Diary 114

Friday, July 9th

Today the ‘other’ grandpa came to us from the Cape to meet up with us, his daughter and grandkids for the first time since Christmas. It was a magnificent day, and yet it also brought home to me just how hard it can be for so many people who cannot or do not see much-loved family members because of lockdown. Of course some families are spread across the globe (my own birth family included) and so regular meeting is difficult for them too. But I do feel that people are not meant to live like that. Certainly the covid quarantine has made things worse for many people, suffering quietly, feeling bereft.

And yet I have to admire the fortitude of those who have kept reasonable quarantine and social distancing, and I’ve tried to do the same. This is not an easy road, my friends, and yet we are, like it or not going down it, so we may as well do things properly.

So I’ll quote an older Blues musician here on the topic of hardship and the Blues: “Muddy… all those guys, grew up hard. The thing about the Blues is that it holds a deep spiritual resignation…. Life is hard and you accept it and get on with living.”