Monday 30 March 2020

And Time Goes On...

On the 17th of March, I went to the office with the intention of telling both my boss and my clients that from the next day onwards until further notice, I was going to work exclusively from home. This was a few days before the official recommendation to stay home (and work from there, if possible) was issued. I have not regretted my choice and still can't say I miss the office and/or my colleagues, not even the canteen, and especially not the almost daily drama with our local trains running late or being cancelled.

Last week, I left the house for a walk on my own, a walk with my sister and a quick trip to shop for groceries at my nearest Aldi, five minutes on foot from my house.

Ludwigsburg Old Cemetery - one of very few park-like places still open. The building is the mausoleum I wrote about here.
New Cemetery - more photos and description of this structure on this post.
New Cemetery
Walk with my sister (she took the picture).
Running was scheduled with my friend one evening after work, but I cancelled - it was colder than expected, and I just didn't feel ready to brave the chill, not even in my really warm running clothes.

O.K. joined me on Friday evening after work. We ordered pizza like last weekend, to keep the local gastro businesses going (and for no other reason, of course!). This time, we chose a different pizza service and were slightly disappointed. Never mind, the red wine we drank with it made up for that.

Saturday was beautiful - 17 Celsius and sunshine! We went for a run in the morning and a longish walk in the afternoon. Everybody else was out and about, too; there were not 10 seconds during which we were really on our own. Cyclists, runners, walkers, people with and without dogs and children. Of course you can't blame them; everyone was desperate to combat cabin fever, and it really WAS a gorgeous day. Also, everywhere else people usually go on weekends is closed - shopping malls, ice cream places and street cafés, the palace grounds, parks, playgrounds. It did make the walk less enjoyable, as we were constantly trying to avoid getting too close - for the other people's sake as well as for our own.
Normally you would never see the palace grounds so empty on weekends. I took this picture through the closed gate.
Sunday was completely different - somewhere between 3 and 6 Celsius, grey, windy, rainy. We still went for a walk, cut short when the rain came back and was blown unpleasantly in our faces by the wind. It made coming home to a warm flat and having coffee and cake all the better.

I tried something new: Jackfruit "goulash". Many of you will know about jackfruit (is it jackfruit or jack fruit?); for me, it was a first. Taste and texture were supposed to be meat-like, but it wasn't - and I didn't mind that, as I knew it wasn't meat, and I did not want any meat that day (I really like meat, sausages, ham, bacon etc., but I try to keep consumption of dead animals at a low level). It would have just been more realistic not to advertise it as a "meat replacement", when it clearly is not. 




Oh, and we changed the clocks to summer time on Sunday:

Neither my clock nor my cat. Meet Cookie, my Mum's friend's cat!
The sun has come back today, but it is cold; I went to the post office and a walk for my lunch break and was glad of my padded winter coat and scarf. 

By the way, it took me almost 45 minutes to post a birthday card for my sister-in-law in Ripon. Of course she is worth every single minute I spent waiting my turn! Just goes to show how things have changed; there is almost always a queue at the post office, but it moves, and I am usually in and out in under 15 minutes. Now, people have to stand apart along red ducktape strips on the floor in order to keep the recommended distance, and only when three customers leave the office, the next three are allowed in. Of the seven or eight counter spaces, only three were open.

27 comments:

  1. I enjoyed hearing how you are spending your days, much like mine, except I haven't done any shopping or going to post office etc. I attended my first Zoom online video meeting last night, it was fun, we all laughed a lot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've not yet worked with Zoom for online meetings; do you know Go2Meeting? One of my clients have expanded their telephone network with an app called Equinox to hold telephone and video conferences; most of the time, it works well, but occasionally, we are all cut off or single participants "freeze".

      Delete
  2. Glad to hear you are trying to stay safe - these are worrying times aren't they?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat, I am actually not worried about myself and am glad that my parents are sensibly staying put, but of course I know these are worrying times for small (and not so small) businesses, and families.

      Delete
  3. I enjoyed hearing about your days. It does make a difference when we can get outside doesn't it? I have heard of jackfruit but I have not eaten it. I am not vegan but I'm not overly fond of meat either. Your Mum's friend's cat is absolutely gorgeous (and so is the clock!)! She looks like she might be a Himalayan cat possibly. I had one a long time ago and she had the blue eyes like this one.

    I'm glad you are being cautious when you go out. I hope you and your family are all staying well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Bonnie, and I hope the same for you and your family.

      I am not sure what kind Cookie the cat is, but he is very lovely not only to look at, also in his manners, very affectionate. My Mum's friend has another, older cat; Velvet is a Maine Coon. Cookie joined the household not all that long ago.

      Delete
  4. I am hoping you and all your family and friends are safe and well...I am always interested in vegetarian meals for my son, but we don't really have jack fruit in our stores. And I think I might pass it up...We changed to daylight savings time quite a while ago...I love the longer daylight evenings.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kristi! You and your family are all being sensible and cautious, so I am sure you'll be fine.

      The jackfruit (or jack fruit) meal wasn't bad, it just should not be advertised as a substitute for meat; it makes for a meal in its own right.

      The longer daylight evenings are beautiful, but I still think we should stick to one time all year round.

