Saturday 4 April 2020

Strange Times

Oh my, it was a different world at Christmas.  How fast it's all changed.   I'm guessing I won't be able to tell anyone anything they don't already know.   But isn't is so very, very strange to think that even a month ago we were not giving serious thought to all of this?   

I thought I'd look through my photos and see what I'd been doing at the beginning of March.  And this is where I was: 



This is the village of Metfield in Suffolk, and I'd been attending a jumble sale.   You know, one of those village sales raising money for a good cause. We had been packed together in the village hall and I'd got a some interesting-looking books, a booklet of unused decorative craft papers, a brand new colander (to replace my old one which I'd melted by accident) and a brand new liquidiser to replace mine which is on its last legs. (T.'s qualified to check it out for electrical safety, which he's done, and he says it's fine). 

We came out with our trophies, which had cost a total of £3, and the sky was a wonderful blue, and the breeze was blowing some early daffodils about and it suddenly felt like Spring instead of winter.



As it had been both warm and wet, the road that led past the church was one big puddle.  We waded across it and went into that church which has an ancient clock, which dates back to the 17th century.  The clock face is on the bell-tower, but the mechanism is kept on the floor in the tower,  and its loud, steady "tick tock" can be heard all over the church. 

Looking at this little film now I think about all that has happened since the clock was made by Mr. Garrett in 1629.  I believe it will be ticking steadily away in Metfield Church long after everyone has forgotten about Coronavirus. 


Things became more serious, but a couple of weeks ago we were still able to go out into Essex to see the daffodils at Warley Place in Essex. I blogged about this unusual nature reserve ten months ago, and when I got home, I put a note in the diary to go in March 2020. And so we did, and it was all but deserted. What an incredible sight it was, with acres of daffodils. It was all so beautiful that we stayed for many hours, stopping to have a picnic and coffee.   




We decided to explore nature reserves and footpaths near to London after that.  And so, just twelve days ago, we were here (below), in a little-known spot of Hertfordshire countryside, above 3/4 hour drive from our home, watching a shallow wide clear river glittering through a green valley,  and an incredible blue sky above, with hills around and some little gothic cottages. Here's a view from the bottom of the hill.


And here are the cottages, next to the church.



The very next day, though, the government locked down. We were told to stay at home, and of course we have obeyed - there hasn't been any temptation for me to risk contagion, because I know how easily this virus spreads. There's a chart at the end of this post that shows how just one contact can make a whole lot of difference.   But we are allowed to walk or cycle near home, for purposes of exercise, and that's what we're doing. I just hope nobody closes the  open spaces near us.   The blackthorn is now fully out but there are still only a few leaves on the trees.  Thank goodness for wildness. 


It is tragic listening to the news and my thoughts are with those who will be affected, which include me and my own close family.   I don't think anyone can feel complacent.

But what can we do, except the things that are in our power? We cannot possibly alter a global problem, and so, just as with the climate emergency, we can only do - and keep doing - absolutely everything possible not to make things worse and buy time for healing to happen.   If we take care not to spread the virus, we are helping to save lives by postponing infections and spreading them thinner so the medical services can deal with the numbers better.  And, of course, so that scientists can develop vaccines and treatments and manufacturers can produce enough ventilators for those who may need them.

 Thankfully from the back of our house we have a close up view of a large cherry tree which is right now in full bloom. 





So that's me. I'll be checking my favourite blogs and leaving some comments after so long away. Please stay safe everyone and try to help others to stay safe too.  Stay in your home, or your garden, don't go closer than two metres (six feet) to anyone who isn't in your own household. (Even the drainholes around here are warning us of that) 


 I haven't been in Blogland much over the last months and so I'm now going to visit my favourite blogs.  I hope very much that I will find all of you well, and that you'll remain so. 

How are you coping with the strange times we are in?

80 comments:

  1. The photo with the daffs and fence is a very nice composition.

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  2. It's good to see you, Jenny. I've been wondering where you were, and hoping all was okay with you and yours.

    The past few months have been pretty horrendous down this way, too. First we had the devastating bushfires that ravaged Through so many areas, beginning in September and continuing into the new year. The fires finally were brought to their knees and then, without mercy or warning, Covid-19 struck.

    Take good care...stay safe and well...best wishes to you and your loved ones. :)

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    1. Thanks for your comment Lee. We were talking about the tough time Australia has had recently. I think how tough it is for the people who are already struggling with problems and difficulties to have yet more piled on. I hope you yourself are keeping safe and well though. I'll see you soon at your blog!

