Month: March 2020

Do you hear there, the ship is under sailing orders

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First, before I say another word, I hope this finds you healthy and in good heart. After I have mailed this blog it ends up on my blog page, I discovered this week I pay WordPress a tidy sum for my page, so I best use it.

These are the strangest of times and waking early the other morning, I reflected on all those days I had got up and left Portsmouth and Plymouth behind me as we departed for six months of imposed exile to foreign climes. Jun was not amused when I told her “we’re off on deployment”, neither was she impressed with her appointment as no1, first mate or whatever.

So we are off, “first”, I said “the crew needs gingering up, we will have Captains rounds on Saturday,”. This somewhat washed over her, ignoring me as she does hoping that it will wash over before lunch. No, I had the bit between my teeth, longcast, shortcast and daily orders – it all came flooding back. As I explained, she listened with the patience of someone who has sat next to Forest Gump.

So we are off, again, slight delay, technical (wife) difficulties. Amusing me by entering into the spirit of it all, we have an established routine, we avoid eye contact at breakfast, are jovial at lunch and sociable by dinner. The menus now reflect our passage, Spanish, Italian, Chinese (a concession, forgive the pun, every other day), Lebanese and so here we are after our second Chinese supper at the gateway to the Orient, the Suez Canal. I think I might backtrack to Greece this weekend before exploring my Arab cook books.

That is where we are, trying to adapt to these strange times, marvelling at the kindness and generosity of those who are willing to volunteer locally or to support the NHS. We all have time on our hands use it wisely. My links tonight include an article on how it might all be over the coming months. On these clear night enjoy that marvel of science, the International Space Station, as it crosses the evening sky. I publish the Somerset passes on FB each day, but Google NASA and they will put you on the mailing list.

Be kind, our whole social order will change after this. Say good words to the guys collecting your bins, the postman, the girl on the check out at Tesco, others aren’t, so be the nice face.

Finally a good article from Esquire on the timeline we might all face

https://www.esquire.com/uk/life/a31915611/coronavirus-timeline/

To close, as I opened, I wish you all well, and if you are going out…”the ship is under sailing orders”

Geoffrey

The Old Blitz spirit

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Good morning, day two of government imposed lockdown and we are both alive. Jun manages to disappear within our tiny house so we are going hours without seeing her. No doubt there is a bag somewhere with my loud shirts and flared trousers waiting for the binmen.

First I hope this mail finds you all in good heart and health. I have found not looking at news/social media to be extremely beneficial, as to the disease itself I have started the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine free course on FutureLearn. I all but completed the first week in an evening. It is FREE, well presented, although a bit techie, but understandable.
As all my activities have stopped, no weddings, no Cathedral and no Radio, I suddenly have all that free time I promised myself when I retired, rather scary in a way. As always your well being is at the forefront of my mind so I attach some links you might find useful.
Lonely Planet have put together ten, six track playlists of music from cities around the world. It may be all I can offer to replace my monthly world music programme. Although we (the radio stations) are looking at fixes so we can either record or broadcast from home.
Marquee TV is free for a month and you can watch opera from ROH, the RSC, which I think is renaming as the David Tennant Company, but I must say he is very good. If you have Amazon Prime watch Terry Prachett and Neil Gaimans Good Omens.
On Twitter follow Sir Patrick Stewart, he is reading a sonnet a day.
On Facebook, take a look at Holy Trinity Church, Frome. Each day, the vicar, Graham Owen does a live broadcast. He is a lovely man, we served together in the RN before he received his calling.
Likewise on Twitter Wells Cathedral, the Vicars Choral are recording regularly and some of the most beautiful religious music is there for free too.
Soundcloud has a number of organ recitals too.
Sadly, I am unable to just have to pop out when Jun presents me with a job, well actually now it is a docking list. So I am out in the garage finding tools and paints and all sorts of things to occupy my day and avoid bleeding ears.
The old blitz spirit, well this morning for breakfast we shared the last banana, I hope that it is not like the Second World War, when they disappeared in 1940 and did not come back until the first banana boat docked in Avonmouth on 30 December 1945.
I am going to do my best to write to everyone individually, having redesigned the living room I need to use my writing desk before the enormous tv arrives.
As always
Geoffrey and Jun

Oh the irony

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Good afternoon, not my usual email/blog, but I thought a broadcast on how we are doing, what’s going on, would keep me out of Jun’s hair for a while and increase my life expectancy. After an amazing week of witnessing panic buying as if it was an Armageddon movie, showing the worst in people to seeing aspects of community spirit that will hopefully gain recognition in the future.
For people who shop daily, it has been a shock that our local supermarkets have been picked bare, and that it has been on family collective scale with several members going to different areas of the stores with separate trolley and shopping list. It is pleasing to hear that however frustrating this has been in Somerset it has not been reflected in other parts of the country, very much a southern reaction. As a former emergency planner I have always had a ‘reserve’ of tinned and dry, but Jun dislikes the former and drains the latter as a matter of routine. The freezer always has some chicken as you can never buy a single piece, so each time we buy some, three or five bits end up in the freezer for ‘the next time’.
Yesterday I had my last swim, I didn’t know it would be, but guessed as much, only four of us in the pool, three cars in the car park. In the middle of the night this was confirmed by email that the centre was now closed, as is IKEA, bugger…no meatballs in the freezer. We will manage I am sure. It was the sauce that I really liked.
The irony thing is that as it is a nice day we went to one of our walking spots on the top of the Mendips, couldn’t get in the car park and the hills were alive with people. We ended up at a less popular spot, walking in a sheltered valley watching the trees dance in the singing wind.
We are both well, but should anyone need any form of assistance please get in touch.
At the bottom of the email is a copy of an email from a U.K. based Japanese band I support, I helped fund their last EP, if you have an idle pound or two that is better used elsewhere give them a listen, they are very good.
Finally the Rev Graham Owen at Holy Trinity Church Frome is vlogging daily on FB. He is witty and we served together before he took up the priesthood. Track him down he speaks with the inner voice of calm, whether you are religious or not.
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As always
Geoffrey