Well here we all are. We have just spent the past three and a half months hunkered down in lock-down as we try our best to avoid the dreaded COVID. Now we are told we can re-emerge, albeit with our new vocabulary of, "The New Normal", "Covid-Aware", "Social Distancing" and of course "All Masked Up"! So what does this now mean and how do we feel about our "New Normal"?
Well my blog has been strangely silent for these past months as I did not want to keep writing about this dreaded virus which has claimed the lives of so many people and irreparably damaged so many families. As I re-emerge into the brave new world I thought it was time for a bit of catharsis as I share some of my thoughts and emotions.
Having experienced enforced lock-down, for the first time in my life, whereby permission from the authorities was required to simply go out and buy food, now being told that one is free to move around as normal, albeit wearing a mask, was first greeted with relief, followed almost immediately with a fear of what might lie outside. Indeed, we had become so used to hiding away indoors that every person with a cough, sneeze or sniffle was treated with suspicion as the Covid continued its relentless journey.
Before COVID, our British news programmes were dominated by BREXIT and we longed for something else to be reported. Oh how we must be careful what we wish for as now it has been nothing but COVID, statistics, speculation and rumour (although BREXIT is coming back with a vengeance!).
However, there seems to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon and as we move forward, in our new cautious and COVID compliant manner, we once again start to enjoy some of those everyday things that we took so much for granted:
A visit to the Barber
Its all about the Style...even at age 5!:
I never thought that such a simple chore as a haircut would become such a luxury. The kids had their go and then it was my turn. Funnily enough Mrs. C said she liked my hair long and curly. My barber, Masoud, just looked at me in astonishment. As I walked into a socially distanced hair salon, the last time I remembered looking like this was in 1976, when shoulder length hair was cool, my waist was 28 inches and Southampton won the F.A.Cup! Fortunately I am now neatly coiffed and normal service on the grooming front has now been restored.
Our weekly visit to the Mall
Now you might think this is a strange thing to miss but living in Dubai, when the summer temperatures average in the mid 40 degrees centigrade, the Mall becomes a weekend destination; somewhere to eat, somewhere to meet friends, somewhere to exercise in an air-conditioned environment (in Dubai malls are huge and worth a good 5000 steps a visit) and of course for me, an outlet for my photographic creativity, whilst Mrs. C engages in a therapy which is more retail in nature!
Early morning reflections - Dubai Mall:
Loving those silhouettes - Dubai Mall:
Fashion Avenue - Dubai Mall:
The perfect model - Good light and happy to sit for hours!:
A new breakfast destination
Now anybody who knows us well could always find us each Friday morning enjoying breakfast at the wonderful Assouline in Dubai Mall. However, it seems that our "oasis" has now closed down, perhaps a post-Covid casualty? We shall miss this Friday morning treat, where our table was already prepared and waiting, where we enjoyed a wonderful coffee from the immaculate barista Chris and of course Haneen, our Tunisian waitress, with her lovely smile and always so caring and attentive.
Our biggest regret is that we did not get the opportunity to say goodbye to either of these lovely people. We hope they are keeping safe and that they succeed at whatever they decide to do next.
Our new favourite breakfast destination is the wonderful La Duree in Dubai Mall's Fashion Avenue. It is elegant, the surroundings are minimalist and always draw the eye but above all, the poached eggs and coffee are simply wonderful. They also make the most wonderful Macarons. They are not giving it away but our socially distanced Friday breakfast is once again a real treat.
La Duree - Dubai Mall:
A Staycation
Now the kids are all grown up and have flown the nest Mrs. C and I have some time on our hands and at least once a month we either had a staycation within the UAE or travelled for a long weekend to a destination of interest. If the reader reviews my earlier blogs then you will see that we were quite active on this front. Of course, COVID stopped all of this in its tracks and certainly made us appreciate our previous ability to move around freely. However, now that lockdown in the UAE has ceased, we grasped an opportunity to have an overnight stay at the wonderful Oberoi Resort in Ajman.
Now, bearing in my my current paranoia about keeping safe and well, we decided to throw money at it and booked a private beach-front villa, with own pool, so that at least we could have a change of scenery and try and restore our confidence levels in a relaxing yet secure socially distanced environment. We were joined by our "Dubai Family", Claire and her two lovely boys. What a wonderful time we had. The villa was so elegant and spacious, the kids loved the pool and the hotel itself was a joy.
Its design is minimalist, with lots of verticals, horizontals, rectangles and water features and above all super friendly staff. The library, just right for chilling out.
Claire making a a mask look elegant on the catwalk:
So what lies in store for the rest of the year? The answer is clearly that no-one knows. Our immediate priority is to be able to get back to the UK and to Spain to see the people we love the most, our family. We miss them all so much and whilst we are regularly in touch by Zoom, it is still not the same as a hug and being there in person. Until such time as quarantines are removed and the testing regime becomes easier, I fear air travel will be for emergencies only.
I have to say that I am so proud of our son and daughter for the way they have coped with this difficult period and the way that they have supported each other. This is a lesson in life; to know that they can always rely on each other in difficult times.
Also to all our family, who have made such a tremendous effort to have regular weekly Zoom calls, Mrs. C and I thank you all. You cannot imagine what a help you all have been. As we all become active and go back to our new normal we must make sure that we all zoom at least once a month. After all we now know the benefits of keeping in touch and supporting each other.
If there are a couple of thoughts to take away from all of this it is perhaps that we should make sure we take nothing for granted and above all that we cherish the time we have together with our loved ones and make the most of every minute that we have together.
A time for reflection:
Please all keep well, stay safe and see you all soon in the new normal!