We
are now into our 5th week of lockdown and so glad we're
not travelling at the moment. We have a spacious house and garden
here in Spain and if Mark didn't have his camper project to keep him
busy I think we'd definitely go stir crazy in an apartment. We do
miss being able to go for a walk either down to the beach and for me,
a daily wander to the shops for fresh bread or produce. People here
could only go out for essentials (food, medicine, fuel, essential
workers, etc) or to walk their dog. I'd heard stories of people
renting out their dogs so others could go for a walk. It has relaxed a
little this week as some non-essential workers (construction,
cleaners, etc) have been allowed to go back to work.
The
virus spread so quickly here because the Prime Minister announced
late on the Friday night (March 13th) that the lockdown would
commence on the Monday, so everyone in Madrid, Barcelona and other
large cities headed for their holiday homes along the coast, bringing
the germs with them. I went shopping on that Saturday and it was like
a plague of locusts had been through the supermarkets and local
greengrocer. No fresh produce or meat left on the shelves and no rice
or beans to be found anywhere. The locals were going mad as all these
'holiday makers' had descended on us and bought up everything. By the
Monday, shops were back to normal with most produce back on the
shelves. The only difference was the health precautions being taken.
Security personnel on the doors with hand sanitiser and plastic
gloves, keeping everyone at least 1m (3ft) apart (it's now 3m/6ft).
Queuing and social distancing doesn't come naturally to Spaniards but
they seem to be obeying it so far here. Everyone was calm and no panic
buying (apart from the first Saturday prior) or riots that I've seen
on the news happening elsewhere. When the virus started to emerge in
Italy in February, Mark said he thought it would be a good idea if I
got a few extra store cupboard items, as he could see it spreading
across the rest of Europe. Canned foods are really good here and
pulses come in jars so I can re-use them. I now only go shopping once
a week and walk to the bakers every so often for fresh bread. I even
wipe down the car door handles before I get in and between shops if I
need to visit more than one supermarket. Coat, scarf and shoes stay
in a room downstairs and hands washed before, during and after
putting shopping away. We are in lockdown until April 26th,
and the hope is that the rules will then be relaxed with more shops
being allowed to open. There is talk that the Prime Minister will ask
for another extension until May 10th. We shall see.
Mark
is starting to get frustrated as he can't finish jobs on the camper
as he's waiting for stuff to be delivered. We've seen the postman
again a few times now so hopefully the packets will start to arrive.
Plumbing, electrics, fixings and vehicle lighting are all waiting on
parts. We did end up buying an awning from a place near San Diego and
it cost almost as much again to ship it. Mark even looked at flights
to LA as it was almost as cheap to fly across and bring it back
himself, but not very green. Unfortunately, no one here sells
anything that would have worked on the back of the camper, as its too
narrow.
As
everyone is staying at home we are missing our Spanish conversation
classes too. I've started doing online learning each day, which is
helping, although I have noticed they use different words for some
things (it's an American based course). When everything gets back to
normal I'll need to ask our locals for their opinions. Also, no choir
for me either but a number of online groups have formed in the UK
which I've joined. It's all good fun, and even though we can't hear
each other because of the time lag, we can all hear the teacher.
Singing my head off in the bedroom is very uplifting, and I don't
need to worry if I hit a wrong note as no-one can hear me :-)
Oh
well, back to the balcony...
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