Spain in lockdown - Day 17

The days are rolling round incredibly quickly which is useful given the situation.  However I'm at an age where it's important not to wish my life away, so although I'm really looking forward to this all being over I'm living in the moment as well and making the most of things.  And it seems our opposite neighbours are taking the same approach.  I've mentioned our party animal neighbours on the first floor but yesterday the elderly couple on the third floor who we also wave to and greet every evening, put out some balloons and a banner saying that it was her 80th birthday.  What a time to have a milestone birthday 😞  Anyway, when it was time for the 8pm applause, out they came sporting an extremely large glass as you can see!  I called across wishing Happy Birthday and commenting on the glass - apparently it's for his 'gin tonic' 😂🍹 I think we'll all need one that size once this is over!  The neighbours on the first floor were all ready to party and made sure that all the street within shouting distance were aware.  Everyone sang Happy Birthday and had a bit of a dance while the birthday girl, all in pink, soaked up the attention, like the Queen, on her balcony.  So happy 80th birthday Antonia, here's to many more!!

On a shopping trip to Eroski this morning I noticed that more people are wearing masks this week than before.  Apart from walking to the grass with the dogs where there are next to no people, this was the first time I'd been to a 'busier' area since last week and I really noticed it.  Not sure if it makes any difference if you maintain the correct social distance and I certainly don't feel the need to wear one, and as I don't have one that's probably as well!

Eroski is pretty well-stocked and very civilised.  A member of staff is spraying and cleaning the trolley handles and the plastic gloves are compulsory.  They've also added plastic screens in front of the cashiers to better protect them.  And there's no messing at the tills, no sir-ee.  You are very quickly told where to stand (on each of the taped lines, 2m apart) and woe betide you if you try to put your groceries on the conveyor belt before the previous customer's have been dealt with.  But I know the rules and was exemplary today; did I detect an appreciative glance from the cashier over her mask?  I think I did.  Mind you, it wasn't so difficult as the customer before me had extraordinary difficulty with her bananas, returning with unlabelled ones from the fruit aisle whence she was dispatched not once, but twice.  We've all been there 😳 but once we graduate into knowing the score (you have to bag, weigh and label with the correct price if you're wondering - it's a 'thing' with Eroski), how we love to stand there rolling our eyes and tutting to each other when someone hasn't done it.   Today I waited perfectly behaved on my 2m line and smug in the knowledge that my onions were perfectly bagged, weighed and labelled and after all, I had nothing better to do but wait 😇 Yes, I'm certain I got an appreciative glance.

On the way back from Eroski the police had just set up a roadblock on the main road by the petrol station.  All cars going out of the port were being stopped and spoken to.  As far as I'm aware no-one here is of the opinion that this is heavy-handed policing and yet I see the police in the UK are getting criticised for example, for putting notices on people's cars telling them they have travelled too far and to return home, or for putting up drones to film people walking in beauty spots far from home.  Apparently people don't like being checked up on and told the regulations.  Well suck it up buttercup!  There has never been a more important time to do as we're told for once so let's just get over ourselves and co-operate. 

 
Today my domestic goddess crown slipped somewhat but it did so to enable me to do quite a lot of studying Spanish today so that's alright!  I have a Spanish course book that I use to supplement my classes and meeting a Spanish friend once a week; I say use but the reality is that I haven't used it as much as I should by a long shot if I'm honest.  Well now, with a bit more effort, I'll finish this one in the next couple of days and be able to move on to the next one which I already have (I'm an optimist lol).  It's really good to revise some aspects of grammar as well as practise my listening with the CDs that accompany the course.  I really want to gain something from all of this, not just survive it.  And working on my Spanish seems like one way to achieve this.  

The rest of the day has been filled with watching tv and reading.  And compared to what the healthcare workers and emergency services are doing, that really seems a very easy gig.  Keep smiling everyone, we can do this!  Hasta mañana todos!