Week 1 Of Lockdown 3
It’s a grey day outside today.
Early this morning fog blanketed the valley in a thick mist, lifting just enough to reveal grey skies and rain this afternoon. The valley is still, and time has morphed into an indistinguishable blur. Hours pass by with barely a notice except for walks outside with Polly. And the days roll along in a rhythm all their own, the week gone in the blink of an eye like the fast forward button on a movie.
Surprisingly I feel fine. We’re seven days into our third lockdown, and my mood has been good, bolstered by the the fact that everything just seems to be going so quickly and smoothly. Having felt so much mentally heavier in the past two lockdowns, it’s a nice change that I hope will last.
Maybe I’m getting used to this confinement business, lol…
It’s a sad thing to say, and in reality it’s probably got more to do with how busy we’ve been this past week than anything else.
There was deep-cleaning of the Château to do (which took several days), re-organizing ourselves back in the house, and then prep work for Paul to fly to the USA, a last-minute decision that created a frenzy of activity on top of it all. Between booking tickets, finding health insurance (that covers COVID, just in case), collecting all the required documents to leave France, taking a COVID test and actually getting him to the airport, it was touch-and-go right up until the last minute.
But we got it all done!
Paul flew the coop yesterday, and now Polly and I have the task of getting back into the rhythm of life in our little SW French community all by ourselves. And of course life here is never really boring. This past week we saw vineyards get lit on fire, calls for the baguette to become a UNESCO heritage piece, and days of beautiful Spring weather which inspired time me to get my camera out.
So, despite the grey today we’ve got lots of sunshine ahead, and just three more weeks (or so) of this to go.
Paul’s Flown The Coop (For A While)
Paul flew from France to Miami yesterday morning.
It was a long flight to take and frankly an agonizing decision (whether or not to go), but he had a legitimate family reason for going, and after thinking & talking it over for several days he finally decided to take the plunge.
In the end the whole thing went as smoothly as we could have hoped for. The flights were all on-time, and he had an empty seat next to him the whole way. Passport control on both sides went smoothly, and despite the French lockdown the only documentation he was asked to show on exiting was his negative COVID test (go figure). Plus everyone on the flight was masked. So, it went as well as could be expected?
Of course as soon as Paul decided to fly to FL, it made sense to get him vaccinated there too.
FL just opened up to all adults (18 and over), so I was worried the systems would be overloaded and overbooked, but getting the appointment was actually a breeze. I simply logged onto several sites (Walmart, Publix, CVS, Walgreens…) early AM US-time and kept clicking around until a slot came up.
Within 20 minutes I had a booking for the exact location and the very vaccine we wanted, the 1-shot J&J COVID vaccine at a Walmart just a few miles away from where Paul’s staying. So, assuming all goes to plan, he will be done and dusted by tomorrow morning!
Efficient and easy!
Paul will be staying in FL for multiple weeks, so he will have time to build some immunity before he flies back. And if, for whatever reason, he’s offered something other than J&J tomorrow AM, he’ll extend his stay for however long it takes to get it all done. It’s a helluva trip, but if it all works out he’ll get to see everyone he needs to see (the rest of his fam are all already fully vaccinated) and I’ll be the only one left needing a jab.
Fingers and paws crossed it all goes as planned.
We’ve Had A Spring Freeze (Which Was Bad)
This week saw a surprise freeze run through most of France.
Here in our little corner of the SW it was only a mild freeze and actually quite refreshing, as we enjoyed several crisp and cool days with just a short snap below zero one morning. So for us it was a nice change after a week of warmer temps, but in some parts of France it was a true catastrophe.
You see April is normally when the vineyard vines break out, teased from their winter hibernation by the warmth of springtime. Mild temps are key during this time as the delicate buds are easily damaged, so ideally you want weather that changes slowly and progressively.
What’s happened instead was literally a wine-makers worst nightmare.
After 15 or so days of warmer temps that encouraged the vines to bud, France was hit with the worst freeze that anyone has seen in decades. All 65 wine areas of Bordeaux saw temps plunge as low as -5C, as did areas of Languedoc and the Rhône valley. The pics were spectacular as winemakers scrambled to keep their buds viable by lighting braziers and paraffin candles in long rows across their most valuable vineyards. It was a strange and beautiful sight to behold, but it masked disaster as over 90% of the crops were destroyed in some of the hardest-hit areas.
