A Universe of Small Things

Another two weeks have passed here in Rhode Island with no end in sight. I am still lucky in my lockdown locale and now know myself to have been right last time when likening myself to a caged animal. There's a definite and visible path of the route I take on what I now tend to think of as my 'rounds' through the grounds and over to the sea.   The plan is to manage 10,000 steps per day (plus some cycling of which more anon) to keep reasonably fit - just in case ! I realise how lucky I am to be able to do this in perfect safety, especially when compared to those confined to little apartments where there are more people than rooms - and who lack the financial security that I have. I can only  imagine what it must be like to those countless thousands in the US now locked down, without jobs or health cover and in tiny accommodation. No wonder frustration and an urge to over-hasty easing of the restrictions seems to be building - and encouraged in some quarters.  Gina Raimondo the Governor of Rhode Island comes on every day at 1300 with the latest scores. A democrat she seems very sensible; here our  figures are still climbing, but remain low so far. Our population is about half as much again as Wiltshire, so its all very local.  

Since comparatively big though they are, the grounds of my mansion still make a very small universe, I notice things I wouldn't normally - not least the slow arrival of spring, and stately procession of small flowers in bloom, spring gentian, celandine, grape hyacinth alongside all the daffodils. I have had to amend my path a bit where things which I don't yet know have suddenly appeared. Maybe they will be lilies ?  That will be something else to keep an eye on in that days ahead. I have to look for things to look for !

This includes closely observing the trees. I have managed to identify most of my 16 really big ones - plane, oak and chestnut but there are two mysteries. It's interesting to look at, really for the first time, at the varying rate of opening up for the spring. The chestnuts look as though they will be first out in leaf. The 'sticky buds' are now much in evidence, still just about confining tight green bunches of young leaves which are barely visible. I see that plane trees have sticky buds too. Another thing to be added to the store of human knowledge. I do spot strange things as well as the usual such as a Celandine growing away inside a tree 

I am also pretty familiar with the view of the sea from the cliff top. Last week there was a spectacular storm with the spray shooting up over the nearby headland in a way in which my landlady in the big house says she's never seen before. There's a pair - or maybe a trickier trio - of Common Merganser nearly always around but that day not surprisingly they were nowhere to be seen. So spotting whether the interloper is back, putting pressure on, is another thing to look for. The dramas of a duck's life.  There was a real treat yesterday - two Gannets flew majestically past, brilliantly white with black wing tips. Great views with my new binoculars. It took me back to when at Port Quin in Cornwall we had one all tangled up in fishing wire and really angry or frightened on the kitchen table of our National Trust cottage. It was liberated by someone from a local bird reserve we managed to get hold of.        

These trivial observations are such tiny things. Years ago one of my colleagues at Greenwich used to irritate me with his Asian mysticism, saying there was more truth in a grain of rice than in any number of lectures - probably meaning mine in particular.  I begin to have a glimmering of what he was talking about ! Maybe.

But of course despite all this physical confinement, through modern technology we all also have access to the outside world. Thanks to Zoom and Whatsapp I have virtual contact all the time with family and local colleagues. The latter run a contact group. We have regular meetings and exchange several dozen messages every day to check that everyone is OK, talk about the latest controversy, work issues etc and virtual end-of-week relaxed drink on a Friday afternoon. One colleague - an ex Marine - has six cats all of whom seem really weird to judge by what they are captured in pictures as doing. I could do with a cat !   Further afield, I can chunter with other colleagues, especially ancient ones like me locked down in far-way places, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil etc etc  

On Easter Sunday, the family even had a traditional egg-painting  breakfast/lunch - whoever would have thought of that as a possibility a few months ago ? It wasn't the same as it would have been round the oval table at Wansdyke but fun anyway - and a whole lot better than nothing.   What with constant messaging and on-going  academic exchanges all round the world my universe is not so small after all. Another new departure for me has been on-line shopping. Cherry always used to handle all of that, so that's been another new area of development for me - paradoxically expanding horizons when in confinement. But this access to a much wider world is fragile in that it does depend on that technology still working, and as an oldie basically frightened of such things that worries me. Home deliveries are getting more difficult to book as the demand goes up, but I have enough groceries to keep me going for a while. The wine system though is really good. It comes within two hours !

Finally, another new departure has been the fact that I have been able to resuscitate a bike I found in the garage, with the aid of hand-pump that I sent away for. So I now have a cycle route up and down the drive and round the circle in front of the big house. Even after just a week or so I have done more cycling in confinement than I have at home for years. I am of course very tempted to go out on the road and cycle to the nearest beach but as an oldie male with two 'underlying conditions' I am being ultra cautious. There's always the danger of being suddenly overtaken by some sweaty super-cyclist and then willy-nilly passing through a possible shower of droplets in his or her air. Maybe if I can get or make a mask I might try it at some future date....something else to think about. In the meantime it'll still be the drive. Those in the big house regard me as a great source of entertainment I think and watch my various activities with great and kindly interest.

Hey, ho that's 5 weeks done - how many more I wonder... I have made tentative enquiries as to whether I could extend my lease through July and August if I need to - but really hope I don't ! But in the meantime, here's to Spring !