Author Archives: Mary Reid

There is a meme going around Facebook – post your favourite photo of the beach. So here is mine. Just say aaah…

I took it some years ago in Jamaica and there is quite a story behind it. My cousin was British High Commissioner in Jamaica and we went to visit him a couple of times while he was there. Most of the time we were based in Kingston, so we got a different perspective on the island from most holiday makers. But one weekend we all rented a house on the north coast and enjoyed the amazing white sand and warm turquoise sea.

As it happens that year I was Mayor of Kingston upon Thames, so I arranged a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Kingston, Jamaica, who welcomed me warmly and presented me with some Appleton Estate rum. That visit set off a chain of events which eventually led to something that happened last week.

Through the Mayor we arranged to visit some primary schools in some of the poorer areas of downtown Kingston. I was hugely impressed by what the teachers managed to achieve in very challenging circumstances. Educational funding only covered the most basic provision so all schools had to call on external support, usually from the parents. But in the most deprived areas parents simply could not afford to contribute. As a result schools were desperately short of text books and other resources.

Now you may not know, but for the last twenty years or so I have been making a living as an educational writer – mainly writing Computing text books for the 16 to 19 age range. I contacted my publisher Heinemann, who also have a Caribbean imprint, and asked if they had any ideas about how the need in Jamaican schools could be met. They told me that it was quite common for businesses and other bodies to sponsor books for schools – it gave them good publicity whilst doing good. What is more, the publisher offered an attractive deal for bulk purchases.

I don’t really bake. I love cooking meals but I haven’t made a cake or pastry for years. I have had a lifetime battle with my weight so I find it easier to avoid temptation by just not baking.

These days, like everyone else, I am trying to be very careful with the food in my cupboard, fridge and freezer, and I have time on my hands so I can try new recipes. Nothing is being wasted; oldish vegetables are being turned into soup rather than being thrown out. Sometimes my meals are like the invention challenge on MasterChef  – now what can I do with some pak choi, pineapple and parmesan cheese?

So when I found half a bag of flour, some muscovado sugar and half a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard I wondered what I could make with them that didn’t involve eggs (which I am keeping for omelettes). So I present to you peanut butter cookies. I sort of followed a recipe, adding in quite a lot of butter, and they actually taste good. I need to ration them out a bit so most of them have gone into the freezer for now.

Talking about food, I spotted this post on the BBC: Food wholesalers offer online orders to sell stock. Food wholesalers supply restaurants and pubs, but are now turning to home sales during the closures.

Ten days ago, when the world was a different place, I wrote about going for a walk on Box Hill. We were in voluntary self-isolation but without any symptoms, and it seemed safe to go for a drive and then a walk, well away from other people.

That was, in fact, the last time either of us left the house, apart from one hospital appointment. Days before lockdown was imposed on us all, we had decided to stay safe within our own boundaries.

Our son has been FaceTiming us each day, and yesterday he did so while he was out for his daily exercise with our two grandsons. They live in a village with some beautiful scenery within walking distance, and the two boys were keen to explore the woods with us in virtual tow. We loved it.

That was a simple way to share the countryside with people who are stuck at home, so do think about whether you can do the same for family or friends. Of course, it doesn’t have to be out in the country – anywhere other than inside a building would be a welcome change, even a walk around your garden if you have one. And if you can’t manage FaceTime or similar then take some photos and share them.

Virtual walks are mood boosting, but don’t do much for our fitness. I have never really enjoyed doing sports, or going to the gym, although I have tried. But I am concerned about keeping fit and active, so a couple of years ago I bought a Fitbit, simply to keep track of my step-rate. I have to admit that I don’t always reach the magical 10,000 and when I do the vibration on my wrist makes me jump. But at least it has kept me conscious of the fact that I needed to move and, crucially, encouraged me to go out for a walk every day.

Enjoying yesterday’s sunshine

To shop or not to shop?

