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Monday, 31 May 2021

Apart from that



We visited Bakewell a few days ago. A pleasant day and a pleasant drive with the top down followed by a bacon roll and coffee sitting by the river in the sunshine. It’s something we do quite often although we don't usually indulge in a bacon roll and we usually put the boots on and go for a walk. But not this time. We’ll share one bacon roll between us next time – they were gigantic.

Bakewell has always seemed pretty keen on the coronavirus lockdown, right from when it all kicked off last year. Social distancing notices all over the place, arrows on the pavement, cordoned off slices of road to widen the pavements, main car park closed. Keep visitors away seemed to be the official message. The town must depend quite heavily on its visitors but that’s officialdom for you - insulated.

The bossy street paraphernalia was still there, looking silly and irrelevant in the sunshine. Like the debris of last night’s party. A few strange people were still walking around in the open air wearing their masks and even those batty face visors. Yet for the most part it feels as if the whole sorry mess is widely viewed as just about over. Perhaps. We can but hope. We've done our bit. Let's look on the bright side. Don't forget your mask.

Wandering around Bakewell it felt as if nothing really happened apart from the fanatically intense propaganda, the silliness and something resembling a worse than usual flu season. As if we followed the rules, listened to the scientists on TV, did the right thing and came through it okay. Apart from a lost democracy, lost sanity, lost sense of personal responsibility, lost dignity.

Apart from that.

7 comments:

Sackerson said...

Shame, we like Bakewell, with all those shops claiming having invented the original Bakewell pudding.

Sackerson said...

And a great card shop!

Sam Vega said...

Like most people, I often review the recent past and wonder where the time has gone, how I have spent my life, and see personal events against the backdrop of current affairs.

Something has gone wrong, though. Eighteen months seems to have disappeared. Few memories other than all the national silliness.

I wonder what people will think of it all in a couple of decades' time...

Scrobs. said...

Our village was just solid yesterday! Cars everywhere, shops heaving, and just like a normal Bank Holiday - so we stayed in,,,

Sackerson said...

@Scrobs: I though you said your village was 'sold', I could believe anything in the great vulture capitalist sell-off!

Andy said...

David Bowie sang a about the man who sold the world. I'd like to know who that was, who he sold it to and what did he get for it.

A K Haart said...

Sackers - we had Bakewell pudding today with clotted cream. The best we've tasted but not from one of the shops claiming having invented the original.

Sam - in a couple of decades time they may think we were mad, but presumably it is also possible that this level of intrusive healthcare will become normal.

Scrobs - we go early to the places we know will be heaving. We feel quite smug on our way home as we drive past lines of traffic going the other way.

Andy - some bits would have been a good investment, but I'm not so sure about the woke bits.