This week I have been
Reading The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I got this book for Christmas and have been looking forward to reading it but at the same time a little anxious because what if it doesn’t live up to expectations set by the most excellent The Handmaid’s Tale? I am halfway through now and it is certainly living up to expectations. Although I had some trepidation about reading something set in a dystopian future when it feels like we are living in a dystopian future now. At least The Testaments is a different type of dystopia.
Writing daily blogs based on the WordPress discovery word of the day. I’m enjoying the challenge of responding to a one word prompt and seeing where the reaction to the word takes me. But concentrating on this challenge may mean I taking a little break from working on my novel. What I need to do with that is to sit down and do some proper editing. I just need to find the time. Oh wait, that’s right, I have lots of that right now
Playing cards. For some reason, the husband and I cannot find enthusiasm for watching TV right now. So instead of an evening we sit together and play cards. We started off the week with Rummy but later in the week progressed to Canasta (although we’re a bit fuzzy on some of the complicated rules). I had an early advantage, having played the game in my youth with my sister, but the husband is catching up and devising his own winning strategies, which I don’t like.
Socialising. Or what passes for socialising now. To paraphrase a book title (Love in the Time of Cholera), socialising in the Time of Covid19. What does this look like? It looks like going for a walk with someone where you each walk on opposite sides of the street. It means having a three-way WhatsApp video chat with friends in Canada and Switzerland. It means having a virtual drink with your friends across the neighbourhood on Messenger. It means dropping groceries off at the door for a friend who is self isolating and then having a chat to her from the front fence. Bizarrely, it feels like the most social weekend we’ve had in ages.
Food planning (still). We did another reassessment of the pantry and planned out meals for the next two weeks. We bought a pumpkin during our shopping expedition on Saturday; it’s roasting up and will become lunchtime soups. Hopefully about five days worth. We have plenty of tins, plenty of lentils and plenty of frozen veg so we have sufficient food to be going on with. But as the highest risk activity right now is going out to the shops, we need to be strict about food planning to reduce the number of shopping trips to reduce the risk.
Walking. I’ve been out for long walks on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and today, Sunday. Being out for a walk almost feels like things are normal. Except in all the ways they’re not.
I hope your week ahead is a healthy and happy one.
Tales from Tobhamhor 