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  3. We are in St. Petersburg in quarantine, Jenny. I do not go out and stay only at home. Once a day I walk around the balcony. Like most older people. The youngest go shopping and buy food. Unfortunately, I can’t go and see my garden, but I can imagine how many flowers bloom there these days.
    Love your photos especially the daffodil fields, and your blossoming cherry tree in the backyard.
    Stay healthy!

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    1. It must be so hard for you not to see and tend to your garden, but your blog is illustrated with so many beautiful photographs that I can see why it is very vivid in your mind. You will probably have a lot of work to deal with weeds. Our large communal back garden is starting to look shaggy with uncut grass, etc. because the gardeners are no longer coming once a week. I prefer grass left a bit long and it seems to encourage wildlife, but too many weeds choking the plants are another matter.

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  4. Great chart, thank you for posting it. I think if that chart was in the news as often as updates on the virus are, there would be less people not taking the pandemic seriously.
    Whether it be our president and his advisers here in America or any other person or persons, blaming for countless deaths is unfair.

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    1. I've removed the reference to President Trump - what's the point of being political, indeed? People are dying in their thousands and the important thing is that we ourselves do what we can.

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  5. It's good to be reminded of what we used to think of as. normal. It will be a long long time before the world returns to the normality that we knew The world will be a different place economically and socially. Stay safe.

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    1. I don't feel I can predict or suppose anything about the future now, which is one of the reasons everything feels so weird I suppose.

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  6. Hello Jenny, You point out that people were acting normally a month ago, and that is the whole problem. This virus has been seriously in the news since January, but few took appropriate steps before it was too late. Here in Taiwan we reacted quickly and kept things in check, but everyone is growing lax now and I fear a resurgence. Tonight in the little park in front of my building there is a loudspeaker-music event meant to attract crowds. Just how criminally ignorant can people be?
    --Jim

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    1. I was wondering if people are getting lax because there is no law to stop them? Or was it a temporary law? Or, doesn't anyone care about breaking the law? It is interesting to see the different ways in which different countries are handling this and I know a lot of people are looking to China, Taiwan, Korea and other countries in the region to see what next.

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  7. I think we are all coping the best we can and the definition of that changes day to day. Perhaps even hour by hour.
    Isn't it strange how we are all going through the same things all across the world?

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    1. So right - the definition DOES seem to change almost day by day. And so many people aren't really being reached - all the time I'm seeing silly behaviour of people who seem not to have a clue. I guess in the US there is also an issue we don't have so much here, of the individuals states having so much autonomy, so if things go wrong there are several different groups for the residents to blame

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  8. Lovely to see your spring-themed pictures! Who can be glum when looking at a meadow of daffies?
    In a few years, we will start looking back, saying things like "Do you remember that March when everything was shut because of corona? Your birthday was all happening on facetime that year..." and so on.

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    1. Oh yes, I think it is definitely going to be a "before and after" thing. I can't think of another time when almost the whole world has been infected. I hope you and your family are keeping well.

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  9. As any brand of 'flu has the capability of killing Leo we are used to shutting ourselves up for the duration. We have the animals, the books, the internet - we hope - and nature all around us.

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    1. Nature all around sounds wonderful. I'm spending a lot of time looking at and thinking about nature and find it very - well, not exactly reassuring because it's pretty savage - but calming, because it is always going to win out in the end.

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  10. We are catching up on everything that gets postponed when we go travelling!
    No time to dwell on anything, and I am limiting"news" as it is depressing Pirate.
    That was a lovely trip..I am missing jumble sales and charity shops!

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    1. Yes, I'm realising that going into the charity shop to browse the books was a slightly bigger part of my life than I realised! When I looked at your blog the other day it seemed you were doing lots of baking, which is always fun.

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  11. We live across the street from some cypress trees that are rapidly greening, it's a joy to watch. No cherries here, though, that is an astoundingly beautiful tree.

    Because cleaning homes for the elderly is essential, i am still doing some work, and i hope to be able to continue that, with all due precautions, of course.

    That graphic is great info, yes, we need to stay away from each other and stop this thing cold if we can.

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    1. I bet the people that you clean for are immensely grateful to have you always and even more now in these strange and unsettling times. Have a great Easter!

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  12. There is a park near me that is all daffodils. Just beautiful. Every time I pass the national park parking lots, they are jammed with cars. I tell my self, there are hundreds of acres for them to spread ito.

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    1. I'd rather have flowers than cars any day. Seriously. Even though cars are handier than flowers.

