The Unforeseen Consequences of Lockdown..

April 2020:

We’ve all had a few weeks now to get used to our new way of living.

Weather: Good; Traffic: light; Coffee consumption: High; Ambient noise: light; Phone calls: Many

Cooking: endless; Eating: Non-stop..

Shop once a week? Naturally

Queue to get into the shops? No bother.

Staying close to home? Ditto.

Birdsong: Loving it!

As we took our local and socially-distanced walk this morning, Mr Sat Night and I remarked on unforeseen results to our lives in lockdown.

Here we go:

• We’re much more aware of people around us – in my case, I can spot a fellow pedestrian at 100 paces and immediately consider my social distancing options. Better not step out onto the road when that articulated lorry is bearing down on me though..#lessonlearned
• Everyone now has ‘hobbies’. Painting by numbers/ embroidery/ gardening/ *insert hobby here*
• ‘Hobbies’ may or may not include home ‘wine-tasting’ evenings.. 😉

• The art of the virtual dinner party, cocktail hour and family quiz night has been perfected.
• No one gets a ‘Sorry we missed you’ card because, unless you’re one of the newly-minted official Heroes of the Virus, you’re home for all deliveries.
• We all hope that we’re going to fit into that Posh Frock we bought for the postponed wedding.
• We’re seriously cheesed off to see said Posh Frock at half price in on-line sales – and no, I didn’t keep the paperwork..
• When you ‘see a penny’, you don’t ‘pick it up’  because – CV19. I think we’ve been lucky enough if no one belonging to us has had a brush with the virus. Leave that penny alone!
• NHS/HSE staff may never have to buy a coffee ever again. Mr Sat Night has left a few at our local bakery for you..
• I appear to be the only person who hasn’t made banana Bread so far.
• Here’s a link to my Banana bread recipe https://eatingforireland.com/recipe/banana-bread/
• Here’s a picture of Banana Bread:

• I cried buckets – no, seriously – buckets – listening to Saoirse Ronan speaking ‘When this will all end..’
• There are butterflies and bees everywhere..The planet appears to have taken a deep breath – and the lack of road and air traffic has allowed us to hear the birds chirping away in the trees more clearly than ever before. A lone Magpie has adopted our back garden – fortunately our cats are so lazy they haven’t noticed yet..

• We’ve all tidied at least one box of old photographs and letters – I rediscovered my Grandfather’s letters to a teenage me – I wish he was still here to know how glad I am that I kept them.
• A plane going overhead is a reason to take a picture..

• I still can’t manage Zoom.
• And no, it’s not too soon to dig out the remains of last-year’s Aperol and Pimm’s – I mean it’s almost Summer, right?
• ‘Stay safe’- is still the best signing-off tag of 2020.