Don't Know What We've Got Till It's Gone....
In the words of a song by Joni Mitchell we don't know what we've got till its gone. How evident that has become just now.
I was out walking the dog and noticed how long all the 'public' grass has grown. I noticed trees in the parks and pathways are all hanging much lower than I ever remember seeing them. It made me realise the job our council workers do without us really noticing very much.
Certainly the praise heaped on the NHS workers and Care Staff recently has made their work, normally fairly unrecognised, much more noticable to everybody. There has been a call for them to get a pay rise to recognise the hard and sometimes dangerous work they do (I can't see that happening!) When our bin lorries didn't turn up at the beginning of this we panicked. How would we cope without our bins getting emptied. The recycling centres and charity shops shut up shop and everyone wondered what to do with all the stuff they now had time to clear out. (Some idiots thought fly tipping was the answer to that one!) My own mum had a panic when she had toothache and thought she couldn't get a dentist to deal with it. It turns out she was clenching her jaw and causing her own toothache but it was a worry for a few days. Our doctors now consult by phone and email! I had call to consult with my doctor over a warty lump I felt had changed. I put off consulting the doctor as I didn't really want to go near the surgery anyway, however eventually sense prevailed and I phoned for an appointment. 'Could you send us a photo of it by email' the receptionist said. I duly sent it and half an hour later I got a call back from the doctor to reassure me it was nothing to worry about. I've to check in with her when we are allowed 'face to face consultations again just to be doubly sure but in the meantime, don't worry'!! Childen are missing school. I don't mean they are missing school in the educational sense, which of course they are, but they are missing being at school (who'd have thought!!) they are missing the social aspect of school.
Everyone is missing the social aspect of life. The stuff we always took for granted in the past. The friendly chats in the street with a stranger or a friend; a visit to the dentist if you needed treatment; a quick trip to the shops if you ran short of something (it is not quick going to the shops now); grass verges neat and cut; bins emptied regularly; cuddles with family and friends; 'people' in your house, having coffee with you and so it goes on. So much stuff we never thought in a million years would disappear from our lives (hopefully temporarily) in a heartbeat.
On the other hand, it is quieter where I live. I live on a relatively busy road. It's not a main road, but its used as a rat run to avoid the traffic and the traffic lights in the town. We have two schools nearby. A primary and a secondary school are both round the corner from us. Some weekday mornings and afternoons are chaos and pandemonium near us as the parents pick up their precious cargo from school to take them the 500 yards home in the car! We've not missed that. It's been blissfully quiet on our road. Some mornings we just sit and listen to the quiet! I've also noticed the birds cheeping more loudly, there seems to be more of them about. I spotted a Goldfinch tonight while out with the dog. The walk was in a leafy area and normally at the time I was out the bowling green would be still in full use however they are on restricted times now so it was closed and quiet and I think the birds are enjoying the quiet too. I don't normally see many little birds, we see more magpies, crows and seagulls. The seagulls have all but disappeared with the schoolchildren. There is less litter so the gulls have gone elsewhere presumeably.
There are good things and bad about this time. The bad is very obvious, not least the far too many lives lost. The good is maybe where you look for it. I hope everyone else can see some good. xx
I was out walking the dog and noticed how long all the 'public' grass has grown. I noticed trees in the parks and pathways are all hanging much lower than I ever remember seeing them. It made me realise the job our council workers do without us really noticing very much.
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| This is just a random photo of my garden - its as overgrown looking as the roadside verges! |
Certainly the praise heaped on the NHS workers and Care Staff recently has made their work, normally fairly unrecognised, much more noticable to everybody. There has been a call for them to get a pay rise to recognise the hard and sometimes dangerous work they do (I can't see that happening!) When our bin lorries didn't turn up at the beginning of this we panicked. How would we cope without our bins getting emptied. The recycling centres and charity shops shut up shop and everyone wondered what to do with all the stuff they now had time to clear out. (Some idiots thought fly tipping was the answer to that one!) My own mum had a panic when she had toothache and thought she couldn't get a dentist to deal with it. It turns out she was clenching her jaw and causing her own toothache but it was a worry for a few days. Our doctors now consult by phone and email! I had call to consult with my doctor over a warty lump I felt had changed. I put off consulting the doctor as I didn't really want to go near the surgery anyway, however eventually sense prevailed and I phoned for an appointment. 'Could you send us a photo of it by email' the receptionist said. I duly sent it and half an hour later I got a call back from the doctor to reassure me it was nothing to worry about. I've to check in with her when we are allowed 'face to face consultations again just to be doubly sure but in the meantime, don't worry'!! Childen are missing school. I don't mean they are missing school in the educational sense, which of course they are, but they are missing being at school (who'd have thought!!) they are missing the social aspect of school.