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  13. So good to see you. Also nice to see the places you've been in March...and your beautiful flowering tree. Strange and dangerous times. Been on self-isolation since March 12th. Doing video calls with the grandboys and Leah and I just started video craft nights (really just gab sessions this year so far). Things are going well so far. :) Hope to see you again soon!

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    1. Video calls - what a good thing they are. In these weird times, there is something to be said for the internet giving us a window on the wider world. Happy Easter, Rita!

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  14. Strange Times indeed. For me this "new" way of life is what I have been living for most of my life so it is same old same old for me.
    So happy to read and catch up on my favorite blogs. For me blog land is wonderful my window to the world.
    Be well and take care
    parsnip

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    1. Good to hear from you Parsnip . It seems that living in lockdown is not such a shock for you as it is for many other people. And those you share your home with will not be bothered about the situation, which is a great relief day to day! I hope you are not tumbling down the news rabbit hole like so many others, and you have your wonderful views to look at all day long. Happy easter!

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  15. The cherry blossoms are lovely and so are the daffodils:) cheers and stay safe

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    1. I am sure you too are appreciating the Spring, Ruby! Thanks for your comment.

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  16. Glad you got out when you did.
    Glad also you and the family are well.

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    1. I'm glad I managed to get out a little bit before the lockdown hit us. Ever more to grumble about now, if you were the type to grumble, I mean

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  17. Great. I have not seen so many daffodils in the field. Take care.

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    1. I love to see a field full of flowers, whatever those flowers are. Daffodils, I had never seen before but I thought of Wordsworth's famous poem about daffodils.

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  18. Lovely, thoughtful post as always! I do think that we should also be wearing masks too. NOT the medical kind that should be reserved for those who work in hospitals but those that we can easily MAKE ourselves! Look at the site Masks4All. I plan on doing a post about it! Stay safe, my friend. https://masks4all.co/

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    1. I think the main reason to wear masks is to stop us infecting others, and this is a great reason for doing it. If each of us can avoid infecting one person only we could make a big difference to the outcome when you look at the chart.

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  19. I enjoyed your blog post, the photos are lovely but took offense to the vicious comment made against our president. I think he and his advisors are doing the best they can considering the magnitude of the pandemic. He is not God, He's only human. Why do Europeans enjoy "rubbishing" our president(s)? Don't they have enough in their own countries to complain about? 💖

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    1. Thanks for visiting,and glad you liked the photos and blog post. I'm sorry you saw the remarks about your President - I had removed them a day or so ago after a polite comment by SaltyPumpkin made me reflect that this blog and this time ares no place for politics.

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  20. What a grand day in Metfield. Oh, those blossoming trees! And for three pounds you certainly made a good haul at the jumble sale. It is so beautiful -- I was fascinated by the church/clock working video, too. How fun to see that. And oh, to be in Essex at the daffodil field. How glorious is that! And the cherry blossoms. I suspect I will miss those here this year. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy this beauty before the lockdown.

    I watched the Queen's address today. It felt calm and strong. And hear Boris Johnson is in the hospital. We are bracing for what they say will be the first of two really terrible weeks. I'm in, except for walks and even cutting those a bit short because so many people are out. They are minding space with strangers but I worry. I'm hoping we can find a delivery service so Rick won't have to go to the store. But apart from that, all is well, we are well. Just worried. Please stay well, you two. I know you are doing all the right things.

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    1. Yes, Jeanie, and you know what, we also got a brand new small frying pan in the jumble sale too... I just found it tucked away in the boot of the car! Almost wondered if there was some compulsive buyer of kitchen appliances and cookware donating to the sale :) I hope that things are now improving in Detroit and other parts of Michigan. In London, our government don't seem to be in control. Boris JOhnson has not ever seemed to be on top of it. And then, by ignoring distancing advice, he got coronavirus, was sick for 2 weeks, went to hospital and is now recuperating for a month and doing no work... I'd like to feel a little more sympathetic.

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  21. Here in NL, we’re ahead of the UK in all areas including infection and restrictions, Jenny. I remember at the end of February, we were discussing measures, but then it was just about avoiding shaming hands and not getting close to people. By this time last month, the university was taking stronger measures and by the 15th it had closed and we were all told to work from home. It’s been lockdown ever since. But ours is not as strict as yours. That said, we are observing it very strictly ourselves, being in the high risk group. Your photos are wonderful reminders of how lovely spring is. It’s good to focus on that.

