Cobham Park

I was up early this morning as I wanted to run before breakfast, so that after breakfast I would have time to take Xena for her walk before I had to get to the dentist for my appointment. All went according to plan and I got to the dentist on time. I had received an email prior to my visit asking me to phone them when I arrive, and to wait outside, which I did. They took my temperature, asked me the usual Covid safety questions and then I went inside. I guess you have to trust your dentist is Covid free as the appointment obviously involves getting up close and personal. In fact most of Surrey has no active Covid cases, there are a few areas with a handful of cases in the largest towns. 

At this stage of the 'game' I think the economy is suffering more than anything else, so I believe it is important for that to get back to the new normal as soon as possible. My boys are all keen to get back to gyms when they open on Saturday, and due to Covid they will never have been cleaner or more hygienic! Sensible people are still being careful, some are being over cautious which I believe is an agorophobic effect of lockdown, and some, like the youth, think they are bullet proof and just want to get on with life and damn the virus.

My sister sent me a link from a doctor in South Africa saying how they are seeing so many cases per day, and in young people too - they don't have a large aged population there so it makes sense that young people are getting it. Many patients are being left with a permanent loss of smell and taste which is not great if you love good food. But then Gavin lost his sense of smell about 6 years ago from a bad cold and he has never regained that so it's not just C-19 that causes this. 

The house is very quiet again with everyone gone again - there are always clean glasses in the cupboard, the coffee machine is not beeping to be emptied and cleaned, the house stays clean after the cleaners leave, the laundry basket does not overflow, and there are no dirty dishes in the sink waiting to be washed! But there is also no heart warming presence of the boys in the house, no one to chat to, no one laughing at some crazy TikTok video, and Xena is looking quite sad that no one is bursting through the kitchen door to say hello to her.

This afternoon I went on another walk to Cobham Park, a privately owned estate, as I wanted to photograph butterflies - I saw many but it was too windy to get any decent photos. Instead I liked this open gate leading to the farmlands.