Staying put

It's been a strange couple of days. We intended to return to France next Wednesday, the 18th. Looking at news reports when we got back from Cabo de Gata on Thursday evening caused a certain amount of stress, and after sleeping on it we decided to leave on Sunday, hopefully sidestepping any travel restrictions. That gave us time to pack and clean the house.

So we made the necessary arrangements and started packing, pausing only to keep a lunch date with our Norwegian friends S and R at La Corregidora. (Norwegian) S is in a risk group ,so we carefully bumped elbows and didn't touch each other. The restaurant was very quiet, just us and two other couples. S and R have been away in Norway and then very busy with plumbing problems in their flat, plus S has had bronchitis, so this was the first time since early December we'd had a chance to talk properly; we were glad we'd managed it and had a long, leisurely lunch before waving (not hugging) goodbye.

But once home and with more checking of Twitter and news, we had further doubts. The president of Catalonia wanted to close all his borders. We can't get home by road without passing through Catalonia or making very long detours through coronavirus infected parts of Spain. Another night of doubts.

This morning we called B, our landlady's sister, and asked if we could stay on. Yes, she said, no-one's due to stay in the house. So plan C: stay put until further notice. Mystère is pleased, he gets to keep his purple throne. We've been to Mercadona to stock up; there were many empty shelves, but it wasn't busy and we got virtually everything we needed. At any rate, we have sunshine, food (feline and human), wine, gin, and beer. Oh, and toilet rolls. What can possibly go wrong? 

Meanwhile schools are closed, all bars and restaurants have closed, and the council has even, rather disappointingly, closed the beaches ... so it's going to be a very different lifestyle. Today, apart from the shopping, we've eaten leftovers, sat in the garden, chatted to the neighbours (who have also extended their stay for similar reasons), and had a visit from guiri, who I think was going stir-crazy staying at home following the news and gossip. We'll be streaming a film this evening.