Well hallooooooo! Hope everyone is doing ok and trying to keep smiling 😁 I determined from the beginning to keep a focus on the positives and so far, so good. In fact I'm keeping so busy that some of the things I intend to do each day, I'm having to hold over until the next so yay, go me! The wider picture now is that the police are being much stricter now on the basis that people should by now know the score. Today (and I think yesterday) they had a roadblock at the metal cockerel roundabout by Pollensa to prevent people from driving off to their second homes/fincas. I understand the army were doing the same in Palma. There are no more excuses and nor should there be.
On a brighter note, the police last night drove down our street with their sirens on as a greeting back to us as we stood on our balconies, roof terraces and at windows applauding - fantastic stuff 👏
This morning I finally used our rather good running machine and did a brisk 3km walk. Ian used it after me so thank god we bought it. We use it anyway (not one of those purchases you make with good intentions but never use in this instance) but in these strange times it really is a godsend to be able to cover some distance in our own home. We then sat on the roof terrace with a cup of tea and a book each in some rather lacklustre sun which soon disappeared and we clouded over again. Rain is forecast for tomorrow which is a pity, we could all do with some sunshine right now.
Meanwhile over the road, our neighbours on the opposite first floor were feeling festive as you can see!
I asked if one of them had a birthday but no, just having a party. You just have to love the Spanish love of life! 🎉🎈
From 3pm we've been watching Rock the Lock Down on Facebook Live. There have been some wonderful acts, there is such talent out there and it's such a shame to think of all these professional and semi-professional singers and musicians who are now out of work. But I hope their performances are a useful showcase for their talents. We watched the first three hours and have dipped in and out since and haven't seen a bad one yet. It starts again tomorrow at 3pm. Take a look at the videos from today and/or tune in tomorrow if you want to pass the time.
Speaking of videos, today I posted on Facebook a great video of police in Algaida (near to Palma) stopping to play music and dance to a song with actions in the streets to entertain people and I'm sure it was lovely for the children to see some light heartedness amidst all the 'serious stuff'. Absolutely brilliant! 👏
The applause here for the key workers again this evening was prolonged and accompanied by whoops and cheers. Sadly no sirens tonight. Maybe they're practising their action song for tomorrow 😜
All in all although we all complain about the internet, social media and our reliance on it, I think it is proving extremely useful during these challenging times, and enabling everyone to stay in touch, support and entertain each other and offer support. Long may it continue. Hasta pronto!
Well here we are again. Now on the slippery slope to one week. We're still talking to each other which is a bonus and have settled into a sort of routine now. Certainly we get up promptly and get dressed and one of us takes the dogs for their morning toilet walk. I'm sure there is a temptation to mooch around in pj's all day but I think it's better to keep things as normal as possible. So every day I put a bit of make-up on even though just about no-one other than Ian is going to see me. Somehow it's good for the morale.
As we see nature reclaiming what humans mess up - the water quality in Venice for example - this is also a good time to think about how we live our lives and whether we might make any changes once this is all over. Certainly I have begun to wonder if I should spend more time just 'being'. Bizarrely, I feel strangely empowered during these difficult times of huge restrictions on what I can do. Something to think about.
During the way home from one of today's dog toilet walks I saw one of these homemade colourful signs complete with handprints which are up on balconies here and there, I assume where children are living. The second picture was taken by Kay Horsnell yesterday on her way to do some shopping. The first says literally 'Together we can with everything', probably meaning together we can do everything and uses the words of a Mexican footballer apparently. Kay's photo shows banners saying 'It's going to be fine'. In any event, these banners demonstrate solidarity with others and it is heartwarming to see.
At 10am today was the first of my gym instructor Rachel's live Facebook classes. And, as ever, she took no prisoners 😳 Ian sat on the sofa and watched lol. I couldn't do it on the roof terrace with nice breeze because the wiFi is very hit and miss up there so the living room it was and I certainly got warm! One hour later and I felt tired but pious. Mind you, my jump rope ability is still rubbish.
After this I thoroughly hoovered the living/dining room and smallest bedroom whilst Ian cleaned all the windows on the roof level and all down the stairs to the street. You could probably surgically operate on our floors right now! The sun was shining but not as strongly as yesterday with clouds and probable rain scheduled for later which certainly looks the case as I type in the late afternoon. The weather here really does seem to be matching the global difficulties right now.
Following on some recommendations we saw on Facebook, we've started watching boxsets, starting with 'The Killing' (US version). We've seen two episodes and it's looking good but have discovered that we still won't have a solution as to whodunnit at the end of the 13 episodes of series 1 and will have to battle on to series 2. We're used to 8 episodes with a solution as is common with British TV crime dramas so are a little nonplussed. We've never watched boxsets mainly because we've never had the time. And we were never GOT viewers either. I guess now is the time to stretch our application to a story to the max.