And of course winemakers weren’t the only people who suffered. All types of flowering trees (fruit trees) were damaged, as were newly-planted sugar beets and flowering rapeseed. Only time will tell how bad the impact will really be.
The Baguette Is Going For UNESCO Status (Which Is Good)
On a lighter note, the baguette of France may be reaching a new level of international recognition.
As the core of French heritage, the daily bread of French life, it’s seems only natural that it should be revered in the same manner as all national treasures….say like the Taj Mahal, or The Great Barrier Reef, just to give a few random examples. After all the baguette is not only beautiful to behold, it’s a crusty, soft, fluffy, velvety delicacy that accompanies every aspect of modern and traditional life.
Want an absorbent sponge for your sauce au poive? Baguette to the rescue! A carrier for your truffle brie? Baguette is the answer! A quick and versatile breakfast that requires but a thin sliver of salted butter to metamorphose into a heavenly delight? Baguette all the way!
So yes, the baguette has been submitted to UNESCO for it’s intangible cultural heritage register, and I for one, am all for it.
The idea is not as crazy as it might seem at first glance. Getting UNESCO heritage status safeguards the item (and the making of the item) for the future, sealing it permanently into the history books so-to-speak. And surprisingly (and I learned something myself here), baguette is not the first bread to have achieved this revered status. Flat breads from Iran and Kazakhstan have apparently already made the UNESCO list, along with flattened sourdough bread from Malta and the Neapolitan art of pizza twirling.
And it even goes waaaay beyond bread.
Apparently the annual grass mowing competition in Kupres has heritage status, as well as sauna culture in Finland, not to mention tree beekeeping in Poland and wine horses in Spain. I’ve known a few folks who were super serious mowers, so I guess it makes sense? Either way the full list of heritage items is a fascinating plunge down the rabbit hole, and well worth a gander if you have a few hours to spare.
So yes….gooo baguette. I will be breathlessly waiting for UNESCO to announce its decision in late 2022.
We Enter Week 2 Of Lockdown (With Hope)
On the virus front there’s not been much new to report in France this past week.
Hospitals are still overwhelmed and the prediction is that that ICU occupancy will peak next week, and then hopefully start to trend down as the lockdown does its job. It’s all a matter of wait and see at this point. In the meantime, the government is still touting their vaccination ramp-up. Apparently 70.9 million doses are expected to land in France between now and end of June, which (if true) would allow ~70% of adults to be vaccinated. That’s assuming they can all be distributed and actually injected into real people. So, there’s that, and with that the hope that maybe, someday we’ll get out of this crazy funk.
Week 2 here we come….wish me luck…
Have you read any interesting, strange or unusual stories this past week? Or perhaps you have one of your own to share? If so, I’d looove to hear about them. DO share and comment below.
I saw an article about the freeze farmers were struck by just this morning before seeing your post. Having grown up on a fruit farm that still exists in the Finger Lakes I understand how horrifying this is. I was very interested in the method of lighting fires to hopefully keep the cold at bay. The early warm spell combined with a somewhat late freeze is an annual concern for fruit farmers every where.
Here is our winter home in north central FL it is gray and has been storming much of the day. The rain is much needed as it has been extremely dry with scary brush fires popping up around the state.
I wish for you a quick lock down period but I’m sure you’ll be fine no matter the length. Paul will find things wide open here-but hope he will continue to mask as wide open doesn’t mean things are great here in relation to the VOVID virus. It is great that he’s able to get his vaccine done whilst back in true US.
Otherwise, nothing exciting in our lives. Always happy to hear how the other side of the pond is doing and what adventures you might get up to.
Take good care!!
Indeed. A warm spell followed by frost is the worst for all fruit trees. We’ve seen the flowers drop in a few of our smaller cherry trees this week, even though we only got a short freeze. The impact in the big vine and fruit growing areas (where it got much colder) is likely quite terrible.
Glad to hear you’ve got some much needed rain. I fear it’s going to be a very dry summer here too.
Nina
Thanks for the update. You saved our bacon when this pandemic first starting by posting if we were not in a lockdown in the USA then get ready for it now. We moved to a place to stay in our RV for weeks at a time, having left another camping spot early for the safe place. Two days later the lockdown orders started showing up.
Hope France gets better soon. Here in the US they are actually reporting some states who are not able to give all the vaccine they have as many are not wanting to get it. In Alabama something like only 69% of the available vaccines are reserved to be used. We happened to be in Alabama and I got a next day appointment. A week before that was not the case when at the time we were in Georgia. I’m really hoping enough Americans cooperate with the vaccine so we can get to herd immunity the easy way. I assume France’s hospital system is easier overwhelmed than ours as I’ve yet to see a single report of it here.
We left Florida as Spring Break started (our last stop was at Stagecoach RV in St. Augustine:) Paul will be safe in Florida which generally has it’s act together as a state.
So glad to hear you’ve got your vaccine shot. Interesting that there is so much variation between the states for uptake. I’m hoping enough agree for herd immunity to be reached here in France too.
Nina
I don’t think this is what you had in mind regarding strange stories but it might give you a short break anyway. It’s what is known as Flash Fiction–very short stories you can read in minutes. https://sandcastle.sandsys.org/2021/04/story-prompt/
I love flash fiction. Thanks so much for the link!
Nina
Reading about the devastating frosts in wine country reminded me of growing up in the 1960s/70s in the Yakima Valley (Washington state). Every spring, the apple and pear orchards would bud out and then the spring freezes would occur. Back then, the remedy for this yearly problem was “smudge pots”. Growers would be up all night, tending the pots under the trees which – get this – burned old tires. Spring mornings meant grey, dingy skies and a serious nasal clean out for everyone. It also meant Spring cleaning had to happen after *all* chance for frost was gone, otherwise, your work was in vain as the smoke invaded and dirtied everyone’s home. Nowadays there are much smarter and cleaner ways to prevent crop loss – thankfully!
Wow…I’ve never heard of the smudge pots. It must have been very smoky and thick indeed Thanks so much for that interesting story.
Nina
Do doctors over there tell people to take plenty of Vitamin D2, Vitamin C, Zinc and Quercetin to help make Covid less severe or maybe protect against it entirely? Do they prescribe Ivermectin? I’ve read articles & seen videos by doctors who say it really helps if given early, like in the first few days of infection.
So sad when a late frost causes so much damage to crops. We have some fruit trees blooming and it may frost tonight or tomorrow night. I was hoping for apricots this year but it may not happen.
They’ve got all the right treatments here. The problem is primarily the British variant of the virus which is much more contagious and has taken over in a very short time. As a result infection numbers have rocketed, which means more people in the ICU. And since vaccination rates have been lagging, theres been nothing else to keep it all in check.
It’s just a case of too many, too fast similar to what happened in US in some of the earlier waves. Once case numbers come back down, and vaccination rates increase I think they can get the situation under control. So, hopefully this is our last lockdown.
Nina
Glad to hear that Paul was able to get vaccinated. We finally got our vaccines a week ago—the J & J was also our choice. I felt horrible for a day (like I had the flu) but then I was completely fine. Eric had no side effects. I hope you’re able to get vaccinated soon, too.
So sorry that you’re in yet another lockdown, but you seem to be in good spirits. I vote for the baguette getting the accolades it deserves! As for us, all of our attention is focused on trying to survive kitten hood with our adopted stray kitten. She is crazy! Thankfully we aren’t trying to travel right now.
Nina, I just saw that the US has issued a “pause” on giving out the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. I hope Paul is able to find a different, better, vaccine. We get our second Moderna jab this week.
He already got the J&J yesterday, so he got in right before the pause. I read the article today, and the chance of complications seems exceedingly rare (6 cases in 7 million doses given) so there’s less than 1 in a million chance he will be affected. Still, we will keep a close eye out for any adverse reactions.
Nina
We have many friends who have gotten the J&J and are doing fine. I’m glad he was able to get in; and I’m sure he’ll be fine. I see now that those who have problems have all been women. Wishing you all well!
Hi Nina! We’re currently camping in one of your favorite COE campgrounds near Nashville…Seven Points. It’s very nice here, but a few weeks ago a huge severe thunderstorm came through and flooded most of the lake front sites. It seem all is well now. As far as Covid vaccinations go in Tennessee, they seem to really have their act together. Easy to book online and hundreds of places to choose from. We got the J&J a 9 days ago, and of course now it’s on “pause.” No side effects and hopefully it will stay that way. BTW, I love reading about your french lifestyle. Your adventure at the chateau was very interesting. Take care!
Seven Points…what great memories I have of that place! It was such a treat to visit Nashville too. Glad you got your vax in before the “pause” (any adverse reactions really do seem VERY rare) and that you’re out and about. Good travels to you!
Nina