Fishing. Deliveries. Changes. Getting out and about.

The fishermen were out in force around the millpond this morning. Fishing is one of the sports which is now permitted. I am not sure that fishing is really a sport. It’s not terribly active, after all. And if it’s a competition between man and fish, the odds seem rather stacked against the fish, although often the fish are pretty good at dodging. But you don’t see many fishermen falling in the water, do you?

One thing I note is that fishermen don’t seem to need to listen to music or podcasts as they sit at the water’s edge, unlike the numbers of joggers and runners who seem to need their earbuds in so that they don’t get bored. Personally I like to let my thoughts roam as I run or as I walk if walking alone. Maybe it’s a generational thing but also maybe the fishermen are the last of the great thinkers.

Whatever may be the truth of that, the fact is that fishing is now allowed again - a part of the relaxation of restrictions.

Meanwhile I read that Germany’s infection rate has tripled and Mrs Merkel is going to bring back stricter measures. We should take note and learn from the experience of others. Be warned!

Deliverymen have taken to ringing the doorbell and running. Well, if not actually running, making it obvious that they are getting away as quickly as possible. This is how we ended up yesterday with a package for the house next door. There was no time to check the parcel was actually for us before the young man disappeared in a puff of smoke. Not that I looked at the address label in fact but just wiped it with a disinfectant wipe and opened it up, only to discover something we had definitely not ordered. That was the point at which I looked at the address label! Oops!

The family next door have always had a lot of stuff delivered. Maybe it’s the young people of the family, 22 and 24 years old, who order lots of stuff. Our eldest granddaughter also orders lots of stuff. Where I might think about looking out for an item the next time I went shopping, she just orders immediately whatever she feels a need to acquire. It’s another generational thing.

And yet now we are all becoming online shoppers, for things it would never previously have occurred to me to purchase that way. I have just stocked up on vitamins from the healthfood store Holland and Barrett, whereas normally/previously I would pop into Boots. And I am seriously considering ordering skin care products online from Boots, as well as shower gel and the like from The Bodyshop. If this is what the future holds, I will miss wandering round the shops looking for stuff, maybe being tempted to try something new.

I hear that Michael O’Leary is planning to restart Ryanair flights from July Ist. I don’t know where he plans to fly to as so many countries are putting people arriving straight into 2 weeks quarantine. That could make a two week holiday in the sun into a six week affair: travel to your holiday destination, quarantine two weeks, have your holiday in the sun, swimming and messing about on the beach, visiting interesting places, and then flying home to two weeks quarantine in the UK.

Of course, by July things may have changed again!

However, I don’t think we personally are going very far. Fortunately spring has been kind to us this year and we have fine places to walk to. When we moved into this house, more years ago than I care to remember, our children were aged 8 and 6. Walking around the area, the children and I discovered what quickly became known as “the secret path”, a path off the main road to nearby Dobcross, taking us through a wooded area clearly not very often visited. The path is a bit more established now, with proper steps in steep places, and Phil and I have walked it frequently over the last few weeks, admiring the progress of the bluebells. Here are some photos.

We could well go back there today as the sun is shning nicely once more.On the menu today we have spicy potato wedges and stuffed tomatoes.

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!