Sunday 22 March 2020

SPRING: Day 6: Lockdown in France

Sunday 22  March 2020 
Yesterday,  as I surveyed the rear garden at 18h30,  my ears registered the sound just as it stopped.  Ah!
CUCKOO in the distance.  I waited. No more call.  A cuckoo-sort-of-shape fluttered from the place it sounded from.   Later about 19h10,  whilst contemplating my privilege to have a front gate onto the road, onto which I can lean and look out, at the empty street,  a black cat that I've seen before, was the only movement.   I called to it, but the whipping tail signalled it did not wish to approach.  It sloped up the slope looking back, knowing nothing of the health crisis in the world.

Before I closed the gate, there it was again.  In the far distance, in the direction of which the bird had flown,  just the once was  'CUCKOO!'    Oh JOY!

Yesterday, I decided to restart blogging so made the DIARY COVID19 entries and have backdated and back published them!

I thought to start a handwritten journal,  but typing allows me to edit so here I am resurrecting this BLOG - I had forgotten how to access and edit it.   Plus a long time ago all my links to other websites I followed disappeared.

I have plenty to do but this fulfils creativity and a need to communicate my thoughts Perhaps better than communicating daily diary events elsewhere and to others bringing further boredom to all who are self isolating!     Let us see where it goes.

Today.... Noon
This morning I completed the ATTESTATION DÉPLACEMENT DÉROGATOIRE on the back. I shall do this for each OUTING.  I am saving paper!

This morning,  I posted a letter, in the hope there will be a collection tomorrow but I can't buy international stamps until TUESDAY when the village shop reopens.   Yes I know I could go online and print some but I will not as I don't have blank sticky labels.
No oysters.  I have a feeling  'open markets' have been cancelled!  My friend had alluded to this possibility and something I read mentioned this regarding PARIS. ( Later confirned ... thye will be allowed at each MAYOR's discretion.

What happens to food unable to be distributed by sellers to consumers?  ... or to fresh produce and food in closed down restaurants etc in fridges, freezers, store cupboards, to the businesses of middle men as we used to call them  bringing fruit, veg , meat, fish etc from  fields and farms inland and by rivers and coastal waters ... so will it rot where it is?
Society, economy, and infrastructure systems are truly going to break down   ....    the world will change as we know it!  People will lose their jobs and have insufficient money for rents and mortgages!

A woman was behind me ... I turned and waved Bonjour,  kept on walking -  someone I haven't seen for 18 months or so... she entered the boulangerie.
I walked the Queue du Renard.. a narrow lane - a man I did not know veered left, then right to keep the biggest distance. I spoke 'Bonjour;' - he replied, but it was as if even French courtesy was breaking down.  
I walked through woodland and returned to climb the slope, stretch calves, jog half way around the camping van flat tarmacspace, (good idea), choosing a sightly different return route. Madame Boulangere is wearing her mask today. Yesterday she did not!
I think there should only be one at a time in that small space.
I was out for 25 minutes -  but had warmed up.  Only one vehicle was travelling in that time.
The weather has turned colder.

This afternoon, almost three hours of more weeding / pruning but where to dispose of it all!!!
Tomorrow will start to fork over and weed what's left that I couldn't pull by hand.  
There is 25m x 1.80 m to tackle ... then I shall be able to put the grass mulch on the soil.  I might move some of the lavender as when in flower they straddle the lawn and make mowing tricky.   I also ought to look at number 13 and decide when to do the first mow with the petrol mower.... 50 m by 12m strips!  Good slow walking!!!!!!

Tonight I ate roasted red peppers stuffed with precooked rice, garlic, onion, walnuts, sun-dried tomato, goat cheese and roasted sweet potato with Fitou.  Plenty for tomorrow too!







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