As I start writing this, it is five o’clock on Monday morning, and once again I have taken my own advice and decided to get up and write, rather than lying in bed with my mind wandering. I have said, lying in bed at that time of the morning can be a lonely place. And in my opinion, if sleep is unlikely to come back, as it wasn’t coming to me this morning, we are better giving in, and getting up to occupy our minds, so here I am.
I assumed I would spend a lot of the Christmas break writing, but for some reason, I just haven’t felt like it, but then we all need a break from many things we do, and that is exactly what my wife and I have decided to do – we are off ‘glamping!’
We are not going far, literally fifteen minutes down the road, but we wanted to do something a bit different whilst we can. The next review of the new ‘tier system’ is on Wednesday, and I think we are all expecting to go into tier four, and so we found a pod in the middle of a field and are off in a few hours and back on Wednesday, our only problem – the weather. I let the dogs out at quarter to five this morning, and I took these photos! We will see how it goes, I don’t suppose we will get a refund because of the weather, so it looks like we will be digging out the winter woollies and will go for it.
And here I am at quarter past ten, and we’re not going, we’ve been sensible. The snow hasn’t stopped, and access to the pod is up a steep, narrow lane and wasn’t advisable, so we re-booked for my birthday in February.
As we talk tier four, we are talking about the latest coronavirus update and situation, and the new strain that has been found, even in other countries, with people having travelled from the UK? Is it really something that has originated in the UK? I can’t see it myself, but then I am no scientist or health expert so I wouldn’t know.
What is concerning still, is some people’s somewhat blasé approach towards the virus and their ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude as was seen in our local restaurant last night, whilst celebrating our wedding anniversary. The first a young man was walking from his table to the bar with no mask on. I couldn’t help it but as he walked past I said ‘nice mask’, and he just looked at me, but it made no difference, as he didn’t even try to put one on.
But then he wasn’t supposed to be at the bar in the first place as we all know it is table service only these days and has been for months, so why was he there, and why no mask? Then it was time for him to go to the toilet with no mask, then it was time to leave with no mask on, even when asked to do so by waiting staff, it made no difference he just ignored them. There was no attempt to put one on, no apology, and no explanation as to why he couldn’t wear one – nothing. But there was, in my opinion, just ignorance.
Then the family came in, two older people, and I assume husband and 
wife, with again I assume a son and two grandchildren, at least that’s how it looked. And the son with his woolly hat on and no mask. But for a minute, let’s go back to the new strain! We are being told it is more prevalent in younger people as this simple online search shows. So my question is this, why aren’t younger people wearing face coverings when indoors where adults have to wear them?
Anyway, the two younger children didn’t wear their face coverings, but then the woolly hat wearer didn’t wear his when he had to go to the toilet either, nor did he wear his when he was also asked by waiting staff, and there in the space of five minutes was an example of two people, who in my opinion just don’t care, and why the virus spreads so easily. But then, in my opinion, they shouldn’t get served.
But then sitting watching them eat did make me wonder, the one sitting at the table with his woolly hat on, one of the younger generation, probably 13/14 years old, not only wearing a baseball cap but the hood of his sweatshirt up over the cap. And there I see people not caring about the virus, but in my opinion also with bad manners!
Now as I say we are all entitled to our opinions, and my parents made sure I had manners, and credit to them for that, and probably a reason I don’t like bad manners, they cost nothing. Unfortunately, they are a diminishing aspect of our daily lives, and they seem irrelevant to many people these days. I even had to question a shop attendant once recently when they served me and not once did they say a please or a thank you when taking my money.
There are a few wrongs, first of all, and I appreciate this may have something to do with my Air Force training and upbringing. Still, you don’t wear a hat indoors, but you certainly don’t wear one when you are sitting eating (never mind two) but people just don’t seem bothered, but doing that and not wearing a mask when asked, and certainly not giving an excuse is all wrong in my world.
But then it’s the same as people who sit in pubs with their feet up on the pub furniture, many seem to think it is their right to do so, and don’t care where their feet may have been or that others will want to sit there at some stage, it is the done thing in many pubs these days, my question – would they do it at home? And we all know the answer to that one? I think I’ve mentioned children walking on pub furniture in another post.
But then there was the shop keeper I mentioned. People buying produce of any type are helping to pay that shop attendants wages. Is it too much to ask for a please or a thank you along the way? I don’t think it is because we should be saying those little words somewhere, each time we are giving or receiving something, so maybe more-so when it comes to someone paying your wages.
And back to my restaurant, the group six youngsters at one table just about wraps it up, walking in and out for their cigarettes with no masks on and why were they all sitting together anyway. More concerning why were they allowed to sit together?
People will read this and say maybe these people were exempt from wearing masks, but the numbers don’t stack up, it would be unreasonable to expect such a high percentage of people unable to wear masks in one small place at the same time, and the realists amongst us know that. And all this was in one small restaurant over one two hour sitting it’s quite sad really, but imagine what is going on the country over at the same time, and we wonder why cases are so high!
I was discussing this with someone I know who works in our local garage forecourt shop. She is one of those employees who will question people not wearing face coverings, and she said she didn’t realise so many people had asthma, as that was the standard reply from people who didn’t wear a covering, and again the numbers don’t stack up. People simply using asthma as a reason not to wear a mask, and how difficult is it to put one on, or how many people just don’t care? And to me, it will always be the latter.
A harsh as this will sound, I believe some of those who don’t wear masks due to ‘breathing complications’ or asthma could put a very loose-fitting covering over their face to help out and make others feel at ease.
I say ‘some’ because there are varying degrees of breathing difficulties, and surely some form of covering or face mask that doesn’t cover the nose and mouth could be worn by some of these people who say they can’t?
On a final note my friend won’t go out to socialise during these times as he is conscious of catching the virus after a mild heart attack, but he simply could not relax in the environment we were in last night, because these people would play on his mind, and he is a reasonably level headed person. Imagine with someone suffering from Social Anxiety Disorder? After all, it is an anxiety disorder characterised by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations.
So these people, especially those not wearing masks can actually be doing more harm than they know, but then with the lack of manners, would they care? There in itself is a question?
Reading back, this is quite a critical post, but as always hopefully a realistic one. But it is how I feel about people not prepared to wear coverings and bad manners! I think both are important in today’s society, yet others don’t seem to care, some don’t care in the slightest. I know they are the minority, but as always the minority seem to spoil it for the rest.
Thank you for reading and stay safe.