The joy of sand

We took a sneaky trip to the beach tonight, with one of Philippa’s best friends from her badminton club. I say ‘sneaky’ because there’s been so much bad press about people going to the seaside – even though it was okayed by the government weeks ago, based on scientific advice, and even though the virus is almost uncatchable outside, and even though it’s easy to keep 2 metres away from other people, and even though the beaches have been no more crowded than city parks – that we almost felt like criminals. It did get on my nerves a bit last month, when there was an onslaught of online hatred aimed at anyone who took their kids for a paddle after ten weeks of having them shut indoors. It just seemed to be the trendy thing of the day – to lambast anyone who was looking to improve the mental wellbeing of their families by taking them to see the sea. I notice the novelty wore off once people got distracted again by racism.

Anyway – speaking of getting distracted – let me drag myself back to my original topic. We know a nice little secluded beach where you never see many people, even when its the height of Summer and hotter than an African’s oven. There was one other car in the parking area, and it turned out to belong to an elderly couple who were there for a walk with their little dog. We waved at them from about 30 metres away, so I don’t think there’s a chance we may have infected each other.

Mathew had a whale of a time, my mood was lifted considerably, and Philippa looks brighter and happier now than she has for weeks. I think she’s really missed her sporty stuff, and her sporty chums. The great thing is that they’ve set up some outside courts now, so that the badminton folk can get back to playing again. Obviously they have to be very careful and follow strict guidelines, but Philippa’s club is just about fitness and fun, not about competition, so they’re all happy to keep away from each other, and not have any face-to-face battles at the net.

I would like to report on my own social situation, and say that I too will soon have a chance to return to clubs I used to frequent and see people I used to spend time with, but the truth is I have no real hobbies and no real friends, so there’s nothing for me to go back to….

I’m pleased for my wife though.

RC 13-6-20