Andrew, Graeme and I had arranged to meet at the Wizard Café for a coffee and a short walk. That meeting was cancelled, but it seems that we all fancied a stroll from the car park anyway. For me that was a welcome break from visiting a series of crowded shops in search of basic foodstuffs.
We kept our distance - three old men with hearing difficulties on a 'Pardon Walk'. Two walking poles apart. But even that may soon be outlawed, despite being a minimal risk of virus infection compared with necessary shop visits.
The view across Cheshire looked fairly gloomy, but the fresh air was wonderful.
The walk was brief, and only 2 km; near the end here (below) it was beside open fields.
It was good to see A and G and Lucy, and to see the hawthorn coming into leaf. We did plan to meet again, but I'm not sure when/whether that will happen.
It's good to know that I'm not alone in thinking that a bit of fresh air, taken judiciously, is a very low health risk compared with necessary shop visits. Here's an extract from a message received yesterday from the British Mountaineering Council:
"We’re working closely with key partners including National Trust, Forestry England, Ordnance Survey, Natural England, the Outdoor Industries Association (OIA) and Association of British Climbing Walls (ABC) to promote the benefits of low-risk, low contact outdoor activities to benefit our physical and mental health."
2 comments:
I had to laugh at your 'pardon walk' :-) Hope all is well otherwise!
Similar measures here in Bavaria - WFH for the past week and foreseeable future, Skype meetings. Schools and all but essential shops shut. Fortunately the Bavarian government is still allowing walking for exercise (alone or with family, even without a dog). Let's see that the next days bring.
Thanks Nick
Lots of organisations here are promoting open air exercise, keeping a distance from others, so I hope we won't be barred from going out. Tricky though, as we seem to be on the same curve as Italy.
I think it'll get worse. Our main problem is crowded shops with bare shelves.
However, you can get most things if you shop around. Our local Spar shop seems better stocked for some items than the large supermarkets.
My daughter Kate is really distressed by what she thinks may happen to many of the children she teaches - the only real 'direction' they get is from school.
There are no provisions for the self employed like Mike. He continued to teach students from home but put a stop to that when they objected to having to wash their hands. So he's trying to teach by Skype and hopes that he may get some business from that. You'll get an email with his marketing video!
Anyway, we hope you both remain healthy, and that this nightmare doesn't continue for too long.
Meanwhile, my mum will be 95 in a couple of weeks. Luckily she's at home, so less likely to be exposed to virus than in an old people's home. Nell's mum died three weeks ago, of old age, just before all this. She wouldn't have coped with it.
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