Saturday 2nd May, wearing my Jerusalem hat, I walked into town. I left the house early while the sun was still low and on my back. I caught a bus for the last stretch. No one else was on the bus. I thanked the bus driver and congratulated him and his colleagues for running consistently all this time. He smiled and said, “It gets me out of the house and it's a break from the kids.” I was so excited. This was my first time in the city centre in seven weeks. It is outside my 2km, but I needed real glasses if I wanted to exercise outside during daylight hours and the pharmacies in Douglas did not stock them.
I got off on Grand Parade and staying on the shaded side of the street I headed straight for Boots on Paul Street. The English Market was open which surprised me and the queue into it was over a hundred yards long. On Paul Street I came across another lengthy queue for Tescos. As I passed, a man in his 80’s coming out of Tescos approached a man in the queue and told him that the over 70’s could jump the queue. The people in front of him encouraged him to go ahead. The man laughed and said, “But I’m am not 70.” “Who cares,” said the eighty-year-old, “they won’t challenge you.”
The Boots shop on Paul Street is huge and as I suspected they had a great range of sunglasses. I focussed on the ‘Jackie Oh’ style for women as they provide the greatest face coverage, but they slid off my nose and the rim of the glasses rested on my stitches. I looked over the Kids section including trying on a blocky Roy Orbison style designed to wear over normal glasses, but looked like two television sets. Looking down the aisle, past the Men’s section, I saw a section called ‘Active Sports’. I tried on a pair designed by ‘Ironman’. They were surprisingly comfortable. They hold the side of your head and so no need for nose support and no resting on the cheek. Because they're almost wraparound, they protect the side of the face nearest to the eyes which is the area I seem most prone. They are dead cool. I'll have to hide them from the boys.
While I was in there, I bought yet more sunblock for my face. I was intrigued by a display of organic self-tanning products. My legs are a hideous blue white and so I treated myself to a bottle of their oil-based lotion. It is ironic that I should give my upper body the balaclava treatment while attempting to defraud a tanned look from the waist down.
Coming back up Patrick Street, I headed for the Three Fools coffee shop on Grand Parade. Staying on the left side of the street, I had just turned onto the Grand Parade when I saw a five Euro note fluttering on the ground. It could have been covered in Covid-19, but I picked it up. A man coming up behind me laughed and said, “This is your lucky day, you should play the Lotto.”
I ordered a Flat White from The Three Fools and standing back two metres to wait from my coffee, I saw three homeless men sitting in the doorway of the City Library. I could go over and give the fiver to them but wondered would it cause a row. With my Flat White and peanut butter vegan slice, I sat on one of the seating slabs with my back to the sun. Minutes later, my friend Annette arrived. It was planned. She needed tax forms printed and I company. She handed me a bag of freshly picked apples; they were still wet. "From the English Market," she said. “You mean you queued to get in?” I said. “There’s only three places open inside," said Annette, "but I needed to get something from this one particular stall, I know the owner and she gave two bags of apples.” I returned the favour by giving her a tube of Pharmaton Effervescent tablets, three for the price of one, in Boots. We sat a metre apart. I looked around for the guards to see if they would break us up but didn't see any. Since Leo announced on Friday the extension of the 2km restriction to 5km from Monday maybe people are more relaxed and the guards have bigger fish to fry.
Grand Parade never looked so well; almost no traffic, people sitting around with coffee in hand, chatting and laughing in the morning sunshine. I continued to sit with my back to the sun and envied those who didn’t have to. I saw another man come up to the three men in the library doorway. Two of them got up and left with the fourth man. I told Annette I wanted give him the fiver I found. “Hang on, " she said, "I’ll just see if my Polish friend is around, you can give it to him.” She scanned the street and the Peoples Park, but she did not see him. I walked over to the library and handed over the fiver. Annette and I finished our coffees. “I need avocadoes," I said, "but I can’t face that queue.” “Try the Quay Co-op,” said Annette. Genius. The Co-op only sold organic fruit and veg and it was right behind us over the bridge.
I put on my new sunglasses and as we walked towards the bridge, we saw several people staring at something in the river. “It’s probably a seal, there’s one that hangs around here,” said Annette. When we arrived at the bridge, we looked over the side but couldn’t see anything. I asked a couple standing a few yards, “What are you looking at?” “An otter,” she replied. Just then an otter popped his head and shoulders above water level. He promptly dived back down into the water and came back up with something in its mouth. People shouted in delight and took photographs.
In the Co-op, Annette chatted to the staff while I bought dates, dairy free chocolate, and oat milk Barista style. Laden down with a full back pack and two carrier bags, we crossed the river and watched the otter for a few more minutes. I didn't want the day to end. We walked part of the way home together, Annette wheeling her bike and me debating whether to get the bus. As we turned into Oliver Plunkett Street, I saw a cocker spaniel I recognised. He was with my nephew Sean and his girlfriend Aisling. Sean was waiting with Jameson, the dog, while Aisling collected their takeaway lunch. I introduced Annette and we told them about the otter. They left us to go sit by the river, eat their lunch and look for the otter.
Weighed down by all my purchases, I caught the bus from outside City Hall. There were only two other passengers; one of them recognised me. He told me he was finished for the year – he had done all his exams on-line - but that his plans to work for the summer were gone. He shares a house with three other students. One of them suffers from depression and is going through a particularly hard time with the lockdown and isolation.
