Day 123

Tuesday 21 July

The world has already reverted back to it’s pre-Covid19 madness.

It wasn’t that long ago that we were all saying how much we had learnt about ourselves and our relationships with one another. That coping with this virus across the world made everyone our neighbour regardless of nationality.

It was (is) a virus that could (and did) affect everyone, rich or poor, black or white, east or west. This apparent non-discrimination in a virus levelled any status that had existed, wealth and power really didn’t matter.

There was a real appreciation that the nationwide lockdown gave people time they had never had before. Time to enage with their family, to share more time together and to importantly appreciate what was around us, our immediate locality. The nature within it and the simple things in life that ordinarily pass us by and go unoticed.

We have such short memories. Muscle-memory of the brain has sadly kicked in.

Since lockdown measures have been relaxed we have made economic enemies of China and Russia. We have had strained trade talks with the EU, just five months before we withdraw fully by then whilst in post-pandemic economic turmoil. A man is accused of multiple stabbings at a newly reopened theme park, a celebrity is suing their partner over domestic abuse. And finally, warnings from scientists who advise the government have said that the virus will still be out there and another wave is almost inevitable.

Are we just completely bonkers? Do we have very short memenories? Or are we culturally pre-dispositioned to return to our bad old ways?

Stan played golf today. Me, Lisa, Adora and Mabel went on a new walk – down new lanes, past new hedgerows and across new fields of barley. I reminded myself once again how glad I am that we don’t live in a town.

The birds are so quiet now. They’ve suddenly gone quiet. The mating season is over for most and territories no longer need protecting. Weirdly there are more birds around now than at the start of spring. But they’re all busy feeding and learning how to be birds, no time to chat.