For what seems like ages I’ve been getting up and running round the village every morning, for the last week using it as a way of checking that the pair of swans who moved onto the millpond are still there. It looks as though they might be staying. This morning, though, I decided to run along the Donkey Line instead. For weeks it’s been too wet and muddy to even consider it but now it’s dried up quite nicely. There was no interesting wildlife to see, however.
As I arrived home it started to drizzle on me. This has been the pattern of the last few days: reasonably dry to start with, then some drizzle, followed by heavier rain and then a fine and sunny afternoon. We strolled the village in the late afternoon, while we waited for the internet to come back to life.
No problems with internet today so far. Down at the crossroad there is a big patch on the corner that looks as though BT dug it up yesterday. Perhaps that’s why it took so long to get everything working again. But it’s bad news for the daffodils that grow on that corner.
They’re still rabbiting on about “that interview”. Pundits of all minds are giving their opinions about all aspects of it. And everyone has become a pundit. But none of us knows what went on behind closed doors in the palace and maybe it’s time another dead cat was found to divert us from other news matters.
All the children went back to school yesterday. Our son tells us his little daughter was delighted to be back at school. Indeed she told us so herself. The staff decked the little school playground with bunting to welcome the children back. But even Mr Johnson is still warning us to stay at home because it is likely there will be a bit of a surge as a result. We shall see!
Having got my internet connection back I’ve been able to trawl the papers this morning.
One article, written by an self-confessed under-confident young woman who works as a copywriter, talked about the benefits of working from home. Having to rely far more on presenting her ideas more frequently in written form, she has been able to organise her ideas and arguments more easily and confidently:-
“I have always been more comfortable with the written word than the spoken one. Certainly I could have sent a chat across the room before the pandemic – in fact, if the office had been on fire, I’d probably have preferred to alert people by email – but that always felt silly. Now typing is the standard way to communicate.
Nonetheless, I will be overjoyed to return to the office when it is possible. The toll of isolation far outweighs the benefits of reduced social anxiety. When I will be able to see my colleagues again, I’ll try to use the lessons I’ve learned from chatting online: take your time to craft your sentences because there is no rush. And don’t be afraid to approach people – think of it as pinging them a message in real life.
We’ll all be so starved for connection they’ll probably want to talk semicolons for hours.”
I suspect she’s not alone in enjoying working from home. Indeed, there have even been children saying they preferred online lessons to face to face.
Of course the downside of communicating only in writing, often only via social media, is that sometimes people say stuff they would not say face to face.
Last week there was news of a meteorite that lit up the sky and then exploded. In some places they went crazy looking for bits of meteorite. Now there is news of a big chunk that landed on somebody’s driveway. Scientists are getting very excited!
And here’s another albatross story. It’s worth looking at the video of the albatross crash-landing - most impressive. But then, I was always told that was how albatrosses always landed.
The day has started to brighten up.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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