How has your life changed ??

There have been several several postings over the last couple of weeks on much the same subject, how are you coping, how are you, etc,etc, which probably accounts for the lack of replies. The main change for me other than staying within my property, is the way I shop.

I now use Leclerc drive, I think most of the big supermarkets operate a similar system by which you order online selecting the products you want, pay by card, print off your order and then arrange a time to collect it. I think it is normally the same day but due to much higher demand it seems to be three days later at my local drive, it may be less or more at other’s.

At the allocated time you drive to the door and swipe your loyalty card then the person brings your trolly out and loads your shopping into your car then swipes the bar code on your order form and off you go. If anything is not available you are credited on your card.

You need to think a little in advance but it does keep contact with others to a minimum and for anyone who is “high risk” that has to be a good thing.

I have been getting really bored, then decided to try to sort out the family tree, that my brothers and various members of the family had started. unfortunately, according to their research, I have 3 different fathers, several different grandparents, so more a less had to start again with the information I knew was correct, (unfortunately, not a lot being a man), apart from getting cross-eyed it is interesting, found a few skeletons, half brothers & sisters, looks as if I am not who I thought I was, but who cares, found numerous cousins 1st-2nd-3rd -4th, still having difficulty of understanding, the differences between 1st cousins and cousin once removed, Take care, everybody, only another couple of weeks, maybe.

The only thing that has changed for us is having to fill out a form to leave the house.  It certainly doesn’t seem to have any purpose.  People can use it to tell lies just as easily as they could lie directly to a gendarme asking where they are going.  The biggest problem at the moment is not being able to get DIY materials so a few long-running projects are at a dead end.  A smaller problem is having to shop at the nearest places rather than the cheapest places for food.  Blows an already tight budget out the window.

I find that we are shopping much more in our village than before. We used to go to SuperU in our nearest town but at first we weren’t sure if we were allowed to but our local mayor confirmed that we could. However as we heard that people were having to wait outside for some time before being let in a few at a time, we decided against that. So I sent a list to our local superette on Sunday night and I got a message to say that our shopping would be ready from 11am the next day. My husband went down in the car and picked it up. Everything on the list was there, except for one item; But that was my fault because I had picked up the last of that item a few days before. It was a little more expensive than supermarket shopping but well worth the peace of mind and we’re also helping a local business.

The dog is also getting walked less as it seems that only one outing a day is allowed. Although that can be up to an hour, several smaller walks suit my dog better. Fortunately we have a large garden and a field so he can exercise there. He is due his annual vaccinations but these have had to be postponed.

We’ve being doing a lot of gardening and as the weather has been generally fine, it’s good for the morale. But I feel sorry for families living in flats with children and parents trying to do télétravail.

Well, it’s really changed for us in terms of who has what part of the house, who is going out today and making shopping lists and making sure someone has touched base with Pappy, who is 86 and lives on his own in centre ville.

I am full on at work as I work in a food supply factory. We have reduced hours, but are only down a third on output, so up and out the door early AM with a special form designating me as a key worker. Valid for a month, so I’m good there. I take three other workers and we all wear ‘tubes’ – those runners multi-use headbands – as masks in the car. In the factory things have changed drastically. We have to stand a metre apart in the corridors, which have been lined, and we wear cotton masks. On the lines plastic sheeting has been rigged around our work places so we are separated. We wash our hands frequently anyway, and apply alcohol four or five times a day, so nothing new there. In the salle de pause break time has been staggered so there are only about 15 and not 50 in at any one time, and again, the tables are marked so we are a metre apart instead of in our nice little huddles.

OH is still finishing the last of his winter work as he doesn’t have to come in contact with clients. He goes, finishes the work and then invoice and payment are on line. He has his own form to allow him out all day. Petrol is cheap so he is happy.

Son is working from home, both uni and his internship company have online conferencing. You can tell whether it’s audio or video Depending on whether he’s dressed or not. And he has designated the salon as his command centre, so we have to knock before entering. 🙄 He is in contact with other workers and after three hours they usually break for Virtual Coffee when they gossip and close the spreadsheets. His main gripe is, as a competition trail runner, he has to fill out a form and then can only go a certain distance to keep fit. He does the same kilometre 10 times…….he’s a bit bored

The only one who’s life hasn’t really changed is Pappy. The only change for him is that we now do his shopping once a week instead of him going out a couple of times. He e-mails us daily and we ring before we go down so he can get the kettle on for a natter!

The main annoyance is that bleeding form that you have to remember.

What I miss the must, is hugging my daughter, who is confined only 20 kms from me.

Nice, Stinky.

I recently visited someone who I don’t like because he is old, alone with no transport and vulnerable. I didn’t have his phone number. My visit was covered by the assistance aux personnes vulnerable category. You don’t have to like someone to care for their well-being.

Has anyone else done this?

Yesterday a car pulled up outside my house. This was strange because I am nowhere near the road, and before the lockdown only friends and people who had come up the lane by mistake, and the occasional delivery, came to the house.

It was our maire, who has already phoned me several times to check that I was OK. The visit was to deliver  a pamphlet with word games and puzzles specially prepared to give us oldies something to do while we are in lockdown. In French, of course, which makes it that much more difficult.  I had a go at one of those grids full of letters with words concealed vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and found the majority. The theme of the grid was fruit and vegetables, including some I have never heard of. I found many of them without consulting the list. I’ll try to complete it later today, but there are other things to be done.

I phone other friends, French and English, to make sure they are OK.

The maire asked for the telephone number of another Brit who speaks French in order to phone her.

Care in the community!

Thanks, Barty, that is the most simple explanation, I did google it but left me even more confused, but now I think I have got it. I have found a few skeletons but no juicy murderers as yet, has or is anyone else doing their family tree and how are you getting on, the best way I have found to waste hours and hours of your life and ruin your eyesight.