I'm Free!

Back in the mid-70’s, Joni Mitchell sang about being “A Free Man in Paris," and a few years earlier, Roger Daltrey, belted out the power ballad, “I’m Free,” whilst performing the part of Tommy, the deaf, dumb and blind boy, in Pete Townshend’s rock-opera, of the same name.

Okay, I’m over-egging the pudding somewhat, but last Sunday morning, after returning a negative lateral flow test for the second day running, I know how Mitchell’s and Townshend’s characters felt.

My release didn’t come quite as early as it might have, as the results I was looking for manifested themselves on the seventh and eighth days of my period of self-isolation, but it did mean I was able to return to work two days earlier than I might have done.

I was also able to escape, not just the confines of the back bedroom – comfortable though it was, but I managed to leave the house as well. I’d been slightly concerned that the car wouldn’t start, after standing idle for eight days, but no problem, it started as usual, at the first turn of the key. I did think though that a reasonably lengthy run would help make up for any fall off in battery power, so I took the vehicle for a spin, up to Sevenoaks, via the A21 dual carriageway.

I asked Mrs PBT’s if she fancied coming with me, having been stuck at home herself for the same period of time, but she declined my offer. I don’t blame her, as it had been blowing up a gale for much of the morning.  Sure, enough when I left, the rain started, following me to Sevenoaks and back.

At Sevenoaks I called in at the large Tesco superstore, which at 2pm on a wet Sunday afternoon was far busier that I thought it would be, or indeed would have liked it to be, but beggars can’t be choosers. As it happens, I didn’t really need much, as Mrs PBT’s has been having groceries delivered, but it was still nice to escape from the house, and the garden too, for that matter. 

A hinted at in the previous post, the garden has been something of a saviour, being easily reached without having to pass through the house. For much of last week the sun was shining, which more than made up for the chilly, north-easterly wind that was blowing.  Several circuits of the garden, from the rear fence to the edge of the front boundary of the drive, led to me clocking up an average of 2,000 steps. It really was my escape, so much so that I don’t know how people who live in high rise apartments managed to self-isolate. Those situations must have been hell, particularly during the lockdowns.

I returned to work on Monday, which itself was a strange feeling. One of my fellow Covid sufferers was back that day, with the other returning the following day. All three of us had similar stories to tell, although neither of my colleagues isolated from their families. In both cases their wife/girlfriend contracted the lurgy, demonstrating just how contagious this particular strain of the virus is.

I was the only person to have lost my sense of smell, although thankfully it started returning on Sunday. I could still taste things though, which is surprising given that taste and smell are linked, but not being able to smell things was a sense I really didn’t want to lose. Although it’s often overlooked, the olfactory realm is the most subtle, but also the most sublime of the five senses, and whilst not in the same league as being able to see, hear and touch, it’s surprising how much you miss appreciating the aromatic delights that accompany a well-cooked and nicely presented meal, a hoppy pint of beer, the scent given off from a vase of flowers or the smells associated with just being outdoors.

All three of us report feeling tired and somewhat washed out, but as a bonus have been sleeping really well. As one colleague said, the sound of that alarm clock came as real shock on Monday morning, but where do we go from here?

At a meeting this afternoon, we discussed reviewing the procedures we have in place to combat the spread of Covid. This comes less than a month after updating our Covid risk assessment. The consensus was that in some ways we are fighting a losing battle, especially with the government set to scrap most remaining anti-Covid restrictions at the end of the month.

It’s possible to sense a real, yet understandable sense of weariness amongst the public at large, many of whom have abandoned face coverings in crowded indoor situations. That’s just one example, albeit the most visible, and it may well be that we will just have to learn to live with this particular Coronavirus, as we have done with all the others.

As a responsible employer though, we have a duty to take care of our workforce, but in a way that comes across as not too restricting or too draconian. This basically means we will rely on common sense and people’s general decency in the way they behave and interact with one another, because whilst at the end of the day we’ve all had our fill of the SARS-CoV-2, virus, we want to get back to living our lives in a way that minimises any threat to our general welfare and sense of well-being.