Lockdown 2.0 day 14

 Another day in the row of lockdown, dark and empty streets, cold and rainy, really good days to stay at home.  It gets more and more uncomfortable, when we have less access to our comfort shopping, that all now happens on line. Works fine, the mailbox is filled and the notes of delivered packages are around. So, I AM happy, with the little assecoires for my camera, it makes my luxury a lot more comfortable.

Today I had a long sit in the tram, a man dropped down, unconscious, so we all had to wait for the medical aid to come. I had a bit time to think, and one of the things that came up, was about the 'anti corona' brigade.
At the start they were convinced about the Gates Conspiracy, what happened to that?  Is there still anyone believing in the chips in the vaccinations?  When will the first alarm go, when a vaccinated person is entering the supermarket?
Hot item at the moment is the limitation of the firework, with silvester.  It is not soled in the shops, but in internet people can buy it everywhere.  At many places it is not allowed to fire it,  in other cities there are just certain areas where it is not allowed..

It is a bit irritating, all those different regulations. I understand it (a bit), but for the normal people it is only confusing. People need, and find a lock, so that they still can do those things, what are not good in this time.  A general rule should be much more easy!   Well, for the people who think like me it is easy.  No firework, also no confusing, where and where not  But it is very confusing, and for the people that appearantly look for 'mazes'  in the net, they will find it and make unnecessary things dangerous. 

I fear that it is with all the measures are taken. There is no transperancy.  Most people are clever, they just stay home, but there will be always a group that needs the rules more. And if those rules are not there, the unpleasant surprises are predicable.

I don't want to end this blog negative,  I am grateful that we are still healthy (knock on wood) and that we have our house, our food, and each other.  Life is as good as you make it. Worries are a reason that people get ill. I want to be healthy. I smile, and those days, I sing loud with the music :)  Ahhh bliss!

The photo is taken today, I was getting bread in Düsseldorf  on a very grey day.  

Lockdown 2.0 day 13

 And I did not post a blog yesterday.   Not that there is nothing to mention, every day has its highlights, but it was just a day to forget everything.

The lockdown brings a kind of weird isolation. It is not from free will, and, tho I do not mind being alone and dong things alone, that consequently has affects at the day, at the things I do. No horry, it can be done later, tomorrow., next week...
The first signs are already there, that the Lockdown will not be over, after January 10th.  We have a while to go, but the numbers of infected people are not really going down enough.  
And considering the lots of things those lockdown already costs it is in my eyes useless to say, okay, leave it, as long as there are no other alternatives.

No one can foresee what happens, but we can foresee today.  It is winter, yes, the glasses get dampy when we go out and I see a lot of fellow 'damp gazers'.  Good that it is not that busy, but  it is also a bit unhandy.
Mask on, Hat on, and then the cleaning the glasses in the street. Did you ever try?

:-) 

Anyway it was beautiful (cold) weather, and I went for a lovely walk, unmasked. Not too many people outside, and that was exactly how I wanted it. Sometimes it works :) 
Oh, yes, worth to mention, this year there is officially no firework on sale in Germany.  Also, who wants, buys it at Internet, but in a lot of places it is not allowed to fire them with Silvester, well, you can imagine what is going to happen.  
We stay home. But, that is not yet, a lot can happen in 2 days.  What will happen?  I think you might read a bit of it, soon in this theater :)  

The photo.. Well, no comments to that!

Lockdown 2.0 day 11

 On the 3rd day of Christmas....    

It is sunday again. When I went to my work (yes..) at 6.45 in the morning,  I was confrontated by a fully empty street. The bakery just opened, the tram passed by with one passenger. And at the corner a homeless man was sitting, smoking his cigarette.

Cold, windy, defintitely a day to be cozy at home. And definitely not in the street, like this man. 
Who  knows me a bit, knows that I believe, that everything happens for a reason.
The view of this man, in the cold, I greeted him good morning, was pinched at me, and I walked further to find the coffee machine not working properly. Argh... Me and no coffee,  that was not as planned!

Luckily I found some alternatives, and my working hours went wonderful. With every talk I had that man in mind, sitting there in the dark. What should he be tinking, if anything at all, when he saw me, masked?  Ah, most likely he did not see me in the dark, just a silhouetto of a man...mama mia...

When I came back, it was a bit lighter, and stormy weather. The bakerys were still open, the man is gone. A few more people in the street, still no weather to be outside.
At home, first a real coffee (wow.. did that taste!) and then we had a video talk with our friends in the UK.
What a lovely hour that was, as if they were sitting with us at the couch, and as if things were just like in the good old times. 
Since the good old times are gone forever, we need to build on the good new times. And I think that that is the challenge for the upcoming time.

Oh, yes, before I forget, it is a diary, so it is about today..
They started with the vaccinations, today, what is positive. No matter if youi want to be vaccinated or not, fact is, that (when all turns out well)  it slowly will lead to a bit of normalisation of our daily lifes.  With all those lockdowns, it is getting harder to find the things that we need to buy. Where to we get a ightbulb for our (special) lamp, now the shops are closed?   On line, correct, and it will take at least a week before it is delivered.
More and more I discover the advantages of 'on line' talking.  Chatting from the couch, seeing eachother,  better then the pub.  

