How is everyone doing?

I’ve seen some comments on various threads, but thought I would start one for those who wanted to check in to say how they’re doing amid this pandemic.

I’m doing pretty good considering. Here in Canada, we’re practicing physical distancing and so far the hospitals are not overwhelmed. I was already on maternity leave, so at home with my 3 year old and 1 year old, as well as my husband, who started his parental leave early since both kids are home full time. Within our little bubble, I’m enjoying having everyone home full time! Though often quite worried about friends and family and miss them.

I’ve been trying to support local booksellers, which in Canada means I’ve been mainly increasing my EP and FL collections. Hoping everyone is doing ok.

Putting aside the dire situation we're going through I have a feeling the majority of bookworms cope better in quarantine than others. We've been practicing our escape to other worlds through words for some time now.

Remarkably well, thank you. The reduction in traffic, noise (we live near an airport), crowds and pace in life generally has been a real blessing - it's been good to see nature, even if only temporarily, regain ground and to see families feel it now safe enough to venture out on the roads with children on bicycles (amongst other things). It has, ironically, brought our street and my family closer together, even if we are physically kept apart. It has encouraged people to support local businesses more proactively and to use direct suppliers of food etc. These are silver linings, I know, and I am both lucky at living somewhere with decent space and extremely grateful that we have not been directly affected by covid-19 (even my daughter-in-law, a frontline medic), but there is so much that is currently happening for the good that I only hope we can retain at least some of it, and the politicians (and voting public) learn what and who is of real value in society, when we return to the abnormalities that we usually refer to as 'normality'.

Reading-wise, I've had the best April on record, whilst being as busy as ever, perhaps busier.

>3 Willoyd: "...whilst being as busy as ever, perhaps busier."

No kidding!! I already knew I barely had any time for my hobbies and projects and such but the extra time off and lack of social obligations has only served to illustrate just how little time I had been feeding those hobbies and projects. So much to do, so little time...

Home alone since March 13. My family have been doing my shopping - though I've been going out for short walks, my first visit to a store, among people, was Friday. At first I did a lot of cleaning and tidying up, dusted my bookshelves, washed the windows; now I'm back to my usual fairly lazy self. I've been listening to music (so many CDs I haven't listened to in years), working on photos, started wallpapering the rooms of the doll's house. I keep in touch with friends and family by phone, spend too much time on the computer doing crosswords and solitaire games, cooking more than before, reading but not as much as I'd have liked - I'm finding it hard to concentrate.
Appreciating the blue sky (I live near an airport), the quiet, a more intimate contact with family, friends and neighbours than before - at a distance - the abundance of nature in springtime.
And so far, keeping healthy.

I've been cooking and eating more than usual. Took first long walk in weeks last Saturday, and I'll get a much needed haircut next Thursday. Is this "new normalcy" as it's being called here?

Not great!

>7 gmacaree:
I have sent you a PM.

I have got used to the lockdown. We are in complete lockdown since 24th March. I have not gone out since then. I have got used to staying at home and keep myself busy reading and working. It is eerily quiet, I have come to appreciate that. Also I'm liking this forced "self-denial' mode, makes one pause and think about the important things in life vs mindlessly chasing one's wants. Overall grateful to be healthy. The only minor annoyance is that we are running short of food as nothing except what is locally produced is allowed into the city. It is like a siege. Apart from that have completely settled into this new routine.

I feel absolutely great because I have what is called "f**k-you money" and am not dependant on any wages or salary. (Nobody would buy my journalistic ramblings anyway. Not now - nevermore!)

What happens to the world is interesting. Will there be a war in a few years' time? A global depression much worse than the 1930's? Famine and a reduction of people actually saving the planet? Reshuffling of the stock market? What about the rare book market? A 90% price drop? :-)

Australians and New Zealanders have weathered the storm fairly well so far. Our politicians listened to our scientists, and, for the most part, there has been good cooperation by the populace. Apart from a few crazies, there has been general agreement across the political spectrum about the measures that have been taken.

And I'm glad.

I'm a health care worker with a bit of age and comorbidities upon me. I appreciate the strong steps and the strong messages that both our federal and state governments made to limit the damage.

>10 CrocodileDundee69:

A war? A bunch of Godless animals so afraid of death they freak out during flu season are going to war? Nah. Depression is more likely, and sadly this time, the wicked have tools to track down those with money. I would say the best position to be in is debt free and if you survive, you'll have a decent prospect of quality life on the other side. Well, unless a common cold kills you.

To answer the initial post, I'm miserable, curmudgeonly and probably half dead.

