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Family & Education

It’s time to brave the great outdoors

Holidays are now allowed - and Judy Silkoff is prepared

July 16, 2020 15:43
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3 min read

It’s not easy coming up with a topic for a column when you haven’t been anywhere, seen anyone or done anything for the best part of four months. Since lockdown began, I can count the number of trips I’ve made out of the house on my (sadly, still unmanicured) fingers and even have a few of them left over as spare change. My last trip to an actual real-life shop was in March and, apart from a few trips to drop off necessary packages to my parents, grandmother and daughter, and a couple of ill-fated tempts to take a socially-distanced early morning walk (the zigzagging away from other people quickly grew tiresome), I haven’t been further than the wheelie bin at the edge of my front garden. The word institutionalised springs to mind.

Indeed, if asked whether I’ve managed to use the lockdown period to acquire a new skill or hobby, I would be sorely tempted to say my proudest achievement has been working out how to get absolutely everything I could possibly need delivered directly to me, without having to put so much as a toe outside my front door.

Admittedly, my long history of chucking huge portions of my income at Ocado has had a lot to do with my success on this front. When other people were desperately trying to secure online supermarket slots in the early days of quarantine, I was, slightly shamefully, apparently considered to be a priority customer and entitled to a weekly delivery almost from the very beginning. Amazon, too, has been making very regular stops chez Silkoff and I even managed to find an app that allowed me to book a car wash, right at the kerb outside our house.

As for exercise and sunlight — my stationary bike, pilates download, and a daily vitamin D tablet have all that covered nicely, thank you very much. I even ordered us a supply of disposable face masks via a new app I found — not that I’ve had cause to use a single one. Fresh air with a side helping of Covid-19? None for me please.