Life in isolation - part one

[m_findlow]

Day 23 in self imposed isolation and I am doing okay-ish.

Work still sucks - nine hour days on an agreed 20% paycut meaning I'm supposed to work 6, but 7.5 if I have work. If I have work?Yeah, I've got work coming out of my goddamn ears. Accountants are geting their arses kicked by government stimulus packages. (and yeah, yeah, be thankful you have a job and all that schtick...)

Staying indoors is mostly okay - I'm not much if an outdoorsy person anyway, but I do misss just walking down the street on my lunch break and checking out all the shops, and maybe the odd naughty food treat. Nothing in the local neighbourhood to see. Just a milkbar that might get a visit if I get desperate for a bag of crisps or something.

Went out for twenty whole minutes today to get my flu vacc at the local clinic. First time I've left the house, albeit the clinic is about three minutes away. Kinda surprised how many cars were on the road. It was almost like there'd been no change and I wondered, where are all you people going? You're not working. What happened to social distancing and working from home? Did I miss a memo?

They told me to wait in the car in the back parking lot and the doctor would come out the back to give me it so I didn't have to go inside. I felt so dodgy, like we were doing a clandestine drug deal or something. I wish I'd been wearing a coat so I could have pulled it open and said "do you wanna buy a Rolex?".Actually, I didn't think that until after I got home, but then found the whole thing terrbily amusing. On the plus side, he bulk billed it so I didn't have to pay the usual $40 appointment fee. Yay!

Physically talking to people is something I'm a little surprised I miss, but we've all been under a lot of pressure so I guess it's just wanting to talk that out. Chatting on the phone with work colleagues just isn't the same. About half the office are still going in (the team rota went out the window) but they're not having to use public transport, or have kids, or elderly folk at home (i.e. they don't give a rats if they get sick - or give it to anyone else for that matter).

Easter came and went with no chocolate eggs or bunnies (boo!). Instead I made a lemon cake and a caramel slice from scratch, which probably means I've matched last year's baking tally of two items per annum. If I use the same recipe this weekend to make the orange poppyseed version I'll have surpassed what's probably a five year record.

Writing mojo has been meh. Trying to read a few books instead. Finished the Beekeeper of Aleppo for my book club (our catch-up was meant to be next week so need to figure out if we do a zoom bookclub or not).I just borrowed the first book of the Outlander series just to see what all the fuss is about. Hasn't enthralled me yet, but she hasn't been sucked back in time yet, either.

Also picked up a cross stitch I haven't worked on in ages. Here are a few progress pics from the last two weeks.

Hope everyone else is doing okay.

Comments

[bk_forever]

Glad you're more or less coping with working from home, although it sounds like you're swamped. Don't forget you need to take some time for yourself. *hugs*

A lot of people still don't seem to be taking the situation seriously, which is bad for the rest of us. If eveyone followed the rules the lockdown might not have to last as long, but too many people don't seem to care for their own health never mind anyone else's.

LOL at your clandestine flu jab! A sensible way of doing it I'm sure, but that doesn't make it seem any less bizarre! Still, you got your jab and that's what matters.

Your cross stitch is absolutely beautiful! I look forward to seeing it when it's completed. I haven't been doing much myself. I finished a small William Morris style floral design, the first of four, and abandoned the rest for the time being since I struggle with black and white charts. Decided to stitch some small owl designs for greeting cards, but I'm only a third of the way through the first one. I hold the fabric in my left hand when I'm stitching and my thumb is acting up, making gripping painful.

Mostly I'm writing, although I don't have a lot of motivation and it's a bit of a struggle to knuckle down. Also gardening quite a bit and doing some sorting in my room in an effort to make space for freshly washed stuffies. There are another two loads out on the line and another load planned for tomorrow.

I do't go out much at the best of times, but now I can't and it's so weird =/

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Very pretty needlework!

I miss being able to browse non-essential shops, too. Blah. At least, living in the country, I can get outside when I want. That helps.

Take heart; we'll get through this.