When the Gods conspire
I had been counting down the weeks and days to today.
Now that it has arrived all I feel is despair.
Today is the day when the “Authorities” say my coffee shop can reopen [naturally with a set of restrictions longer than an anti-social distance].
I shall not be investigating. There is no point. I know the chances of greeting a few friends and having a mugfull while Penny gets her chicken treat are as remote as the outer planets. Not only has Disney ripped the village asunder but the place will be thronged by the Great Unwashed all bringing their little brats to see the excitement. It’s a double whammy – Disney and the Virus. They have conspired in tandem to rape the village.
You must all think I am sad to place so much importance on a mug of coffee. I don’t. I’m not even a coffee drinker normally. The coffee shop is just a touchstone of normality and normality is what I crave.
Since I gave up work and in particular since Herself’s health took a downturn life has taken on a rhythm and a beat which is comforting in its regularity. Part of that beat was to drop down to the village once or twice a week for a little break for myself [and Penny] and to get out of Herself’s hair. That has been taken away forcibly for the last five months and I want it back.
All I want is to wander down to a quiet village and to meet up for a chat and to catch up on local gossip. I want to be able to sit near people without them cringing away as if I stink of shit, I want to be able to shake hands or clap them on the back. I want to be able to see people’s faces and whether they are smiling or not. I want to be able to enter a shop and wander around looking for what I want off the shelves.
I have to go down tomorrow or Wednesday. Hopefully there will be less crowds as the bank holiday is over. I’m not hopeful about the coffee shop being open though.
I just want my old life back.
Is it too much to ask?
It isn't too much to ask. People are social animals.
I had a couple of guys from work I used to meet up with every Saturday for coffee. That once a week meet up is the thing I miss the most in all this. A close second is stopping in at the tobacco shop for a tin of something I didn't really need, but I didn't want to take up space without dropping the owner a few bucks. Sadly he is out of business now.
I'm just hoping my coffee shop has survived. I haven't been down yet to check [I'll be dropping down tomorrow]. The one good thing about the filming is that the owners will get a nice chunk of compensation.
With any luck it will be a large enough chunk to keep the shop above water.
No it’s not too much to ask, we all want life to return to normal. The reality is it will never be the pre-pandemic world it once was. Eventually we’ll adjust to a new normal and hopefully it won’t be too far off from the old. However, the situation in your village really sucks! How long is the filming crew going to be there? That would get old REAL quick.
The only good thing that may come about is the concept of remote working. It doesn't affect me [thank God] but it's something that makes a ton of sense to a lot of people.
As for the filming, they are supposed to be taking over the entire village next week and a few more days in July. I gather that access to shops or even the ability to drive through will be at the whim of the film mob. It is a massive pain in the backside.
It's not too much to ask, yet the parasite class want to hang on to their power, self-importance and egos.
Bollocks to the lot of 'em, I say.