Whatever next

Whatever next....

Well, no one had much time for the Health Secretary Matt Hancock anyway but this photo  in The Sun brought his tenure to an abrupt end this week.

Ignoring the fact that any self respecting Health Secretary in a time of crisis should not have time for an affair, completely ignoring the immorality which seems normal for this Government, what brought Matt Hancock down was the blatant breach of social restrictions he himself imposed on the rest of us.

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Boris Johnson originally tried to ignore it all but this time his "I m in charge and sod you all" backfired. Our new Health Secretary is Sajid Javid, a veteran of failed cabinet posts and an advocate of liberalism and freeing us from restrictions asap. Oh and privatising the NHS but lets hide that one under the headlines....

Still, it made a break from wall to wall coverage of the delayed Euro football -as I write England are playing Germany tomorrow in the knockout rounds and will no doubt be knocked out- plus today Wimbledon, and lets not forget Ascot, cricket and uncle tom cobley and all.

School sports days are a parent free zone but sport, everyone is welcome. Its a joke. Stadiums are "test events". Oh yes. Fan zones are an excuse for a maddening crowd. But the rest of us, no singing, no dancing and not much fun.

The original Freedom day on June 21st was of course delayed, now muted to be July 19th but like everyone else I ll believe it when I see it.

The infection rate is sky high with delta variants to the point where Spain, Malta and Portugal today joined the growing list of countries insisting UK travellers quarantine on arrival. 

Our Gov is relying on vaccinations. Drop in centres are popping up everywhere in a mad dash to beat the virus.

Because, if the Gods are smiling on, the vaccines seem to be holding up. Hospitalisations are low, deaths low. Creeping up, yes, but its holding, hold your breath everyone, its holding steady.

So I continue to live my life for the moment, cherishing every day with my family, my grandchildren, seizing the day. The summer months , the long days, fill them with every single thing I can do in case life empties again. Look forward , hold my nerve, and hope that whatever comes next is , for once, good news. 

Happy Times

 Happy Times

Blissfully happy times.   Sun kissed days filled with love and laughter. Finally my spirits lift. 

My quiet home has been transformed into a chaotic madhouse, bursting at the seams with noise and fun as my son and family came to stay from Norfolk for half term.  Their last visit was a year ago, then as now I revelled in the release of lockdown restrictions, truly appreciating how lucky I am with my marvellous family. 

No matter the house is trashed, what matters is that we can gather together again. Last time the wee youngest was a baby, today she is a robust rising 2 year old, gleefully engaging with everything. Her eldest sister now 4 revels in the magical world of imagination, one I love to share and embrace.  

Did we adults ever imagine a year ago that we would have to endure endless months of more Covid lockdowns once more before another visit could take place? Maybe. I believe so. Our original terror and paranoia had given way to a sinking suspicion that the spring 2020 horrendous 12 week complete "prison type" lockdown had not brought more than a summer reprieve. 

Yet with the winter of discontent and endless wasted spring behind me now I find myself looking forward with more optimism. Okay so I cannot see into a Covid free future, no one is that naive any more, but I am simply past worrying, I am simply happy to savour every precious moment, living the present to the full.

I shall always cherish the happy times when my four grandchildren meet after so long, a crazy joyous mad day in the park and then in our garden. My four gorgeous girls tearing around in a whirlwind of play whilst their fathers, my sons, revisit their youth chatting together amidst the maddening crowd. 

I have not been so very happy for so very long.

My daughter hosts a bbq and pool day at her house near the beach. The sun shines, the smell of sun cream and sausages waft through the heat haze, I stand in the cool water of the paddling pool holding my granddaughters hands as they play and I want these moments to go on forever.

My heart is full with happiness, my mind is full of magical memories. I hold these memories tight as Covid has  brought home to us all how fragile life is, how precious time is, how unpredictable the future is.

For now at least the lurking cloak of despair which has haunted my life since the November lockdown  is (currently) vanquished, the ghost of lost times laid to rest by sheer joy in happy family reunions.

How long this freedom will last is anyone's guess and I m not going to think about it. The rise of Covid infections is steep due to the dominance of the Delta (Indian) variant and although so far our vaccines seem to be holding it at bay we are walking a tightrope. 

The Gov has decided against further foreign travel relaxations in a bid to keep the June 21st UK full opening date on the table, a measure of just how unsure scientists and politicians alike are about what lies ahead. Who cares, I am not going away, I am staying here with my beloved family. As long as I can see them, that is all that matters to me. 

Today I am happy, yesterday I was happy, last week I was happy. Next week will be whatever it will be. Ce la vie.