Australia and New Zealand have the MASSIVE advantage of being able to cut themselves off. It's significant that Great Britain has been badly affected - but Northern Ireland has not been. Because London is a huge international transport hub in a way Belfast is not.

And that's not because NI has had stricter lockdown than the rest of the UK. It's had the same. Which is more liberal than the Republic of Ireland regime - yet RoI has a higher death rate.

I hope everyone is okay. I live on my own so physical isolation is the biggest issue, although I have several video calls every day due to work and family. I’m coping well, I’d certainly rather be in this position than stuck with a large family 24/7 with no break whatsoever. Sounds like hell to me!

Strangely, I’m more anxious about talk of our ‘way of life’ changing permanently in the long run. I can cope with 6 months of lockdown, not with a life time of avoiding crowds. Although I don’t think it will, human society has a notoriously short memory. And history shows something more important will come along which demands our attention.

It will be interesting to see how New Zealand does coming out of it. Especially as overseas tourism is such a big part of the economy. Comparing it with London, New York etc is pointless however - there are more people crammed into a rush hour tube in London than in most New Zealand towns!

>14 Uppernorwood:
'Comparing it with London, New York etc is pointless however - there are more people crammed into a rush hour tube in London than in most New Zealand towns!'

That's a big problem for the scientists and modellers. Different countries with different age profiles, social habits, health systems, etc. We won't know the true numbers until it all plays out, if then. I don't envy them their jobs.

What is clear is that this is not just normal flu.

As for me? I'm lucky, I suppose. I am a 'key worker', albeit not one on the risky end of things in a hospital or care home. So I am still working a normal, if less busy, week and getting paid regularly. And I live on my own anyway so I am not much more isolated from others than normal.

I do have a bit more free time which I am using to catch up on my book/CD/DVD piles. And checking out the New England Journal of Medicine's coronavirus page because I am a science junkie.

And, of course, this place helps keep me sane (?) :-)

>13 InVitrio:
Two factors come into play here regarding the death rates.
(1) NI has smaller population
(2) NI is only reporting deaths that occur in hospitals, excluding nursing homes and at home. Republic is including all deaths with proven symptoms.

>1 RRCBS: Thanks for starting this thread. There are some of our community here who hadn't posted in a while and it's good to see that they are ok - I'm particularly glad to see messages from Barbara and Antonio.

I'm fine and counting multiple blessings every day: I can work just as well from home as in the office so I'm fully occupied with work, feeling useful and getting paid my usual salary. I've also had no problem up to now in getting necessary supplies delivered, and, best of all, I am perfectly content with my own company so absolutely no itching to get out and about and socialise. I've not learned a language or how to play an instrument, but have been steadily getting through Game of Thrones on Sky and Vera on Britbox in lieu of my intended holiday in Alnwick.

>16 N11284: OT but I was surprised at the media response in Ireland (mainly from independent.ie), how much kudos they were giving themselves whilst attacking the U.K.
I know that since Brexit was voted for there has been widespread anti-U.K. sentiment in the Irish media, and Varadkar’s statements have continually fed into this, but there seemed glee when the death toll was rising in the U.K. which surprised me

Here in South Dakota, a lot of people (including the Governor) have taken the "it ain't so bad" approach. And now we have a lot of cases.

I'm mostly staying away from the crowds, though I have made trips to the grocery store and to the garden center - I'm doing a lot of projects in the yard now that the weather is nice. I put about 20 plants in the ground over the last few days and probably have another 40 or 50 to go. Otherwise, I'm doing a decent amount of reading and also catching up on some movies and music that I've put off for plenty long enough. I'm getting a lot of exercise - I set up a rudimentary home gym some time back when my local gym closed due to incompetent management, and I'm there every morning trying to whip myself into shape. I haven't seen my kids in some time though (they're about 250 miles away) so I'm considering making a trip, even though many of the things we'd normally do are now off limits. We'll have to adapt with the times. They've been staying in, too.

I never was one to frequently go out shopping or drinking or to shows anyway, so my life hasn't changed all that much. I obviously timed my retirement poorly though - here I am sitting at home and no longer being paid, while the folks at my old workplace, now shut down, are sitting at home and still getting regular paychecks!

Doing well here in Germany. Back up to 50% of my income now but have received a Corona grant from the government which I‘m very grateful for (I teach English to corporate types, and they’re starting to go with video lessons).
We have 3 young kids at home (one disabled) and to honest we’re enjoying the ‘break‘: no football practice and tournaments to drive my son to, no hospital visits, no getting up early to get kids off to kindy and school (they sometimes start school at 7:30am here!). The kids keep each other company enough and don’t miss their friends too much. Of course with 3 kids we’re kept busy from morning till night but we HAVE made headway on some way overdue sorting and chucking out. I’m reading more in the evenings - it could be worse.

