Here we are – a week and a half of home confinement, and I’m thinking Much Wenlock is a pretty nice place to be if one has to live under the lockdown regime. People in the town are trying very hard and with good humour to stick to the strictures of ‘no mingling’, and of course it’s not too hard to do where the population is small and there is plenty of space.
But I can’t help thinking where this will leave us – once the panic abates. Much will have changed; possibly for the foreseeable future. Coming out of isolation may prove a challenge for many. One thing is certain, we must not lose faith in our fellows. We must restore confidence in society in all senses and not keep seeing neighbours and all other humans as vectors of disease, particularly one that has been so badly presented in the often excruciatingly salacious mass media fear-fest.
In the meantime, I am still allowed to walk across the field to my allotment. There are many signs of new growth there despite days of icy winds. The artichoke plants, Swiss chard, over-wintered cauliflower plants, and sprouting broccoli are looking vigorous. There are a few leeks left to eat, assorted salad greens in the polytunnel, and I’ve planted out most of my broad bean seedlings. At home the conservatory is chock-a-block with young pea plants. The spuds are also well chitted and I’m hoping that it will be warm enough in the coming week to get some in the ground.
*
And despite the cold, there have also been some amazing-light interludes – ethereal sunshine that opens eyes and mind and spirit in elevating ways. And of course the star of my March snaps has to be the red-legged partridge that arrived so surprisingly on our shed roof the other morning and then launched into full cry for the benefit of any other partridges out there. Coooo-eeeee! For those who missed that post, here’s a reprise along with other views from Wenlock in these stay-at-home days.
Tish Farrell 
That was all so beautifully put together, every visual…yes there will be questions with few answers or none after this is over. I’ve wondered too.
Thank you for that thoughtful comment. I am not predicting a fair reckoning.
Ah, spring is being sprung. Good photos. I’m digitising my slide transparencies when I am not working at the health centre. Lots of pictures I had forgotten about.
It’s fun finding forgotten pix – though can involve a lot of daydreaming too.
The patridge must be singing your praises for your green fingers, Tish!
Which makes me very happy, Dries – well as long as long as he/she doesn’t have thoughts of nibbling my veg 🙂
😀
Lovely photos and post Tish, yes it will be interesting to see how things will go after the lockdown gets lifted. Will life ever be the same again for many people. Maybe we don’t want it to be the same anymore, we could certainly do with a few changes as a society.
I agree, Agnes, we do need some changes, but I’m not sure that the already impoverished in the UK – which is about 15 million are going to see much improvement, not unless there is a cataclysmic change of view by the ruling party.
Totally agree with your sentiments, Tish….and we might well see considerable social unrest….
I’m also thinking that. At the moment panic is keeping us fixed in the headlights. Later, when critical faculties are re-engaged and we have to face the consequences…
Precisely
We are having typical spring weather: rainy, cold, windy. We normally don’t see much in the way of flowers until mid-April, but it has been raining almost every day, so garden cleanup has been impossible. You town looks happier than ours, but it is so gray and chilly here. This is normal weather for early spring in New England, foul though it is. We get a few days of spring, usually in May, then a few days later, full summer. I’m enjoying YOUR spring in the meantime!
We’ve had just the kind of weather you describe until about a week ago. Now it’s stopped raining, after raining predominantly for 5 months, but the wind is still vicious, and lots of layered cloud after the sunny spell. But we may get something warmer at the weekend. I gather from Prospecta weather blog that you’ve got some great glob of coldness over your parts. It’s all to do (apparently) with the North Atlantic Oscillation. I think we’re on the fringe of your weather. The NAO has been a big force for cold and wetness all through the fall and winter. We need some warm weather gods to see it off.
I feel much the same way Tish. I’m also grateful to be spending the Rahul in a nice place with lots of space and a kind community, but I flip between hope and fear for the future.
Thank you for sharing these lovely images of nature doing what she does best.
My pleasure. I have great faith in the planet. It may not act always in ways that I consider to be in my best interests, but those vital forces keep firing up.
