Well as those of us who write must know there is nothing more frustrating than spending a couple of hours writing and re-writing a couple of pages only to lose it all, but yes, guess who that happened to an hour or so ago? Ah well, a lesson learned and all that!
I haven’t written much over the last couple of days as I had been preparing work for Tuesday night – or the lack of it!! I proposed that I take April off and the gentleman who finds me all my work agreed it was the best thing to do. I have to travel and visit and meet with people every day, and in the present situation, it is just not the right thing to do. While it is important it is not critical, and there is also the fact that many of our customers have closed down, and so there isn’t much point in doing 
anything. Anyway, my good lady is already compiling the ‘jobs to be done during April’ list! But only a few hours ago we have found out that she has just been furloughed, so at least she can help me with the list!
I promised myself that I wouldn’t write when I am angry for fear of saying the wrong thing, and recently I have been angry at the irresponsible people 
and their attitude towards the Corona Virus pandemic. It’s not as if we can say we haven’t heard the guidelines, even though I think more people and media bodies could be doing even more. Generally, we are a nation and a race that cares, and for the majority of us, we seem to be doing that, as there are many stories out there proving that, down to people sacrificing their own lives to help save others. It is the irresponsible idiots that I just do not understand, but then I don’t think a lot of us do.
For instance, I think a lot of people have adopted the attitude that if they are out in the fresh air nothing will happen to them. Yet we are allowed out to exercise and still, we see these photos, where people seem to be complying with the Government guidelines and being socially responsible and they are getting stopped by the police and questioned – admittedly we see a snapshot, and there could easily have been other people around before the photo was taken, and maybe it was taken at a convenient time, but I do wonder if the Police aren’t sure what chance do we have. And on that note, I need to ask if someone should be talking to the Police about socially (or working) distancing and being a little more responsible.
We are fortunate we go out once a day, and within ten minutes of leaving the house we are in the country, we rarely see people but if we do we try to give them a wide berth. I say ‘wide’ as there are paths on the walk that are no more than a couple of metres wide, and so with two people passing we do get a bit close, but I have to say not as close as the people in the first photo above or the shopping photo below, and so I get why people get confused.
We are allowed out to exercise, so what is wrong with only household family driving in our cars, and going somewhere for a walk where we can easily be two metres apart from anyone else? Surely it is more about being socially responsible than where we go. Admittedly more people means more chance of not being socially responsible but please read on.
On our walk, we rarely see people and those we do see, seem to be following the guidelines pretty much as requested. But there are one or two who give the matter no consideration. Last week we took our usual walk that takes us past a brook 
where a family had stopped so the children could play in the stream, and good to see under normal circumstances. Yet the parents were more or less blocking the path to watch their children, and people wanting to use the path had to squeeze past them.
It was as if we were invading their little family playing area, and it was our responsibility to get out their way, not their’s to get out the way on a public footpath. Yet if the parents had crossed the bridge and gone to the other side of the stream, where people hardly ever go then the problem would have been solved for all and their view would have been as good. Still, no, their decision was that is where they wanted to stand, and that is where they were staying, just like saying ‘stuff everyone else.’
Another day a family of four were out on the same walk, and where the path becomes a road, they were walking and also playing with a ball and so going quite slow. They were then obviously being overtaken by people just walking, yet again they made no effort to get out of peoples way, another case of our play area – you move away from us, and they were taking up most of the road! Certainly another example of not being too socially responsible.
I went shopping on Saturday with my wife and joined the queue at number four, so nothing drastic. Number three was two metres ahead of us, and number five joined two metres behind us. Across the street, people were queuing two metres apart queuing to get into the chemist. The shop staff were helpful, and all was good. That was until we got into the shop and it felt quite uncomfortable with people walking across each other and brushing past you to get a loaf of bread or a tin of beans!
I don’t understand why the large corporations can’t do more like incorporate one way systems, something I assume would be quite simple with their built-in aisles. Incorporate a tannoy message on repeat and some signage, and I’m sure most people would comply. It would mean the last aisle being the queue to the checkouts, but we get the food needed from that aisle as we walk past the food and so keeping our place in the line. 
All quite simple to implement and monitor and with shop staff walking about they could help control the situation. You can walk around as quickly as you want, or collecting as little as you need as long as you follow the one-way system. Yes, it would mean you still have to pass people, but this would be happening less often and easier to do it being socially responsible! You just stop when you join the end of the queue for the checkouts. The same as you do any day of the week without a pandemic or serious situation!
As mentioned we are generally a nation that cares, and we are also a nation that queue’s anyway, so surely queuing inside the shop wouldn’t bother us too much either? To the extent this photograph was taken at a shop not too far from us, and shows that there is being socially responsible and then there is shopping! 
There are many other things to write about regarding the Corona Virus which I will do in time, but as a final thought for this post, why is it all these people are coming back home from abroad and as my friends did, saunter through the airport without a test in site? Just imagine if five percent of the people returning did have the virus, how many would they infect and why if we have the opportunity to cut it off at source? After all, we are talking about being socially responsible, not quite possible when stuck on planes, and not being controlled at airports. It certainly makes me wonder.
As a nation we are complaining that we are not doing enough testing but surely those entering the country and those NHS workers who are staying at home, self-isolating because they have symptoms, should be given priority so they can go back to work if they are given the all-clear. It’s difficult to sort out, the logistics should be easy enough, and it’s not rocket science! 
We are generally a considerate kind nation, and I hope we can stay this way during the crisis. What I will say is that I hope you are all well and stay safe and