Life after lockdown questions.

I’ve been listening to Call You and Yours on Radio 4. They are asking the question “how are you preparing for life after lockdown”. Lots of talk about changing priorities - not so much travel and adventures and more getting a house with a garden so that you can have a good place to escape to. A dance teacher, whose income has disappeared for the time being, talked about the possibility of running his classes online. This is a problem though for his older customers, many of whom don’t have computers. One lady, approaching 70 this year, comments that she has heard that she may be on a “red list” of people who might not be able to travel until autumn 2021!! We over-70s might have to hunker down until a vaccine is found! Ye gods!

I also read that the coronavirus is possibly changing the attitude of some anti-vaxxers, who may be finally accepting that vaccination might not be the evil they think it is. Not all of them are thinking that way, of course. Novak Djokovic, the world No 1 tennis player, suggested on Facebook that his opposition to vaccines might prevent his return to the sport, saying he “wouldn’t want to be forced by someone to take a vaccine” to travel.

I find myself angered by high-profile cranks. I read that Novak Djokovic’s wife is one of the people who spread the myth that 5G is one of the causes of the pandemic. We are all entitled to our views and opinions but not all of us can become dangerous influencers!! In fact there are people who question the importance, indeed the credibility, or otherwise of famous people such as actors becoming pundits on anything and everything. In an interview for the Guardian, the actor Rafe Spall railed against the reverence some people have for the opinions of well known actors. “I get dressed up, wear foundation and pretend to be other people,” he says. “That’s a lovely thing and people enjoy it, but I’m not a political commentator, I’m not a sage. I mess about and get paid for it.” Asked if we should take all actors on “Question Time” with a pinch of salt, he responded, “Put it this way, I think there’s an inelegance when people from any walk of life go shouting from the rooftops about something when they’re not equipped to. It’s like, ‘Babe, you’re wearing base.’”

Getting back to Novak Djokovic, here’s an excerpt from another Guardian article:-

“After a cool hour of discussion on Instagram live, as Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic reminisced on their rapport of 22 years, the most revelatory moment came right at the end and in the form of a seemingly mundane question delivered by a fan: What are the first three things you do after you wake up? Djokovic spoke slowly and deliberately in response: “Gratitude and prayer, a couple of long, deep breaths, hugging my wife and running to my children.”
Murray nodded limply, he successfully kept a straight face and at some point he even awkwardly uttered: “Nice!” Then he gave his own answer: “For me, too much information, but I go for a pee.””

Who knew that Andy Murray was such a down to earth, sensible person?

Before I started to listen to the radio, I caught the end of an interview on television about music with Ed O’Brien from Radiohead. He commented that the whole music scene is being affected by the current crisis. Even after lockdown there is no knowing what will happen to live music. After all, large gatherings have almost certainly contributed to spread of the virus. Established artists like himself, he said, have a backlog of material and a pretty much guaranteed income. Younger up-and-coming artists rely on live performance to establish themselves and to make any money from their music. Richard Thompson made the same point in his streamed performances.

Life could be very different after lockdown. But we are not there yet and in the meantime it’s another sunny, blue sky day here. This morning I ventured into the local co-op store as we needed milk for our breakfast cereal and coffee. Of course, I picked up other items at the same time. Our small store is now able to provide items that were not available at the large supermarket where my daughter did our online shop at the end of last week: eggs, Yakult, tinned tomatoes, loo roll. So it goes.

On the menu today is leftover chicken and veg pie, a bit of salad, some fresh fruit.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone.