Day Ninety-Three - Footballers and Free School Meals

Families whose children qualify for free food free meals have received vouchers or parcels in lockdown. In Scotland and Wales provision was already arranged to continue through the summer but in England it was going to finish at the end of term. The footballer, Marcus Rashford, who plays for Manchester United, posted an open letter to MPs on Monday drawing on his own experience of relying on free school meals and food banks when he was growing up and asking the government to reconsider their stand. He asked people to think about struggling parents whose children are going hungry. The Prime Minister's spokesman has responded. "Owing to the coronavirus pandemic the Prime Minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer. To reflect this we will be providing a Covid summer food fund. This will provide food vouchers covering the six week holiday period. " It's a nice example of somebody doing something and it working. I'm sure it helped that Mr Rushford is a respected footballer and one could argue that there shouldn't have been a need for anyone to have to voice a campaign for something so fundamental as feeding children but it's good that the government have done a U-turn.

Also in the news today a cheap steroid drug, dexamethasone, can cut deaths in severely ill coronavirus patients by a third.

I have had one of those fruitless days where I haven't achieved very much at all. Silly little things that needed dealing with and took longer than I thought with no real achievement by the end of them. Though I did manage to do some wood preservative work on my outdoor table and chair. I'm also preoccupied with my friend's situation and I know that's affecting my ability to concentrate and produce. I've not read or written as much as I usually do in a day.

I had a text message from my tai chi teacher wanting to get people's feelings about whether they would be ready to come back to class in perhaps July/August or September at the very latest. He said that if people are going to be too scared to come back to class then he may have to consider closing up. I replied that at the moment I'd like to see how things pan out because it's only waiting to see what happens after restrictions have been lifted that we can really see whether the virus has stopped spreading. But as far as tai chi goes my immediate concern would be about social distancing. Even if they reduce it to 1 m (which I think is wrong!) it will be difficult to stay apart from people. I suggested he ask me again in another months time. But my gut feeling is that I wouldn't wanna come back before September. Maybe I'm over cautious. I did also say to him whether he'd be open to doing private lessons if he did close up the class. I'll be up for that if he would come to my house and do it in the garden.

Lovely walk this morning apart from a bit of a gyppy hip and a twinging back but it was sunny and mild and there was hardly anybody about. I've only seen one of my "regulars" this week. I wonder what's happened to the others? I pray that they're okay. There are less dog walkers and joggers too. Interesting.

Something interesting came up in conversation I had with my friend yesterday. Like me she and her partner have been eating very healthily. Going to the supermarket once a week and eating regular meals. But this week they happened to stop at a McDonald's and they ordered some food. They ate it. But it didn't really agree with them. My friends tummy felt bloated and her partner suffered, I hope he won't mind me saying this, some protracted flatulence. Their bodies had got used to not being filled with junk. I do have to say that they are, or were, fairly regular McDonald's eaters. I noticed my skin reacting to some of the cake and chocolate I ate during my birthday week. So there are some advantages to lockdown. It's not all bad! And another thing my friend was saying which I found curiously touching. She was missing the early days of lockdown! When everybody was staying in and everything was quiet and still. And if you went out you could walk in the road because there were no cars and no people. I think she feels particularly vulnerable at the moment, poor thing.

I sometimes wonder if I could live in lockdown indefinitely. I don't think it's good for me mentally or emotionally. I was thinking, too,  of the Sunday before social distancing was introduced. My friend and I had been out for coffee and a snack and we walked around some of the shops in town and as we were walking home we got to the junction where we part and my friend went to hug me. I said no we're not supposed to be touching at the moment. And she said sod that. But I didn't hug. And I wished I had. Because I don't know when I'll get to hug her again and I really wanted to comfort her yesterday. And I was also thinking how hard it will be to see people again, my sister for example, but not be able to hug them. Will this thing turn us into a nation of 'touch me nots'?