Whatever the Weather Girls self isolate

Trish, Anne and Dina are the Whatever the Weather Girls; Long term friends in the early Autumn years of their lives, on a mission to explore the restaurants and vibe of Liverpool each month – whatever the weather, whatever our circumstances.

BC,before corona virus, the Whatever The Weather Girls met on a regular basis, whatever the weather, whatever our circumstances.

DC, during the coronavirus, we plan on meeting virtually, and hopefully, there will be a speedy AC, after corona virus, where we get back to normal life again, whatever that looks like!

DC, we’ll all cook and share a meal in our homes and gardens, chat about our drinks, if we can get them, and share what we’re doing, what we’re reading and what we’re watching. We’ll also discuss our hopes and fears. Us gals are in that vulnerable age range, so have our fingers and toes crossed that we all get through this in one piece.

TRISH

To kick things off, Trish cooked salmon in a sweet chilli sauce, wrapped in steamed savoy cabbage leaves drizzled in a light honey, mustard sauce.

She described this meal as isolation rations as she was self- isolating after a colleague displayed coronavirus symptoms. Thankfully she was symptom free, although is still self-isolating. Her daughter, who has been an absolute angel, has kept her well supplied.

Poor Trish celebrated her birthday alone this year, although cards and gifts winged their way to her via the post and her doorstep. She was also inundated with virtual good wishes.

Trish has a property in Turkey and had also planned a holiday in Poland and …a  once-in-a-lifetime trip to America along with other exotic countries, how sad that all those plans have been snatched away!

Cupboards have been blitzed and now Trish has a hallway filled with plastic bags!

BBC iplayer films have been discovered and so far, Beyond the pines is the stand out film. Pre LD, her son showed her how to attach her laptop to the TV to watch Amazon Prime enabling her to watch All Good Things, based on a true story. Both star Ryan Gosling which she said was a bonus!

The only thing Trish has stockpiled is eBooks on her kindle which she turns to when sleep eludes her.  Her current concern is how to work from home as vital equipment is not yet   available. Being a Social Worker, Trish is considered a key worker.

Trish is acutely worried about the homeless dying on the streets. She’s concerned they’ll catch the virus, or, lacking money from passers by, end up starving. She’s passed these concerns onto local radio. Given the world situation Trish joined in with a global prayer session, rallied by the Pope.

And finally, her spirits have been lifted by how quickly Mother Earth is recovering and how nature is bouncing back as a result of people being in LD.

ANNE

Anne cooked Spaghetti Carbonara, using beaten egg, Parmesan and bacon. She abstained from the wine due to having stomach problems. I think the stress is getting to us all.

Anne got down to her, very. last. loo roll, so was ecstatic when she finally managed to acquire more, without having to actually fight for it. She also had to collect her great nieces’ things from Liverpool Uni and clear out her room due to an early closure. Liverpool University are going to deep clean their hall of residence and turn it into a hospital.

So many things have been cancelled, for Anne it was her nephews’ 18th, she had planned on spending a weekend with her family in Cardiff.

Anne, like all of us, has been somewhat addicted to the news and is now trying to wean herself off it. She has been watching Liar and Back in Time to the corner shop, and is also enjoying reading a WW2 saga about women working in the shipyards, along with her usual mags.

She has frequently been out and about with her little Westie, Meg, and on one bright day on the Wirral, she waved at me, as Formby was visible from the park. Little Meg also had her annual health check just before LD, and passed with flying colours.

 Anne is very concerned about Hospices struggling as they are unable to do their usual fundraising activities. Anne supports Claire House, and always buys her clothes from there, and given how much she is now saving, she is donating money to them directly. As she says, every little helps.

And finally, Anne and I will now exchange seeds, there is also a run on them.

DINA

I cooked spicy new roast potatoes with a side of cauliflower, potato and tomato, spiced with onion, garlic and turmeric, in an attempt to use all the fresh food in my fridge. Waste not, want not!

I’ve been minding my little grand while daughter worked from home. Suddenly things got more acute re the bug, hence daughter pulled the plug, concerned for our safety. I will miss them both, terribly, just as Trish will miss her girls. Daughter understands, but littl’un won’t. I already feel robbed of those months to come. What awful, sad times, but we all have to do our thing to get through this in one piece, and hopefully come out the other side of it all.

Hubs and I had planned a week in The Lakes with our dogs and another week in the New Forrest….sighs…

I’ve finally scrubbed, dusted, brushed, mopped and disinfected every room in the house to within an inch of it’s life. I’ve almost worn my mop out!

I’m watching The Walking Dead, Westworld, Sister Wives, Ghost Whisperer and random films. There is no news, just corona virus news. It’s odd seeing people on the TV actually interacting with other people, how BC! Once this is over it’ll take us all a while to adjust to hugging again.

I am enjoying a book on Celtic Fairy Tales and One Shot by Lee Child. I usually get my books from charity shops so may need to now invest in a Kindle.

I’ve also sown a mighty fine range of seeds which are already up; How I yearn to be self-sufficient. I am also frantically weeding my veggie patch as the potatoes are ready to go in. My onion sets are now planted out, along with my broad beans and carrots and parsnips are now sown. I’m also powering around with our three dogs and enjoying gardening with our cat.

I’ve started the traffic light system in my street, green card in window means all is well. Red card, help is required. I’ve also got my hairdresser to start up a voucher system for when this is all over so she at least has earnings. The self-employed are struggling.

I’m really concerned about our local rescue, Freshfield’s Animal Rescue as they have now closed all their charity shops and people can no longer visit. I hope to God they survive this!

I’m also concerned re the lack of wine in the supermarkets, now the pubs have shut. Damned if I’m doing the Apocalypse sober!

THE CHATTER

Last time we met. we discussed the dreaded corona virus, now it’s here it’s an unwelcome reality and is affecting every person across the world.

We discussed how we can no longer meet our family, our friends, and how we have to veer away from strangers. At least we are all looking out for family and vulnerable neighbours.

It was sad to see how Mother’s day became a virtual event, no hugs or kisses. Elderly mothers’ were observed from ten foot away. Thank goodness for technology though! Trish is enjoying group chats with family, and we are grateful that we can communicate in so many different ways.

We are all thrilled to see Mother Earth recovering so quickly, air pollution is down  and wildlife are venturing into new habitats.

I am sitting in the garden enjoying glorious sunshine as I type this. The birds are singing and gathering nesting material and the dogs are happily playing. It is quiet and peaceful as there are few cars on the road. I can hear hubs cutting wood for our logburner, which we’ll enjoy tonight It’s so very difficult to grasp and accept what is actually happening in the world. Earlier today on the news I saw police beating people for being out on the streets in India, after the beatings, the people were actually forced to do squats!

Yet,

there is always a silver lining. We will all learn valuable lessons from this, many will continue to work from home, students too, virtual learning is now a thing… and hopefully we will all learn to be less cruel, selfish and arrogant, we can we wiped out so very easily.

And Finally….

As Trish said, we are the virus, and maybe Coronavirus is the solution! It is making us all think!

Until next time guys, be kind, help whoever you can, stay safe and PLEASE stay home.