This post was started before there was any talk of the UK Government isolating over-70s for four months which is what I have just heard is a possibility.
A friend has decided to self isolate. Not because she has a cold or any similar symptoms but because she has not. Nor does she want any such symptoms. She is just younger than I am and has underlying chest issues as a result of cancer treatment (nothing to do with lungs as such).
It has made a lot of us, her friends, think. Apart from some obvious panic buying of toilet rolls, paracetamol and anti-bacterial cleaners, life seems to be going on as normal here. Certainly the walking groups were out in the woods yesterday despite the bad weather and The Woodlands was much busier than usual.
A lot of my friends are widowed or otherwise on their own and some have no family living on the Island. So self-isolation is quite an undertaking both physically and mentally. However when we all thought about it it made us realise just how fortunate 'we' all are: we all have a good social life and lots of friends and interests and many of us have family living here too.
It made me realise just how many elderly people are isolated without making it a choice. Many have no visitors. Many have no hobbies or interests. Many rarely get over their doorstep.
What is self-isolation? I live in an exceptionally sparsely populated place so can I go walking if I promise not to talk to other people close up? Can I go out in my car if I stay in the car?
Very selfishly I wondered what will happen to my drugs trial tablet supply? What will happen when, as it inevitably will especially if my kidney stent is not changed, I get another bout of sepsis?
Perhaps the least of my worries would be how I would cope with self-isolation. It won't be fun. I like going out. I rarely have a day without going out. However I have instant communication with so many friends all over the world via WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype and the like as well as social media which, in my case, is mostly this blog. I will still write my letters (but will they be delivered?).
On the plus side I have a reasonably sized house with fabulous views and a garden which could occupy my every sunny day if we have any. I have enough unread books to keep me going for years never mind months. I have music and I have television.
More than that, though, I would have no excuse for not doing the things I've been trying to find time for: sorting 70 years of photos; drawing and painting; attacking the huge list of DIY jobs in the garage, garden shed, garden and house. The list is endless.
I'm okay for food for a while. When I worked I always kept a good stock so that whatever I fancied when I got in in the evening I could probably cook it. It could be bangers, mash and beans to a Thai green curry or a stir fry. 'A while' isn't very long though if one is isolating for any length of time.
But the loneliness and the inevitable anxiety will undoubtedly take its toll.
A friend has decided to self isolate. Not because she has a cold or any similar symptoms but because she has not. Nor does she want any such symptoms. She is just younger than I am and has underlying chest issues as a result of cancer treatment (nothing to do with lungs as such).
It has made a lot of us, her friends, think. Apart from some obvious panic buying of toilet rolls, paracetamol and anti-bacterial cleaners, life seems to be going on as normal here. Certainly the walking groups were out in the woods yesterday despite the bad weather and The Woodlands was much busier than usual.
A lot of my friends are widowed or otherwise on their own and some have no family living on the Island. So self-isolation is quite an undertaking both physically and mentally. However when we all thought about it it made us realise just how fortunate 'we' all are: we all have a good social life and lots of friends and interests and many of us have family living here too.
It made me realise just how many elderly people are isolated without making it a choice. Many have no visitors. Many have no hobbies or interests. Many rarely get over their doorstep.
What is self-isolation? I live in an exceptionally sparsely populated place so can I go walking if I promise not to talk to other people close up? Can I go out in my car if I stay in the car?
Very selfishly I wondered what will happen to my drugs trial tablet supply? What will happen when, as it inevitably will especially if my kidney stent is not changed, I get another bout of sepsis?
Perhaps the least of my worries would be how I would cope with self-isolation. It won't be fun. I like going out. I rarely have a day without going out. However I have instant communication with so many friends all over the world via WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype and the like as well as social media which, in my case, is mostly this blog. I will still write my letters (but will they be delivered?).
On the plus side I have a reasonably sized house with fabulous views and a garden which could occupy my every sunny day if we have any. I have enough unread books to keep me going for years never mind months. I have music and I have television.
More than that, though, I would have no excuse for not doing the things I've been trying to find time for: sorting 70 years of photos; drawing and painting; attacking the huge list of DIY jobs in the garage, garden shed, garden and house. The list is endless.
I'm okay for food for a while. When I worked I always kept a good stock so that whatever I fancied when I got in in the evening I could probably cook it. It could be bangers, mash and beans to a Thai green curry or a stir fry. 'A while' isn't very long though if one is isolating for any length of time.
But the loneliness and the inevitable anxiety will undoubtedly take its toll.
