Great excitement today!! John’s ‘project’ car started again! Not only that, the engine kept running for a good long time. For the second time this week, I got all excited – so much so, that I ran to get my phone to film the momentous occasion of the car purring on the drive. What a lovely sight.
An even lovelier sight was John actually sitting in it on the driver’s side, looking rather pleased with himself. And then, to my delight, he managed to get out of the rather low car with no effort at all. We had been wondering if, at our advancing ages, whether we’d really be able to use the car once it was fixed, i.e. get in and out of the thing, but it sure looks like we will!
Of course, the ‘project’ is in its early stages, so John chose to push the car back into the garage (rather than drive it) with me steering it using a mole-wrench attached to the steering shaft, in the absence of an actual steering wheel. The steering wheel, dear readers, is on order……
In other news, I actually managed to get Mum into the bath today. And, oh, she did have fun! Bubbles and everything. Even managed to set her hair quite respectably so she’s looking pretty smart now. I think the effort perked her up a bit, too, as she helped me make the carrot and coriander soup for lunch. Mind you, I expect we’ll pay for it tomorrow – gulp!!
Other than that, little things – which feel like big things – have pleased me today. The postman delivered a letter addressed to Grandma and Grandpa. What a lurch of the heart when that arrived. We haven’t opened it yet – that’s tomorrow’s treat. Earlier on, as we were on the driveway, Caroline walked past, and we were able to have a ‘social-distance’ chat. I felt human again. At lunchtime, I made soup which was delicious – youngest son, Andrew, chef and purveyor of all good foods, would be proud of me. On social media, I had a giggle at the antics of Freddie and William and the despair of their parents. Just felt a little bubble of happiness.
These moments are beautiful gems in otherwise fairly muddy waters. We can’t see where we’re heading and don’t know how or when the situation will be eased, so I cling on to those sparkly moments and let them shine into my dark ones. Unlike others, who can’t, and are finding the whole experience intolerable. As we all stay at home, domestic abuse cases are increasing and there have been some suicides, we hear on the news.
In addition, news is emerging of the dreadful situation in care homes where the elderly are dying in volumes. Such a frightening scenario for the residents, the carers and the families, and yet, the government has no mechanism yet of calculating how many community deaths from COV-ID 19 there have been, nor any way of stopping the spread of it in the homes. We are still simply counting those who have been hospitalised – of which today, 5,599 are infectees, and 847 are dead. Nearly 15,000 people have died so far – an incomprehensible and, for me, ‘an-unable-to-be-imagined’, fact. Pass me a bottle of wine, anyone? Head in the sand? Yes, I’m just not keen to think about the tragedy of it all today and feel helpless being unable to help.
Looking forward to seeing you and John drive past in your Lotus! xx
Me too! But will it be this year, I wonder?
Wow !What a brilliant news day
particularly about the Lotus coming to life Well done John.
Next time it comes out please give me a call- I shall come and watch from a socially responsible distance!
Finally can I please book a ride- when we are all freed of course?
I’ll make the sure the ol’man calls you next time he’s out to play!!!
Just to put this into context, about 50,000 people in the UK die EACH MONTH! Yes, really – 600,000 a year and there is every likelihood that CV19 is really bringing forward by a few months, that which would have occurred naturally. Whilst it is an awful disease, 91% of the CV19 deaths so far have occurred to people with an average of 3 other underlying health issues, which does seem to suggest that whilst 2020 will see a total of ‘excess deaths’, it may be no more than in 2014/15 when we saw about 2,000 extra deaths a week as a result of flu.
So the numbers look terrible but keep them in relation to the ‘norm’ and it doesn’t seem quite so bad, because of the steps the government and we all are taking?
Ahhh….. all true, but of course, what the government isn’t reporting is the percentage of deaths due to COV-ID19 within the full picture. That would make interesting reading…..