Thursday 26 March 2020

There was a glorious sunrise this morning. One that makes you miss being outside, one that makes you miss adventure, one that promised it was going to be a warm, sunny day. It was the perfect day trip weather. Good light, soft glow, a warm breeze. It was the perfect time to go out for lunch or explore a new town. Instead, we were inside, for day six.

It was the first day where the sun shone so brightly and the sky stayed that perfect spring blue. The one that’s so beautifully blue because there’s no summer haze on it making it that dirty white. It was as blue as can be. Today was going to be the hardest, I knew it.

I decided to start the day with a cup of tea sitting on the ottoman by the window. The window was open to allow the air to come in. Our ugly balcony room was, of course, annoying me. What’s new?

I headed back to the lounge to write up day five and when I’d finished, I watched some Hannah Montana. Rio goes out for his first walk early morning, and when he comes back he runs and finds me to give me a kiss before he settles down for a cuddle. It’s little things like that that you find comfort in.

We’re starting to gain some kind of routine now. I’m managing to fill my exercise target, even though we’re indoors and I’m keeping on top of social media work a lot easier. I had a blog post to write for the dance company, and I’m impressed with how quickly I got it out. I think 8m actually feeling quite inspired being in, even though usually I gain inspiration from being out.

I think in one way, it’s because my mind is so focused on what we’ll do when isolation is lifted, rather than focusing on that we are isolated. It makes things much easier.

Rio outsmarted me today. That’s right, the dog caused havoc. Or I caused havoc. One or the other.

Alex was doing a livestream class and had just made me breakfast. We had a cooked breakfast and when I finished mine I noticed his was still sitting atop the oven. Perhaps I should plate it up for him? I don’t want him to miss his breakfast and it go cold.

So I took it into the balcony room where he was giving the class and placed it on the table. Of course, this caused Rio to go mad. Bacon? Almost at reach? He loves bacon. He needed bacon. Eating part of my bacon wasn’t enough. He needed that bacon too.

Now, Rio is really silent. He never makes any noise. Even if he’s hurt he’ll do a whine in another room or if he accidentally yelps out he stops himself halfway and looks at us all forlorn. When he’s out, other dogs bark at him and he just stares at them, silently. The only time he barks is if somebody he doesn’t know steps foot on our floor, and knocks the door or enters the apartment. So, all this time he’s jumping for bacon, he isn’t making a sound.

At this point, I’m leaping at him and trying to catch him. Rio is so easy to catch, unless he wants something. And then he turns into this stealth like ninja dog who is rapid and yeah, he is impossible to catch. So I’m diving around the floor like some kind of non-league failing goalkeeper and Rio is dodging me like some kind of professional quarterback. It’s not going well.

I eventually manage to catch him and more or less drag him to the living room. I’m talking sitting on my bum with him on my knee holding him and sliding into the living room. Now, our living room leads off into a corridor and then into the bedroom. From the bedroom there is another patio door that leads to the balcony room. So, I place him down so I can shut the living room patio door. What does Rio do?

You guessed it, he runs top speed out of the living room, through the corridor and back into the balcony room through the open bedroom patio door. He’s back at square one, with his eyes on the bacon. I’m trying to run after him, but at this point I’m out of breath. I mean, I’ve been chasing and wrestling him for 5 minutes now.

I’d just like to remind you all, that whilst this is going on, Alex is still live-streaming a maths class. As in, giving a video class. What’s going on behind Alex? Me trying to stop the dog. What can the kids see? Me running around and falling over. Of course, they can’t see Rio, he’s much too small to be seen on camera. And that’s how Rio and I ruined a maths class in less than 10 minutes.

You probably think, ah yes but at least you salvaged Alex’s breakfast? Nope. It turns out he’d left it on the grill to keep it warm so he could have it when the class was over. It was a ten minute introduction class. The entire class was spent with me chasing the dog. Alex ended up giving Rio the bacon anyway, so Rio 1 Me 0.

Alex went to Carrefour mid afternoon so we could stock up on fruit, veg and meat. We also ordered an animal fur vacuum and a sound bar for the TV. Whilst he was out, I took the curtains down from the balcony room as they were in desperate need of a clean. When Alex got back he scrubbed the mould off the wall with bleach. It’s weird being an adult isn’t it? Having to know how to kill mould and rubbish like that? I like the balcony room much more without the curtains though. Perhaps a change of curtains would improve the room?

I watched the Jonas Brothers Concert Experience and played some games mid-afternoon.

Later in the evening, I got upset. It wasn’t for lockdown, though maybe part of it was. But, I had an influx of people messaging me on twitter saying I was encouraging self harm for taking flights. It sounds ridiculous but they told me I’m responsible for the mass killings of millions because of the effects flights have on global warming. They told me I clearly wasn’t raised to think of others if I value flying back and forward between England and Spain and going on holidays more than the safety of millions. All because I said please stay home, the older generation would do anything to keep us safe if the roles were reversed. Which, I still believe in.

They told me the older generation deserve to be culled and this pandemic is a blessing as it will remove the older generation and kill the travel industry and other pointless industries, like the arts. I don’t know how some people can be so mean. They then blocked and reported all of my accounts and my blog saying it promotes self harm and the destruction of people. It’s really upsetting to read a realm of messages like that.

We had sausage casserole for dinner, the sausages had apples in and it really brought the other flavours out. I had some rose wine and watched The Hunchback of Norte Dame. The songs in it are so powerful and out there definitely has a new feeling to it. Later, we were a part of the clapping for the front line workers and then I did some yoga before heading to bed.

There are more and more people being diagnosed with COVID-19 at the moment and even more going undiagnosed. Sanchez, the prime minister, says the economy in Spain is shutting down and the country is suffering, but if we don’t continue there won’t be a country to rebuild. It’s all very real. We already know that the extension for lockdown has been granted but I wouldn’t be surprised if it extends again past Easter.

While the world is getting darker, I just hope more love is on its way. I hope dreamers carry on seeing things in bright and bold colours. I hope claps and cheers and support carry on. It’s just a case of holding on another day, until the brighter day comes when this is all over. And it will be over. We just have to hold on, look out for one another and ride the storm.

Keep safe,

L x