Lots of reading going on here too. Ian has actually finished a whole book which is unprecedented as he really isn't a reader. Never have I been more grateful for my Kindle which has loads of books on it I still have to read and when I feel like a spot of retail therapy I just have browse for another book, simples! I had even planned to study some Spanish today and haven't got around to it so I'm definitely finding lots of things to fill the time. Think I'll slot it into my packed schedule for tomorrow now.....
One event for tomorrow is Rock the Lock Down. Take a look at their Facebook page. Tomorrow at 3pm Spanish time (2pm UK time) and I believe on Sunday as well there's going to be a Facebook Live concert with musicians from all over the work taking part. It has a hashtag #rockthelockdown. So tune in for what promises to be a pretty amazing event with people from all over the world - together we can do this. Juntos podemos! 💪
Take care all!
PS Tonight's applause for all the emergency, healthcare and other workers was the best yet with a police car going slowly down our street with the siren on in return. What a fabulous community spirit!
We're beginning to get the hang of this now! The dogs are thrilled to have us at home 24/7 and we're getting loads done. The UK news bulletin will be on soon and we'll see what Boris has to say today. There are a lot of very worried people in the UK right now who are wondering how they'll pay the bills or keep their vulnerable loved ones safe and I know quite a few of them 😢 Information is gradually coming out much as it has done here but there does seem to be a lot of uncertainty or maybe that's just me? This is an unprecedented situation and governments are finding their way but it is very unsettling and if I'm honest, I think I'm happier here where we pretty much know what's what and that's that.
And the sun is shining! Yay! Apart from the first day we've had grey days ever since lockdown started so blue sky and sunshine has certainly helped lift the mood. We sat on the roof terrace with a cup of tea and a book each. It's actually quite nice to spend the time doing this as usually we're too busy doing 'other stuff' - certainly food for thought once things return to normal...... We also took the opportunity to wash the rather 'doggy' smelling dogs because they could run around in the sun and breeze on the roof terrace and dry off quickly. Both of them hate being bathed, one dog freezes and won't even look at us, the other is like trying to control a hyperactive octopus 🐙 However they are now wonderfully fragrant and have forgiven us following unashamed bribery with a couple of dog treats.
More housework today, I don't think our apartment has ever been so clean. I've seen lots of neighbours doing housework, cleaning windows etc so the Port is going to be spick and span once all this is over. The lunchtime dog toilet walk was in full sunshine and I took a couple of photos of the bay from near Stay restaurant which is very close to where we live so don't judge me 😛 Lots of people have been enjoying them on Facebook which is lovely - I just thought it would be nice to cheer people up with some happy photos to distract from the gloom that's all over the media at the moment.
I completed my gym's challenge up on our roof terrace again today. Roof terraces are certainly being used at the moment as gyms, for BBQs, practising basketball shots - you name it, it's being used for it! Then, as the domestic goddess I [currently] am 😂 I made some cheese straws as I do from time to time - delicious when still warm accompanied by a cup of tea. For those who know me and find my culinary skills hard to believe, here's the proof:
Ian won the toss for the evening dog toilet walk so managed to stretch his legs. So far I've been managing about 4,000 steps a day mainly due to my gym challenge. Given that we both normally do about twice as many steps on a bad day, it's important to keep as active as possible. We actually do have a really nice running machine which I'm going to start using in the next couple of days as I haven't since the Spartan Race on the 8th (well I deserved a break 😁). That should see an improvement in steps and will be useful when I run out of things to clean!
The 8pm applause for the healthcare workers and others keeping our infrastructure together was as ever, an opportunity to exchange pleasantries with neighbours and is definitely a part of the day we look forward to. Alfie (dog) again joined in with some steady but quite calm barking which is very sweet and certainly entertains the neighbours.
People are getting more and more resourceful and creative with online activities and I intend to take full advantage of them. Tomorrow I have a Facebook Live gym class with my gym instructor at 10am so I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow. Until then - stay safe!
Well here we are again! One more day down but who knows how many still to go? There's a fair chance that Spain will extend the lockdown here until the end of Easter week and of course this has huge implications for those of us who work or run businesses. The government here is putting measures into place but there is still a lot of uncertainty. And we can see that uncertainty start to unfold in the UK now too and now with the news that UK schools will close from Friday evening. Those of you reading this in the UK - gradually the situation will start to become clearer but it's going to take time. Still lots to iron out here and Spain is ahead of the UK in this unfortunate trajectory.