My family in New Zealand keep sending me American-based conspiracy videos which I feel I have to refute (sigh). As you would probably notice if you’ve watched any of these, they start off sounding serious, reasonable and scientific until about halfway through when the guest scientist/doctor makes a series of unsubstantiated claims about billionaires (I’m looking at you Bill), the global elite and how it’s just like the flu. My view is that we sacrifice our freedom for safety all the time (road rules come to mind), so let’s protect our vulnerable, right? I’m just glad no one’s blaming the Jews this time round. Finished Foucault’s Pendulum a few weeks ago, some wisdom tucked in the end there, about people who want or need there to be a secret Plan...hmmm

Anyway, I hope you all stay well, can continue to pay your bills and that your relatives are sending you cute cat videos and the like.

I am being very cautious and careful here in the States. There is a large segment of the population that believe any social distancing, closures of obvious venues such as health clubs, movie theaters, restaurants, etc., is an "infringement" of their liberties and personal freedoms and they have little sense of public health and overall welfare of the population. Many also live in the 19th century and categorically deny or ignore all science-based evidence and medical recommendations. As a result, when doing necessary chores, e.g., grocery shopping, etc. I always wear an N95 face mask and disposable latex gloves. Fortunately, most people in my city DO take this seriously, more so than many areas of the United States such as Texas or the Deep South.

Aside from this aspect, everything is quite fine with additional time for reading, time for long nature walks, and plenty of time for my favorite activity which is cycling, an individual event perfectly suited for COVID-19 and social distancing since I normally do this alone anyway. The most disturbing aspect of all is that one's life is frozen in this protective mode until an effective vaccine is created AND I receive it, then have antibody levels drawn to confirm immunity from COVID-19. This may well take another 1-2 years.

>20 stopsurfing:

So why would the global elite use a virus with similar potency than the seasonal flu to kill people off? That is quite the contradiction, they could do far better than that. I mean, COVID-19 had three months to work on spreading before anyone did anything, unless of course they knew they could shut down the economy and enrich themselves in the market?

I'm glad that people can have fun with this though.

>20 stopsurfing:

"My family in New Zealand keep sending me American-based conspiracy videos which I feel I have to refute."

The percentage of a given population that believe COVID-19 coronavirus is a conspiracy, a falsehood, or politically motivated is directly proportional to the presence and amount of television air time and media exposure given to Rupert Murdoch's Fox News media empire. It is endemic in the United States and they broadcast "alternative facts", conspiracy theories, etc., 24:7. The only surprising aspect is that they have yet to blame COVID-19 on Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.

>22 Cubby.R.S.: I’m not doing this. I know I may have inadvertently started it but I really don’t want to talk about it. It’s not fun for me. Sorry...

>23 dlphcoracl: I feel for you. Though I have heard the Clintons mentioned I have to say...

>23 dlphcoracl: Not sure if you are US based, but in 2016 I was in the US for a few weeks on holiday. I am English and had always assumed the Fox network was full of crazy people. What I found when I was there was that Fox seemed balanced with guests for and against both Trump and Clinton. Every other network simply had all guests and there hosts lined up to attack Trump. No matter your political viewpoint this makes for awful tv, and doesn’t help to inform the viewer, and so (at least for this small window when I was there) Fox was the responsible network compared to the others I could see...

>24 stopsurfing:

I can't blame you, but ridiculous is fun for me.

>25 DMulvee:

Responsible news is pretty much dead. In 2016, FOX might have seemed balanced, but they're little better than anyone else at this point. Perhaps there will be a swing, but the political climate keeps getting worse, so I doubt it.

>25 DMulvee:

I am US based and I must ask:"Are you certain you were watching Fox News?"

They are not balanced at all and they are a reflection of Rupert Murdoch's political views. They are ultra-conservative, in near-complete denial of scientific evidence and medical information given by professionals, and staunchly defend anything and everything Donald Trump and the Republican Party say and do. Fox News is unabashedly extremist.

If indeed you were watching a television station that "seemed balanced" you must have been watching one of the NPR (National Public Radio) affiliated television stations or possibly CNN.

