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Tag Archives: corona virus

countdown to disaster

06 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, covid, health & happiness, sevilla

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

corona virus

countdown to disaster

It was announced today that as of April 20th the public indoor mask mandate will be lifted nationwide. I’ve been dreading this ever since they floated this awful idea a couple of months ago. Aside from the risk it places on my health (and frankly everyone else’s if people were honest with themselves) it’s also going to drastically affect my business and, hence, my life. At the moment I am still limiting my tours so as to also limit possible exposure to Covid. Which, by the way, IS NOT OVER. But after the 20th I cannot see myself wanting to be at close quarters for four hours with people who have travelled unmasked from the US or UK on a flight full of other maskless selfish assholes. It also means that my future travel plans (mostly work related) will have to be cancelled because public transport will have become too risky.

A case in point, a friend of mine recently returned from Spain to London and decided to take a rapid test when he got home. Positive for Covid. Without symptoms. And he remained positive for 11 days, during which he cancelled another trip he had planned. In fact, he stayed home for the entire 11 days until he tested negative. He said it really hit home how, if he had travelled, he could have been a super spreader and infected many, many other people. Not to mention that with each infection (with symptoms or otherwise) the virus gets more chances to mutate.

And before people jump all over me saying I’m overreacting or whatever… kindly just fuck off. It’s my life. Though not, as someone pointed out in a very pointy manner today, my choice. It is not MY choice to watch my livelihood go down the drain because of political bullshit I have no control over. Because this is ONLY a political decision. FYI? Hospitalisations and deaths are up in Andalucía, while they keep telling us that new cases are going down. Well, since they have stopped testing and PCRs are now limited to “vulnerable” people, of course the fucking number of recorded cases are going down. Because they are simply not being recorded. Hard to hide those deaths though. In fact, last week we had more new Covid cases in Andalucía than in all of China, which as you know is in a serious lockdown situation. Again. And of course both the UK and US are total political shitshows with hospitals being swamped by Covid patients.

So my “choice” is to either go against my better judgement and pretend Covid is over just like far too many people are doing, or to continue being myself, and true to myself, and a responsible and caring member of this society. This “choice” is shit, it’s a terrible place to find myself, and it’s stressful as fuck. Because I honestly don’t know how I am going to live now. And all because people think wearing a mask during an ongoing global pandemic with an AIRBORNE VIRUS is too fucking hard for them. To all you Covid Deniers who are so keen to get your “old normal” back that you are willing to throw everyone else under the bus as long as you get to do what you want… fuck you.

omicron

29 Monday Nov 2021

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, covid, sevilla, travel

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cadiz, corona virus, covid, omicron, travel

omicron

Well fuck. Though I guess nobody should really be surprised by this latest even more contagious Covid variant since we keep on not sending vaccines to less developed nations, preferring to make anti-vaxxing a political football at home. I mean seriously, just send the damn vaccines to the people who really want them. And so the latest variant omicron has left its “birthplace” of South Africa and is now rapidly travelling around the world, just as Delta (India) and Alpha (UK) did before it. Of course by the time we are notified of it even existing, by the time we are told it is a “variant of concern”, it is already spreading everywhere. And so now what?

For the most part this wouldn’t affect me in the sense that my life wouldn’t change that much. EXCEPT that this week I had made plans to take a couple of research trips (for another Decanter article) to Cádiz province, first to Arcos de la Frontera and then to Cádiz city and El Puerto de Santa María. Now I just want to stay at home. I mean, if these trips had been last week I wouldn’t have been as worried as I am now, even though the reality of the situation probably wasn’t much different last week, we just didn’t know about it yet.

And so… fuck it, I am going. Today to Arcos on a day trip with my friend Tania in her car. We’ll be visiting two bodegas and then coming home in the afternoon. And tomorrow I’ll be going to Cádiz by train with Peter, stopping off first in El Puerto to visit another bodega, then overnighting in Cádiz city, and coming back on Wednesday. I had originally planned on staying two nights in Cádiz but have decided to just stay for one and cut back on exposure risks.

Last Friday my health centre told me I could have my booster shot today (!!!) but as I won’t be here I have to go back and rebook it after I return. In any case, the booster wouldn’t have “taken effect” in time to make any difference for this trip. But guys… THIS IS MY FIRST TIME OUT OF SEVILLA SINCE MARCH 2020. I’m a bit terrified.

lockdown day 66

18 Monday May 2020

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, home, lockdown, lockdown sevilla

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

corona virus, coronavirus, covid-19, lockdown, sevilla, sevilla lockdown

People keep asking me how I am holding up during lockdown, am I bored, going stir crazy, am I making plans, making sourdough etc etc.

To be honest I think for the first month I was in a bit of a daze. I didn’t know what was going on and neither did anybody else. And that part actually hasn’t changed. But what has changed, at least for me, is that I feel less of a need to try and do anything about, well, anything. Instead I am observing. Watching and waiting. Because honestly, why waste my energy?

Meanwhile, I do seriously wonder how the hell I ever held down a full time job. Especially as, being freelance, my job was actually 7 days a week. Yeah, not every day all day, but I was pretty much always working, or at least “on call”. And yet I always found time to work, get all the chores done, see friends, do the shopping, keep up with an exercise routine.

But now? It takes me half the day to organise taking out the rubbish and maybe slipping in a quick supermarket run (and this only happens about every ten days or so). And when I am expecting a delivery, that also seems to take up half my day. Can I do a rooftop walk? What if I miss them? Should I time that with hanging up my laundry? I am suddenly overwhelmed.

For example today. I can’t believe it’s already 16.00. ALL I did today was get up, have coffee and breakfast, then did some cleaning up, changed the cat sand. After that my rooftop walk (approx 1 hour). Then I hung up some laundry (big evening activity coming up – changing the bed sheets!)

Meanwhile I will eat my late lunch soon (my one meal of the day), while watching something on Netflix, then possibly have a short accidental siesta in my chair. In between now and bedtime there will be some Instagramming and chatting with friends on Whatsapp, maybe a snack. Then suddenly it will be 23.00 and I’ll wonder where the hell the day went.

Have to say that all during this lockdown time I’ve been frustrated, sad, scared, worried, and have also had times of enjoyment and optimism, meanwhile not sleeping much…  but I haven’t once felt bored. How about you?

back the fuck up

14 Thursday May 2020

Posted by azahar in coronavirus, crafts, humour

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

corona virus, coronavirus, covid-19, humour

Behold! my masks have arrived! I wore this to Walmart and Petco today. When someone tells me my mask has penises on it, I kindly let them know this is how I determine they are too close, kindly back the fuck up.

I want one!

lockdown day 55

07 Thursday May 2020

Posted by azahar in casa azahar, coronavirus, home

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

casa azahar, corona virus, covid-19, home, sevilla

The other day I read this article by Madrid No Frills about her experience meeting two people inside their migrant safe house in Lavapiés, and it brought home to me how much of my social media CORONAVIRUS stuff comes from people who are actually doing just fine. Well, other than not being able to go out much. They are healthy and either still have jobs or have their own resources to live on. So on Twitter and Instagram there’s a lot about sourdough and banana bread, seemingly endless garden bbq’s with home deliveries from top end food and wine suppliers. And that’s totally fine, and I really do enjoy seeing all that. BUT…

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