A day with
a golden lining.
After over
a month of intelligent lockdown, I have been thirsting for normal contact with
people, friends, fellow human beings. Today was a good day! The weather was
again beautiful, sunny with a blue sky, as blue as one can imagine. My
cupboards were empty, so I needed to restock. First of all I went to the
farmers’ market for fruit, vegetables, nuts, dried fruits, and cheese. Then on to
the butcher’s for meat to make Boeuf Bourguignon. Beef is half price on
Tuesdays, so a good opportunity to buy a larger piece of beef and make a nice
stew tomorrow which I can then freeze in batches. But I could not avoid a visit
to the supermarket either. I stocked up so that I had enough for at least a
week. The open air market doesn’t seem threatening at all, but the supermarket
does. The aisles are too narrow, and it is difficult to avoid one’s fellow
shoppers.
All those
things took almost all morning.
After a mug
of freshly ground coffee and a sandwich I went to see friends which I hadn’t
seen for two months because of the lockdown. They have a sunny garden and
plenty of space to be able to sit well apart from each other. It was great at
last to have a drink with somebody! I spent some time there, enjoying catching
up with things. Since a nephew has bought a house just round the corner which
he has completely stripped and built up again, I paid him a visit as well to
see how he is getting on. It is a project which has kept him busy for 3 years
now, but he hopes to move in with his family in summer. It is going to be a
beautiful house! The project has taken far more time than expected, but with
both he and his wife having demanding jobs and two children, plus the
unexpected surprises, it has almost become his life’s work. I bet it is worth
it.
Those two
visits filled the afternoon completely. I came home very happy. Two visits with
real people! Who could believe it after so many weeks of being deprived of
“normal” contact. This was almost normal, because no kissing, no hugging, no
touching, and keeping one’s distance. But it was at least a beginning. Amazing
how we always take “normal” contact for granted and do not realize how
wonderful that is till we are cut off from it.
Very
contentedly I proceeded to prepare the lovely fresh asparagus, and even forgot
to listen to the speech of our prime minister in which he announced some
relaxation of the lockdown rules. No haircuts or visits to dentists yet, or
other medical services. We all have to grow pigtails I am afraid. But schools
will gradually open after May 11th. All restaurants and cafes stay
closed. This is a tragedy, particularly for beach restaurants which would have
done a roaring business because of the fantastic weather. And they have to make
their money during the short summer season. We will all have to make do for
some time to come yet.
But today
was a day with a golden lining!
A day as golden as these flowers which I found in a wooded area within walking distance of my house and almost part of my daily routine
No comments:
Post a Comment