The photo is taken this morning at 7, at my desk.

Lockdown 2.0, day 10

 On the second day of Christmas....

Another day, lazy at home, shops closed, and... everybody in the park, because what else can you do on such a day.

I was in the park as well. After a lazy moring, nice and relaxed breakfast, I made a wonderful walk, in beautiful weather. No matter where I go, everywhere I find signals that things have changed. I still do not mind too much, but some moments I miss it, or I notice it. Sure with the camera in the hand.  

On this day I met a few people, that clearly had some difficulties.  The old lady, who was collecting the paper work in the street, and asked me if I could take the little 'car' home, (see photo).  I asked her, do you know who it belongs?  Yes,she said, they live there, and she pointed to a window at the 2nd floor.  Not that I had the intention to take it, of course. :)  

Then, later, at one of the beautiful edges of our park, a cluster of people was begging me for money, inviting me for a smoke, argh... Poor people. It is cold outside and there is no place to go.

After a while my gratitude returned. I am so happy, to have a roof, a warm bed. And even when the scones did not rise as good as I wished, they are still delicious to eat. I can't take away the idea that Mags is giggling, upstairs, when she sees the monsteous scones.  
Everyone can bake scones.

Well... that is definitely not true :) 

Yes, I eind this day with a smile. There are hard times on our way, for who thought Christmas was bad, beware for t

he next few weeks. 
I have confidence. I wish I can share my hope, my faith, and my humor with you.

Lockdown 2.0, day 9

 At the irst day of christmas....

After a false start in the day, at 3, where I did drop back in old habbits, the restart was much better.Awake at 9, a nice and calm breakfast and then I made my  walk, with beautiful weather.  First day of christmas, and of curse the bus was (almost) empty, as well as the street. It is going to look a lot like christmas. 

As I wrote before,  the biggest problem for a lot of people is, what to do with the load of free time, now that the entertainment possibilities are so little. No Zoo, no museum and that not just for one day.

Well, that was, as expected, what I saw today.  First, it was early, a lot of joggers, and later, families with kids, grandparents, and I don't know what more. I was not intrestetd, just in keeping distance, and  I concentrated at my photography, and getting my head clean again. 

It worked wonderful, I walked home, missed my coffee ;-), but I recharged, so all is fine.
I just baked my oath cookies, and now.. am ready for a quiet evening, in best company.

The photo is the first one of my walk of today. I think some more will come, at my Hafri Site at Facebook.  

Lockdown 2.0, day 8

Merry Christmas!

At Christmas eve, we had the luxury to enjoy our first free day in a roe of 4.
Thank God it's Christmas!

I did my last shoppings, the city looked very empty, only the perfume shop had a queue, last minute on line pick ups.
It looked very much like a lockdown indeed.

We stayed home, the weather was  inviting for a nice day, Kartoffelsalat and sausages, and a remote talk with family.

The church clocks invited the people, who booked their tickets, to come to the church.
No gatherings allowed, but this is okay?
The church clocks sounded like dead bells to me. The most scary thing I heared in this year. Okay, I think too much, maybe?

Now I am awake in the middle of the night, just awake, well, I guess that is lockdown? 

Blog is written. Cold feet. Back in bed. Hopefully for a bit of sleep.

Mood? Restless...

Lockdown 2.0 day 7

Strange days it are.

Soon it is christmas, and, as every thing, this year, it is different.

But not all has changed.
The madness in the supermarkets remains.  What is new, are the endles queues outside, waiting before one is allowed inside.  And when I hear the news, there is no sight that the curve is flattened enough to hope at a bit better, soon.  Too manie people are killed by the virus, too many people get sick by it.

A deep sigh and forward we go.  Today was a bit a strange day, the preparations for christmas are finally running here in house as well, but it is .. .different. 
The dark cloud is not really leaving.  I wake up and the cloud is there, I make my walks, in the park, the cloud is there. I cook, I clean, the cloud is there. Radio on, radio off.. it is there. You don't see it, and it is there.
I fight hard to stay positive. And I succeed. I have no other choice. I want to survive, I want to get good out of this, and I will. And I will do what I can, so that you come out of this good as well (that is my loud wish to .. you know). 

Meanwhile, everything remains different.  And meanwhile even the ruitine walks, bring surprises.  I only had to look up, to see the bird. Wow.
My day was good. The surprise came, just when I did not expect it.
I am open for more surprises. And I know very well, that I am very grateful for what I have.

Tomorrow the last preparations, for christmas. It is going to look a bit like it.  The light burns inside..  See it. Let it shine into your eyes.  Masked, of course :) but not the eyes. 

Todays photo is from the christmas tree market, in front of the monumental 'Alte Post'

As if nothing else matters.