“Well, whoever said that one person can’t change the world, never ate an undercooked bat did they.”
Bit of a naughty Meme maybe, but if taken in the spirit it is intended, a stark reminder how many of us in the world use humour when faced with dark and depressing times.
Absolutely unbelievable, though as we stagger dazed and confused into the fag end of long Lockdown week two, how a Wuhan wet market has caused the globe to grind to halt…allegedly!
Might it be that good, old Karmic ripple effect my latest guest blogger Patric Morgan talks about in his ‘The Meekie Kid’ memory.
And the fact that everything you do in life really does has an impact. Jesus Wept, in the Covid 19 case, this truism has never gone more hard…even though we’ve all gone home.
Who would have thought that a so called ‘tasty’ treat of the Vampire’s best friend would cause this fast-growing and frankly frightening pandemic.
As well as meaning I missed my March music moment of those rock legends The Who at Motorpoint – VIP list too…drat!
But believe me, I’m not feeling faintly frivolous, or flippant when I say the latter.
I’ve already touched on the tragedy of us not taking this fated ‘flu bug’ seriously, and how Barry went bonkers when we did.
So I’m just, and this is so rare for me, who can talk a glass eye to sleep, absolutely speechless.
I took some time out this week, in between my social distance shop and feeling the love of fab friends on FaceTime, to take stock.
A deep brow furrowing over-thinker on the odd occasion, I did spend saw a few solitary hours sat on my garden bench reflecting on the stunned speed of it all.
And no that wasn’t because I’d just madly mown that jungle of a lawn and now needed an excuse not to work on the weeding.
I was there, lolling languidly in the brilliant late March sunshine, curiously contemplating my ‘new normal’
How quickly my big, bold, brave world of music madness, arts adventures, travel trips, community capers, coffee catch ups, and Gay goings on, has shrunk faster than a mohair jumper on a sixty wash.
And how my high maintenance, fast-paced, live it large life with its ‘work hard, play hard’ motto has screeched to a sorry halt.
My new normal also leaves my laughing at what will face me in the mirror over the coming months. So going to miss those who made me look beautiful, yeah, yeah, it’s a hard job but someone’s got to do it, now they have sadly shut up their salons and shops.
Flippin’ eck, I haven’t washed my own hair for fifteen years, please don’t ask me when I last saw my natural lashes, and I think I’ve got a Iron somewhere…but can’t be totally sure.
But do you know what, and this surprised me the most, how easily I have switched to the ‘curly hair, don’t care’ attitude.
I’m not shocked I could do it but slightly impressed by how fast I got to the ‘suck it up Buttercup’ point, throwing my regular routine in the bin, for however long it takes, to beat this bloody disease.
Truth be told, Lockdown life can be lonely for lots of us, and rather too leisurely for my liking, but social distancing, even for an affectionate soul like me, is still the only game in town.
Admittedly, I’m not totally living the laconic life. I’m working four on, four shifts as a key worker, so am certainly keeping myself out of mischief.
I am also very, very, grateful that I still get to go to work, pick up a wage, and have no underlying health conditions that see me in self isolation – others I realise are not so fortunate.
Should stress too that I’m totally in awe of all the other key workers fighting on the front line to keep our top town, our wonderful Wales, and our world outside, moving as we try to put a sharp stop to this appalling pandemic.
Many thanks to you all, from delivery drivers to doctors, shop assistants to social care workers, binmen to new hospital builders, teachers to truckers, farmers to factory workers – and absolutely everyone else involved.
Let’s make some noise for the NHS especially please, hand claps and huge shows of support to our much slashed service that has been so often starved of the cold, hard, cash it needs.
I’m showing my support in a small way with my lush ‘I Love The NHS’ pop art Paul Weller stylee poster proudly placed in my SVJ’s Sanctuary window.
Thanks to the combined talents of Drew ‘Icon’ Hipson, and Claire ‘Welsh Mod:Our Story’ Mahoney for this cool creation.
Lovely Likers of my Barry’s Boldest Blogger Facebook page can contact me direct for a free window poster…for now – and/or to frame for posterity post Pandemic.
And as always, please feel free to share, so we can show our NHS our beautiful Barry solidarity.
Any New Normal will always, always, keep our old community spirit of course – whatever we, our town, or the world, looks like at the bitter end of our strange new world.
Now, where did I put that Sun In?
Speak soon.
Mrs SVJ
Sue Vincent-Jones, writing as Mrs SVJ, is a Barry born journalist, editor, and communications specialist. She blogs about Barry – and her life in the wider world, through the eyes of a, quirky and queer, local girl done good.
My Corona Virus Diary is her take on this pandemic palaver – the long lingering Lockdown, our queer quarantine, the isolation nation, and how our town took to these crazy Covid 19 times.
Mrs SVJ, Barry’s Boldest Blogger, can be contacted here.