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    1. I hope you both stay well, Val. Our government was I think let down by the scientific advice, and a curiously blinkered attitude, as if Britain was somehow an exception to the rest of the world. There's little sense of anyone in overall control although I suppose one shouldn't be too tough on them, since everyone is in such strange and uncharted waters. We too are being strict. I'm immensely grateful to the wonderful people we see all around us doing their best.

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  22. Hello, Jenny. Nice to see you again on this blog. I wondered about your silence; I hoped not bad thing, but you seem to have enjoyed yourself at least since March. The year 2020 started with the concern for the new strain of coronavirus. What is scary about the outbreak, the mechanism of outbreak, is that it starts with sporadic cases and then suddenly explosion of infections happens in short period while people don’t pay attention much. Such a strong compulsion like “lockdown” is impossible in my country, but authorities will do the similar thing soon. Democracy is asked especially during the time of crisis, as it depends on voluntary responsible attitude of the citizen, otherwise the government will have more power to control. Until mid-March, I was often with my grandchildren due to their school closure, but recently see them only outdoors to have fun for a short while. I stay at home except for shopping for groceries and supplies and a long walk (sometimes with a camera).

    Your trip looks so nice. The daffodils reminded me of the time when I wandered around the fragrant sea of narcissus by the sea at Awajishima Island, and that famous poem by Wordsworth. Cherry blossoms are in full bloom here, too. I hopped around the nearby Sakura parks and walked along the Saho River wearing a mask and keeping a safe distance from others. It was a strange "hanami" in my life. Stay safe and well.

    Yoko

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    1. Thanks for noticing my absence, Yoko. It was a mixed time since Christmas but we were starting to have some good times again when the lockdown started. We're still enjoying the sunshine and are lucky to have a beautiful garden which belongs to all the houses. I wonder what will turn out to be the best strategy of dealing with the coronavirus. In Japan at least you have a good supply of emergency care beds. in Britain, the government has been cutting back on the health service and this is worrying for us. I would love to wander about Awajishima island and see the narcissi too. I hope one day we get to return and visit more Japanese islands, they seem so varied and often so beautiful and interesting. A strange hanami indeed - I have heard it is usually a popular social occasion in Japan. I'm glad you are able to see your grandkids for a while. We are not even allowed to get within 6 feet of hours. They keep asking to visit and although they understand it's not possible, they find it hard to believe that the grown-ups can't choose to make it OK.

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    2. Hello, Jenny, thanks for the comment on “Raindrops”. I was so happy to hear from you. I hope no update of this blog means you’re tied up something nice and you and your family are all well.

      I’d like to make one thing clear about "Raindrops" post. I was caught with this; “thought provoking comments on the transience and unimportance of our lives.” Probably my immature English writing could have been misleading. What I meant is “uncertainty” , “fragility”, or “transience”, NOT “unimportance” of our lives. On the contrary, each and every one’s life is precious and important. Transience and uncertainty make us appreciate the present more, and due to pains, we can enjoy our happy moments much better. Now is the historical difficult time. But still I enjoy life, find and learn new things both in pleasure and pain, as you’d be doing.

      Be safe and keep smiling, Jenny. Pray for the wellbeing of humanity.

      Yoko

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    3. Thank you very much for this further comment, Yoko. I will respond in your blog comments to your remark!

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  23. Beautiful spring pictures, and I love the "street art" :) Sweden so far has chosen not to go into total lock-down, but there are still a lot of restrictions and very strong recommendations - including the "social distancing". I'm self-isolating from close contacts and avoid buses or going into crowded shops; but am able to go out for walks (as far as my own two legs will take me), and the weather has been rather good on the whole, which is a blessing.

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    1. It is always very good to have nice weather, as long as you can get out. We're allowed out for about an hour a day to take exercise and I value this so much.

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  24. My dear friend, I am very happy to read you and know that you are well. We have been confined for three weeks here and three more await us if everything goes well. At the moment I take care of myself and everything is perfect, I take advantage of my time at home to write on my blog and visit my friends virtually. I miss that spring that you show me and that we have been robbed, with the desire that I had, but you have to wait and be patient. A big hug and take care.

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    1. Thanks for writing Carlos, and I hope you have had a good Easter. I always marvel at how you walk to so many new and different places, so staying at home must be rather hard. But we have our records and memories of waht we have done to look back on for now, and we hope that soon we will be able to do them again.

