Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines

Hi,

Just caught up with this thread. "What's your story?"  Well very lucky really.  My wife and I though in a vulnerable age group are in good health.  In a way we have been in isolation more than most; as we often do we spent a month in Madeira in February on returning to the UK we went into self isolation as cruise ships often visited Madeira after Tenerife which had Covid-19.  With what we call lock-down starting just before we finished isolation we haven't met family or friends since before we went away.

Being retired and reasonably well off we don't have any personal worries.  We live in a small city Cardiff which is the capital of Wales; it has a population of about 360,000 which means it is large enough to have all amenities and small enough to drive across in twenty minutes.  Cardiff has a lot of green spaces and parks, we live barely a mile from the city centre and have small fields and woods a short walking distance away.  We never down sized after the kids left home so the house is more than large enough for my  wife and I to pursue our interests.  Most of our food is delivered but we do visit the supermarket about every ten days or so in the times when they allow people above a certain age in.

Our worries I expect are similar to others namely our children and grandchildren.  Both our son and daughter have children.  Our son is shielded which means because of  lung problem it is suggested he doesn't leave home for some considerable time after lock down has finished it also means that if he had no means of getting essentials the local authority would supply them.  As he is married can work from home and lives in a small village in England this isn't too much of a problem.  He is self employed and has about enough work until maybe early next year after that who knows?  Our daughter lives in Central London which like New York has had many deaths.  She also is self employed and works as a set and costume designer in the theatre so it out of work; her partner is a doctor so is working being an essential worker means that their daughter can still attend school.

Other than not be being able to socialise and visit family, sometimes being bored and not be able to travel the country in our camper van things are good.  The spending of more time at home has put up expenditure on food for the relatives in the garden but as we have a lot of time to watch them the money is well spent.

I was self employed from the age of 22 so had 40 years of not having anyone to blame!  I was in partnership with my brother and we survived the 3 day week and two resections mostly by out lasting our competitors.  At least in those times we could do something to survive; if we were still working I don't think we would survive, we might but on average we had 15 staff who I think would be out of work.

It will come to an end later rather than sooner I think.  Hopefully we will learn from it?  They will be much criticism and recrimination.  But Hey-Ho 'Nothing is impossible' for those who don't have to do it.

Blimey!  Did I write all that, must be stir crazy?

Do take care and stay safe.

Tony.