The new normal
Who’d have imagined we’d be where we are these days? I thought I should record the new normal around here and set my alarm for hourly intervals on Monday, taking photographs of what seems to have become our daily routine. I have done something similar before - A Day in my Life - and I downloaded a free project from the same source as the prompts for that earlier project. In exactly the same way as last time, I forgot to take my camera or my phone upstairs the night before, so the first thing I needed to do was to ask my Hero if I could borrow his phone for a minute before we got up! Thankfully, he’s seldom surprised by requests like this.
Our days have taken on a new pattern and surprisingly, we find we are quite comfortable with that. Though neither of us is in the high risk age group (yet!) we are more comfortable staying at home and keeping well. We are fortunate to have plenty to keep us occupied and with no children at home to educate, we can do as we please. Bettine’s well being is a worry of course, but frequent telephone calls reassure us that she is fine.
It was a very strange Mothering Sunday though. The postman brought me flowers from Edward and though I cooked Sunday lunch as planned, it meant that we couldn’t sit around the table with Bettine, but had to deliver her plate to her together with a cling filmed glass of Dubonnet! I sat remembering my Mum with a G & T , wondering how she’d have coped with all of this until my Hero returned and we could sit down to our own lunch.
I made individual pavlovas this time, doing my best to make it a little more attractive for Bettine. Her tray had the usual one for today and “one for tomorrow” and there might even have been a small bonus meringue for her to nibble on with her coffee too.
Our daily routine continues. We are used to each other’s company and there’s no need to adjust to our both being around during the day. The main challenge has been working in the same room when one of us is having a Zoom meeting or conference call with colleagues. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to work like this though?
Whilst we work downstairs in the studio each morning, there’s time for my Hero to prepare a loaf of bread and the sunshine we’ve been blessed with during the last few days has made for a wonderful proving oven.
We’ve always made a habit of sitting down to lunch at the table together and taking a break at lunchtime so in that respect, our new normal is pretty much like the old one. We are Archers listeners too! There’s always the paper to read as well: though we get a digital copy each day, I prefer to work on the paper version of sudoku, so I’ve been rummaging through the kindling basket for “vintage” copies!
We have been blessed with the most fabulous Spring weather these last few days and have enjoyed taking our coffee outside for a breath of fresh air. The trouble is, as we sit and chat, we notice all the little things that need to be done - which means another hour or so outside tackling one small area at a time.
I sweep the paths whilst my Hero deals with the blanket weed in the pond. It’s lovely to see how things are beginning to spring up too - when I planted those bowls of bulbs last November, little did I know how very much we’d appreciate them.
I always have my camera to hand, of course!
As we began to batten down the hatches and take refuge at home, we’ve appreciated all the extra resources that are being made available to keep us occupied. The daily MetOpera stream gives us a reason to settle down each afternoon to watch - the sound and the picture quality is first class though the programme for this “Wagner week” is a little more challenging than last weeks lighter offerings of Verdi and Puccini!
So I generally knit the daily quarantine patch from Arne and Carlos whilst I watch and my Hero usually has his book. So far, neither of us has fallen asleep!
Though the straight bit of stocking stitch knitting isn’t difficult, it’s the first time I’ve tried colourwork and I’ve been introduced to the KnitCompanion app on my phone which makes it so much easier!
All of this means that it’s at least dinner time before we even catch up on the day’s news - which has to be a good thing, the way things are going. So far, we’ve not found time to listen to any of the Berlin Philharmonic concerts which are online, nor have we taken advantage of any of the digital gallery walks or online fitness sessions either!
We appreciated this advice which was circulated by our local government and are doing our best under difficult circumstances. However, we’ve not had to go shopping yet…and that could be a whole new adventure!
How are you managing?
