The weather this morning has been atrocious - really grey, cloudy skies and rain. It was mild, though, at about 10c, so that wasn't too bad! Keith and I went shopping and called into both Aldi and Tesco. As we were a little later today, the supermarkets were busy but it didn't take us long to get what we needed for the next few days.
We went to get Mike at 2pm and he was over half an hour late. He told us that his boss wanted him to stay a bit later, but didn't tell him until we were well on our way to pick him up, so that was annoying! We passed the time by watching the birds (especially a robin who was singing his heart out) and playing i-spy!
Back home I hoovered and tidied up downstairs, and noticed on my WhatsApp group that my manager had left a message about gyms re-opening... I had forgotten to watch the news! I tuned into Sky News and saw pictures being beamed from the Houses of Parliament.
Now, I hate the word "roadmap"... What's wrong with plan or timescale or schedule? As I watched there was a constant streaming of the news at the bottom of the screen and I was able to learn the following:
From 8 March schools will re-open and we can meet another person outside for a coffee or picnic. Care Home residents will be able to have a visit from one nominated person who will have undergone a test.
From 29 March we will be able to meet up to six people outdoors (or two households), which includes private gardens. Outdoor sports facilities, such as golf and tennis, will re-open.
From 12 April non-essential shops, hairdressers, beauty salons, gyms and libraries can re-open. Outdoor attractions such as zoos and theme parks can open. Hospitality venues can re-open but they can only serve people outdoors, for example, in pub gardens.
From 17 May most outdoor rules will be lifted, although gatherings of over 30 people will still be illegal. Indoor hospitality will re-open, such as indoor soft play and cinemas. Organised larger performances and sporting events taking place in indoor venues will be allowed (up to 1000 people) and outdoor venues (up to 4000 people). Up to 10000 people can attend very large venues. 17 May is the earliest date we can plan international travel.
And then the date we have all been waiting for - 21 June (the summer solstice). All social restrictions will be lifted and hopefully, life will return to some sort of normality. All the above applies to England only, which I always find a bit strange! I really do wonder if we're seeing the end of the United Kingdom?
Of course, all of this is dependent on the vaccines working, and no increase in infections or the NHS being overwhelmed as we saw back in January. I hate to say it, but we saw all this last year when we enjoyed some freedom in July, August and September. The difference this time, though, is the use of vaccines, and I'm hoping I will get mine before I go back to work.
Because of the travel rule, we contacted the owner of our Airbnb, and we've postponed our French break until the 2 April 2022, two years after we initially planned to go. He was more than happy for us to postpone and we thought it was the best idea - we really didn't want to book for September and be disappointed again!
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