Oh I did enjoy your lovely photos of spring Tish. I do hope your weather gets better soon with the change of season. Media fear-fest is a good description of how they were reporting. though I am noticing a change in our news reports many more feel good reports of people helping people and positive ways people are doing things at home. Also our premier has put out a call for a “care army” of people to help the elderly, those on their own and those in isolation, pick up groceries, mow lawns or just phone on a regular basis etc. It was reported on the news and by the end of the news hour over a thousand had volunteered, in fact more volunteers than people requesting help. I too have lots of faith in human nature Tish.
It’s good to hear of so much community good will, Pauline. That’s where our strength lies.
I enjoyed looking at signs of spring in your part of the world.
Thanks for dropping by, Colline 🙂
Great thoughts and pictures. I too am worried about what life will look like after this. I think I have a greater appreciation for the world we’ve enjoyed before.
Yes, that is a thought. We might not truly see what has been lost until later.
You are so right. There are worse places to be in a lockdown than MW. At least you can walk to the shops, if there are any open that is. This is going to affect us all in many ways for years to come I fear.
Our Nisa-Co-op shop cum petrol station store has been stalwart in keeping well stocked and operating. And the famous Paddy Ryan butchers is still going in the morning and delivering in the afternoon. People are indeed doing a lot of walking around. We’re blessed with lots of footpaths around the town.
And you also have the windmill hill and the Edge along with your allotment. I feel sorry for people stuck in towns and cities.
Enjoyed your photos. These bird image are incredible. “we must not lose faith in our fellows…”, well said.
Thank you, Tish!
Thanks, Amy.
Wonderful signs of spring, Tish. Great for you to still be able to visit your allotment.
Yes, if I couldn’t get on with sowing and growing I would be very irritable. Across the UK everyone seems to be doing the same thing, which is excellent on one hand but problematic on the other. Seeds are hard to come by now. All the internet stores have been overrun, and even if they still have stocks are too busy fulfilling existing orders to sell to new customers. Hope you’re keeping well, Sylvia.
Ooh, spring! My poor daffodil buds got buried under another round of spring snowfall.
Oh no! Not more snow. Hope it clears double-quick.
Sadly, the local ski resort closed and here is all this lovely freshening! A bit of frustration.
So many unforeseen consequences!
This – “not keep seeing neighbours and all other humans as vectors of disease” – this will be a challenge for many I think, but we’ll probably gradually come together again. I hope so.
That partridge is wonderful!
Alison
There are huge implications, aren’t there – democratically speaking as well as from the point of view of individual’s peace of mind.
That looks nice, Tish. What a tale of two realities we are living.
Indeed, Tracy. It’s going to be hard to unpick them. Hope you and yours are OK.
All fine here, Tish. Thank you.
oh what a lovely lovely post – perfect inspiration for my day ahead in the garden 🙂
So happy to spur you on 🙂
Had a fabulous time out there this morning 🙂
Good girl!
Nice post. I’d put on my wellies and toddle up the garden path meself, -oo aargh – but it is throwing it down and has been on and off, for three days now. Some parts of the garden are well and truly flooded – still under water, in fact.
As for covid 19 – I reckon when this eventually blows over it will leave scars in the memory but as for change – the Who once sang. ”Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
People will be too busy just trying to resurrect the economy and put bread on the table.
You may be right about us reverting to business as usual out of practical necessity. I’m not so sure though.
One noticeable change may well be more people working from home. Certainly this period of forced isolation is a pretty good testing ground.
Yes, lots of professionals working from home, and plenty of tele-conferencing which is anyway more efficient. But by last week a million had been laid off and are registered for universal credit which by all accounts is a nightmare system. The UK already had 15 million living in poverty back in 2019, people in work but on zero hour contracts, or having to do several jobs. Ten years of austerity have taken their toll on a huge segment of the community.
Mother Nature, putting on Her Spring finery. 🙂
She is, bless her!
Your spring, our southern autumn.
Always good to be reminded that there is more than one perspective, Pete. Greetings to you down there 🙂