Everyone is missing the social aspect of life. The stuff we always took for granted in the past. The friendly chats in the street with a stranger or a friend; a visit to the dentist if you needed treatment; a quick trip to the shops if you ran short of something (it is not quick going to the shops now); grass verges neat and cut; bins emptied regularly; cuddles with family and friends; 'people' in your house, having coffee with you and so it goes on. So much stuff we never thought in a million years would disappear from our lives (hopefully temporarily) in a heartbeat.
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| This is not my goldfinch, but it looked exactly like this one! |
There are good things and bad about this time. The bad is very obvious, not least the far too many lives lost. The good is maybe where you look for it. I hope everyone else can see some good. xx
Since our lockdown was pretty draconian for eight weeks I found what I missed the most was the freedom to just go out for a drive and maybe lunch in one of the ski resorts. And because even to exercise we couldn't go further than 1 km from home and only out for an hour at most (with our permits on us), I found the lack of freedom quite difficult. But you're right oftentimes we don't notice something until it's no longer being done do we! One thing this pandemic HAS taught me at least is who the REAL essential workers are, and it's not just the medical staff but so many other unsung heroes!
ReplyDeleteYes freedom to go where we please is much missed. It makes you appreciate that being put in jail must be horrible - I always thought it would be but there are people who say things like 'jails are too soft for them, they get tvs and computers and all sorts' that's as may be but they don't have the freedom to go where they want or do what they want. Freedom is a biggie. And yes, I agree, its become very obvious who the real essential workers have been throughout this and as you say, its not just the medical staff although they have certainly taken the brunt and I suspect at the end of this there will be a lot of therapy required.
DeleteI always say... parents taking their kids to school in a car always leave their brains behind. The pathetic parking, and why? When my son was a lad I always walked him and the other children to school. My neighbour said her kids moaned when it was my turn as I was the only mum to make them walk! You see MG... I’ve never been nice to know!
ReplyDeleteDoctors... I try never to darken their door!
Charity shops... One in the square had a porch full of stuff... why? That is fly tipping in my book, knowing full well they aren’t open!
Being a glass half full girl... there are so many things we all have to be thankful for.
Be well, stay safe and enjoy the peace.
LX
Parents taking their kids to school are the pits! I wouldn't mind but in our area there are so many schools that I can't imagine anyone lives that far from a school. Plus, they park as close to the corner as possible to save their precious ones having to walk a second longer than necessary and if parking across the driveway is their only option to save the wee souls legs then so be it! Like you I walked our kids to school and given I had three children under 5 it wasn't easy, but off we went every day! There is indeed a lot to be grateful for and I for one am very grateful for the peace that reigns so far! xx
DeleteI don't think they'll get a pay rise either. J had his second NHS pay rise in 7 or 8 years in April... a whole £27 per month. Still, we're fortunate that he still has a job after the threat of losing it a few years ago. J has had toothache for months now. He had it checked earlier in the year, x- rayed etc and they couldn't find anything wrong with it, but he's still having problems with it, and his face occasionally swells. Fingers crossed he'll be able to be seen soon. I'm missing the spontaneity of things, having visitors, eating out, and just unpacking my shopping and putting it straight in the cupboards! We have 3 primary, 4 secondary and a private school, the hospital, a college and a motorway junction within a mile of home. It was blissfully quiet for a while, but traffic is definitely increasing again, and soon it will be a nightmare trying to get out onto the A road, and the parents will be using our side roads as a rat run,speeding, and glaring at anyone who dares to be driving on them at school run time!
ReplyDeleteI hope J can have his tooth seen to soon, toothache is horrible. School parents really are awful. I wonder if they are awful full stop or if its just school run rage! I've had some arguements with some when I've arrived home to find them parked across our driveway - they seriously think they have more right to wait there than I have to get in my driveway! Mostly I try to avoid arriving or leaving at school times but it can't always be the case. Yes, even though we, here in Scotland, are still technically still on lockdown the roads are much busier again, though no schools till August here so at least there is that to be thankful for.xx
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