Day 1029 Cut and thrust

Pete and Kelli’s social distance day 78

4th June 2020

It was sanding the bloody big dining table top day, and boy was it a dirty job.

I equipped myself with goggles, face mask and ear defenders and set about the task.

It was three hours of pure hell as the area around got covered in a thin film of dust. I regularly changed the sand paper hoping that it would cut through the thick layer of polyurethane. Gradually I wore through it until the raw wood emerged. As the final strips of raw timber appeared there was a feeling of triumph, the table top was exposed.

Sweeping the dust from the floor into piles, then collecting it into a dust pan, was the final act of victory. I didn’t even look at myself in the mirror fearing for the worst, confirmed by Kelli.

I needed a haircut, and fresh from pruning the larch, but not using the same equipment, it was decided that tonight was the night.

As tuffs of grey hair fell on the floor, I reminded myself that I should cut the grass tomorrow.

A lot of business will start to open. Bars and restaurants begin Monday with limited numbers, but hairdressers remain closed.

Distraction, that is the name of the game. Two weeks ago Covid 19 was the headlines, a day to day review of the death toll kept the mind focus on what was out there. The media kept everyone on tenderhooks as the total neared one hundred thousand. The bells and whistles went off when the number was hit, but then the next news hit.

Suddenly all the attention shifted to the death of George Floyd.

The aftermath of which highlighted another American virus, racism.

The anger that the majority of Americans have for the systemic virus has obscured the deadly pandemic one.

The government here are incapable of leadership, they are already distracting attention away, trying to get the country back to work and grow the economy, at what cost to the people, especially the black and Latino?

The social contract, the American dream faded years ago, it is now a nightmare.

At least the British government have kept their eyes open and imposed the quarantine period on everyone entering the UK. That may be difficult for some, but at least is a rule, over here there is nothing laid out.

Fhew! That was a bit deep, maybe losing a bit of hair disturbed my equilibrium.