Friday 27 March 2020

Any relative novelty at being housebound is seriously beginning to wear off.  Mistress is almost climbing the walls and although I can occupy myself in the garden (thank goodness for gardens) I am feeling distinctly fed-up.  So fed-up in fact that, earlier this afternoon, when Mistress was on a live webchat with her colleagues I climbed onto her lap and tried to display my fou-fou on the screen.  I was quickly ushered away in disgrace.

Mistress and I have been out for our once-a-day permitted exercise and were able to buy some food and some treats for me.  A blessing - in South Africa their government has instructed that even walking a pet dog is a forbidden activity.  I was very struck by the households where there are obviously small children.  A great many of them had very bright and jolly pictures and drawings in the windows. Mostly rainbows and smiley faces, but some had also written "thank you NHS" or just plain "thank you".  Lovely to behold and terribly touching.  Much that is good can come out from within this global hell.

And that brings me on to yesterday evening.  As a nation, we were encouraged to stand at our windows or doors and applaud the wonderful NHS workers (who number among them Mistress's brother and sister-in-law), carers and support staff.  I was somewhat cynical, especially on learning that some bright spark had called the effort "Clap for the Carers" (surely the very last thing they would want at the moment), but when the ripple of applause from neighbours and nearby streets began, Mistress and I immediately opened our front door and heartily joined in (well, I did until I spotted my long-time nemesis, The Toad (he is a toad), who dares to live in MY garden, in the front border under the honeysuckle.  Then I had to go indoors because my barking was rude).  It was a touching and powerful thing; most of our neighbours clapping, cheering, some banging saucepan lids and pots.  All the more so for my Mistress, as she has spent considerable time in hospital just lately and the lady in the house opposite ours is a nurse who helped tend to her.  We gave her a special cheer and she waved. It was a very, very special thing in these desperate days and most moving.

Enough of my cynicism returned to me today, however, to make me consider how galling this must all be to those who set  store by psychics, horoscopes and fortune-telling.  No-one predicted this chaos, did they?!


My feelgood clip for the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHfHMvH7owo