>28 DMulvee: It was Fox. Upon reflection those against Trump were against him because he wasn’t a true republican, not because they were supporters of Hilary. So not perhaps giving a full balanced view of the debate, however providing two viewpoints.
I must confess that in my opinion the most extreme media organisation is The Guardian. Though this is also the one I spend the most time reading

Things have been a mixture for me, here in MA. We have lost some friends and family, all elderly, to the virus, and some fighting still for their lives. We cannot see them, hold their hand, say goodbye, have funerals for them. Some believe they will have a memorial service later, others realizing there almost isn't a point as it could be over a year away. Weddings in our family have been cancelled to unknown futures. My father is almost 92 and in a facility that has many cases and several deaths. Every time the phone rings I hold my breath and have been on pins and needles. Both my father and MIL are in these elderly residencies, cooped up in their suites and cannot leave to even take a walk. It breaks my heart to see people in the last years of their lives stuck in solitary confinement, when every minute is precious to them and they almost would like to live and take the risk. But the death rate is too high and they could carry it to others. I am constantly trying to cheer up my father via the phone.

Don't get me wrong. I am 100% for self-isolation and social distancing. I am Diabetic and high risk. I go out twice a week max...once gloved and masked up to my physical therapist. Another time for a drive around local towns safely in my car...which is nice to see a different view though the roads are eerily quiet. Often I am the only one driving for a good 10 miles before I see another car. I play music to keep myself company because I get anxious and feel like I shouldn't even be driving around.

At home I am fortunate. My husband does the shopping right now. I read, I play games, I watch live Streams, I have discovered the amazing world of Minecraft. We have a spacious house and large yard to walk around to get exercise and fresh air. I am not a social butterfly, so many days it is like a typical day for me, except for the anxiety lurking behind every minutes. I am extremely thankful for my private library and all the games and stuff I have to keep me occupied. I could keep busy for years. One of many things I have learned from this is that my father gave away too many things, simplified too much, before he moved into the residency last April. If I am lucky to live long enough I am making sure I keep a lot of my stuff to keep me independently occupied!! But I miss life too. I miss going to the bookstores, browsing about, going to the local nurseries. Sometimes I forget that I cannot. That is the only time I feel "trapped". I honestly can't believe this historic incident, how the world will never be the same, how coping strategies are different for everyone, how everyone on the face of the earth is fighting the same invisible enemy. How quickly it developed. It makes my head whirl...

>29 Lady19thC: very sorry for your losses. It is strange that this is something the whole world is fighting. Soon it will enter the realms of fiction.

Since I was on maternity leave, I was already somewhat isolated, and sometimes in the busyness of life I forget that we’re not in normal times! I worry about my three year old daughter not having any social interaction outside of our family for a year (assuming daycares don’t open up for a while and then we wait for a vaccine - I have a one year old who caught so many colds from her being at daycare over the winter and he took it really hard so I think we have to wait for his sake). Not anywhere near as stressful as the problems many face but that’s my vent! As a mom, it’s a bit deal to me!

It’s nice to hear from others on this forum. I don’t post often, but I read this forum every day.

>17 HuxleyTheCat:

I'm another blessings counter, Fiona, aided by wonderful spring weather, birdsong, and butterflies on the Down - but 'in lieu of my intended holiday in Alnwick' means you'll be missing half a pouring wet day poking round in Barter Books wondering what you've failed to see... Probably another blessing.

A surprising side-effect is seeing rather more of family and friends via Zoom than I do in peace time, and it's been rewarding ringing round those who live alone. It's worrying however that asking the solitary elderly strangers or half-strangers out and about how they're managing too often produces a long stream of conversation that reveals how short of contacts they are. It's bearing so much more heavily on some people.

I am in position where I am still able to work and get paid which is good - but I am very concerned about the loss of livelihood for so many people. I don't know what to make out of everything, but I have to say that I am getting fatigued by things and I think frustration among many people is growing with the lock-downs. I am fine when I just go about the day, but when I think of things I'd like to do and can't, then I get frustrated. I don't know anyone who has been affected by Covid themselves or anyone who has a family member that has, but I do know people who have lost income and jobs.

In the meanwhile, I am enjoying looking through old Shelfie threads on here and rearranged one of my own bookcases and most evenings are nice and quiet with plenty of time for reading or listening to music.

>31 affle:

I'm old. Can someone tell me where ZOOM came from and what happened to Skype? It used to be only the latter and now I only hear about the former. Anyone know the differences and what happened to general societal sentiment?

Again, I'm old.

Skype's been around for a long time for person to person calls, but it can also handle group calls with up to 50 people. Zoom is aimed at conference calls and can handle 100 people. There are various pros and cons for both systems. You're hearing more about Zoom right now because of companies trying to keep in touch with a large number of employees working from home, school groups etc.
I'm older, so I may have forgotten something.

