Of course that all changed once the wearing of them became mandatory. People stuck to the rule in shops, but less so on our generally quiet High Street. I couldn't wait to get out of the shop and rip mine off - as I have never solved the problem of steamed up glasses, pushed them on top of my head, but then had difficulty reading labels on products etc.
I soon built up a collection of masks - from the basic pale blue, the home-made (from a T-shirt), the pretty but useless one, the zany multi coloured one , the black serious one, and the tartan patriotic one.
I was persuaded by an advert on Facebook to spend £10 (!!!!) on the pretty one which claimed to be suitable for people wearing glasses - it wasn't! And I had no wish to try out other similar claims at that kind of price.
But the wearing of masks, I predict as being a long term regulation.
MOANS - Yes, moans often surface when speaking with friends and the moans have a common theme - the MONOTONY - the lack of variety in our lives being the principal one.
What have I MISSED most during the full or partial lock-down?
My list ranges from the serious to the trivial - not able to meet friends and relations, not able to go to the funerals of two friends; not visiting neighbouring towns (we are dependent on local bus services which have been severely cut back) and it is now 5 months since we have been out of the village and over a year since I have been in a major supermarket - 9 miles away; not visiting the library, not having our regular lunches out; not having much to talk about since our local organizations no longer are meeting - and not getting my hair cut!
But in our heart of hearts, we know we could be much worse off - so we buck ourselves up, stay calm and soldier on!
MUSIC for me is a great "pick me up" and I have Classic FM Radio on around the house all day - my favourite composer Tchaikovsky and other Russians followed by Mendelssohn - in other words the romantic composers who evoke a story in their music. I like, to, choral works, opera and operetta (especially Gilbert & Sullivan) and ballet music.
Companies such as the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet have been beaming excerpts on Facebook; whilst i have joined in a Zoom concert performing "Faure's Requiem - a bit odd singing alone in my kitchen with 200 other singers on screen. I have also seen similar Zoom performances of Robert Burns Songs for Burns Night and Irish songs for St. Patrick's Day - a great idea for music lovers amongst us.
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ONTO N FOR NEWS & NON-COMPLIANCE
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Ahhh music, of all kinds, and especially classical, has been a lifesaver for me many times in my life. Unfortunately I rarely think to turn it on unless I am in the car, which is not very often these days.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at your Masks section -- just this morning I was out in a fashionable mask I bought early on, and my eyeglasses were fogging up! I spent the winter sewing fabric masks of various colors to go over my surgical mask (we're double masking here), and I'm glad I did. If we are to wear these long-term, may as well make a fashion statement :-) https://mollyscanopy.com/2021/04/margot-moose-and-ancestral-connections-atozchallenge/
ReplyDeleteWe have been very lucky because we have a car which is fortunate since there is not bus service anywhere close. And while where we have gone has been very restricted, we have had the luxury of getting places freely.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for sharing your experiences.
ReplyDeleteMy life has been trimmed back to ensure i minimised the risk of taking infection into mum’s aged care facility. That has probably led to a somewhat reduced lifestyle though much less so than yours. We had a brief period (6weeks?) without haircuts and while shops have been open I’ve avoided the malls most of the time. I became something of an online shopper and increased my ebook reading from the library, Amazon and other sources. In terms of masks, until three weeks ago we’d worn masks here a handful of times: once for my specialist appointment in May 2020, at the optometrist for our annual eye check (NOV) and when we flew to/from Darwin for Christmas. Masks are a pain with glasses but I’ve found it better once I got the hang of sitting them over the firmed nose piece of the masks.
ReplyDeleteI should hasten to add that being a regional area has helped us, and our state Premier has kept a “locked gate” policy against covid risk areas. People living in Victoria, our southern state have done it much tougher with very long lockdowns.
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