Tag Archives: coronavirus

off the charts

01 Tuesday Sep 2020

Posted by in andalucia, coronavirus, sevilla

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So why isn’t this front page news? Instead we’re hearing about kids going back to school, but now you can’t smoke on restaurant terrazas and weddings can only have 100 people. Oh, and beaches will be closed after 9.30 pm in some areas. Because… why?

Honestly, our governments are just making shit up as they go along. Even these numbers can’t be trusted, other than to be pretty sure that there are far more confirmed cases and deaths than are “officially” reported. And there is still NO PLAN. Probably because nobody wants to admit they have no idea what they are dealing with or how to proceed. So we are given random guidelines and then they watch to see how many of us get sick and die.

Happy September everyone!

prepped

27 Thursday Aug 2020

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Woke up yesterday morning with what distinctly felt like a mosquito bite on my right hand. And I just thought what an idiot I was! Yes, okay I had gone out and bought the spray to protect me outside when I do my river walks, but I hadn’t taken into consideration the most relevant issue… which is that I don’t ever remember being bitten by a mosquito in Sevilla when I’ve been outside.

What I DO remember are those long hot summer nights when I wake up in the wee hours to THAT SOUND and then later on end up with nasty itchy bite mounds all over my hands, specifically on the knuckles. Well, I hope it’s not too late but, as well as the spray-on DEET, I now have those plug-in mosquito things that are supposed to be “safe for children and pets”.

adiós pasos largos

26 Wednesday Aug 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, friends, sevilla, spain, tapas, tapas bars

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Last Sunday I was out for a walk and, well, FUCK IT WAS HOT, so I thought I’d take a detour on my way home to see if one of my fave places Taberna de Pasos Largos was open for a cold beer (as it used to always be open on Sundays). Well, not only was it closed… IT WAS GONE. I mean, totally gone. Empty. And my heart broke a little, once again.

The toll of this fucking virus can be seen everywhere, but in my own world I am (so far) mostly affected by the restrictions it puts on me, including having lost my job and only source of income, as well as the loss of so many wonderful bars and restaurants. And this time I lost something very special. I don’t even know what to say, other than I will miss Paco, Pepe and Isi very much. Yes the food was great, the wine too, but I will mostly miss just being there with them. So sad.

Paco & Pepe

Isi

Isi

I just can’t…

21 Friday Aug 2020

Posted by in casa azahar, change, coronavirus

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I think I need to write this here, so then I can show it to people and they will know that I am not singling them out or judging them. That it is NOTHING PERSONAL. Rather that it is just a very real and personal thing for me. And it’s also a very difficult thing.

I know I have mentioned it here before, that I am immunocompromised due to my previous cancer and chemo, so I am high-risk for catching this thing. And when you add in my age and that I’m overweight with other health issues, well honey, if I do catch this fucker then chances are I ain’t surviving it.

Since we all got “let out” at the end of June I’ve continued to be very cautious about going out. I limit social contact to once a week (my weekly lunch!) and am careful about who I meet up with. But it turns out that not everyone is being so careful, and that is totally their right. Unfortunately it means – for me – that I just cannot risk being at close quarters with them, especially at a bar or restaurant when the masks are off.

This isn’t easy for me. I miss my friends so much. I fucking miss human contact in general. You can’t imagine how hard it is to say no to an invitation when I am aching to go out and have fun and enjoy time with someone I really like… but because they have chosen to take more risks than I can, I just can’t.

As I say, this is not a judgement on anyone. We are all living THIS FUCKING THING in the best we can. Lots of people think I am being ridiculous. And I think some people are being reckless. But in the end, it’s up to us. Our choice.

Recently I wasn’t able to meet a friend before she left to return to the UK because she had just spent time with another friend who’d flown down from Barcelona (no testing). I also won’t be able to finally meet a Twitter pal in person this weekend because he said to me… “Frankly, I’m exposed all day, everyday. I ride public transportation, work in proximity to strangers, etc. Needs must, and we get sloppy through habit.” I really appreciated their honesty.

It’s the people who don’t tell me they might be putting me at risk that I worry about.

So hey, recently doing the daily walks again, often stopping for a cold beer on the way home, and doing more quick supermarket stops than before (as opposed to only doing online shopping). All of this is risky, but it also makes me feel a bit more human. And since close contact with people is minimal, and lots of hand sanitiser is used, probably the risk is also minimal. But that is as far as I can go right now.

And so the thing is… if you’ve been travelling, or have been hanging out with untested people who have travelled here, or if you are out and about every day in contact with lots of untested people, family or friends… dammit I just can’t see you. Even though I really want to. I only ask that you don’t get mad at me. Because trust me, this is harder on me than it is for you. xx

walking the walk

18 Tuesday Aug 2020

Posted by in coronavirus, lockdown, lockdown sevilla, sevilla

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walk restart (1)-001

As of yesterday I have resumed my daily river walks. Well okay, they may not end up being daily, but that’s the plan. And it really does feel good. Of course the walks, like everything else, came to an abrupt halt when we were all locked down mid-March. Then in April I started walking on my rooftop, which actually was fine for awhile. I did try the river walk a month or so ago, but there were so many people out there, most without masks (it’s not mandatory if you’re doing individual sport activities, but frankly with that amount of people it was hardly “individual”) that I didn’t try it again. Until yesterday. To be honest, it’s been too damn hot to go walking, either in the street or on my roof, other than maybe 5 in the morning, but this week it’s somewhat cooler. And since my dodgy shoulder keeps me from doing much exercise at home I’ve gone back to walking.

Need to get my timing down though. If I go out too early (peak coolish hours) then EVERYONE will be out there, gasping and panting their droplets all over the place as they run or cycle by WAY TOO CLOSE. Also, when I finished it would be too early to reward myself with a frosty cold beer. So I am thinking maybe leave here at 11.30 and finish up around 1.00? It is definitely beer o’clock by then and still not the hottest time of the day. Let’s see how that works out.

Of course this would mean going out EVERY DAY, which is something I have been avoiding like, well, the plague. I have already started going out once a week for lunch, which still feels risky to me, but I am taking every precaution. And aside from taking out the rubbish and occasional grocery shopping that’s really been it. So how risky is going out for a daily walk? And yeah I don’t have to have a beer every time, which would cut down on close contact with people, but man that frosty beer feels so good going down when I’m all hot and thirsty. And I get to say hi to my favourite bar guys. So I guess I’ll just play it by ear. The cases here (and everywhere) are rising daily again… second wave coming?

walk restart (2)