School is closed until

the 28th April for Ms W.
She arrived home from the boarding house...and promptly went out again. She headed into the local supermarkets - all three - to get as many things as she could on the shopping list she had made,
    "Honestly Cat, my Dad is hopeless! We wouldn't eat if I left it to him."
Then she headed into the "cheap" shop and bought some more craft materials,  "Because I don't want to end up watching television."
I had already left a box of things for her.
The mother of her best friend picked her and the shopping up and Ms W is now as prepared as she feels she can be for a lengthy stay at home.
The school is providing work to be done.
   "It's assignments and stuff like that. We don't get to have our teachers talking to us like they usually do. That's okay."
I have no doubt that, for her, it will be. She works well alone. I think it helps that she knows something about what her father's job entails. He will often work from home. The isolation from the office allows him to concentrate heavily on the job in hand. The only problem with him is that he sometimes forgets things like eating.
Ms W might be the same so I have suggested setting the kitchen timer if she needs to get something done.
Her workspace is all set up. It always has been. She has a desk her father gave her when she turned ten - adult size because he told her learning on her own was a "grown up" activity. She has two bookshelves and her school lap top as well as access to a second keyboard and screen. "I'm lucky my Dad needs decent access at home."
I also showed her Nicola Morgan's post about writing a diary. She has sent the idea back to her form teacher. Her form teacher sent an email to me saying, "Good idea - then they can share if they want to."
That seems like a good idea.
The mother of her best friend is more concerned about her own children. They are not as disciplined as Ms W. Ms W has had to learn to be that way - and it has not been easy for all I might have made it sound that way at times. She had to grow up too quickly in lots of ways. 
But I know that she is also looking forward to being away from the crowd at school for a while. Is this normal for a teenager? She is a very self-sufficient one. It will be interesting to see how she gets on in the next few weeks. I think she will be fine because there is "the messy room" where she does the ironing and all her craft. 
When I looked there was plenty to do in there and, as she said, "The garden needs stuff done too."
I won't see much of her. The Senior Cat and I are not in isolation - yet - but we are staying away from other people as far as possible. We have a messy room too - and don't start me on what there needs to be done in the garden!

I am off on my last "social" outing

for a while this morning.
I am headed off to the little craft group at the church on the hill.  Middle Cat and I discussed this and she asked our GP when she had an appointment earlier in the week. We decided it was safe for me to go.
The group is tiny compared with most church based craft groups around the city. This is probably because the church itself is rather out of the way. There is no public transport close to hand and the church is not on a main road.
It is one of the oldest churches in the city and located on a quiet corner amid trees. Naturally it is heritage listed. The stained glass windows alone would make it worthy of heritage listing but there is also a particularly fine organ. We have a CD of music played on that organ and, if you listen carefully, there is a bird joining in for a brief moment at one point.
Most of those who attend the church are "elderly". I think the Senior Cat may be the most elderly of all but there are others in their nineties, at least two of whom go to the craft group and drive themselves there. Most of the others would be in their eighties. 
The curate is less than half their age. 
It is the second time I have been to the group. I went in February to talk to them about making squares for "Replanting Australia". At that time the convenor of the group thought I might come back in early August but things have changed rapidly since then. Today is the last time the group will meet for now.
I was thinking about this yesterday. There will be groups that do not survive because of the present pandemic situation. If they cannot meet for six months those who are less keen will also be less likely to return. Where there are many elderly people in the group there may be some who will, sadly, no longer be with us - and more of them than might otherwise have been. Others will simply feel that it is not worth the effort of attending. They will have learned to cope without the group or groups they once enjoyed. Those who who have elected roles may not be able to continue - or not wish to do so. Life is going to change.
But those groups will still be important, perhaps even more important than before. There are often related Facebook groups. Those groups may become even more important than before but they will need to be managed well. People will need to feel welcome there, particularly older people and people who are not used to the ways in which such groups function.
I know those groups vary greatly in the degree of control the administrators choose to have over them. Some groups are tightly controlled, others are more relaxed and friendly. Social media can be a force for good and, at present, it might also be a substitute for face-to-face interactions. It is important that people feel welcome. I hope the fledgling group I set up for the Replanting Australia project will always make people feel welcome.

