Part 4 - Online shopping and other bad experiences

THE CORONAVIRUS EXPERIENCE BLOG

From Liberty to Lockdown and back again

Part 4: Online shopping and other bad experiences

Let me apologise once again about writing about myself it is not something I am really comfortable with but there is only so much left to offer as an alternative. I am told that is what a blog is - a personal record of events. You have been warned, if you continue to read this blog then you have only got yourself to blame. Its either talking about me or the cat and there is only so much you can say about a feline's bits that it washes on a daily basis. This morning I saw a neighbour talking to her dog. It was obvious she thought her dog understood her. I told my cat what I had seen, we had a good laugh about it!.

Plans continue for the start of the first-ever Huddersfield Winter League bowling season and a telephone meeting of all clubs is held in mid-June with confirmation that Almondbury Liberal had withdrawn interest due to bowler concerns about COVID-19. Perfectly understandable. This left us with 14 teams still interested in being involved.

With the restrictions on how many people were allowed to gather in one place - maximum of 30 - it left us with a quandary about how we could fit 7 matches into a single day. An offer from Milnsbridge BC to make their green available for the League came exactly at the right time. This enabled two equal divisions of 7 teams to be formed with the membership of each was to be determined later by the Management Committee.

Also decided at this telephone meeting was an agreement that we should be looking for 4 singles matches to constitute a match. This had changed from the initial 2 singles and a pairs in recognition that a pairs match would result in more bowlers bowling close together which didn't fit well in a COVID 19 conscious world. Also monumentally clubs decided that all bowlers must be aged 60 or over to qualify and after further discussion that teams could be of mixed-gender. All teams voted in favour of this radical change from previous intent.

On the personal front things didn't change at all which I suppose was good news albeit a little repetitive. With my wife Mary of an age where should was allowed to mix freely with others especially at the supermarket whereas I was not welcome (never have been) due to my age. Coming up to the milestone of 14 weeks since initial lockdown and many of my habits had changed through circumstances. The garden never looked better and the weather had been kind to all with plenty of dry days and sunshine - good bowling weather in fact but this was not really encouraged at this time.

Mary suddenly started to look forward to shopping days and although town centres were out of bounds there was the good online shopping experience that many had resorted to. Even me. The hairs on the back of my neck were in danger of meeting my bushy sideburns and with no barbers allowed to open it was necessary to address the problem. I went online and purchased hairdressing clippers and assorted attachments. This is all very different from the traditional barber scissor-based techniques I am used to observing. I hadn't a clue what the difference was between a number four and a number five was, I have now.

This was a first, cutting my own hair with a little help and direction and mirror holding by Mary. A master coiffeur I was never going to be but no-one would see the outcome except for my Zoom partners and I could blame their poor resolution laptop screens for that distortion. In fact I was quite proud of that first attempt although my efforts were to wane over the coming weeks as disaster was built on top of disaster as the natural inclination of my hair took over to produce the output expected from a nervous fifteen-year-old on work experience.

At the end of July I resigned from my position as League Secretary for the Veterans League so suddenly I had more time on my hands. The speaker engagements which took up 2-3 days a week had all been postponed and rearranged and still no bowling so very much at a loose end. This was not a good time for me in the Coronavirus timeline but at least football was back on TV offering some respite from boredom. Although Mary had a different perspective on that. This virus has done what no woman has been able to do. Cancel sports, shut down all bars & keep men at home! As a result, I really need to work on my social distancing rules as the fridge and I are becoming too close too often for comfort.

That's all from the blog for the time-being and we may come back to it later in the year

Continuing the hairdresser theme in lockdown ....