As we near the first anniversary of the original lockdown we are told there is light at the end of the tunnel, the only trouble it seems, the light is stretching away, two weeks at a time, and getting smaller.
Studying the subway wall, we are looking at our lives from so many different angles, not by design but because there is a need. Day to day habits are no more, or on hold, so we continue to change the way we live, shopping, work and the use of leisure facilities.
The computer in the corner which was once there as an accessory to living, has taken first place in organising our lives, schooling and as a relaxation facility.
With conflicting views in the media, supposedly from some expert or other, where and when will all this end. Middle of February or maybe Easter, there have been reports of the summer.
How life will have changed after twelve and more months of lockdown, traditions no longer available or discarded, will the small groups, in the knitting circle, the card players and many more will they resume?
During the period of restriction people will have come to terms with their spending and to appreciate some of the activities they used to be involved in, and the true cost of following them. The holidays to the far reaches of the earth, the weekly football match or the visit to the Bingo hall, realisation of how they affected the pocket.
Somewhere, hiding in the ether of space, the machine in the corner is supported by ‘Servers’ to bring some form of order, and as the online use has increased so the facility has become overburdened, and the capacity is strained to the ultimate limit.
Of course, shopping online is so easy and as more and more people use this facility, instead of walking around the shops or stores, we are now ordering many things by the use of a key board, groceries from the supermarket or even buying furniture.
There was something of a great feeling looking through and choosing from the colourful display and buying greetings cards, that is slowly dying as people can now select pictures on the computer or phone screen, and one can even add a photograph, and by pressing a few buttons it wings its way to the addressee.
However, the large organisations who provide the service and are the recipients of this facility, have without warning in themselves been swamped with orders, creating miss information or long delays – currently we have been waiting six weeks for some books to be delivered.
There is the true story of the mother who was very excited when her daughter’s boyfriend made it known to her, as a surprise, he intended to take the girl out the following Saturday to a sumptuous meal, to propose to her and present her with a ring.
The mother in her excitement, and using one of the online postal services, ordered a congratulations card for the engagement to arrive on the Monday after the dinner event. But the server of the card ignored the instruction and delivered it on the Friday, a day before the dinner date. With the result the daughter telephoned mother and said, ‘Is there something I should know?’
As we all endure to stare at the dark walls of the tunnel and continually changing the way we live, habits, holidays and more, we are promised the glimmer of light at some far end and the potential of a vaccine to put things right has now become very real.
On the continent of Europe there are about eight hundred million people and counting – I wonder how long it will take to produce enough vaccine to satisfy this vast number of people?
‘Percy’s Ramblings’ is available in book form from Amazon and Kindle.
