Over many years, I have enjoyed a happy blogging relationship with my friend Meike in Ludwigsburg, Germany. Yesterday she was puzzled about me going to collect Clint from a local garage. He had been there since last Saturday afternoon.just before COVID nobbled me.
This is what Meike wrote:-
I am confused - you went to the compound yesterday, right? Aren't you and Shirley under some kind of quarantine rule right now, or have such regulations been abandoned in England? Here, if your neighbours see you outside your flat when they know you have covid, I wouldn't put it past some of them to report you to the Health Office.
This was my reply:-
In England, the legal requirement to self-isolate for five days was lifted a couple of weeks ago. However, out of courtesy, I told Kyle that I was positive and he said he didn't mind as long as I came in wearing a mask. We remained a couple of metres from each other as I paid the bill.
In addition to what I said to Meike, I want to say some other things about this matter, by way of clarification.
Firstly, until four o'clock yesterday afternoon I had not ventured out of our house - apart from putting food out for our garden birds and taking plastic recycling to our bins.
When Kyle phoned me yesterday afternoon around three o'clock to say that Clint was ready for collection, I explained that I had tested positive for COVID. He said they needed to get him out of their compound as they have limited space and need to move vehicles on as soon as possible. He said we would keep our distance and I should wear a mask.
Shirley took me down there in her car so that I would not be riding on a public bus or walking past other pedestrians. In two minutes, I promptly paid the bill, took my keys and drove Clint straight home. I was not gallivanting about in public or irresponsibly breathing COVID germs on my fellow citizens like a marauding dragon. My behaviour was completely within current government guidelines.
Here are some extra points.
On Sunday, I phoned my quizzing mates to say that I would not be joining them for our regular Sunday evening quiz. On Tuesday, I informed my other drinking chums that I could not be in "The Banner" for our usual session. On Wednesday, we could not look after our darling Phoebe for the day because of our COVID infections - thus causing our daughter unwelcome issues with her work. We won't be able to look after her on Friday either. Tonight (Thursday) I have had to cancel my pre-paid attendance at a folk evening on the other side of town. Tomorrow (Friday) I cannot take my poorly brother to his endoscopy appointment in an East Yorkshire hospital and instead have had to arrange for a friend to step into my shoes.
I haven't been on a planned country walk and I haven't been to Lidl to do our main weekly shop.
My life is very much on hold because I am a very responsible citizen. All that I have done - and this was, as I say, well within the rules - is I have safely been to my local garage to pick up Clint as requested.
It is staggering that trolls should jump on this point and both in my comments box and elsewhere cast aspersions on my good character. Why can't they ever say any nice things ? Why can't they even show a morsel of sympathy for the fact that my wife and I have contracted COVID - a deadly disease that has killed 165,187 citizens in this country? It must be horrible living a life in which you are perpetually looking to judge others, score points, win one over on other people or crush them down. How much better to live by this motto: "It's nice to be nice" because it really is.
I was tempted to just say nothing on this matter but when your character is being impugned so very unfairly on other people's blogs, there comes a point at which you cannot let it slide by. Undoubtedly, those trolls will now be grinning with glee about my response instead of seriously addressing their tendency to besmirch others without proper reason to do so. To them it appears to be a kind of sport. Saying sorry and meaning it would of course be beneath them.
N.B. Troll comments on this blog are customarily deleted without being read.
from Yorkshire Pudding https://ift.tt/Jt6TLSR
