Newslink April

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wipe every bit of the car they were going to
touch, door handles and switches and all
the controls. This sort of worked but I
noticed they kept missing bits such as the
seat adjusters and headlight switches, so I
began wiping everything myself.
Start at the seat belt buckle, work on to
the handbrake, gearstick, etc, until I was
outside and finished with the seatbelt itself.
That way I knew every bit had been done.
The worst bit was when I picked up a
pupil for their first lesson. I usually drive
them to a quiet area first, so I had to wipe
the passenger side down before they got in
and both sides as we swapped places and
the same again when we returned. I think
our cars must be the cleanest in the country!
The worst part was the mask wearing,
though; it’s particularly difficult if you wear
glasses as I do. It took a while to find the
right mask and when I did my wife copied
the design and made a few more, so I’ve
got 10 in reserve. We had to keep the
windows open for ventilation, but I found
that when wearing a mask you needed the
window open as your face felt quite warm.
After the lesson I took my mask off as I
drove off and my face suddenly felt cold
with the window still open.
All went well for the next few months.
with plenty of lessons, tests and more than
enough pupils – and I could still play golf! I
belong to a small society called TOGGS
‘The Old Geezers Golf Society’ (obviously I
am the youngest one there!) at our local
municipal course and there were a few
competitions to catch up on. I don’t know
why but my golf had improved through not
playing and I actually won three cups.
Things are going well... until October,
when things looked bleak again. More
cases, more deaths. Tiers were introduced
but down here in the South West things
‘‘
Living at the foot of the
Quantocks I found lots of new
walks...it’s quite a climb but
well worth it when you get up
to the top...
‘‘
weren’t too bad, so we were allowed until
November and then BANG! back in lockdown.
At least this time we were told it was for
just four weeks which meant we could plan
for restarting again.
Another four weeks at home but this
time the weather was a little different.
Gone were the long, sunny days of the first
lockdown, with shorter, colder days. More
time was spent inside although I did
manage to dig over both plots of garden to
overwinter, ready for next spring. I also
tidied everything including pruning the rose
and fruit bushes, putting the patio furniture
away and shutting it all down for the winter.
True to form, four weeks on and we
restarted lessons on December 2nd but
alas, it wasn’t for long. After we were all
told we could mix on Christmas Day (a
very controversial decision), West Somerset
went into Tier 4 on December 30 and
then, along with the rest of England, back
into lockdown again on January 5.
This third lockdown has been different
again. Wet, windy, cold and dark. Nothing
could be done outside for weeks so what to
do? I’m not one for sitting down on the sofa
all day watching TV – it feels like a day
wasted. The one thing I do every morning
is to take our dog, Rosie, for a walk. If I’m
working or leaving early for a round of golf
(contrary to what the missus says, I am not
obsessed with golf!) I usually do a walk of
just over two miles each morning before
breakfast. As I’m normally going to be sat
down for the rest of the day in a car, I think
this exercise is important.
During lockdowns, however, I’ve been
taking longer walks of six or seven miles
each day. I’ve found lots of different walks
plus I live at the foot of the Quantocks and
have a footpath 100 yards from my house
which takes me up to the top of the hills.
It’s quite a climb but well worth it when
you get up there.
During this lockdown, because I can’t do
any work outside, I’ve been taking Rosie
out again in the afternoon for the normal
two-mile walk. I know this is not strictly in
the Government guidelines but living in the
country I can’t see it being too much of a
problem, so forgive me.
In between the walks I tried to keep
myself busy by either being on the phone,
checking or sending emails, catching up on
book work or, if the weather allows, doing
some work in the garden. It’s a routine that
means the day isn’t wasted.
As I’m writing it looks like things are
improving and we will be back to work on
April 12. Hopefully, this will be our last
lockdown, but it will be a very long time
before things return to how they were
before this awful pandemic.
There are many things I have missed and
are still missing. As I said earlier, I have
four children but only seen my daughter
and her family as she has been in our
‘childcare bubble’. I haven’t seen my three
sons or their families in months and,
although we still talk several times a week
on the phone, it’s not the same as a hug
with the grandchildren. I know there are
many families in the same boat.
I miss shaking people’s hands, going out
for a meal, going to the theatre, going to
meetings and all the other things we took
for granted before.
For me, though, these lockdowns have
also given me an insight into how life will
be for me when I retire. I’m 63 (though you
wouldn’t think it to look at me!) and I used
to wonder what I would find to do to keep
busy when I do eventually give up work.
It has shown me that I can fill my time
quite easily with gardening, golf and
looking after my other half as she has
limited mobility nowadays so, now I know I
can keep busy, I can’t wait!
Rosie: West Somerset’s
most walked dog!
NEWSLINK n APRIL 2021
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