Chronicles of the Virus Day 49. Get Moving.
Okay, today is the day we're allowed to leave our houses to do exercise. So, I woke up this morning, full of expectation to....
....face a wall of damp, miserable, wet fog.
The day is not lost yet, though. Adults have two time schedules in which to do exercise, from 6AM to 10AM, and from 8PM to 11PM. So, I might still have an opportunity this evening.
Because of the chaos last week, when children were first allowed out, the government has set up a schedule for people to go outside. Adults have the hours I mentioned above. People 70 and older have the ranges 10AM to 12PM, and 7PM to 8PM. Children have the hours from 12PM to 7PM. And if you're outside from 11PM to 6AM, you'd better be going to work or coming home from work.
Yes, there's confusion. More than anything, because we've never lived through a situation like this, and we're more or less doing everything by ear. One thing is running an errand, another thing is going for exercise. An errand should be run in the least possible time frame, and going to the closest establishments. Exercise should be done within the time schedules, and keeping away from everybody else. If you can wear a mask, fine. If you can't because your exercise is breath-intensive, then stick to lonely roads and lanes.
Then, there's doing a "paseo". A "paseo" is a leisurely walk, generally done to stretch one's legs, and to greet friends and neighbors on a Sunday afternoon in town (not that that's going to happen soon, yet). Stretching your legs like that is only allowed for an hour. But, if your walk is exercise, then you can walk for the length of your time slot. What's the difference? Unfortunately, it might reside in the criteria imposed individually by the police officer that stops you. It will probably depend on whether they think you're walking too fast or too slow. It might also depend (let's face it, Spain is Spain) on the fines gathered in the township you're in, to date. If the local treasury is running low, try to break into a trot when you see a police car slowly driving by.
Farmers (of the non-commercial variety) can now also visit fields and gardens over half a kilometer away from home. It's a bit late to plant potatoes, but for those that still plant corn, this lifting of the ban is just in time. It's still also possible to plant tomatoes and peppers. All our land is right behind our house, except for a couple of wood plots my mother left me. So, we've been fine for a while.
Digging in the garden is another pastime these days, for those who have a garden. Sometimes, it's as if Edith Nesbit's book, The Treasure Seekers, were to come true. In Worcestershire, England, a man digging in his garden found an entire Puch motorcycle from the 1960's buried a meter below the surface. They've lived in that house for eight years, and no one, not even the neighbors, know why there's a motorcycle buried there.
Another man, in West Yorkshire also found treasure. This time, it was a car, a Ford Popular, from the 1950's. Again, no one has any idea why or when it was buried, much less, how. In previous years, more buried motorcycles and cars have been found. I don't know. I think I don't want to know.
Life continues.
....face a wall of damp, miserable, wet fog.
The day is not lost yet, though. Adults have two time schedules in which to do exercise, from 6AM to 10AM, and from 8PM to 11PM. So, I might still have an opportunity this evening.
Because of the chaos last week, when children were first allowed out, the government has set up a schedule for people to go outside. Adults have the hours I mentioned above. People 70 and older have the ranges 10AM to 12PM, and 7PM to 8PM. Children have the hours from 12PM to 7PM. And if you're outside from 11PM to 6AM, you'd better be going to work or coming home from work.
Yes, there's confusion. More than anything, because we've never lived through a situation like this, and we're more or less doing everything by ear. One thing is running an errand, another thing is going for exercise. An errand should be run in the least possible time frame, and going to the closest establishments. Exercise should be done within the time schedules, and keeping away from everybody else. If you can wear a mask, fine. If you can't because your exercise is breath-intensive, then stick to lonely roads and lanes.
Then, there's doing a "paseo". A "paseo" is a leisurely walk, generally done to stretch one's legs, and to greet friends and neighbors on a Sunday afternoon in town (not that that's going to happen soon, yet). Stretching your legs like that is only allowed for an hour. But, if your walk is exercise, then you can walk for the length of your time slot. What's the difference? Unfortunately, it might reside in the criteria imposed individually by the police officer that stops you. It will probably depend on whether they think you're walking too fast or too slow. It might also depend (let's face it, Spain is Spain) on the fines gathered in the township you're in, to date. If the local treasury is running low, try to break into a trot when you see a police car slowly driving by.
Farmers (of the non-commercial variety) can now also visit fields and gardens over half a kilometer away from home. It's a bit late to plant potatoes, but for those that still plant corn, this lifting of the ban is just in time. It's still also possible to plant tomatoes and peppers. All our land is right behind our house, except for a couple of wood plots my mother left me. So, we've been fine for a while.
Digging in the garden is another pastime these days, for those who have a garden. Sometimes, it's as if Edith Nesbit's book, The Treasure Seekers, were to come true. In Worcestershire, England, a man digging in his garden found an entire Puch motorcycle from the 1960's buried a meter below the surface. They've lived in that house for eight years, and no one, not even the neighbors, know why there's a motorcycle buried there.
Another man, in West Yorkshire also found treasure. This time, it was a car, a Ford Popular, from the 1950's. Again, no one has any idea why or when it was buried, much less, how. In previous years, more buried motorcycles and cars have been found. I don't know. I think I don't want to know.
Life continues.
It sounds very complicated all those times. I would get fined as I couldn’t run or trot to save my life. Interesting to hear what goes on elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteIt is complicated. I can't run, either, and if I trot, my glasses fall off! Still, I would hope that my attempts at speed will convince any police officer!
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