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  25. I enjoyed your post very much, especially the lovely photos. In early March my daughter, a physician epidemiologist, had told me that we would not go on our planned trip to Argentina and to stay inside because of the virus. She told me that China advised the world about the virus back in late December. Taiwan listened, mandated its people to stay inside and wear masks at all time. As of Saturday Taiwan had 355 cases and 5 deaths for a population of 24 million. Tennessee with a population of 6.7 million had last Sat. 3,321 cases and 43 deaths.

    I am worried because my son-in-law is a physician anesthesiologist and very exposed as he anesthetizes the patients when tubes are placed in their lungs at their most contagious. He was given 4 masks and is still using them. I am sorry I did not see your reference to Trump. My daughter who is in the medical field (and a cousin who works at the CDC) told me that Trump slashed the CDC budget so much in 2018 that a large number of staff was laid off, in addition he fired the whole pandemic unit (to get funds for his wall, but he is hiding this now.) He also censured the CDC and forbade them to warn the public back in February for fear it would hurt his re-election. He was told back in January about the pandemic but gave rallies where he said it was a hoax. He lost 2 months and many people died. He has their deaths on his hands. Of course now he says he is doing the most, although he is not. I really feel sorry for the people who have done no research and believe him. Many are elderly and are now contagious and dying. I saw a Texas woman had written a post on Facebook about how well the president had done. She died yesterday from covid-19.

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    1. I do get very concerned about your government indeed, but also I am getting horrified by what is coming out about ours. We were also warned by foreign experience and this was ignored for flimsy reasons. Calls are growing here for an inquiry into how certain things have happened here but I'm sure they'll do everything possible to prevent one. Our fatalities are sky high too and our frontline staf too are treated with contempt and not given enough protection. You must be very concerned about your son in law and his family - hopefully these are not disposable masks he was given, and I do really pray that they're being helped by charities if not the government (which is also the case in Britain). actually felt my reference to Trump was entirely justified in the light of all I know, and certainly not given from any position of moral superiority seeing the way our own government is going on. However, I know that many people just don't want politics because they're already stressed, and I have been through a period of not reading social media of any kind because I couldn't stand the politics. I am trying now not to put it on my blog which my regular followers will read. But they don't have to read all the comments so I can be more free in those! I was talking to an old friend yesterday who was assuring me that everything was fantastic in her area. Then I realised that her daughter is working in the front line. I think that's her way of coping, saying everything is fantastic. I hope your daughter is out of the frontline. Stay safe.

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  26. Beautiful photos Jenny, which make me long to go for a country drive. Of course, we are in lock down in Australia too, and housebound except for essential business. That cherry tree is fantastic, and I do love photos of an English Spring. The chart is very sobering, and should be essential viewing for all the Aussie's who are flouting the rules whenever they can. So disappointing. It has led to closed beaches and parks, and a closed border between Queensland and New South Wales. We are eligible for home delivered groceries - but it is time-consuming and orders have to be placed about a week in advance. Like you, we are social distancing, washing hands, and so on. But the danger is always present, isn't it?
    All the best to you and yours, Jenny.

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    1. And the best to you too Patricia. Deliveries here in London are very hard to get but we are lucky so far in having kind relatives and friends who will pick up stuff that we can't get online or delivered. I hope your government is being sensible, ours has seemed rudderless from the start, such a let down. So full of admiration for the people who are putting their lives on the line to help others.

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  27. Glad to see you back! Love the photos. I've not really left the house for 4 weeks now. We were fortunate enough to have 2 food deliveries, and have only been out twice to drop some parcels off at the petrol station. I wear both gloves and a mask. Scary times!

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    1. Some of the people I see walking along the road look like characters from an apocalypse film, no kidding, got quite scared of one couple going across the zebra crossing with their little dog, goggles, and what looked like a modern version of a WW2 gas mask!(them, not the dog)

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  28. Hello Jenny, love those photos of the daffodils and blossom. We certainly are in different times now and its good how many folk have adapted. I wish you and yours well. Nice to catch up again xx

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    1. Thanks Sue. Hope you have had a lovely Easter!

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  29. Happy Easter Jenny !
    I am staying in the home but that is nothing new for me, le sigh !
    Stay safe and well.
    parsnip

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    1. Now that is strange, I thought I'd left a reply here. It is no fun being stuck at home with no choice at any time, but you have good company in your beautiful animal companions and I always envy your gorgeous view. Do you have food deliveries already fixed up? I think starting from scratch with food deliveries can be a real headache for many people. So many delivery slots go to regular customers.

