We have been away! We spent a few days in Oxford, and then
had an afternoon out at a vineyard the day after we got back. We have travelled
on trains, stayed in a hotel, eaten in restaurants. Sounds all very normal,
just like the BC (Before Covid) times. Well, mostly…
We’ve stuck with only eating (and drinking) outside
(technically part of the wine tasting was indoors, but it was in the winery,
which is a big barn of a building, with a big open door, so almost outside).
Fortunately Oxford has lots of nice places with outdoor space, including my
favourite pub from student days, the Turf Tavern, which has more outside than
inside. Also, mask wearing and distancing seems to be more in place in Oxford
than either London or Canterbury – possibly because they had special measures
and very high cases until recently, although we had that in Canterbury without
it seeming to have much effect.
The trains were mostly just about OK – mask wearing varies
wildly. We paid for first class for the journeys where it was available, which
was quieter and more masked than what we could see of standard. Family groups
seem to be consistently worst for not masking, but otherwise it’s totally
random.
Like Helen in her post, I am a mass of contradictions: I
will deal with trains, but I still cannot bring myself to go into a
supermarket. I feel I don’t know how to live in this odd world we are now in:
do I need to carry on worrying? Should I force myself to do more, especially as
there’s a chance things will get really bad this winter? Should I carry on
being very cautious? How do I prioritise – by what I want to do most or by what
is least risk? What am I waiting for to go back to full normality, given that I
don’t believe cases will fall significantly this side of next spring, if then? All
of these thoughts brought to you by the realisation I need to go and have my
haircut again soon…
Also, as a few people have already said: going out and doing
things again, however lovely, is exhausting; partly because we’re not used to
it, and partly because of the added Covid stress.
I cleared the fridge out before I left with rather too much
efficiency, so food has been a bit random for the last few days, until
tomorrow’s delivery arrives. Thank goodness for having a few Pasta Evangelists
meals stashed in the freezer.
In the absence of food I have actually cooked, here are some
pictures of some of the things I ate and drank in Oxford, plus a picture of me with the oldest ham in the world, which resides in the Covered Market.
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