>33 EclecticIndulgence: Zoom had actually been around for years as well, but had a massive boost in popularity at the start of lockdown, when people realized it handles big group video calls much better, and generally has higher video quality. Most people had never heard of Zoom until recently.

Skype is still going, and fine for what it does. But the idea of doing Zoom calls to catch up with family has suddenly become a cultural thing, and so now it's a self-perpetuating cycle.

For all of you doing it a bit tough, the following may cheer you up.

Absolutely NOTHING to do with Folio Society, books or libraries, just good fun.

Moscow flash dance here.

Indian Royal Family here.

Table tappers here.

Elephant trick shots here.

Drama button here.

Human shoes here.

President’s limo driver here.

Quarantine choice here.

Towel dance here.

LOCK DOWN CRAZINESS

Some people are going a little crazy in this lock down. Actually, I've just been chatting about it over a cuppa with the microwave and toaster. We all agreed that we need to regularly check in with each other to stay warm and toasty. I didn't mention anything to the washing machine. She puts a different spin on every load. Though it might come out in the wash. Certainly not to the fridge as he is acting cold and distant. When I mentioned this to the vacuum cleaner, he was very unsympathetic... told me to just suck it up. Luckily the fan was more optimistic and hoped it would all soon blow over! The toilet looked a bit flushed when I asked its opinion, and told me we’ll all end up down the drain. The door knob told me to get a grip, the front door said I was unhinged and the curtains told me to ........yes, you guessed it.....pull myself together. In the end the iron straightened me out. She said everything will be fine, no situation is too pressing that a good hot steam won’t smooth over.

>36 wcarter:

Just a thought re: Elephant trick shots.........

If the elephant is driving to the hoop I am NOT going to attempt to take a charging foul.

>36 wcarter:

Thank you, Warwick. I needed that. :)

>36 wcarter: Thank you, you made my day!!! I'm in home office for 6 weeks and fine.

Business as usual for me, at least kind of. I have one of those "society`s critical" jobs.

I live in the suburbs, close to nature, so the keeping distance bit is of no problem. I enjoy that bit very much. My personality as i know it, enjoys the quietness very much.

I have been doing a lot of hiking/dog walking, house pimping (that can probably be misinterpreted - i am fine with that), reading and also dived into the world of Red Dead Redemption 2 occasionally which again triggered my want of the book of Lonesome Dove. Through that game i also learned that some of the characters were based of the scottish folklore that is Sawney Bean, which again triggered some more books .. (my father is soon to be 80 years old, he still plays the occasional Call of Duty seldom, but he still does. None of us are gamers, we are but humans).

So, me in a nutshell. Start of with something, then as the spider spins it`s web, and gets caught in a research, curiosity, book spree ..

I am into a good reading period and will finish `Stoner` tomorrow ..

I wish you all, all the best. I have have no idea how this will affect the procedures we have at work in the future, i just know it does

>36 wcarter:
Thanks Warwick. Nice collection.

Firstly, >29 Lady19thC:, I am sorry to hear this. My family and friends have so far been spared. My father is 96 though and I worry about him a lot, but he's still living independently and thus not cooped up in a small apartment in a large building full of the elderly, and my sister is helping him tremendously (I live a thousand miles away so can only call and chat with him).

>21 dlphcoracl: - I held back from saying the same about a lot of folks up here on the northern prairie, but it's quite prevalent here too. As for Fox News, the news portions for many years were conservative but not ridiculous. Ridiculous was reserved for their evening "opinion" shows, broadcast at the time of day when the viewership is highest. Conspiracy theories abound, and yes, now the virus is being blamed on Obama.

>36 wcarter: - brilliant. Much needed.

>31 affle: "you'll be missing half a pouring wet day poking round in Barter Books" Ah that brought back fond memories of last year, when the one day featuring truly torrential rain was spent at Barter, dodging the buckets strategically placed due to roof leakage and enjoying the open fires (in June). Ever the optimist I've rearranged my holiday to June 2021. In the meantime I'll enjoy sunny days in my garden (another blessing to count), but next time I'm trying to relax out there, enjoying the birdsong, and my neighbours decide to entertain the entire road with what passes for music these days I swear I'm going to entertain 'them' with some opera.

My one big regret is that I didn't insist that Mother learn how to use the smart phone I bought her last year, rather than merely strongly encouraging her to do so and then giving up when met by the wall of resistance. She's in her eighties and the sole carer for Dad who has fairly advanced dementia, and being able to see both of them would be rather lovely.

