Time

Back blip - and events have overtaken me again...

Today I woke up and spent the morning doing nothing while trying not to dwell on the afternoon to come. I kept trying to call Brittany Ferries with no luck, though my wife got through to the French office. Basically I've no direct home bound ferry, they have been cancelled.

Just before lunch I checked out of my hotel and went towards town, trying to keep my advised distance, not that anyone here seems to be aware off! The Sainsbury's looked like it had been picked clean by a flock of erratic vultures, whole categories of things had sold out, yet next to them were almost identical things that were unsold.

I sat isolated in the town centre and ate my pack lunch. I called my wife we discussed getting home, and the conclusion was I was stuck in England probably for weeks and as I had only clothes for a few days I should probably buy some undies in rush!

Today's blip the market hall clock in Ashton-Under-Lyne. I didn't go into the market, as I was trying to avoid confined spaces with people all day, but I did rather like the clock tower.

I found somewhere selling undies, and then went to the library where it was warm and I didn't think there would be many people to repack my things, and then set off to the funeral on foot.

Dad's funeral was okay (as well as can be expected) and I managed to avoid totally breaking down. Music was ABBA and therefore wasn't somber and miserable. I do wish people would not add those pauses to funerals, they make they worse as you only dwell on things.

After the funeral I worked my way south to my friends in Hampshire. Most of the way I was in an relatively empty train and was my required distance apart, but passing through Birmingham it got busy, which was rather stressful to say the least.

At about Birmingham I thought I would check what part of the French rail network was actually functioning, and discovered that I could take the first and only Eurostar from London to Paris in the morning and then a TGV and TER to home, it would be a long day and risky going via London and Paris, but with the London stage early in the morning and Paris in lockdown my contacts would be minimal.

Around 11 pm I crashed out having booked my Eurostar and printed of my attestation for the return journey home.

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Postscript: I made it home okay, but I definitely picked something nasty up and spent Sunday and Monday in bed with heavy 'flu like symptoms, and as I write this I still feel awful.My breathing is fine and if it gets worse then there is a standard procedure here in France to follow.