Covid coffee time

A day to catch up a bit. 
This morning I met Cathy - a very old friend - in one of our local parks. She had a hip replacement a few weeks ago, and is trying to get out each day for a walk, as she gradually recovers.  Very thoughtfully, she had also knitted a pretty cardigan for Frieda, which I picked up in exchange for a jar of homemade quince jelly.
We walked to the Forge Dam cafe, which has been adapted perfectly for the Covid autumn and winter: a window where you order, a table for collecting your tray, a marquee for shelter if needed, and plenty of outdoor benches at wide intervals. Masks, hand sanitiser etc: will all this seem strange when we look back, a year from now, or will we still be using them? The vaccine reports are promising, at least.
In the afternoon I met up with Frieda and Marianna at their house. We had planned a short outdoor walk together. But Frieda was having an extended nap when I arrived. So we had an indoor (but well-ventilated) cup of tea together and a quiet chat about how Marianna's teaching job is going. The answer is 'pretty stressful'. She works in a school for children with autism, who have found all the Covid-related changes in routine very difficult. The staff are pretty strung-out, after all these months of grappling with extra pressures. The headteacher and deputy are both in their first management roles, and their lack of experience seems to be prompting them to take a rather rigid approach - more 'go away and solve your own problems!' than 'let's work on this together'. Marianna and her team, unsurprisingly, are discouraged and she is beginning to look for another job. She's a talented and committed teacher, and it's hard to watch her slowly losing her motivation.