>28 DMulvee:
I must confess that in my opinion the most extreme media organisation is The Guardian. Though this is also the one I spend the most time reading
Given that The Guardian and Daily Mirror are the only ones to the left of centre, one of them has to be the most extreme of the daily print. But most extreme from the centre? Take your pick from any one of the fistful of tabloids. I tried, I honestly tried, to read some of them to try and keep a balanced view, but they are so unbalanced, I couldn't handle it and keep my mental health. Seriously.

>44 Willoyd: From the U.K. I read the Sun, Mirror, Mail, Express, Guardian, Telegraph, Independent, BBC, order-order and New European. I don’t think that politically the Guardian is so extreme, however the Brexit coverage a year ago was. Every story had to have a link to Brexit no matter how tenuous. When the Business Live blog was being written good news was because we hadn’t led the EU yet and bad news because we had. Nothing wrong with opinions in newspapers and it is good that the U.K. has papers that cover the full range (I think the Morning Star is still in production?). The Daily Express has swung to the other side of the Brexit debate this year (more so since the Mail changed editor a year ago) which is too extremist. There is nothing wrong with a consistent editorial approach, but the business and economics coverage was pretty appalling as Brexit was always the answer

>45 DMulvee: (I think the Morning Star is still in production?)

Very much so, and my copy arrives on the doormat six times a week. Charles Lamb remarks somewhere that nobody puts down a newspaper without a sense of disappointment, and I'm pleased to have found an exception to that rule.

Oh, in Mauritius we went in lockdown around March 20. It couldn't start any worse; my father suffered a stroke and we thought he would be paralysed as he couldn't move his limbs or think clearly for 2 hours. Thank God it's been weeks now and he's fine.

Working from home can be quite frustrating. I joined my new workplace on March 2, and I'm pretty new to everything. Getting explained things via Zoom is so tiresome, because the connection sometimes breaks. You lose touch as well with your colleagues and where you were making progress to know them better, everything comes to a sudden halt.

Anyway, there are good things. I work now so I'm in a position to give myself things, like Small Gods and Do Androids Dream of Sheep, both sold out. I know a few people too who didn't get paid for April. Some won't even get their job back. It's pretty sad and I consider myself lucky.

Lockdown will be over as from June. But as from May 15, some activities be resumed. Obviously everything will be done within limits of social distancing - which fewer and fewer people from my country are abiding to. :/

>45 DMulvee:
I don’t think that politically the Guardian is so extreme, however the Brexit coverage a year ago was.
I understand you now. Have to admit, I largely switched off media coverage of the Brexit debate - part of the problem rather than the solution. Head in sand, I discovered the world of podcasts to replace news and current affairs programmes.

Well done on sustaining that reading. As I said, my mental health wasn't strong enough to cope, especially with the first 4, although I despair of the BBC at times too (not on political bias, but on their approach to 'balance' and their topical bias in favour of Brexit, or, as now, Covid-19).

>48 Willoyd: I do try to get a range of views from around the world to best inform myself of issues, and don’t mind reading views against my own, but Brexit really tests my resilience. To some extent I understand the Guardian’s view as they hope to change opinion and therefore influence the world. However I am less forgiving with The Economist or Bloomberg. The Financial Times shows how it can be done with opinion pieces and news separate. Bloomberg still has one Brexit ‘news’ article a day written by Therese Raphael trying to show what a disaster it will be. Paying to read propaganda (as it isn’t really unbiased news) is frustrating!

End of February to the start/middle of March just before lockdown was awful. I commute to London daily by train. I didn't like it all, never did, and it made me uneasy and even at 6 am in the morning you could see the anxiety and fear in people's eyes. The trains are always packed. People shove, push and seem unreasonable. Some just don't care. I tried to social distance and avoid people, but in a city such as London that's just not possible. I remember travelling home one evening, when someone, sneezed in the train and I thought someone would explode as everyone there were tense, but luckily no one did.

At work, there was a lady that was so sick that she seemed she was going to pass out, it was horrible, but felt compelled to come to work, because if she didn't, she'll be replaced. I'm self-employed, a contractor, so work on projects by the hour. Everyone seemed just sick around me. I kept calm, kept my distance and carried on.

When the lockdown came, the next three weeks, albeit being at home now, I could't find any food at the supermarket. Everything was ripped away. It was unsurprisingly predictable but at the same time crazy. Being self-employed, all my projects ended, postponed or cancelled and I had no income and was not eligible for the Chancellor's schemes as I'm not an employee. I sighed and carried on and watched some Frasier on television. Luckily, I had foreseen people acting foolishly and out of fear back when the Brexit deadlines were coming up/moved, so I had some food from back then to let myself and my family get through the silliness of it all until stocks resumed and the demand fell. Eating less, is much better, then stocking up foolishly like the world is going to end. It was harder to see an elderly man once, just standing there in the supermarket with an empty basket just staring at the empty aisles and I gave some of my stuff when I went shopping. The toilet paper just seemed absurd. But that's people.

