Spain in lockdown - Day 21

Today the sun finally put in an appearance which has definitely lifted our spirits, and I suspect the spirits of many people.  It was wonderful and we spent most of the day on our roof terrace eating, relaxing and reading whilst listening to music.  All around us people were out on their roof terraces, exercising, lying in the sun, barbecuing, playing games.  No fire twirling sadly (see yesterday) but it was good to see so many people all at once as it's a sight we've become unaccustomed to over the past 21 days.  

Whilst lying in the sun I thought about how much we take time with friends and relatives for granted until the freedom to spend time with loved ones is taken away from us.  We should treasure more than we do the ability to laugh and share with those close to us, to hug and kiss, to have fun with friends and family.  The Spanish are a much more tactile nation that the British and I wonder when they will feel it safe to greet each other again with the usual two kisses once all this is over.  I mean a British handshake is one thing (although nowadays even this seems unthinkable) but a Spanish greeting is next level.  I really hope we don't all view each other with suspicion after all this is over.  I'm already wondering how we will revert to being close to other people and in large crowds.  Also I wonder how to greet friends when I finally see them again; will there be a new social etiquette for a while?  Once the lockdown finishes we will all obviously be non-contagious but psychologically it may take some time to get used to normal social interaction without the wariness we are all currently displaying.

Yesterday was a hugely exciting moment - the Amazon delivery guy had a parcel for us.  And not just any parcel but a parcel of jigsaw puzzles.  Two 1000 piece puzzles to be precise.  They were ordered just as we were about to start the lockdown and I assumed they'd not arrive until the lockdown was more or less over.  But suddenly there was an email that they were on their way.  As you can imagine, it was difficult to make sure that someone was in to accept the delivery 😂  The delivery was made by us buzzing to release the downstairs door once he'd rung our bell.  I then went down the stairs.  The delivery man placed the box a few steps up and then backed away to the door and I picked it up and thanked him.  Such strange times as probably both of us are perfectly healthy.......Anyway, despite the excitement and once back in our apartment we then had the problem of how to open the box safely.  The delivery man wore a mask and gloves but I heard somewhere that Covid-19 can last for 24 hours on cardboard and who handled the box before he did?  You see what I mean about wariness?  Wipes and hand washing dealt with it and the box was swiftly taken to the recycling bin. Once open I was thrilled with the puzzles.  Thrilled that is until I actually started to do one of them.  I made sure I bought puzzles with plenty of detail so I didn't have to sort out loads of pieces of sky or grass or something but grossly underestimated the sheer logistics of a 1000 piece puzzle when you last did one at least 10 years ago!  I'm making reasonable progress on the outside pieces but suspect I've missed a few and will have to sift through all the ****** pieces again to find them to complete the outside. 

Suffice it to say that we'd need to be in lockdown until about Christmas for me to finish both puzzles - wish me luck!

And as I've mentioned the length of the lockdown, today the Spanish Prime Minister announced that the lockdown would be extended until 26 April.  This will be confirmed by the Spanish parliament next Tuesday or Wednesday but it's a done deal.  This is, in a way, quite frustrating as the Balearics are one of the Spanish areas where the number of cases of coronavirus has started to head in the right direction and you can't help but wonder if, because we're an island(s) the lockdown could be lifted here before the end of April in some form or another.  But it's best not to think about it and just assume we're here until 26 April until informed otherwise, to avoid disappointment.

Today also was a day of face-to-face conversations with people other than Ian.  Having not properly spoken to anyone other than Ian (apart from video calls) for the last 21 days, today I spoke to not one, but two other people 😄 The first was one of my adult students during the lunchtime dog toilet walk.  We had a quick chat at a suitable social distance and that was great!  Then this afternoon I discovered that someone who used to go to my Spanish lessons and who goes to Pilates at my gym has recently moved into the block next to us and was up on the roof so we had a lovely long chat.  It was only afterwards that I realised how long it had been since I had done that so, as I mentioned at the beginning of today's blog, it was all the more valued and enjoyable.

Stay safe, keep smiling - hasta mañana 😎