Day 6 (Mother's Day): the good, the bad and the ugly
Mothering Sunday and at last some news that people are being a bit kinder and more thoughtful to one another. I am delighted that the NHS staff are being singled out to get special treatment. So well done to the black cab drivers for offering them free rides and Chelsea FC and Philip Neville for making their hotels available to them for free. Eton I have been informed is staying open for the children of key workers without any fees. Superstars are giving free concerts on Twitter and the homeless of London are being put up in hotels. Brilliant - at last people who are thinking of not only themselves but others.

I was concerned about NHS staff not having access to essential foods due to the mindless ransacking of supermarkets whilst they were working round the clock and was delighted to hear that the supermarkets are including them in designated shopping times .

However, I don’t think the supermarkets have quite got the logistics of this right yet. My local Tesco opens at 6am and as the legal looters have evidently been queuing in their hundreds recently to get in, I can’t see this changing. The plan is to then to let us oldies in at 9am – are they going to physically throw the people in the store out to make way for us? More importantly will there be anything left to buy? Even with my culinary expertise, there's only so much Ready, Steady, Cooking I can do with tofu, a packet of Dorito's and a courgette.

My local Sainsbury's on the other hand opens at 7am and their first hour is for us too. That would be fine because the store is empty BUT they are also opening at the same time for NHS workers so the situation we have there is, the most vulnerable locked in a confined space with possibly the most exposed people. Time to buy a cow and some chickens only I hear there's been a rush on them as well!

I think Denmark has the right idea. One of their supermarkets outside Copenhagen had been the subject of panic buying so they have introduced a policy of buy one hand sanitiser for £5 and the second will cost £123. Nobody has bought a second bottle and I presume they are using the same tactics with other products. Brilliant!

I read today that China will provide 2 million medical masks for us – the only slightly worrying thing about this is that they have been in lock down for months with all industry halted. So all I can assume is that these masks are second hand, nearly new or only used once. Doesn’t bode well!
One of my Children managed to get a Mother's Day card to me on time (I assume my Son was only thwarted by his heartfelt desire to deliver his by hand): thought I would share as it cheered me up enormously.




While I admire the ability of card shops to turn a crisis into an opportunity I was nonetheless relieved that she resisted the temptation to buy her second choice which, even by my standards, is in somewhat poorer taste...

Comments

  1. I loved your card but your final thought doesn't bode well for me. The Mother's Day gift I previously mentioned of 3 medical standard masks were sent to my Daughter-in-Law by her business supplier in China. She has given them to an intensive care unit and I, meanwhile, have tried one out and found I had it on upside-down until I read the instructions. Strangely they were written in French and it is the only use I have ever found for my A-level French.
    I now have that nagging feeling that it's previous user might have been a downtown Wuhan occupant. With your previous medical experience do you have any special advice for me?



















































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  2. I realise that I didn't make it clear that D.I.law received 1500 masks - I wouldn't like you think I was guilty of aiding and abetting the use of 3rd hand masks. I was a child of the 50s and was used to sharing most things, even my best friend's gobstopper once, but I have matured in my outlook since then (not too much or I wouldn't be accepted in Cornwall).



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    1. Having trouble posting on comment, so sorry Cornish Maid if you are the only one to receive this.
      I can imagine that you will still look elegant wearing a mask. I wish I had a crystal ball to see what my hair will look like in a few weeks.
      At the moment it is fine thanks to my hairdresser.
      On Saturday himself said "It's Mothers Day today", I pointed out that it was Saturday not Sunday. That's what you get for having a fried egg a day early. It throws the whole weekend out.
      Today I am going to log into Rock Choir Live. We are singing "With A Little Help From My Friends." I thought that was very appropriate,
      I loved your Mother's Day card, I had a rude one from youngest daughter and a nice one from eldest. Off for a bit of sun now, putting some washing out, strange how small things can now be exiting!

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