A visit to the dentist

is never a pleasant thing in my book. It has been made even more difficult in the past year. I had one appointment which needed to be cancelled because I didn't want to pass on the snuffles and sneezes the Senior Cat and I both had. The day I was going to reschedule was the day the Senior Cat ended up in hospital. Other things happened.
I knew I needed to go so I finally managed to prowl off  yesterday - with extreme caution. It means a trip on the train. At least it was mid morning and the train was almost empty. I wore a pair of disposable gloves.
When I arrived at the dental practice I was greeted with "hello, we are asking everyone to use the hand sanitiser". I held up my fore paws in the disposable gloves and the receptionist gave me a Chesire cat like grin and said, "Brilliant idea." I must remember that!
My dentist greeted me with a smile. She did not tell me off for not coming earlier. Instead she inquired after the Senior Cat in a way that suggested she was actually interested in the answer. She found a broken filling - something I had suspected. It wasn't serious but I groaned inwardly. Would it mean another trip? She also said she would need to do the routine removal of calculus and cleaning. I told her to do what was most urgent because I genuinely did not know when I would be able to get back to see her.
S.... looked at the clock. She looked at her list of patients. I could go away and come back in an hour...? I agreed. I could even go and have some lunch. No - not a good idea. I never eat within an hour or two of going to the dentist. But then she looked at the clock again and said, "I think we can do this now."
And she set to work. I was a good little cat. I managed to keep my mouth open and, for me, relaxed. Forty minutes later I had been x-rayed, my teeth were cleaned dentist style and a filling had been repaired. 
S.... smiled at me. "I won't need to see you for six months."
I thanked her. I also looked at the clock. I know she was running a little late for her next appointment. I know it means she had cut into her own lunch hour.
I wanted to hug her - but, virus aside, you do not hug your dentist.
Instead I will send her a little note today, a note to say I really do appreciate what she did.

Good neighbours

are worth more than their weight in gold.
I was wondering how to get the watering done and pedal off to get some milk before it got too hot. I also didn't really want to leave the Senior Cat as he was looking even less sure on his rear paws than usual.
I was rushing through the watering and waiting for the Senior Cat to have his breakfast when M... from across the road came over and said, 
      "Is there anything you need? I am taking Mum to the supermarket ." 
M.... is the one whose partner is currently in NZ and his mother is looking after  the two small boys.
So M.... got the milk I needed. His mother, who is every bit as nice as he is, brought it over a bit later. I put it in the fridge, thanked her and breathed a sigh of relief.  She didn't know what it cost but I will pay M.... some time today.
It was not a huge thing in itself but it was a good thing. It made my life just that little bit easier yesterday.
I admit I am worried about the Senior Cat. He has slowed down noticeably in the past few weeks. We cancelled his dental appointment. Even without Covid19 getting him there is a major undertaking for Middle Cat. It involves Access Cabs and wheelchairs these days and it was only a "check up". 
I am keeping my dental appointment today but, unless it is very urgent, I may need to tell the dentist that it isn't wise for me to be travelling into the city on the train. 
Admittedly the appointment time means I can catch a train that won't be crowded but it is still something I would prefer not to do. Looking after the Senior Cat now means all such things need to be considered and weighed up. He will be on his own for a little over three hours and that is more than long enough for him to be on the floor if he falls and cannot use his emergency pendant - worse still if he injures himself. 
Middle Cat is out of quarantine tomorrow - not for Covid19 but for a different infection. She will be able to call in on him on Friday - and give him a hair cut. 
Middle Cat phoned us yesterday and told me some appalling news. Her nephew-in-law J..., who is a really lovely and caring young man, went to pick his girlfriend up - a girl we all liked - and found she had hung herself.  There were absolutely no warning signs. He is, rightly, distraught. The police and the ambulance service were apparently outstanding but it really doesn't help much. J... is wondering why he didn't recognise something was wrong. I feel so much for him. We needed to know. I want to give J.... a wordless hug but we won't even see him right now.
So, little things like M... asking if I wanted anything mean a lot. And I saw a former neighbour on Monday. They only moved a very short distance away. She told me, and it was sincere, "If you need something let me know. I can do it while I am out and drop it over."
I thought of the almost bare supermarket shelves and wondered if there was anything left to buy that I actually need.
What matters though in all of this is that we have and have had some wonderful neighbours who will help if we need help. I hope I can do the same in return.
It matters more than ever right now.

Cancelling meetings

and events took up most of yesterday.
I spent the morning trying to make sure all my students have the correct email and that, should they email me, the message gets through. (I am still trying to work out why my email address allows some messages through and not others - even when the individual is in my contacts list.)  As it turns out some of them can't so I have to get some help and resurrect an old email address in Outlook to see if they can do that. 
Most of these students are undergraduates who just need help with the English language. I am not sure I am the best person to do this but they seem to like me to do it. Some of them are struggling to do assignments on line. I don't always have access to the materials they are using and that can cause delays and confusion. When we meet face to face I can look at their screen and see exactly what they are using and talking about.
I cancelled meetings. Too many of the people I work with in other ways have compromised health. It is better if we don't meet. 
And that doesn't even take into account the need to keep the Senior Cat out of harm's way if at all possible. Middle Cat has cancelled his dental appointment. (It means going into the city by access cab.) It's a check up rather than for anything urgent. I have, reluctantly, decided I had best keep mine for tomorrow. Other medical appointments for him will be decided on a case by case degree of urgency.
I was about to send a message saying I would not be attending meetings of a knitting group for the foreseeable future when a message came through saying they had cancelled meetings. That was on medical advice. As I had been hoping my message would cause them to consider doing that it was a relief to know that they had already done something about it.
I went into the library and said I thought we should cancel knitting there. They had already cancelled "Storytime" for the babies and toddlers. I went to the bookshop and spoke to A.... who said it was up to us but she agreed it was probably not wise for now. I came home and sent more messages out.
I was planning on doing a hand out for Saturday's meeting. I will now rewrite it and send it on to two people who can disseminate the information more easily than I can.
I am due to go to a very small group on Friday morning. They are mostly elderly and very unlikely to have been in contact with anyone who is infected. Take the risk? I can let the organiser know the night before not to pick me up. I am not actually talking to the group. They just want to let me see what they have been doing. It could wait.
I have to sort out some more distance teaching today and reorganise what I expected students to do as they cannot go into their places of learning. It is all difficult and frustrating and time consuming.
The authorities in China have a lot to answer for right now.
 

