PERSONALLY SPEAKING
As coronavirus cases continue to increase across North Staffordshire, the writer, below, chronicles the Five Ages of Covid through the eyes of friends and family
JANET is a very sprightly 92 year old and nowhere near the Bard’s “second childishness”.
She was a shorthand typist, and trained as a teacher 60 years ago. She has always been active in local activities.
She heard about Covid-19 on television and in the newspapers and that time it didn’t seem threatening.
She has missed seeing members of her family, but has continued with daily walks.
I met her one day near the church, but we had to shout as the church clock struck ten and she is rather hard of hearing!
She has mastered technology and emails, and since this situation has discovered Zoom to join in certain meetings.
For all the positive attitude, she admits to missing having a “face to face natter” with friends for coffee or tea.
She is an avid reader of newspapers and therefore hasn’t been able to put the situation out of her mind.
She found daily talk of death and infection rates throughout the world quite dispiriting.
She has worried about it, but realised the best thing she could do for everyone’s sake was to keep herself safe and isolated.
In her 92 years she has never experienced anything like this pandemic.
People have likened it to the war, but as a child in 1939, her life was very normal and many of the restrictions did not affect her.
She wonders if things will ever be the same when it’s over, but feels history shows we are apt to fall back into our old ways when danger is passed.
In her opinion, the country has been badly led compared with other places and past austerity measures have hampered efforts to fight the disease.
Finally she does not like wearing a mask. She feels suffocated. Her glasses steam up and her hearing aids get tangled up. She gets very flustered! Certainly not a lady in “mere oblivion”!