Last night I drank wine and ate cheese and I forgot about lockdown for a
while. It was necessary after a day marred by tragedy.
First, Sol's new friend, PINK BALLOON, popped. She didn't cry, she just
pointed towards the area where her friend had been reduced to rubbery scraps.
Although my husband hastily resurrected it to a balloon the
size of a goat's testicle, it wasn't the same.
To cheer her up I decided to venture down to the communal area to visit
her friend, Milly. Milly is a docile millipede who lives beneath a large square
brick. Since there are no cats about and the birds are too high up to tickle,
we have chosen Milly as our beloved pet to accompany us through the challenges
of confinement.
We found Milly in pieces. I'm not being colloquial here. I'm not saying
Milly was in pieces over the state of coronavirus spreading through her native Mallorca. Milly was LITERALLY IN TWO PIECES. As we looked on in horror, smug little ants emerged from the inside of her head.
I know what you're thinking. Why not befriend the ruthless little ants
instead? Another few days of lockdown and we probably will.
In other news, the UK has dragged its feet into lockdown. Luxury
lockdown, that is. They get to leave the house to exercise. I wonder how many
people who have never exercised in their entire lives suddenly start training
as if they've signed up for the London Marathon.
I think it's probably for the best, though. People might go mad otherwise, especially as flats in England don't
generally have balconies or terraces. At least in Spain many of us have a small corner where we can turn our
faces to the sunshine like little hopeful plants.
I'm lucky there are only
three flats currently occupied in our small block so I can also take advantage
of the communal patio and the staircase. Technically, this is not allowed,
but it's what's keeping us all sane.
A mum told us her neighbour had threatened to call the police when she'd popped out with her toddler for a moment in the communal area. It had been raining and there had been no one about. After a week inside her toddler had been so excited to splash in the puddles.
Another mother left for her hometown in Germany yesterday after her neighbour in Mallorca also warned she'd call the police if she appeared in the communal grounds again with her toddler. I don't
think these neighbours mean to be horrible. I think they are afraid.
Today I haven't felt afraid. Today I've felt stiff, tired and frustrated when I'd rather have felt inspiring, happy and fun.
I don't think I'm
the only one, either. It's day 10 of lockdown and there is a sense
of waiting for it to end, as if this period of our life doesn't count. But it
does count. We can't wish it away or we lose out.
Tomorrow I'm going to go on an
adventure with Sol. It's going to be so exciting. We're going to find another
millipede... or a spider... or failing that, an ant, who will be our new friend. I can't wait.
Thanks for reading. You can find me on my Facebook Author Page or on Instagram.
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