Back To Strange, Back To Normal

May 9, 2021 by libertatemamo 15 Comments

I heard his footsteps before I saw him. The clip-clip of his nails as they scraped across the tiled floor, the sound echoing eerily off the walls. It felt wrong in a place that once was occupied by so many, and I wondered if I’d accidently lost myself.

Was I dreaming? Where was everyone?

His silhouette came slowly into view as I approached, his massive form obscuring the hallway. He was panting, saliva drooling down his chin, his muscles bulging like giant melons from his chest. I was frozen into place as I stared into his dark eyes, a strange feeling coming over me as he put me under his spell. He licked his gums, his great tongue swinging around his sharp teeth. I held out my hand, drawn to him. He walked towards me slowly…clip, clip, clip…and then we touched.

“What a good boy you are!” I exclaimed, as I rubbed his giant muzzle. He seemed to grin, snorted in response and then sauntered away, saliva trailing out of his mouth as he shook his massive head.

I don’t ever think I’ve ever seen a bigger or more muscular dog….

It wasn’t the meeting I expected at the arrivals hall in Toulouse airport, but such is pandemic life. One minute you’re living your little bubble-life in your country home, and the next you’re in a deserted airport with a massive hound, waiting for your honey to arrive. It’s possible you’ve slipped into some kind of post-apocalyptic parallel universe, but what’s the point in worrying about it? Hubby is coming home, and a random dog is there to keep you company. Just roll with it…

Of course it wasn’t the only strangeness that happened this week.

In a whiplash move that surprised everyone, France did a full 180 on it’s vaccine strategy. And of course we all had all the excitement of watching a rogue piece of Chinese space debris hurtling uncontrollably to earth. Random events for random times, all par for the course for 2021.

Good thing I’ve got a good hubby and a good dog to keep me company.

Paul Is Home Again!

As you guessed by my sci-fi trip to the airport, hubby made it home from USA this week!

It all went smoothly for him. He took a PCR-test a few days before he left Miami (free and easy), boarded the plane with  {{gasp}} a minimum of paperwork (basically they didn’t ask for anything except the negative COVID test and his French residence card), and had a whole row of seats to himself on the flight back.

He arrived in Toulouse to a deserted airport apart from me (well, and that random dog, and a handful of others), and we made it home without fuss just around an hour later.

Peace, quiet and the beautiful mountains were waiting for him.

And of course dad, and Polly who whined with delight and spun around in circles her tail was wagging so much. She never likes it when the pack is separated (it’s the sheepdog DNA in her), and is always much more relaxed when everyone is back together again.

The Wheeling crew is united again….yeah!

COVID Vaccines Are Now Open To All (Sort Of)

A few days after Paul got back, and of course a week after I’d fought so hard to get my shot, the French COVID vaccine strategy suddenly shifted gears.

In a move that surprised everyone it was announced that starting May 12th excess doses would be open to any adult (18+) who wanted them. In other words, if you log onto any of the vax reservation sites (e.g. doctorlib or keldoc) and see an open slot for the following day, you can now take it regardless of age. No prescription, no age-tranche, no {{gasp}} paperwork or restrictions.

Frankly, this should have happened weeks ago…

The whole thing was promoted as a successful expansion of the French vaccine program, but was more likely prompted by a rather unflattering news piece just a week prior that showed over 270,000 unbooked slots at the ~600 vax centers across France. Ooooops….! Either we suddenly have a ton of excess supply (possible, but unlikely), or the whole too-slow-age-slot-thing isn’t working (very possible), or (a smidgen more worrying) not enough people are opting to get vaccinated.

Regardless the new “waste no dose” strategy is now official.

Of course, the complicated multi-layer, age-specific rollout plan will continue (one does not throw out good bureaucracy once created), but at least younger folks who want a shot can now officially snag one if they see one an open slot for the next day. I’ll be interested to see how the numbers react, not only the number of vaccinated folks, but also the virus & ICU numbers (which do finally seem to be turning a corner).

With a bit of luck our summer re-opening can continue and the dreaded post-vacay 4th wave will be avoided. One can hope.

We All Avoided Being Crushed By Space Debris

In other exciting and random news, you’ll be happy to know you avoided getting crushed by space debris this week.

For those who missed the excitement, a ~20-tonne core section of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket broke through the atmosphere and hurtled uncontrollably towards earth at ~18,000 miles/hour early this morning. It was all rather suspenseful as in the days leading up to it, no-one had any idea where it was actually going to crash.

I was following the event with interest, not only for the hilarious memes the whole thing generated, but also because this is not the first (nor will it be the last) large piece of space trash that is likely to crash uncontrollably into earth. Turns out that in 1979, a 77-tonne piece of the US space station Skylab disintegrated over Western Australia (the biggest ever recorded) and only last year another 20-tonne Chinese segment (a previous Long March 5B launch) passed over New York and LA before crashing on the Ivory Coast in Africa.

And these are just a few of the 9,300 tons or million or so pieces (!) of junk floating in space (most of which are thankfully not that large or likely to crash into earth).

Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know the Chinese rocket piece reportedly plunged into the Indian Ocean, which means we can all congratulate ourselves for surviving yet another day where we’ve not been killed by random human-generated space debris.

It’s something to celebrate, no?

Back On Earth, We’re Back To Normal

Food, walk, work, lounge. The whole pack is back in the routine of things as we wait for my 2nd shot and monitor the ever-changing EU border rules.

A summer re-opening looks promising, as EU countries hungry for tourists are trying to find ways to accept them back. This week, Denmark announced they’ve opened up to vaccinated European tourists from “orange” zones (each country in Europe is color-rated by the number of active virus cases). Portugal, Italy and Spain have made similar statements. Many countries are banking on the EU “Digital Green Certificate” which is supposed to be active by end June, and of course the hope/prayer that virus numbers continue to go down everywhere. We’re still crossing fingers and paws that we get to travel.

In the meantime we’re enjoying the many faces of May.

Warmer afternoons are starting to break through here in SW France, the first inklings of summer heat interspersed with cooler days. The weather is fickle and fascinating, creating new views that transform almost hourly. Misty mornings where the valley seems to float on a sea of white transform into warm days, which then switch to rainy grey. And in between it all the garden is abuzz with life, rich greens interspersed with yellows, reds, oranges and purple, and long blades of grass that dance in waves in the wind.

Despite all the strangeness, it’s sure feels good to be here.

Happy Mothers Day everyone! Sadly it’s been a few years since both of ours passed, so we send our love to them in heaven and all our earthly love to yours. If you have a good memory or want to share some Mothers Day thoughts, I’d love to hear them. DO share and comment below.