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  30. I've been away, too, fighting a lack of motivation, so I'm just now getting around to reading blogs again.

    You can only take sensible precautions and hope for the best. Happy Easter to you and yours.

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    1. So very true. This lack of motivation is hitting a lot of people.

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  31. It is so good to see your cherry blooming!
    In Nara we are not in totall locked so far, but the governmant has told the ristrictions that we currently have. I have not seen my friends since March. Everyone silently stays at home. I look forward to going for grocerry shopping once a week.That is only one chance to feel fresh air outside!
    Stay safe and well.

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    1. Hello Tomoko, it's nice to hear from you. It sounds as if you are living a similar life to the one we live here. It sounds as if you shop outdoors in a market which is more interesting, but perhaps you go to a supermarket because that is more practical. Tony and I go out each day for exercise and lucky have good places to exercise in. But we don't go into shops at all at the moment.

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  32. Strange times and beautiful photos. There's a sentence I never thought I'd write. :-) Hope you and yours are safe.

    Greetings from London.

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    1. Yes, indeed. The strangest times anyone has ever known, I think. I saw some people walking down the street here who looked straight from some dystopian fantasy, and I still find it a rather hurtful feeling when people cross the road to avoid me even though I am grateful they do it really :)

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  33. It's very frustrating not being able to visit our favourite beauty spots now we're in lockdown. But there are plenty of things to do at home so we're just hunkering down and waiting to see what happens next. Jenny's mum is in a care home in Berkshire so naturally we're a bit worried about her, given the huge number of cases in care homes. Our cherry tree is almost in fully bloom and looks more and more amazing every year.

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    1. I can imagine how concerned Jenny is. Hopefully her mum's care home has a sense of responsiblity and has obtained protective clothing in advance of the government's proposed action on this. I know that if my parents were still alive in the frail state they were in at the end, I would be very sad and worried now. Stay safe yourselves.

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  34. Strange and awful times now and ahead. Was Christmas only four months ago.?

    I hope you and your family are safe and healthy.a

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  35. How are we coping? Well, so far, thank you. Your photos reminded me of one of the things that's kept me going - John Rogers' YouTube channel. You might know it. Hours of walks around London and psychogeographical wanderings around London. Addictive. https://www.youtube.com/user/fugueur

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  36. Hello, Jenny. Thanks for your comment on my blog. I've let it languish this past year but thought I'd pick it up again to help pass the time. I have asthma and Bill is 72 to we are being very careful, walking in the less busy hours and places and having food delivered or with a pick up slot at the doorways of known village shops. Loved your clock video - village churches are wonderful. I'm an introvert and a homebody so lockdown is relatively painless for me. It's harder for Bill who gets restless, but we're managing fine. Your chart is a very useful illustration for anyone who doesn't yet 'get' it. Thanks for sharing.

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  37. Love the nature photos!

    How am I coping? Watching nature shine. Prayer, hope, faith. That's all.

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  38. Like that drain hole warning :-)

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  39. It’s nearly a month since you wrote this post. So much has happened, we all know how awful the virus is and how much damage it has done. And we are still not out of the woods.
    I too am lucky enough to be able to go out into close by countryside and there’s the garden, of course. But quarantine it is, has been for weeks and will be for weeks more.
    I have picked up blogging again, after a long hiatus, and I am enjoying it. Hope to hear your news soon.

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  40. I'm way behind catching up with favourite sites, Jenny. This article of yours was certainly thought-provoking - perhaps even more so given the way things have developed over the past month. I think, among all the criticism of the government - some of it justified, some of it from folk who criticise for the sake of it - we need to remember that no one could accurately see how things would develop. Let's hope we learn from that. I do think history will note the event, though. Love your shots and hope you're being good and staying safe!

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  41. What a pleasure to discover you here. I've been gone in hospital for six months. And it is awfully nice to be back.

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  42. Beautiful memories of the last few days of "freedom." The days and nights and weeks all melt into each other. Happily, we get out very early every morning and rarely see another human. The silence was deafening at first, but traffic noise is picking up in anticipation of the big "release." Since we fit the definition of the vulnerable population, we will probably remain sequestered for several more weeks (or months?). Stay safe!

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  43. These photos are beautiful. I hope you are still well at home since you've not been writing regularly here. Best to you and your family.

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  44. That's one loud clock! They don't make them like that anymore.

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  45. What an interesting potpourri of topics and photos. I'll check out the first book recommendation as I'm always adding to my 'to read' collection. I loved seeing all the photos of the beautiful scenery where you live.

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