Saturday 11/04/20
I woke up this morning and genuinely had no idea which day of the week it was. The thing about week after week of lock-down and social isolation is that a new daily rhythm develops as days run into one another, and one day goes by much the same as the previous one and the next one.
I do read a lot of online journalism and opinion these days. It’s mentally refreshing to read other opinions imbued with good sense, especially in the face of the mind-blowing stupidity displayed by our so-called leaders. Thanks to the Johnsons. Cummings and Hancocks of the Tory Westminster cabal, the UK completely squandered the temporal advantage we had with respect to other European countries in dealing with the pandemic.
Instead of using this precious head-start to act decisively and stop the spread, the UK government chose instead to stick all our eggs (lives) down the flawed, mythical rabbit hole marked “herd immunity”, apparently following the expert advice of the best scientific minds money (and political appointment) could buy. As a lowly post-doctoral scientist, have genuinely struggled to accept these people as scientists – with a modicum of sense and understanding they definitely should have known better.
The outlandish claims of these false prophets hoodwinked the Tory establishment so totally that it became fashionable to throw caution to the wind and “take it (CV infection) on the chin”. As a result, Boris Johnson shook hands with everyone in a hospital ward and boasted about it on TV afterwards. 10 days later he was admitted to hospital, in ICU for 5 days, and still languishes there till today. Huzzah – what a stellar example for us all! Cynically, wonder if it’s all a dead cat ploy to throw us off the scent and avoid scrutiny of the god-awful mess he’s authored. Remarkably some UK citizens have actually fallen for it.
What can we do as ordinary people to keep ourselves and our communities safe? I guess the main thing is to stay at home and avoid unnecessary contacts. Personally, we are fortunate to live in a large house with a garden and fruit trees that are just coming into bloom. Having access to art supplies and fast broadband means we are never truly bored or alone. Many are chafing at the restrictions on their normal lifestyle but I feel that having had to live with a serious disability since 2015 has already prepared me and my family for some severe restrictions on our liberty in advance of this crisis. All said and told, I am grateful to be stuck in isolation with these people, those I love most in the world. Tegid is a strong and creative rock for all of us as always – he knows how to reassure and make us laugh when it’s scary. Thanks to his weekly shopping trips to pragmatic, helpful Lidl supermarket we want for nothing at all. Not stockpiling, just buying what we need. The children are a delight and show me every day how creative, adaptable and helpful they can be. We are surviving, even thriving. And despite spending quite a lot of time nattering with his school-friends on Xbox – Mabon has done all his homework!