Self isolation

is causing complex problems that nobody could have foreseen.
Let me explain.
Our neighbours across the road are lovely people. We like them a lot. The father (M....) is a civil engineer, the mother (S....) a paediatrician, and then there is T....(6) and H....(on the way to 4). We get on really well with them. 
Right now though S.... is back in NZ. She went because her mother is dying. She went before the "self isolation" edict was put in place. 
M....'s mother came over from NZ to help look after the boys, again before the "self isolation" edict was put in place. 
Now when S.... comes back and M.....'s mother goes home they are both required to self-isolate for fourteen days. That is going to be very difficult, especially for S... .  They will do it because they are sensible, law abiding citizens who will do what they can.
M...'s mother has to go back to NZ at the end of the month. She should be going back to work then. S....doesn't want to leave until after her mother has gone...but she also wants to come home. She is desperately missing her husband and her two boys. 
It's really hard on her and on them.
M...came over yesterday while the Senior Cat was doing some gentle watering of the planter boxes at the front. We discussed the situation. As long as school and day care remain open the boys are cared for during the day. While his mother is here other things get done. 
And after that? I can do the obvious and cook some meals but he needs more help than that because he works long hours. He is fortunate in that he and S... have taught the boys to entertain themselves to some extent. Their living area is always scattered with toys.
But T.... is worried. Naturally he doesn't like his mother being away because all sorts of things don't happen. He is hoping that his grandmother will stay for a while longer. That way his father,
   "still reads to me and H.... at bedtime. Everything is much better if you can do that."
Need I say anything about that at all?
 

Visiting friends

is still on my "things I can do" list - at least for now.
To be honest I don't often go visiting. We did very little of it when I was a mere kitten. I suppose people would say we "kept ourselves to ourselves". We saw my grandparents and that was about it. We didn't even visit my uncles. (My mother had only one brother and he was not married when we were growing up. My father  also had only one brother. He had two boys we almost didn't recognise.)
Going to visit friends was not something we did. As kittens we did not have "play dates" with other kittens. We played with the children in the surrounding  houses in the small country town I was born in and, later, in the city but we played with them outside or in the street. We didn't go into each others houses. We did that so rarely that even now I never feel very comfortable in somebody else's home.  
Still yesterday I knew I needed to go and visit a friend at home. I did not see her while she was in hospital. I had not been to see her in the early stages of recovery from surgery. Getting to the hospital would have been a major undertaking and she knew that. I also knew that, once home, her house mate would be caring for her. Her house mate is close to 90.  I knew they were getting support from the people around them so I didn't need to go rushing in to help.
They are nuns. 
As a kitten the idea of going into a nun's bedroom would have shocked me. I would have imagined (and probably been correct) that the room would be completely bare of anything but the absolute essentials. We were "Prods" too....proper little Presbyterians - at least on Sundays. 
But things are, rightly, different now. I call the nuns I know by their given/Christian names. We can tease one another. P.... visits us on a fairly regular basis. When she does we have wonderful wide ranging conversations. I know her surviving sister well - as I knew the one who is now deceasd.  P.... wore trousers and a floral top at the mass for her Diamond Jubilee....a top given to her by B....her housemate.  
And when I rang the back door bell and B... saw me there she hugged me. No nonsense about not hugging yet. We both know we haven't got anything to be alarmed about yet - and that I would not have been there if I was in the least bit concerned.
    "P...'s having a rest...she didn't sleep well last night."
    "Don't disturb her then," I said
    "No, she'll kill me if I don't...come on, giver her a surprise. She'll love it."
So we went down the long central passage of the old house  the two of them rattle around in and B... knocked on the closed door
P... called out and B...told her she had a visitor.
     "Who?"
     "Cat."
     "Oh bring her in!"
In all the years I have known her I had never been in there of course - as she has never been in my bedroom. 
And it was as I expected, a perfectly ordinary bedroom. It might belong to any woman on her own...apart from the crucifix above the bed.
We chatted for a bit but I knew she was tired so I didn't stay too long. 
And, as I left, B...hugged me again...a good, strong "bear" hug.
    "It was so good to see you Cat."
It is one house in which I feel wanted.