Activities today started with a walk to the Post Office to return a parcel. Only one person is allowed in at a time and they are running restricted hours. There are no tapes outside marking 1m apart as there are in for example the supermarkets, but everyone was standing in the queue 1m apart quite unprompted, no problems at all. Clarel was also open with a box of tissues taped to the outside and the inside of the door to use when opening the door handle going in and out. I was impressed at their creativity! My final stop of the trip out was the small Eroski. All was calm and the shop is well stocked. Like the large Eroski, you use plastic gloves and there are restrictions on how many people can be in the store etc. Feeling quite heady after such an exciting outing I headed home for a cup of tea which leads me to.............
.....panic buying which has been much in the news. Apart from the pasta, rice and loo rolls situation some people have made sure they've stocked up sufficient wine and beer. However my 'must have' is tea bags. If I couldn't have my cups of tea I would completely lose my......well, let's just say the loo rolls would come in handy!
Dog walks remain a major highlight of the day and we are more than usually keen to offer to do them! And as you can see, they're getting plenty of exercise 😴
It certainly is a bonus having a dog/dogs to walk and at least gets one of us out and moving. And talking of moving we have actually done plenty of that today. In common with a lot of others, we've started deep cleaning the apartment and today we made a very good start. We've also done the third day of my gym challenge up on our roof terrace. Ian's joining in and it's good fun. We've seen another couple doing much the same on a roof terrace we didn't even know existed so we're not the only ones.
This afternoon we also made a Skype call to Ian's younger brother who lives in Alicante. It's his birthday today and it's a big one. He was due to travel out with his wife and mother-in-law on Thursday for a long birthday weekend but of course that had to be cancelled. I feel so sorry for those who are having birthdays right now, especially children who may not understand why their birthday party isn't now going to happen.
We've watched some TV and naturally, joined in with the 8pm applause for the healthcare workers and emergency services. Our neighbours opposite always come out and we all say hello. It is really heartwarming for about a minute every evening as we all come together, it's becoming the highlight of the day in many ways.
And so another day is over - how many more to come? Who knows. But for now, take care and hasta mañana! 😎
Today (and yesterday evening) has been interesting as we've been watching the news from the UK and seeing the British public steadily being drawn into a similar situation as we are in here. As yet, no outright lockdown as such but......
This morning I did my gym challenge again. We've moved the dining table over to make enough room inside for me as currently the weather is grey and wet and the roof terrace is too slippy to skip etc. Our little dog Alfie loves to help 😂 so in the middle of doing a plank you have a small black furry face gazing up at you "Whatcha doin' mum?". Afterwards I walked to Eroski to buy some bread and milk. Eroski has a limit on numbers who can enter and you have to put on plastic gloves and use the taped lines on the floor to maintain distance at the tills and paying the cashier. There are also quotes for buying rice, pasta, milk and water. All was calm and most things were available.
Later I took the dogs for their lunchtime toilet walk whilst Ian got a new butane gas bottle from the lorry which is still doing it's normal street deliveries thank goodness as it's still a little chilly in the evenings, especially as we aren't getting any sun during the day at the moment to warm things up. Our butane heater is a wonderful way to get almost instant heat (and yes, we do so with sufficient ventilation for safety).
The afternoon was spent reading and using WhatsApp to send my classes worksheets and activities to keep them busy with their English. For those unaware, I'm an English teacher here. I also sent some links to virtual excursions of eg The Louvre, farms tours in Canada or the surface of Mars on the Curiosity Rover. I remember when my kids were young and hopefully it will help some beleaguered parents as well as keep their children on track with their English. Several parents responded positively which is nice.
During this evening's dog toilet walk (17:55) I took some photos. It's completely deserted everywhere and 'Ghost Town' by The Specials kept coming into my head.
The Guardia have been cruising the streets all day and are now a very obvious presence - people are being stopped and apparently asked for receipts if they've been to the supermarket for example, and fines are being issued. This is probably why the streets are now so much quieter than in the first two days - people now know the score plus the streets are being very thoroughly policed.
Tonight Ian cooked a lovely roast chicken meal but we put it aside at 8pm prompt to join in the clapping and cheering on balconies/at windows for all the healthcare professionals. It was lovely, whistles and cheers - a great time to all come together and it really feels like we're all 'in it' together.
As lockdown spreads across other countries and draws ever closer to the UK, it feels like we are all extras in some sort of apocalyptic movie. And it's very unsettling and like nothing most of us have experienced in our lifetimes. But let's try not to complain at the regulations and all pull together. We can do this!
Take care - hasta pronto!
Well here we are on Day 2 of lockdown/quarantine. It still seems to be taking time for people to get the hang of what quarantine actually means! Still quite a few people wandering around this morning and I'm not entirely sure they're all there for legitimate purposes according to the regulations....... Today the policia have been around the streets with loudspeaker announcements from a vehicle telling people to only go out if essential and I believe people have started being fined so we shall see. If you are out, you need to carry ID and proof of address with you but as that's standard here anyway it's no big deal. Apparently the fines are large and there is also the possibility of arrest and imprisonment. I suspect that as visitors here are repatriated over the next couple of days, things will settle down.