The neighbours offered their stock of food as a gesture of kindness and we reciprocated, while all keeping our distance. I thanked the supermarket workers and the lady at the till for coming in and felt better and happier. I had bought a Peloton bike in February, before all this craziness, and have used this to keep myself fit and healthy, but also, to artificially feel that I can connect to people and feel normal. It's a bit like, pre-recorded gym sessions where the trainer is talking to you while you bike. It takes the mind away from all the awfulness. I'm diabetic so really need to keep healthy and so is my elderly mother, that's living me and is shielding - she hasn't been out of the house for three months. My sister, is the rock of the family and her niece, live with me, but the little one (not that little, she's 12) is distressed as the schools are closed and she doesn't know when they will open up again. Patience is needed, I guess. I read to her every night and we are going through To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Everyday is the same. I take the dog out, bike, and get my daily exercise. I'm learning Latin, studying for an exam in July, while also working remote from home on what projects I can get here and there. I watch the news, but keep it to the minimum. I have signed up for Netflix and started watching some television series, but what's nicer is that I've started reading more, and the Kindle is turning out to be more valuable. I've emailed old friends, colleagues, and keep in touch with some here on LT. It feels great. I think I'm getting used to being at home. I like the fact I can buy a book and read it instantly. And I've learned something else, that material things don't matter to me anymore. I feel I don't need stuff and have decided to sell most of my books and stuff once all of this is over, including folios. I want to declutter and live a simpler life. I guess my priority has changed. Less is more.

In all, I'm hopeful as what all this has taught me is that I've turned out to be more resilient and calm and positive about the future.

>50 ironjaw:

Thanks for sharing.

>50 ironjaw:
Stay strong Faisel.

I am in an interesting position. I am a GP in my 70s, but the youngest doctor in our practice suddenly decided to take 6 months off in mid-March, the second youngest has significant child minding difficulties and has had to reduce her hours, and so I became indispensable, and have continued working as a frontline GP. Fortunately Australia has done very well, and my home state of Queensland even better than most places on the planet. With 5 million people Queensland has had just over 1000 cases of COVID-19 and only 6 deaths.

The lockdown here has not been nearly as strict as in many places, and is even now being relaxed, so that I am now allowed to travel up to 50km. from home, and one "bubble" (ie. household) is now allowed to visit another "bubble". Public transport has continued as normal, but buses, trains and ferries have been almost empty with an 80% drop in patronage.

I have been able to get out to go to work every day, and exercise outside has also been allowed so I have continued my usual long walks three times a week.

Australians feel very sad about what is happening elsewhere, particularly in Europe and North America, and along with New Zealand, Taiwan and Iceland, we seemed to have done a good job in dodging the bullet.

State borders here have been closed, but may open in a month, but international travel beyond New Zealand is unlikely for a year.

Bookwise, it is now almost impossible to buy from outside Australia as normal mail takes about 3 months from USA or UK now, and courier services (eg. Folio Society) are very expensive.

Keep well, wash your hands and keep your distance!!

>50 ironjaw: sorry to hear some of the problems you’ve had. One positive I draw from your story, and have experienced myself, is that while this situation has brought out a lot of selfish hoarding, it has also brought out the good in a lot of people. I’m glad you’re starting to find things to stay positive. I have also tried to simplify my life in a lot of ways (mainly food and activities), but have cherished my real book collection during this time.

>50 ironjaw:

Inspirational post, Faisel. I salute you and wish you all well.

>52 wcarter:

You have indeed escaped lightly so far in Australia, Warwick. My son lives in Perth (well, East Fremantle, but near enough). WA seems also to have escaped pretty well, which is a relief because he is in a vulnerable group, having had cancer treatment a year ago.

My wife and I are biding our time and communicating with each other friends and family via WhatsApp, Facetime, etc. I have an underlying health issue and I could benefit from losing a couple of stones pounds so I'm keeping a low profile, with my wife bravely going out to the supermarket once a week and the chemist/drugstore as necessary. Otherwise, life is fortunately not unbearably different from my normal hermetic hermitic and curmudgeonly existence in the Shed.

>50 ironjaw:

You have the sympathy of a non-city dweller, Faisel: I hope it eases soon for you.

