I’m writing this Sunday afternoon. I’ve not long returned from a quick shopping trip – and it was… Frustrating.
In fact I’m finding the whole ‘return to normal’ after lockdown situation frustrating. Between the lack of masks and distancing in the supermarket, through to the mess that is bars and restaurants reopening.
I feel for my friends in hospitality who need to work. I feel for those who manage or own venues who need to make money. But I won’t deny I have mixed feelings. There are some venues who will short cut the process. There are some people who will ignore the distancing measures. Those who will just meet with their mates at the pub and not care. The trouble is that the government has basically moved from making things law, to trusting people’s common sense. Anyone who works with the public knows that isn’t necessarily a good idea. People are people. And in a booze laden environment, they’ll get drunk, and social distancing will be a memory.
But what better way for the powers that be to deny any culpability in a second wave appearing, but to be able to sigh, and say I told you so?
BUT for all that, there are those who will follow the rules. Those who will be courteous and kind, and enjoy themselves without endangering anyone else. Some venues have moved heaven and earth to make their venue safe, clean and do everything they can to make sure everyone can enjoy themselves without putting themselves in danger.
In short, I’m not rushing out, but I’m not going to stay inside forever. When we do go out we’ll be careful, we’ll be courteous, we’ll be aware. Just like I was on my trip around the supermarket. I can’t control what other people do, but I can do what I can to keep myself and others safe.
And all of this makes this week’s Monday Night Live even more interesting. I’m going to be chatting to Elaine from Atlas Bar after their first weekend back. They appeared on BBC Breakfast to show what they’ve done behind the scenes, and it’s clear they’ve worked hard to make everything as safe as possible. So I’m interested to hear the feedback – catch us at 7pm here.
Away from all that, it’s been an interesting week. I did a course on Tuesday night in online self defence hosted by Glitch UK which was fascinating, and incredibly useful. Glitch are a platform dedicated to ending online abuse, and often host events and courses. They’re well worth following, and if you do anything online, particularly involving campaigning and being in the public eye, I’d definitely recommend you do their online self defence course.
In the kitchen, I’ve done a lot of stocking up. I’ve preserved some elderberry capers (though I only did a tiny batch, so I suspect I’ll need to do more). I also rescued some veggies from mouldering away by doing a big batch of roasted veg for the freezer (useful for pasta sauces, risottos or side dishes) and ‘sun’ dried some tomatoes. The latter will be delicious added to sauces, or as an accompaniment to a cheeseboard. Now to figure out what to do with the butternut squash we’ve still got…
As for this week – it’s looking pretty quiet right now. But the highlight looks like it will be on Thursday. I’ll be back on site for the day with work, facilitating access to buildings for other staff. A taster of normality. Kinda. Ish. I won’t be in my building, I won’t be with my normal colleagues, but I’ll be on campus, I’ll be able to see the city. And I’ll be able to grab some lunch that I haven’t cooked.
Can’t wait.