Should we be buying non-essential items at the moment? On the one hand, continuing our shopping habits (but online of course) helps to save jobs and keep our economy floating. On the other hand, should we be asking people to work outside the home to create, pick and deliver goods to the nation? What is the ethical position on this?

The Government advice to consumers has not be clear, so I posed it as a question to my Facebook friends. And I learned that businesses have been told “Online retail is still open and encouraged.” But it took me quite a bit of searching to find the primary source of that quote, which is bizarrely in an article headed Further businesses and premises to close: guidance (23rd March).

In full it says:

Takeaway and delivery services may remain open and operational in line with guidance on Friday 20 March. Online retail is still open and encouraged and postal and delivery service will run as normal.

It’s a pity that hasn’t been conveyed clearly to us, the consumers.

City Hall, London

I am really enjoying writing this diary. It takes me back to the time when I was blogging every day as a councillor. I have been worried that it might be seen as self-indulgent, but friends have urged me to continue, so I will.

There are many benefits of writing about my life, especially during this time. It helps me to process what has been happening to me and to the world around me. I am determined to remain cheerful, and the very act of looking for good things to write about each day lifts my mood.

Keeping a diary would be just as beneficial even if it wasn’t being published and shared so widely. And although I naturally turn to writing as a way of expressing myself, I could just as well have kept a video diary or created a podcast.

So why not try it yourself? You can post on Facebook to share with friends, or you can email out your thoughts to friends and family on a regular basis, or you can set up a YouTube channel or share on Instagram. If you prefer, you can simply keep a private diary and not share it with anyone else. Some people recommend handwriting a diary as it slows things down and gives you time to think.

Just take time to reflect on and process each day.

After yesterday’s orchids here is a picture of rubbish

This lockdown will have come as a real shock to some people, even though many saw it coming. When we decided to go into self-isolation we had two or three days to prepare ourselves, not only in terms of getting in food and other necessities, but also psychologically. Moreover, it was something we chose to do, rather than being forced on us. Today many, many people will suddenly, and perhaps unexpectedly, find themselves isolated and frightened.

For some families this period will be fraught. Younger children had been shielded from the rising sense of panic, but are now having to come to terms with it. They are angry, bewildered, scared, missing their friends and full of excess energy. Parents may feel worried because they are unable to meet their children’s educational needs.

But for most of us it’s not all that bad, if you can put aside the constant anxiety.

Here are some of the blessings…

Friends and members of your wider family, some of whom you have not heard from for a while, will contact you. If they don’t, then contact them yourself. My brother lives in Canada and we are now on a weekly Skype, whereas before we tended to email. My cousin phoned me yesterday from Australia. It has brought us all closer together.

You can now get on with all those projects that you had been putting aside until you had the time. That could mean culling old documents (I found bank statements from 1998), clearing out cupboards, sorting out wardrobes, having a good go at the garden, writing your memoirs, starting an art or craft project, reading those books you had always intended to read, even putting books into alphabetical order.

You can be creative with your cooking. Some ingredients may be unavailable but this is a good chance to try some new techniques or be inventive with what you have got. My son told me that he had made pizzas with naan bread, and it worked very well!

Just a photo to cheer you up. Orchid Festival, Kew Gardens 2019

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

I haven’t been sleeping too well recently. I don’t suffer from classical insomnia, but I have been waking up very early and then finding I’m unable to go back to sleep. So I have been taking a nap in the afternoon, but it would be so much easier if I could get a good night’s sleep. I can’t really complain, and I’m having a much easier time of it than many others, but clearly the general anxiety is getting to me.

Mark Blackburn, who is my fellow admin on the Lib Dems in self-isolation Facebook group, has given this advice on the use of social media:

One, maybe stay away from Twitter and use FB more. Twitter tends to exaggerate and sensationalise, and can be pretty scary. Anything useful there appears somewhere else soon anyway. FB you still need to be a bit selective about, avoiding some of the generic stuff, but obviously groups like this and similar local-based ones can be very useful and supportive!

