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| 23 May 2020 | |
| Lifestyle |
| John Smith (HS 48-54) shares his 'Lockdown Story' and photos Sue and I live in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, a retirement community of 9,000 with the oldest average population in Canada. Folks who retire here find life to be so good that we refuse to die on time! It follows that Covid-19 is of particular interest to us, as we are the vulnerable ones. So, everyone here takes the lock-down instructions seriously. We don’t want our town to lose its place at the top of the average age list! Sue and I realized early on in the pandemic that a daily schedule would be advisable; otherwise we might just laze around all day. My schedule includes at least one hour of gardening under Sue’s instruction; one hour walking our Newfoundland dog (she cannot understand why she’s not allowed to break the social distancing rule when she sees a good friend, whether two- or four-legged); one hour playing Scrabble; one hour on a cryptic crossword; one hour of reading – I’ve just finished American Dirt, a terrifyingly gripping book; and at least one hour of writing. I recently published a book of short stories, and, at the rate things are going, I expect another will be ready by the time lock-down ends. I am a member of a writing group. To compensate for our missing monthly meetings, we are writing and circulating by email a round robin story. Each participant in turn adds to the story. It is quite a challenge. To assuage my love for orchestral music, I decided to listen to all the Beethoven symphonies, each of which, to my mind, speaks eloquently in its own way to the human condition. I listen to (and watch) one every other day on average and have just finished No. 8. The 2012 Proms performances by Barenboim and his West-Eastern Davin Orchestra are enthralling. Our church has cancelled all services until mid-May, but our rector does an on-line homily each Sunday. Also, I am on a phoning team where each member calls about a dozen parishioners once a week. Keep safe, keep well. Photos: 1) Gardening 2) Walking our Newfoundland dog 3) Listening to all the Beethoven symphonies 4) American Dirt, a terrifyingly gripping book 5) Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island |