I watched three episodes of the Japanese murder mystery, Giri Haji back to back. There was so much killing in it, it’s a miracle I slept at all. I found out later that The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was showing on BBC 2. That would be been a gentler choice.
I got off on Grand Parade and staying on the shaded side of the street I headed straight for Boots on Paul Street. The English Market was open which surprised me and the queue into it was over a hundred yards long. On Paul Street I came across another lengthy queue for Tescos. As I passed, a man in his 80’s coming out of Tescos approached a man in the queue and told him that the over 70’s could jump the queue. The people in front of him encouraged him to go ahead. The man laughed and said, “But I’m am not 70.” “Who cares,” said the eighty-year-old, “they won’t challenge you.”
The Boots shop on Paul Street is huge and as I suspected they had a great range of sunglasses. I focussed on the ‘Jackie Oh’ style for women as they provide the greatest face coverage, but they slid off my nose and the rim of the glasses rested on my stitches. I looked over the Kids section including trying on a blocky Roy Orbison style designed to wear over normal glasses, but looked like two television sets. Looking down the aisle, past the Men’s section, I saw a section called ‘Active Sports’. I tried on a pair designed by ‘Ironman’. They were surprisingly comfortable. They hold the side of your head and so no need for nose support and no resting on the cheek. Because they're almost wraparound, they protect the side of the face nearest to the eyes which is the area I seem most prone. They are dead cool. I'll have to hide them from the boys.
While I was in there, I bought yet more sunblock for my face. I was intrigued by a display of organic self-tanning products. My legs are a hideous blue white and so I treated myself to a bottle of their oil-based lotion. It is ironic that I should give my upper body the balaclava treatment while attempting to defraud a tanned look from the waist down.
Coming back up Patrick Street, I headed for the Three Fools coffee shop on Grand Parade. Staying on the left side of the street, I had just turned onto the Grand Parade when I saw a five Euro note fluttering on the ground. It could have been covered in Covid-19, but I picked it up. A man coming up behind me laughed and said, “This is your lucky day, you should play the Lotto.”
I ordered a Flat White from The Three Fools and standing back two metres to wait from my coffee, I saw three homeless men sitting in the doorway of the City Library. I could go over and give the fiver to them but wondered would it cause a row. With my Flat White and peanut butter vegan slice, I sat on one of the seating slabs with my back to the sun. Minutes later, my friend Annette arrived. It was planned. She needed tax forms printed and I company. She handed me a bag of freshly picked apples; they were still wet. "From the English Market," she said. “You mean you queued to get in?” I said. “There’s only three places open inside," said Annette, "but I needed to get something from this one particular stall, I know the owner and she gave two bags of apples.” I returned the favour by giving her a tube of Pharmaton Effervescent tablets, three for the price of one, in Boots. We sat a metre apart. I looked around for the guards to see if they would break us up but didn't see any. Since Leo announced on Friday the extension of the 2km restriction to 5km from Monday maybe people are more relaxed and the guards have bigger fish to fry.
Grand Parade never looked so well; almost no traffic, people sitting around with coffee in hand, chatting and laughing in the morning sunshine. I continued to sit with my back to the sun and envied those who didn’t have to. I saw another man come up to the three men in the library doorway. Two of them got up and left with the fourth man. I told Annette I wanted give him the fiver I found. “Hang on, " she said, "I’ll just see if my Polish friend is around, you can give it to him.” She scanned the street and the Peoples Park, but she did not see him. I walked over to the library and handed over the fiver. Annette and I finished our coffees. “I need avocadoes," I said, "but I can’t face that queue.” “Try the Quay Co-op,” said Annette. Genius. The Co-op only sold organic fruit and veg and it was right behind us over the bridge.
I put on my new sunglasses and as we walked towards the bridge, we saw several people staring at something in the river. “It’s probably a seal, there’s one that hangs around here,” said Annette. When we arrived at the bridge, we looked over the side but couldn’t see anything. I asked a couple standing a few yards, “What are you looking at?” “An otter,” she replied. Just then an otter popped his head and shoulders above water level. He promptly dived back down into the water and came back up with something in its mouth. People shouted in delight and took photographs.
In the Co-op, Annette chatted to the staff while I bought dates, dairy free chocolate, and oat milk Barista style. Laden down with a full back pack and two carrier bags, we crossed the river and watched the otter for a few more minutes. I didn't want the day to end. We walked part of the way home together, Annette wheeling her bike and me debating whether to get the bus. As we turned into Oliver Plunkett Street, I saw a cocker spaniel I recognised. He was with my nephew Sean and his girlfriend Aisling. Sean was waiting with Jameson, the dog, while Aisling collected their takeaway lunch. I introduced Annette and we told them about the otter. They left us to go sit by the river, eat their lunch and look for the otter.
Weighed down by all my purchases, I caught the bus from outside City Hall. There were only two other passengers; one of them recognised me. He told me he was finished for the year – he had done all his exams on-line - but that his plans to work for the summer were gone. He shares a house with three other students. One of them suffers from depression and is going through a particularly hard time with the lockdown and isolation.
I watched three episodes of the Japanese murder mystery, Giri Haji back to back. There was so much killing in it, it’s a miracle I slept at all. I found out later that The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society was showing on BBC 2. That would be been a gentler choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment