Home again

And taking stock of a very strange weekend.

I love London and we bought tickets for “Fidelio” and “Hamilton” months and months ago.

I’m a bit of a news junkie and was worried about whether we should go, under present circumstances. My friend hardly watches tv and was very relaxed about things.

I went loaded up with sanitisers (which I use normally anyway) and vowed not to touch things etc. I even had some masks in my small suitcase. 

I accepted that I’d decided to go for it, prior to cancellations and new pronouncements. A sort of last treat.

I had a marvellous weekend, all the more because the weeks ahead will be tough.

My friend is less relaxed now, uses sanitiser, but also enjoyed the experiences.

We visited art galleries, had lovely meals, and totally adored Hamilton. 

But London wasn’t London.
Empty buses.
Nobody in Trafalgar Square at 9.15 as I blipped yesterday. 
Restaurants were half empty and you could walk along pavements without being jostled.

The audience at Covent Garden was slightly depleted (but not a cough to be heard unlike at Boheme when there were more consumptives in the amphitheatre than they’ve ever had on stage !)

The young audience for Hamilton were all there, enthusiastically responding. Wonderful, dynamic, brilliantly staged and choreographed. I could watch it all again.

London had a different edginess about it..... and it certainly affected our moods. 

Back in the more relaxed countryside, I’ve calmed a lot, even though the Waitrose shelves were stripped, as I went in to ensure I had cat litter. 

Home sweet home...... but whatever next ?