I don’t use Twitter much but the second piece of advice struck home. So I am now trying to avoid the news from 7pm each evening. Let’s see if that helps.

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

On a normal Sunday I would go to church, so today is another rather strange one for me. However this is a strangeness that I share with millions of others, not just those in isolation.

My vicar has been recording short services each morning and uploading them to the church’s Facebook page. I have then been embedding them in the church website so people can follow them at any time of day, whether or not they are on Facebook. Today he did a special service for Mothering Sunday.

So this morning I had a choice between listening to Sunday Worship on Radio 4 led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, watching the service from my own church on Facebook, and viewing the BBC1 service televised from St David’s Cathedral (which is a bit of a special place for me). In the end I dropped into all three.

My church has also set up a team ready to help those in self-isolation and other vulnerable people in the community. In fact, as I was writing this a friendly church member contacted us to ask if there was anything we need.

I’m sure that synagogues, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and other places of worship across the country are doing very similar things – moving their services online and reaching out to support, not just their members, but also their wider communities. It would be good to hear about their initiatives.

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

A friend of mine dropped an envelope through my door a couple of days ago. Inside was a bar of chocolate and a postcard with a photo of a place we loved visiting in Ireland. She wished us well and offered to do any shopping we needed. Of course, I phoned her to thank her and we had a very pleasant chat about this and that. It was a simple act of kindness which meant a lot.

My neighbours text and phone from time to time as well to see if we are OK. We haven’t had to call on any outside help so far, but it is so reassuring to know that there are people we can contact if we need anything.

I expect many of you will have come across #viralkindness. I run the weekly email newsletter that we send out to all our members, supporters and non-member volunteers in Kingston, so I started pushing out the ViralKindness pdf to everyone as soon as it popped up last weekend.

You do have to be a bit cautious about using it because some fraudsters have been abusing the community goodwill. But if you are still out and about then it would mean a lot to drop it through the door of elderly and vulnerable neighbours. I suggest adding a photo and some details about yourself so the person receiving it can recognise you and be more confident about responding.  Whatever you do – even if you are a councillor – do NOT do it in political mode (as some Labour activists have been doing). This is about friendship and community, not about chasing votes.

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

I loved those clips of Italians singing from their balconies.

Traditionally we Brits don’t display the lack of self-consciousness about singing that the Italians enjoy – and we don’t have the balconies either.

But singing with others has grown hugely in popularity over the last 10 years or so, largely inspired by Gareth Malone and his projects that use singing to build communities. Choirs have popped up everywhere, and you don’t need to read music or even sing very well in order to take part.

Like many I am going to miss singing with others during isolation. But that changed yesterday evening. The musical director of my choir put a video on YouTube for us and encouraged us all to watch it at 8pm, our usual rehearsal time. In the video he played a recording of one of the pieces we had been working on and conducted us through it. So I, along with many of my choir friends, sang ‘Zadok the Priest’ at full volume in our separate homes, at roughly the same time. Of course, we couldn’t hear each other but it was great knowing that others were doing it as well, and the comments showed how much people appreciated it. Hopefully this is going to be a weekly online gathering.

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

Over the last couple of days I have been receiving emails telling me that events I was planning to attend have been either cancelled or, optimistically, postponed. They offer me the choice of getting a refund for the tickets I bought, waiting to see whether the event will go ahead later, or leaving the ticket money as a donation. I have donated in every case, adding on the benefit of Giftaid.

I could afford to buy the tickets in the first place, and I am not experiencing a drop in income during this crisis, so my financial position has not changed at all as a result of the cancellations. So I don’t need the money, but in many cases the organisers and performers do.

Running local independent theatres and music venues is a risky enough business in good times, and I certainly want them to emerge from this dark tunnel with a future. So the Rose Theatre Kingston and the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith can keep the money I spent on tickets. As can the Mayor’s charity gig I was going to attend in a couple of weeks, and the 70th Anniversary Dinner for my choir.

