I hope everyone is as well as can be in magnificent social isolation. Last night was of course our weekly 8pm Clapping For Carers where we come to our front doors and show our support for NHS workers.
It’s my only social event of the week and it is giving the opportunity ever so slowly to talk to one of my neighbours. I’ve barely had the chance to say hi to her since I moved in and lockdown took over so every Thursday for just a few seconds out of 2 or 3 minutes of clapping we get to exchange pleasantries.
It would make rather a good story for a new neighbour to move in and they get to know each other a little more just through the weekly NHS claps. It could work out into some romantic comedy or indeed into some psychological thriller where one of them slowly realises the neighbour is a total nutcase. I’m sure that is what my neighbour will be thinking about 8.05pm.
I realise with not watching television and avoiding the news sites and obviously real-life people in general that this whole thing might actually have already blown over. I may end up like one of those Japanese soldiers 30 years after the war, unaware that the danger has passed and that the old life has resumed. I’m depending on one of you to tell me this is all over!
I had an unexpected conversation yesterday, well two to be precise. The first was some sort of hoax caller who obviously didn’t bank on the fact that having barely uttered a word for over 2 months means I am all ready to talk to even the most bizarre callers. I think I scared them off in the end.
The other call I had was from the lovely Michael at Google. With the exception of him obviously being paid, I get the feeling he was only marginally less exasperated than I am and we dragged out greetings and goodbyes in a way I don’t think is normal for a business call.
Anyway, I’ve been trying to plan for the future. Rash I know considering I may not have one and even if I do, my company may not BUT it is always said that great entrepreneurs and businesses always make the most out of disasters and when others are licking their wounds, they make plans to get bigger and better. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve bought some new and additional domains for Ye Olde England Tours and was quite pleased with myself for coming up with Auld Scotland Tours which might allow me to branch out my Edinburgh, Stirling and Outlander Tours.
As for my call with Google, I wanted to make sure I had permission to do what I wanted to do and they actually loved my idea so I bought some more domains for those too. It seems a bit bad to spend money when I don’t really have any but they do say you have to speculate to accumulate.
I have no idea how to go about doing what I want to do but I know I’ll get there one day even if it doesn’t pay off until long after this virus has been wiped out.
It is hard to get motivated for such long time-frames however when you know whatever else happens to people with better immune systems, government advice might be for me myself might be to stay largely house bound for the rest of the year.
I’m also trying to edit my new book. I’m torn between not being bothered to do any of it and not doing everything now in case I have nothing to do in May, June or November.
Stephen Liddell 
It is kind of a funny thought, the idea that this particular Coronavirus had been eradicated and everyone vaccinated, and we are the only ones who didn’t know as we never watch TV, and even Radio 4 Extra doesn’t have any news! They specialise in repeats!
But I don’t do that clapping thing. Half my extended family are, or were, in the medical, nursing and biomedical healthcare professions, and we don’t want thanks or praise. We want proper protective equipment and maybe reasonable pay rises, without having decade-long pay freezes and a moratorium on promotions and regrading.
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Yes I’d agree with what your family want. I always think too they’d be happier if people treated them with respect at all times, didn’t waste time at A&E or fill up surgeries for something that doesn’t need medical help… or actually turned up to appointments. I often need urgent appointments out of the blue with my chest and the amount of times people don’t actually turn up in the 5 minutes I’m in the waiting room is terrible. It’s is a funny thought though and as I don’t have a smartphone I don’t even receive these hi-tech notifications about what to do that others seem to sometimes get. I guess I will see you next week unless we cotton-on otherwise 🙂
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Yes, I always let them know if I cannot attend an appointment. But if I have an “acute exacerbation” of any of my symptoms, they will see me immediately if I attend in person (regardless of other people cancelling or not). Or, if I am unable to get there in person and phone them, the duty doctor will call me back.
Of course, I make sure I don’t abuse it just to queue jump! But at the moment, everything is by ‘phone. It’s an odd thing that they call it a “Medical Emergency”, which to me is a severed artery or heart attack, but to them it’s just when you need to see your GP without an appointment. I’d suggest you contact them and ask about telephone appointments and their acute exacerbation policy, as if you have asthma and COPD you should qualifiy.
Anyway, good luck! And see you next week, when the rest of the world have gone back to work!
😀
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Yes my GP operate similarly at the moment. I always feel bad about going at the best of times even though they always see me straight away. It was January 2019 the last time I took antibiotics which is my longest stretch without an infection since the 1990’s. Rang them at 8.30am, was been seen at 8.50am (that was a death-defying run to the surgery i can tell you) and back home soon after. You couldn’t get better than that anywhere in the world no matter how much you paid.
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Exactly! The NHS is certainly our most major national assent, fueled by dedication and powered by love, to paraphrase Boris.
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Stephen, planning for the future is very good idea. It will not only bring sparks to your brain as you dream and plan, but help you not fissile mentally. We all are trying to keep the emotions and brains under control when boredom sets in.
I have just finished writing a book for children that is being sponsored as a contest by Emory Global Health at Emory University here in the U.S. I think, so far, about 200 people have entered…so I’m not hanging my hat on winning, but the challenge is really good at this time. If I don’t make it, I’ll self- publish this book, which is supposed to help children with their fears and understanding about the virus. If it helps only one, it will be worth it.
Another thing that I have started to do, which I would also suggest to you…is to pray over things that I am trying to accomplish. Only God knows the future and we hope He is going to help out all the scientists trying to find a vaccine and eventual cure…but in the mean time, perhaps He could also look over our shoulders at our hopes and dreams. I just get a calm feeling when I take things I can’t control at the moment in the Hands bigger than mine own. Just a suggestion not a sermon. Love and blessings, Nancy
PS I have been learning a great deal about your country from the gentleman who produces the videos WALKING HISTORY. My husband, the Anglican priest, loves history and the fabulous old churches that are shown in these videos. Makes me want to come back to England…Well, maybe someday!
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Thank-you Nancy. Best of luck with your new book. It sounds like there is some very tough competition though to win the contest but I’d agree, don’t let the work go to waste and to self-publish it. The Walking History might be with Tony Robinson; he is very good at making history accessible and been doing similar shows since the 1980’s. He might also like the long-running Great British Railway Journeys with Michael Portillo which I’ve actually seen being filmed a few times so he obviously enjoys visiting the same places that I do!
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