>52 wcarter:

Thanks for sharing your experience, Warwick. The startling figure is the number of deaths - in my part of the UK (Hampshire, pop. 1.4m) we have had 3000 cases, about 10 times the Queensland rate, but 500 deaths: and that's about 300 times your rate. And, of course, we're not done yet, nothing like.

>29 Lady19thC: Sorry for your loss

>50 ironjaw: Thanks for sharing and glad that you are beginning to see some positive aspects.

Nearly two years ago I had decided to retire early at the end of February, so had a week when I went up to London for an exhibition and visited a National Trust property. Second week of March I was already nervous of going out, as my wife is vulnerable, and so since then I have only gone out to collect food shopping from our daughter, who thankfully only lives half an hour’s drive away, and a couple of trips to the chemist. We live in the Oxfordshire countryside, so plenty of bird life in the garden, and the old exercise bike has come out of the garage.
I had anticipated increased reading following retirement, so that has happened, and although not necessarily what I planned on reading, I have plenty to read or reread.
What I miss is being able to visit family abroad, especially as helping my mother has continued to all fall on my sister. However grateful that we are so fortunate and that this is our greatest frustration.

Similar to >14 Uppernorwood: I am concerned about how life will change permanently in the long run. I too can cope with six or more months of lockdown, but not with a lifetime of avoiding crowds:
- What will happen to those in retail etc, who cannot all be redeployed to online shopping?
- How do we deal with the uncertainty about the time required to develop and test vaccines, for those of us with the luxury/necessity of having to take all reasonable steps to avoid infection?
- Will museums/theatres/cinemas be viable if some form of social distancing remains necessary?

>50 ironjaw: - I think your gravitating away from material goods is going to be a widespread result of this whole mess once it's over, and I hope that day comes soon. We won't be going back to the way it was, in many ways. More people will work from home, colleges will suffer, people will realize that professional sporting teams aren't really adding much to their lives, supply chains will shorten, movie theaters will see smaller crowds as those who gravitated to Netflix decide to stay there, and I hope that this November (here in the U.S.) people elect fewer candidates who just like to insult the "other" side and more candidates who want to actually get things accomplished. Maybe I'm just dreaming, on that last one.

>50 ironjaw:

I'm glad that the awfulness has subsided, and that you're not just finding ways through this period but acquiring insights to take forward into the rest of life.

I'm living in thorough retirement in a small market town, so personally and directly I've not had much to notice of the pandemic beyond that (for the first time since the 14th century?) the market isn't happening, and that the approximately weekly events I would attend (local history society, film society, the Ghosts' attempt by footballing prowess to ascend to the Premier Division of the Thurlow Nunn League...) aren't happening either. The adjustment hasn't been too taxing. My liking for various material objects is undimmed, and, sixteen months since we arrived here, I hope to make use of the slight increase in available time to get on with what remains of unpacking. As I'm currently reading much of Claude Houghton, after reading in the past year or so eight novels of Adelaide Mary Champneys and the five I could find of Constantine Scaramanga Ralli, a Kindle would be a painfully restricting substitute for the household library.

>50 ironjaw:

Sorry to hear about the difficulties and problems that you and your family have gone through, Faisel. You seem to have overcome them with courage and a new perspective on life. That's positive. Hopefully, we will all return to some kind of normalcy and, perhaps, learn something from our troubles. Un abrazo, my friend.

Yeah, spoke to a friend in the UK today and it's been pretty miserable there.

>It's been tough for you. But I'm sure you will pull through. One thing we will learn from all of this is that most people are resilient and can struggle on.
I have been lucky here in Ireland. I'm a contractor so I can work from home with no loss of income and the lockdown does not really bother me. We can now travel 5 kilometres from home - until last week it was only 2 km - for exercise, with only essential journeys for food shopping etc. So every evening I walk for an hour around the village and at the weekends go for a spin on my bike.
The panic buying we read about did not happen here, people were sensible , though I have heard that the sales of Freezers went up in early March.

>61 N11284: "...the sales of Freezers went up in early March."

Panic buying scenario or not, the one thing that really hurts is when there's a lengthy power outage: not only do you lose what you had at home but the local markets have to throw stuff away, too. We had a pretty good outage a few weeks ago and I know people who were in grocery stores that saw employees asking customers with full carts to put everything back and leave the building empty handed (due to lack of register functionality).

Here's another thing I'm doing:

The Stratford Festival (in Canada, about halfway between Toronto and Detroit) is streaming a dozen of their productions of Shakespeare's plays. I've just finished watching King Lear and thought it was superb.

Here's the schedule:
https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/stratford-festival-streaming-shakespeare-performanc...

And here's the Festival's site:
https://www.stratfordfestival.ca/