Dear Marmite
This week so far has been very topsy turvy. It started off on Sunday afternoon with Sammi arriving with Lucky and a bike. They came up from Brighton on a train and I picked up my urchin son with accompanying clutter from Milton Keynes Central later on Sunday evening than expected because of train cancellations.
Lucky is still here but Sammi is off in Cambridge for an over-nighter. That means that there are two dogs filling up the house at the moment. The only problem so far has been that one dog, maybe both stole two cooked chicken joints from the kitchen counter top. I have no idea who to blame. Both seem contrite so we'll have to forgive them their foolish ways.
On Tuesday I took Sammi to the Community Orchard. We were busy clearing weeds from one of the allotment beds when Sammi took a call from Richard. He had bad news. All I heard from Sammi was "shit", "no", "Oh my God" and "f**k". I thought something had happened to Shadow.
It was worse. Far worse. His work had done a spot coronavirus blood test and it came out positive. With Richard positive and four of us under one roof that phone call became a defining moment in our week. We downed tools, told everyone at the Orchard that we had been in close contact with someone who had tested positive. We left.
At home I spent well over an hour telling everyone who I had been in contact with that I had been in contact with someone who had tested positive. Danielle who is four months pregnant booked a drive-through test and I emailed online for tests for Sammi and myself.
Meanwhile, Richard hid up in the bedroom, we cleared Sammi's bedding out of the spare room and put Danielle in there. Sam was relegated to the futon sofa in the living room. Sammi would have to stay with us for 2 weeks. That was clear. We all isolated ourselves in separate rooms.
I felt fine. i kept thinking about my body hurting with symptoms but felt nothing untoward. The whole dymanics in the household changed. Richard felt guilty but it wasn't really his fault. Periodically, we offered him tea and sent food to the nether regions of the house. I disinfected every handle and every surface. No stone was left unturned.
Richard wanted a second opinion so he booked a drive-through test, hopped in his car and disappeared. Sammi and I awaited the delivery of our kits. Suffice to say. Yesterday morning, 24 hours after our lives had been sent way out of kilter, Danielle's results came back. She was negative. Then Richard's came back. He too is negative. It was a false alarm. A bloody great blip in our lives though and not one easily forgotten.
All this still meant an enforced week off work. Danielle had to leave work as she is with vulnerable people. I cancelled plans for the week ahead. These included having a smart meter fitted. The first appointment for that was 29th April and that had been cancelled because of lockdown. I cancelled my swims and told the pool when I was last in the water. Disaster - I now had to reverse as many of the cancellations as I could. Sammi had thought he couldn't travel home.
To celebrate; Sammi, Danielle and Richared went for a walk by the canal and River Ouse. They went swimming in the river with the dogs. Later I cycled to meet them at the local pub and we drank a few rounds and continued to celebrate our relief and reprieve.
When we got back, the testing kits for Sammi and I had arrived but by this point it didn't seem necessary for us to do the tests and waste anyone's time. Instead, after a couple of pints Sammi and I continued the chess challenge which I am happy to report I am now 5-3 up. Once more normality is back and I am winning!
So as you see Marms, it has been a feeding fest for resident dogs while everyone in the house has been through their own personal terror. I can't call it torture for obvious reasons. We have pulled through and we are fit to face the world.
I imagine you might have observed all this from a safe distance and wondered what the fuss was.
You are still the love of my life.
XXX
No comments:
Post a Comment