Last quarantine post

Unless I have to travel somewhere with quarantine requirements or go on vacation somewhere that the UK requires quarantine upon return, this should be my last quarantine post ever. Other than not being able to go for walks or exercise when it's nice out, the period hasn't been too much of a hardship. I think the toughest day was the one before we got our first grocery delivery that we ordered ourselves because I hadn't realised that delivery slots are not quick and that you usually have to book them at least 4-5 days in advance, which means planning for what you think you'll need even if you already have it in the house. So we didn't get groceries until a week after we arrived (a Canadian couple in our building did our first order for us so it would arrive when we got here), and I had started to ration milk and cream and a couple of other basics as a result. But outside of that, we have a really great place with balconies to at least get fresh air, and some of the other government people who have moved here don't have that, so their quarantines were perhaps more difficult than ours were. Having said that, we are also grateful that that period is almost over. As of Tuesday, we'll be able to go out and about--into a Covid-filled environment where numbers are skyrocketing again and where the country is rumoured to possibly have to have a second shutdown. My main concern is groceries because I read in the news that people are starting to panic-shop again, and we are still in the midst of building up our staples in the house again, so I'm hoping this is short-lived. I mean, didn't people learn last time that there was no need to hoard?

Meanwhile, a couple of interesting experiences since last writing. Today we saw what's called a "flypast," where some WWII era planes flew in formation over London. The RAF marks the anniversary of the Battle of Britain each year with this event, and we were able to watch WWII Spitfires fly overhead for a few minutes, monitored by the ever-present Met police helicopter (there is probably one in the sky every day or every other day on average). it was pretty neat to see those planes as they can still fly and still look quite impressive.

Imagine there being hundreds in the air to fight off the Germans. Right now, the 4 planes we saw were impressive, but if you had lived during that time, the hundreds of planes in the air probably would have been terrifying. Anyway, today was the 80th anniversary of that battle, and as they do this every year, I guess we will see this in the coming years that we are here as well. It's something to look forward to, especially so that I'm more camera ready than I was this time, although I still got some half-decent shots.

Later, my husband was watching a show on TV, and I couldn't understand why the background music sounded like stereotypical music that Hare Krishnas tend to make because it didn't really match with what the scene was in the show. I mentioned it to my husband, who decided to look outside for the source, and he said it was coming from a Viking boat! He called me over to look. When I saw who was on the boat, I discovered that it was indeed a group of Hare Krishnas boating down the river, playing music as they went along! I had to look this up, and sure enough, this is actually a thing. They're called Harinama boat trips, and they seem to do these all the time, playing kirtans (a type of musical storytelling) on these boats. I couldn't get a great photo with my phone, which was the handiest thing to use at the time, but it gives you an idea. There's no lack of interesting things in this city!