HUNKERED DOWN IN BIRDWELL

Got to keep fit

 It is really important in these dark days, to keep fit. We have the exercise bike, and we have a garden large enough to run around. So we have no need to leave the house except for food. Today we made our weekly trip to Aldi up the road, and we got enough supplies to keep us going for at least another week.

David's little greenhouses

We have both been keeping busy, David has been in the garden, and I have been in the kitchen. So we should have a few veggies sprouting in a couple of months, and a good supply of ginger biscuits.

I have also penned a short poem, but in the main I have not wanted to put pen to paper, preferring the more mundane tasks, cooking, cleaning, and of course the knitting needles are out again. General concentration has gone out of the window, but I am trying to keep some semblance of sanity. The magnanimity of this crisis tends to come over me in waves, one day I'm OK, the next I'm on the verge of tears, but generally David and I are coping well with isolation.

As I write the number of deaths in the UK stands at 1,789 that is up 381 from yesterday. Most of these deaths are in London, but there have been a few (3) in Barnsley.

It is hard to look on the bright side, but my neighbours little girl popped a card through the letterbox which she had made to say, stay safe, and today a picture of a rainbow arrived to put in the window. And not only that, my daughter-in-law left strawberries and a small bottle of prosecco on the doorstep. That brought a smile.

So, as ever, my message to you is the same - Stay Safe! I'll be back next week with an update, meanwhile here is my poem, it's serious, but then so is this worldwide crisis.

Covid 19

The weeks go by and people die,

death has become a game of tag,

don’t let it touch you; dodge its hand,

outrun its pace, do what you can;

don’t let death be the catcher-man:

the catcher-man, the catcher-man,

he’s out to get you if he can.

Refuse to play death’s ugly game,

retire, retreat, re-map and plan,

don’t let death have the upper hand,

turn on the foe, make fast your stand;

don’t let death be the catcher-man:

the catcher-man, the catcher-man,

he’s out to get you if he can.

Outstep death’s shadow; slip its grip,

be clever, use your well honed wit,

don’t let death decimate our land,

humanity must make a stand;

don’t let death be the catcher-man:

the catcher-man, the catcher-man,

he’s out to get you if he can.

Be full of hope, the world is strong,

each person must now play a part,

don’t let death make undue demands,

heed every government command,

stay safe! Let's beat the catcher-man.

With love and lots of virtual hugs,

Jane x