Today the weather is very grey and we've had some rain so sadly no chance to sit up on the roof terrace in the sun. Hey ho. Instead we started the day with me tackling my gym instructor's Jump Rope Challenge and I did my own 30 minute Tabata class. Ian joined in - I think he's got a level of respect for my gym classes now that he didn't have before! 😂 One of our dogs valiantly tried to join in which was so sweet and very funny.
In terms of the stockpiling situation, people here only started buying things up over the last few days, much later than in the UK. As of Saturday there was no rice, very little pasta but still some toilet rolls to be found. Water is also very popular but we've dodged a bullet there by already having a Brita filter jug in an effort to cut our use of plastics so no worries. On Saturday we managed to buy a bad boy pack of 24 toilet rolls so think we'll prevail 😂
The rest of the day has been spent reading and watching TV. The dogs have also had their toilet walks which we are both suddenly extremely keen to volunteer for! I have just taken them for their early evening one and the port is like a ghost town - very spooky. I saw only about 6 people. And given that the weather is very grey and breezy it's surreally quiet. Maybe the reality of the situation is beginning to dawn on people.
We'd started a major de clutter over a week ago so I did a little more today and will continue to do so in the spirit of positivity that we're determined to see this through with. General news that all of this may take 30 days rather than 15 is not particularly welcome but nevertheless, it is what it is and we must make the best of it. The British news bulletin has just been on the TV and mention has been made that this will all take a long time to go away. And there has been a huge jump in diagnosed cases in Spain today (mainly in the Madrid area) together with the news of many more deaths in Italy today. Tonight at 9pm we are being asked to shine torches/mobiles etc in honour of those who have passed away from coronavirus; I suspect we will also applaud again all those who are continuing to work so hard in our health services and rightly so.
Stay safe and well everyone. Hasta mañana!
Well, as the world is now well aware Spain has now gone into lockdown as of midnight 14 March due to the coronavirus pandemic. So I thought it would be interesting to share a daily diary of life here during these interesting times.
So.....first off, this won't be overly difficult for me as I'm perfectly happy doing my thing at home. For Ian, however, it will be more of a challenge as he's a social animal and enjoys a chat over a beer most evenings. Only time will tell as to how we'll survive two weeks in such constant close proximity! But at least we had a 'last drink' at new bar Meraki last night (in the square in PP, next to the still closed Bonys). But we feel desperately sorry for the local businesses, bars, restaurants etc and how it will affect them 😢
To summarise, people must stay at home and only one person from a household to go out to the supermarket or pharmacy. I believe launderettes/dry cleaners are also open. One person can walk a dog/dogs and only be out for the minimum amount of time. And car journeys can only have one person per car. Essential journeys to work (obviously depending on your job) only.
Today, especially this morning, there were still quite a few cars and pedestrians (including groups) about as well as the ubiquitous cyclists. It did make you wonder if people knew that the lockdown had been brought forward from 8am Monday morning to midnight Saturday or if they were just completely irresponsible and selfish. But by the afternoon things were a lot quieter, hopefully police were making it clear that this is serious. Certainly there are some interesting videos/photos on Facebook! I feel sorry for the police who are doing a difficult job. One video taken in Benidorm shows quite a few British tourists really getting stroppy with police as if this lockdown doesn't apply to them because they're on holiday. Hopefully people will get the message that this is serious, real and does apply to everyone very quickly!
We're keeping things positive and I for one, am determined to make the most of this enforced stay at home. This morning we watched some breakfast TV and then I walked the dogs, waving to friends on balconies as I did so. Having dogs is a real bonus because it means one of us can get out for a short walk for doggy toilet purposes and we've already had one or two offers to 'rent' them out lol! I managed to get a load of filing of teaching materials done which I've been meaning to do for ages which was very satisfying and we both read for a while up on our roof terrace. At least we're housebound in the sun and such lovely surroundings. Both of us spent some time on Skype calls to family in the UK and I then had a relaxing bath (well why not!), so relaxing in fact that I had a nap! And finally we watched a film and some British TV, the dogs had a couple more toilet walks and here we are - bedtime!
One rather lovely thing is that tonight, for the second night running, everyone comes out onto their balconies/roof terraces or to their windows at 8pm and there's a round of applause for all the health services professionals for all that they're doing. 💝 And I believe from tomorrow it's also for the pharmacy and supermarket staff. It's really moving hearing all the clapping and gives a sense of solidarity and unity that is rather beautiful.
Tomorrow is going to include the start of the Jump Rope Challenge, a fitness scheme created by Rachel at Simply Pilates where I go to gym classes. More about this tomorrow. In the meantime, buenas noches to all 😴
