In This Time of Plague - 19-03

I went into town today for the first time in a week as I needed to pick up my repeat prescription. The chemists had a sign up at the counter saying they had no face masks or hand gel, but otherwise they seemed reasonably well stocked, including with paracetamol, which is potentially subject to panic buying here due to the government just changing its advice to say 'there's no definitive research, but until we know for sure, avoid ibuprofen, use paracetamol'. It was reasonably busy, but I'd timed things badly and got there just on school home-time, so there were naturally more people about. OTOH people were being pretty good about spacing themselves out, except for one idiot who came and stood facing me from about a metre - so I turned my back on him. I thought I'd manage to do the whole thing wheelchair-gloved, but I'd forgotten I need to sign for it.

I'd shoved my toque on, for the first time since January, on the basis I could potentially pull it over mouth and nose and it's better than nothing. Unfortunately that meant I was slightly over-dressed, layer-wise, and after wheeling from the car I may have looked slightly feverish, if not outright sweaty. On top of which the cold air was making me a bit sniffly. People may have been worrying more about me than I was about them.

I had planned to fill up the car with petrol while I was out, but there were (small) queues at both garages I passed - again, time of day probably - so I'll do that another day. If my supermarket delivery turns up reasonably intact tomorrow - I'm expecting a lot of substitutions - I'll be reasonably well set to socially isolate for the next two or three weeks. Now we just need the weather to improve so I can spend some time in the garden.

My sister rang this evening, she's feeling guilty about not being in school, but her head's told her she would have sent her home if she came in, her union says the same, and the government pretty much that too (the recommendations around high risk are a bit iffy when it comes to being family members of someone high risk).. She blames it on Catholic guilt (the irony of course being it's a CofE school). Her attempts at social distancing are being hampered by her car failing its MOT on emissions, and needing a new exhaust. Which is also turning into a money pit as how much of the exhaust needs replacing kept expanding, on top of which the friend fitting it is having difficulties getting it to fit. But what she actually rang about was to panic over whether we had Dad's savings (which we finally have access to, or soon will have if it hasn't gone through yet) in the right banks. So muggins has to spend some time tomorrow looking up various banks and whether you can create accounts without actually going to the bank. Just what I needed.

Deliverance!

Asda came through with my delivery.

I haven't checked it precisely, but I don't think it's missing much, though there are some substitutions. Most importantly, I have bread and I have coffee, both of which were getting a little low. Though I did kick myself earlier in the week after two days of whinging about rationing coffee when I remembered there's about 150 teabags in the cupboard and I will happily drink tea,

So with that and my repeat prescription I'm now set to immure myself for a fortnight to three weeks.

The driver kept his distance, which I was completely in favour of. I can empty the totes if he drops them on my doorstep,  (didn't know they were called that 'til this week), but as he commented, that has to be tougher on the elderly, even if it is theoretically for their own good. Of course the sheer amount of up and down involved in emptying them and then transferring stuff to the kitchen means my hips are not happy with me and most of it - everything that didn't need to go straight in the freezer - is still sitting in on the floor in the hall. That's the kind of problem I'm happy to have, and to deal with later.