The 'New Normal'

What on earth do they mean when they say 'The New Normal'? It's such a stupid expression. It is related to the current situation regarding the lockdown which was introduced to attempt to slow the spread of the corvid19 virus? So, what was the 'normal' before the pandemic? Going about your business without social distancing? I give up because nobody seems to know. I have come to the conclusion that it's a rather empty term anyway, so I'll forget it.

Wednesday. It's somewhat miserable, overcast with a 'sort of' drizzle. We didn't exactly get drenched when I took Alfie out around 6.45 this morning, but there again we didn't come back dry. I now realise that what I have written in that last sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, but who cares?

I intend walking into the main Milton Keynes shopping centre later as I have a haircut booked for 10a.m. I don't really want to drive as I'm not sure whether I have enough change to pay using the ticket machines in the usual carpark, although I do have an app called RinGo (who comes up with the names of these apps? What a silly name. Never mind.) but it doesn't always work so I can't trust it although it saves having to take change with me. I prefer to walk and I don't want to have to think about parking and, after all, walking is good exercise.

I'm really struggling to write anything vaguely interesting in these blog posts and had considered resting this blog until things change. It seems unlikely that this will happen any day soon, although I do miss my Tuesdays at Camphill. I can't believe my last text to Teo, the leader of the drama workshop, was in 30th March 4 months ago!

Later. I've been into the shopping centre to get my hair cut. I used the RinGo app to pay for parking, although I got there far too early. I had a chance to amble around the centre before walking along to Central Barbers where I waited about 10 minutes before my appointment, which was well on time and done to perfection and I'm so glad it's done. Over 4 months of hair being cut was wonderful and it makes me look about 10 years younger.

(Saturday) A mild day, but looking at the sky there are dark clouds so it's difficult to say whether it will remain dry or not. Quite a strong wind blowing.

I was planning to go to the creative writing group, which was meeting in the Milton Keynes Shopping Centre. At first I thought it was meeting in the Midsummer Place branch of Waterstones, but I got a message via Facebook which said they would meet outside Costa near Midsummer Place. It occurred to me that we would be able to sit in the seating area either outside or in the mall. As it was a pleasant and sunny afternoon I decided to walk and got to Costa but then saw that the seating had been removed in both places and even inside I could see that seating had been removed. I could have checked my mobile to get some idea where the meeting was going to be and would have sat and looked at my iPhone but all seating in the shopping centre had been restricted so that was out. So, I gave up on the idea and began to walk home. It was then that I needed a toilet but the main one in the shopping centre had a long queue outside and even the one in Midsummer Place was closed off to the public. Not a good idea. I suppose I could have tried the toilets in the upper floors below the carpark near Debenhams but I didn't bother so I began to walk home.

The 'New Normal'

(Saturday)What exactly are they talking about when people talk about 'The New Normal'? It's in connection with the coronavirus pandemic and how our lives have been altered since the lockdown was bought in as an attempt to stem the infection rate of the virus. Is it referring to the changes that we have to make for such things as social distancing? Not being able to meet in groups? Not being able to meet our families who don't live with us? Those things aren't what you'd call 'normal' particularly. So if they are the 'new' normal, what was the old 'normal' and what exactly IS normal in the first place? Life pre-pandemic? Before lockdown? Quite a lot to ponder on there.

Whatever measures the government brings in it's all very new territory. It's the bleating and moaning from a certain section of the country which annoys me, lead by the media and in particular the BBC. They seem to love negative news and seem to side step anything that might be positive.

(Sunday) It's 9.55 and it's still strange not going to church and meeting up with everyone. Having some sort of worship on-line, via either YouTube or Facebook is becoming the 'Norm.' But it still seems odd without others around to sing worship songs with, but I suppose you might say it's ;better than nothing.'

I watched the film 'Darkest Hour'  this morning which was originally shown on BBC1 last weekend during the VE Day 75th Anniversary celebrations. I watched it on BBC iPlayer. It was a film I had wanted to see for some time so it was an opportunity to watch it without paying as it would be through the Television Licence. It's about Winston Churchill and his rise to becoming Prime Minister after the removal of Neville Chamberlain as PM after the 'Piece of Paper' incident and the appeasement of Adolf Hitler. Gary Oldman convinces completely as Churchill, not just the voice of the great man, but with the aid of incredible makeup, which must have taken hours to create each day before filming took place. Today I watched the first part of a three-part documentary series on 'History Hit,' which I subscribe to and presented by David Starkey and originally shown on Channel 4, covering the story of Marlborough, Churchill's great ancestor who built Blenheim Palace, and comparing the background to the Battle of Blenheim and the build-up to the Second World War and the rise of Hitler and the Nazis.

Things were going really well at the moment (apart, of course, from the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown) but this afternoon my bed decided to cave in beneath me as I lay on it. It's an IKEA bed. a king-size, and we bought it when we lived in Crownhill and was dismantled and moved with us when we moved to the house in Eaglestone. Like a lot of IKEA furniture, it's one you construct yourself and, unfortunately, they don't like being dismantled and then reassembled. This happened again when I moved to Dexter House, although it did survive being reassembled, which was done by the removal company. But there is a problem in that it has slats which support the mattesss and it's supposed to have metal cross pieces which keep the bed in shape, otherwise it can get out of the correct, square angles and in that case it can collapse. The wooden slats come connected with webbing and you lay these slats across the frame and they sit on the wooden frame, right inside the outer edge. But unfortunately on the side I used to lie on the metal cross-members got broken and as a result the slats keep falling out and you have to lift the mattress to replace the slats in the sides of the bed. Whenever I moved to get out of bed, usually when I sit up and then swing my legs over the side of he bed, the slats move and some fall out. So I started sleeping on the other side of the bed, which has been fine for the past few months, until this afternoon, when even the slats on that side of the bed collapsed. There seems absolutely no way I can continue to sleep in the bed in it's current condition. The slats will not stay where they are supposed to go, so it now looks as if I will need to replace the bed completely. This isn't exactly made easy with the pandemic continuing and not being able to visit IKEA or any other furniture shop, so I may have to simply dismantle the bed and take the mattress off and put it on the floor of the bedroom and make it up with sheets and duvet and sleep on it on the floor until such time as I can entirely replace the bed, which isn't likely for some while with the lockdown continuing. Watch this space for further developments in the saga of the IKEA bed.

(Monday) I managed to sleep really well with the mattress on the floor of the bedroom. I think Alfie was a bit mystified by the fact that I was lying more or less on the floor. He came to have a look during the night, lay down with me but didn't stay long and went back to sleep on the sofa in the lounge. I'm quite happy with the new sleeping arrangements and I will need to take out the bits of the bed whenever it's possible to get the Council to come and collect it all. I'm not bothered about replacing the bed and may just leave things as they are until I can get a new replacement.

It's 6.25a.m. and it seems it's going to be another pleasant morning on the weather front. Washed, shaved and ready to take his nibs out at around 7.15.

Later. I've taken Alfie out again and it's odd seeing Oldbrook Green so free of people. Yesterday evening when we went out it was crowded and had the atmosphere of a Bank Holiday, with children with their parents, some sitting in groups on the grass, some playing football, others walking their dogs, like me, whilst others just strolling around. I'm still not completely certain how much of the social distancing is going on, but a definite more relaxed atmosphere generally.