Patterns

There are so many 'wave' metaphors around just now, in the news about Covid and Omicron: tidal wave, tsunami etc. This has all settled in my brain and now I feel as if I'm at the base of an enormous mass of dark moving water, just waiting for it to topple over and ... have whatever impact it's going to have.
Perhaps it'll be the short, sharp spike that Chris Whitty (Chief Medical Officer for England) seems to have spoken of in one of his less gloomy moments: bad for a while, but something we can get through. Most of us. Or will there be real chaos in services and supply chains? Or both of the above?
Richard and I now exchange routine comments in passing that show how accustomed we have become to levels of uncertainty we were never familiar with before: 'the car petrol tank is half-empty, I'll get it topped up;  can you make sure to check the supplies of flour, loo roll, root vegetables? None of the local chemists have any lateral flow tests, where do you think we could try next?'
And we are lucky, living on pensions that are more than adequate, having no rent or mortgage to pay.
To take my mind off all this, I went out for a sunny walk with Val this morning, striding out through Ecclesall Woods and pausing for a drink and a cake at the Woodland Centre there. An oasis. And one that offered a nice opportunity to capture some festive patterns for today's Abstract Thursday challenge.
Thanks to everyone who left hearts, stars and comments for yesterday's heron: much appreciated.