      Delete
  5. Ian and Henry (Bosh!) have used jackfruit in several of their recipes. They like its meaty texture. I am surprised that your local post office uses duck tape to provide social distancing guidance. How many ducks are slaughtered to make one roll of tape? Is the tape feathered? I agree with you that we should stop changing the clocks in March and October. Ridiculous and absolutely no proven benefits.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Poor duckies! Vegetarians or Vegans can not be forced to stick (!) to the tape markings, I suppose. I did, and felt like an oversized pawn in a giant boardgame: "Pandemic Post Office", hours of fun for all the family! Be the first to enter the post office without catching the coronavirus. But beware - the guard at the entrance may send you back to square one if you don't make it before their lunch break...

      Delete
    2. Better than "Monopoly" or "Cluedo"!

      Delete
  6. I made 6 lists a few days ago: inside, outside, garage/workshop, garden, paperwork and TODAY. I reckon that 12 weeks will be nowhere near long enough. I can walk for several miles starting from home and, depending on the route and the weather, see between zero and perhaps 10 people or more if they are working in their gardens.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't even start with lists - I know I wouldn't finish them! I save a bit of time by not travelling to and from the office, but work is still work, and I need more time to shop for, prepare and clean up around my meals, now that I have to provide for all of them myself instead of having lunch at the canteen.
      Between zero and 10 people - that sounds actually very nice! Living in town, I am so used to being always surrounded by people, and mine is not even a very big or very busy town.

      Delete
  7. Nice glimpse into how you are spending your time. Can only imagine what lines are like. Haven't been away from my house in more than three weeks--one of the oldies--but DH has still been periodically going to work so he does the grocery shopping. Major shortages at our local grocery store but our own supplies are sufficient for the time being--the trying part is keeping fresh food fresh or finding ways of using it before it spoils (e.g. huge vat of vegetable soup). Our (US) state went on further lock down last night, so we'll see what happens. One guy was arrested for refusing to shut down a big party with way too many people (his second offense in two weeks) in violation of the state of emergency. Can't fix stupid.

    Stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Mary, and you!
      You are right, can't fix stupid. It is exactly that kind of behaviour that made it necessary over here to shut all the parks and playgrounds.
      So far, we have no shortage of fresh groceries, but that could all change - our farmers depend on the regular influx of seasonal workers from other European countries, mainly Eastern Europe, and of course right now it is impossible for them to travel.

      Delete
  8. Bende evden çalışmak istiyorum. Virüs bitsin yoksa herkes kafayı yiyecek. Evden çalıştığın için şanslısın.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry, I still don't know what you're saying.

      Delete
  9. Meike, I'm not sure if I told you this but your lovely card arrived the other day. Thank you! I love the birds and of course you knew I would. :) I like Cookie the Cat, Timekeeper! You seem like the kind of person that would enjoy having a cat. Have you ever thought about having a pet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You did tell me, Jennifer, thank you!
      I always used to have cats, but when my last one died in 2013 of old age, my life had already changed to being away a lot, and now with O.K., I have hardly been home between work and spending weekends at his place. It would be just so very unfair to any pet.
      You have not known my blog long enough to have seen pictures of Pukky, my cat; she was from the shelter and was with me for many years. I love cats and would love to have one or two live with me again, but it's just not feasible with my situation being what it is.

      Delete
  10. Now that looks like a cat with attitude!
    I've not used jack fruit and don't really know what it is. Fruit?! When I feel like a bit of meat texture I fry a slice of halloumi - delicious.
    Like you, our weather is bitterly cold at the moment. It can only get better!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's a lovely cat, very affectionate and friendly, in spite of his serious expression.
      It's beautiful and sunny out there, but -3 C as we speak...!

      Delete
  11. We insisted to work from home a week before it was mandated. Now it is just me and the cat. It is going to be a long April here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Bathwater, I believe this is your first comment here. Thank you for popping over and commenting!
      Your cat is probably happy to have his or her human around all the time. I remember how my cats always followed me around the place when I was home over the Christmas and New Year period or similar.

      Delete
  12. I thought I already commented on this post but it seems I did not. (Sometimes I read blogs on my phone and intend to go back later on the computer to comment, but...) Enjoyed your photos, anyway - and the update on how you're coping with the "situation" :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Monica - and thank you very much for the pretty Easter greetings that arrived yesterday in the mail; postal service was quick, wasn't it!

      Delete
  13. Strange times indeed, and it sounds very similar to what we have to do. The queue to get into the supermarket nearest to us stretched all round the block and to the back of the shop, with everyone standing 2 metres apart until they were allowed in the shop. It is a bit of a worry that so many people are out, but as you say, you can hardly blame them. I am not sure I quite undersatnd the rationale of closing so many parks, and forcing people in towns and cities into even closer proximity, though. Do you have any ideas?
    By the way, what a pretty mausoleum and grounds. You're lucky to live in a place which is attractive in itself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The idea is that people don't go out all that much in the first place, that they keep indoors, stay home. Only that this does not work when the weather is so gorgeous, and people get stir crazy! Easy for me to stay home, as I am on my own, but I can understand that those who can not retreat into their own personal space simply because there is not enough space in their flats, will see going outdoors as the only way to keep their sanity.
      Yes, I am indeed lucky to live where I do!

      Delete