Thoughts on Covid – to mask or not to mask

Hi everyone. I have good news 😎. I am very happy to say I was WRONG! On 25 July I posted on The Waffle that we had 636 cases of Covid within the past 7 days in Windsor and Maidenhead. I was all gloom and doom as I fully expected the numbers to keep on increasing in Windsor and the surrounding areas, after the opening up of restrictions. Well, instead my friends, the case numbers have been coming down, quite dramatically I might add. So today, 10 days after being at 636 here we are at 342 cases in Windsor and Maidenhead in the past 7 days. Definitely going in the right direction, long may it continue.

A lot of people locally have not really changed their behaviour. The majority I would say are still wearing masks indoors. There is a change in atmosphere, perhaps. I find myself at times these days forgetting that we are in a pandemic. Is that a good thing? Or is it complacency? Time will tell. The summer is always a time of relative freedom from this deadly virus. We can socialise outside when the weather is nice enough. I found myself getting more confident after attending Wimbledon, an event with 20,000 people. We went, we had a great time, we came home. We did not get sick.

I have been to the cinema. It feels safe there even without a mask. It is so quiet and empty. Relaxing. Strange to think that this was a government certified dangerous activity where you might not come out alive. Hard to process. A man I didn’t know hugged me in the pub the other night. This was a bit much. I know he was probably a bit inebriated and pleased to meet me via my friend, but please I’m not ready for random maskless hugging yet! I’m only just hugging my friends, and usually asking permission to do so first!!

This weekend we will be further testing our vaccines when we go to Windsor Theatre to see Hamlet. To mask or not to mask, that is the question. I think, I hope, most will be masked up, but who knows. They do not have to distance the seats any more. I am a little apprehensive. I booked the tickets ages ago when we envisioned the virus long gone by now. And yet it lingers on, playing havoc with our summer holidays and our future planning. Who knows what is coming next?

I feel relaxed but still tired at the same time? Does anyone feel the same? The underlying tension of Coronavirus, having to be on your guard, starting to enjoy yourself but fearful of letting up too much?

Cake is usually helpful I find. On Monday I baked a grapefruit drizzle cake. It’s divine. The recipe is from the latest Good Food magazine.

I’ve been serving it with crème fraîche. Delicious. And a cup of Earl Grey tea.

On tonight’s menu I believe we have some organic beef burgers, maybe a fried egg on top, new potatoes from our garden and green beans from a friend’s allotment.

My tomatoes are fat but still green. My pumpkins are flowering all over the place.

The rhubarb is endemic. In the pandemic. I should write a poem about that!?

I’ll leave you with the lovely agapanthus from my garden. Perfection. I’m off to give it a water now. There is something very therapeutic about watering, sharing with the plants. No doubt I’ll meet Mrs B (the blackbird) while I’m there. Bye for now 😊! Xx