Quite frankly, the minute the government furlough scheme stops is when everything has to reopen, otherwise you cause more suffering. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 11, 2020 13:00:13 GMT
Has the media somehow normalised a thousand deaths a day; no more birdsong for a thousand people a day. I think the numbers are so high that it's very difficult to grasp them except in the abstract. I would guess that our brains deliberately do this as a coping mechanism. If we tried to think about every death as an individual person then we'd probably be weeping continuously so we have to be able to emotionally distance ourselves to an extent in order to be able to function & not have nervous breakdowns. I'm having nightmares every night about coronavirus but they mostly are about social distancing/self-isolating going wrong rather than about hundreds of deaths, so my brain seems to be worrying more over the comparitively little things, I presume because those are the things I have some control over. |
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Post by lynette on Apr 11, 2020 13:19:49 GMT
You are right Dawnstar. Many people will have decided not to bother the doctor...let’s hope that the NHS can take this into account when the budget for the next few years.
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Post by londonpostie on Apr 11, 2020 13:27:20 GMT
I don't think even Mike Leigh could have dreamed up the idea of a Tory Prime Minister, at the end of a decade of ideologically-driven austerity, being confined to a NHS ICU that overlooks Parliament, just as his pregnant partner recovers from the life-threatening virus.
It's extraordinary. Probably won't make the slightest difference to them.
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Post by showgirl on Apr 11, 2020 15:08:32 GMT
Agree that the birdsong is very noticeable now though I've always heard it on my early morning walks but then, I'm closer to the countryside so a bonus for Londoners and other town-dwellers who don't usually have the opportunity to hear it. More wildlife visible here, too. And speaking of London, I know that by normal standards it wasn't, but the scene in that photo you posted Someone in a tree looked so busy to me! As it's quieter where I live, I notice if there's even one other person out at the same time. |
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Post by Dawnstar on Apr 11, 2020 16:53:04 GMT
And speaking of London, I know that by normal standards it wasn't, but the scene in that photo you posted Someone in a tree looked so busy to me! As it's quieter where I live, I notice if there's even one other person out at the same time. I thought it looked pretty busy too. Though admittedly I am currently so paranoid that I worry about coronavirus particles coming in through our open windows whenever any of our neighbours are out in their gardens. I'd probably have a full-on panic attack if I was near as many people as are shown in that photo. |
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Post by theatreian on Apr 11, 2020 17:00:53 GMT
As part of my day I check out you tube for any new additions of music posted. I am checking daily Gary Barlow's crooner sessions where he duets with a star Monday to Friday and Saturday with a member of the public. These are released daily at 5pm.
Today I found Mariah Carey singing Hero my favourite song of hers together with some words appropriate at this time:
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Post by dontdreamit on Apr 11, 2020 18:38:35 GMT
Today we spent most of the day emptying, cleaning, and sorting out the shed. We too noticed the birds and only had a couple of planes overhead which was really noticeable.
I don’t know about anyone else but we’ve managed to fall into a good routine at home which has helped everyone, especially the children.
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Post by Forrest on Apr 11, 2020 19:21:08 GMT
I have to admit, I live next to King's Cross in London and hearing birds was something that was common before this all started too. I only noticed it specifically, because it fascinated me how much louder they were here than back home (where I lived in a much quieter, less central neighbourhood, in a much smaller city overall). On the point about routine, I fully agree: I find this new 'indoors confinement' situation much more bearable if I have a sort of a schedule for the day in my mind and an idea of what I'll be doing, than if I just kind of get up and wait for the day to... simply pass. I consider myself lucky to have a job that I can do from home, which helps time to pass, too. I'm also currently enjoying reading, which I normally don't have much time for. I'm on my third theatre-related book this week, and it's such a joy! Also, Someone in a tree , I'm so jealous: I've seen many people queuing outside of Tesco today, but none of them nearly as adorable as the 'individual' in your photo! :) |
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