Speaking of the choir, I was, in fact, due to sing in a concert myself this Saturday (Bach Magnificat, since you ask – see image). I do hope some of the people who had already bought tickets reciprocate and don’t ask for a refund. (For any other singers out there – take a look at the Sofa Singers.)

Embed from Getty Images

You can find previous Isolation diaries here.

The very first time I placed an online food order I wanted a pack of mushrooms. But I clearly misunderstood how these things work, because what I received was one large paper bag containing one very small mushroom.

I’m the cook in my family, and I don’t usually do the food shopping online because I always enjoy walking around the supermarket, spotting new products and picking up ideas.

But a week ago I set up a new online account. Placing the order was a doddle because they already knew all my shopping habits via my loyalty card. But when I got to the checkout I discovered that the earliest delivery slot was over a week away.

Fortunately we had a few days to prepare for going into self-isolation, so I was able to get in essentials from the convenience store to tide me over – enough loo rolls for two or three weeks seems a reasonable amount.

I was a bit worried about those delivery waits so went back on the site on Monday. This time the earliest slot was 6th April. So I can quite understand why people might be buying more than usual.

By yesterday evening I had thought of a few extra items that I needed for tomorrow’s delivery, so I logged in again and started to amend my order. The site, which has been a bit wobbly throughout, crashed.  9pm is probably peak demand, so I left it and tried again this morning at 7am – still down. At the moment I really don’t know whether we will get any more shower gel this time round.

Yes I know – shortage of shower gel is a first world problem, and I can manage perfectly well without it. We seem to have a stack of unloved soap in the bathroom, anyway. But it has set off another trail of worries about whether the supermarkets will be able to cope with the increased demand for online shopping.

We went for a walk today on Box Hill.

What? Is that allowed under the rules of self-isolation?

There are two types of self-isolation – quarantine and extreme social distancing, although the media haven’t been very helpful in distinguishing between the two.

As we all know, people should go into quarantine if they have symptoms of coronavirus or have been in contact with someone who has. Whole families are now being asked to quarantine themselves for 14 days if one member needs to. There is full advice on quarantining here.

People like us, who are vulnerable because of age, pregnancy or underlying health issues, are now also being asked to isolate for 12 weeks, but in a marginally more relaxed way. Again, advice on social distancing for vulnerable people is here.

With extreme social distancing the idea is to minimise risk, although recognising that some contact with others may be necessary, but in a controlled way.

Crucially, the guidance specifically says: “You can also go for a walk outdoors if you stay more than 2 metres from others.” So that’s what we did.  Although my other half doesn’t usually walk 2 metres away from me!

We did go in the car to get to Box Hill and took some extra precautions, such as wiping the steering wheel and gear-stick with antiseptic wipes, as well as the front door handle after we returned. And sadly we weren’t able to stop off at the cafe for hot chocolate and cake as we normally would.

Today we have gone into self-isolation.

I live with my husband, Ian, and we have not got any coronavirus symptoms, nor have we been in contact with anyone who has, as far as we know. But Ian’s immune system is compromised so we decided a few days ago to isolate ourselves at home ‘for the duration’ (as they said in the war).

Now it may surprise those of you who know my digital credentials that we still have a daily newspaper delivered. And we’ve decided to continue with it as we like leisurely working our way through the news, reading the opinion articles and doing the crosswords and puzzles.

So the last thing I did today, before going into seclusion, was to call in at the newsagent and ask how I could pay my bill in the coming weeks. (I was oddly reminded of Pope Francis who, soon after he was announced as the new pontiff, phoned his newsagent in Buenos Aires to cancel his papers).

The manager clearly hadn’t thought about it. “You’ve got to come in to the shop,” he said.  “Can I do a bank transfer, or standing order?” “No, you’ve got to come in to the shop.”

Hmmm … I do want to support the local businesses, which are very much at risk at present. I think I will phone up every few weeks to ask what I owe and then find my old cheque book (thank goodness they still exist), write him a cheque and ask my neighbour to drop it in.