Hello from a beautifully Sunny England……..

I hope this finds you well and safe. The big news here is that the lockdown is being lifted cautiously….after all this time it feels wonderful, there is an air of happiness about the place!!! Today, those who are deemed to be the most vulnerable have been given the green light to leave their homes after 12 weeks and next week all stores will be opening, obviously with very strict guidelines as to how we move around the stores and in general…..all good news for us!!

And you, how is it for you? Your beaches have reopened I see, which makes a huge difference to how people feel, it’s a long road to recovery, but recover we will!!!

I am amazed at how children have adapted to the new behaviour of stopping suddenly and remembering that a hug is not allowed at the moment…I noticed this when at the VE Day celebrations in our street the two year old opposite us wanted to show me her doll and came towards me with it outstretched in her hand and then placed the doll on the road and stepped back so I could pick it up, amazing!!

So what else has been happening in our neighbourhood..I told you all about the scrubs that were being made at the community hub which are amazing, we started to slow down with orders which is good news and means we are getting somewhere with it all and most hospitals and care homes have seen PPE delivered, thank goodness. People have been blaming the government but hindsight is a wonderful thing, who could have predicted this dreadful situation??? And as usual, community won through….I love the stories that emerge during troubling times, of people who have gone that extra mile or given that extra bit of time….for me the 100 year old major army captain Tom who walked a marathon by using his walker to walk round and round his garden (very slowly) to raise £1,000 and ended up raising over £33,000,000!!!!!

People took him to their hearts, as they did a young cerebral Palsy sufferer aged 9, Tobias Welles, inspired by Captain Tom who walked down his road every day for 70 days, he also has a walker to help him walk very painstakingly. Every day his neighbours would come out and cheer him on, he completed a whole marathon!!!!

The restaurants who provided food for hospital workers, who set up groups of people to contact the most vulnerable, keep fitters who set up virtual gyms to keep people fit….Joe Wicks set up exercise classes every morning for children missing out on exercising at home and ended up with half the nation joining!!! Hundreds of stories and all selfless people helping others.

The lovely lady in this photograph who made these fabulously funky scrubs is an ex student whom I taught in my very first teaching post….she is as lovely now as she was all those years ago!!!

There have also been protests here after the death of George Floyd, it was a dreadful thing and people here feel badly….our protests were in London and respected the social distancing as everyone knelt in Trafalgar Square and then continued to the American Embassy to stand in silence……we are always with you in troubling times.

Now we need to start thinking about the future, what can we do about travelling??? I am pretty sure we will not make it to Lake Worth this year or in fact, anywhere that means a plane journey…instead it is an opportunity to explore England – all the places we keep hearing about but have never had the chance to visit, it would be fun to hire a mobile home for a couple of weeks and see where it takes us!!! Half the fun will be in the planning…

You know we were in Vietnam and Cambodia before our trip was curtailed and we were flown home by a very circuitous route which was exhausting but very interesting. We got to see all these airports and testing and masks and temperature taking but we got home eventually. I was going through my photographs and it reminded me of what fabulous places these countries are, so rich in heritage, beautiful buildings steeped in history, magnificent in the midst of traffic and poverty and families travelling on one moped, grandma holding on for dear life at the back! And of course, because of the pandemic just starting to spread there were very few people around which was very much to our advantage, places which would normally be so crowded allowed us to wander freely to gaze at the splendour, to take photos which didn’t contain strangers because you could actually see the sights without ducking around people, always a silver lining!

It always strikes me when in a country such as Vietnam that despite the obvious lack of money and decent homes, people are still happy and smiling and seemingly content and happy to do anything to make our trip even more memorable.

The floating villages were amazing, no problem with social distancing there….houses on stilts, boats instead of cars, their shops and market all floating on the river along with mobile coffee vendors, all amazing to experience.

I hope that everything we have experienced over the past 12 weeks will have taught us all something about life, not to be too concerned with our appearance, it really doesn’t matter that our nails are not perfect or hair is a little unruly, making do with what we can get from the supermarket, which at times was not very much or varied but we survived, and new clothes, do we really need to shop as often as we do???

Having just finished my daily yoga session with the usual teacher who has been teaching us every day instead of twice a week and has only asked for donations to go  our local hospital for which we have now raised £1,500, whoopee!!!!  I feel great and energised, that is definitely something that I am going to continue……

By next week I will have a long list of others things I am going to continue, get ready and we can compare them….until then, have fun and stay safe and happy….always happy.

                                                               X X X

May 19 was my last entree. Today is 28th of May and we are still in difficult times.  Everything fades and becomes just a monotonous movement over and over now.    The long awaited missive from England finally arrived.  Chris Gostling  (R) will again be the Monday blog contributor and give as the news from that side of the world.  They were caught in Cambodia when the lockdown became world wide, and just made it home to England on the last flight.  There after no more flights or travel for anyone.

I have new young ladies who expressed a wish to learn.. So the ciriculum is reading numbers for the little one via backgammon and of course art. School is out this week. Thank you BArbara Resch for the die. Using pennies and dimes.

May 22,  My birthday                                                                                                                             Got up super early as i’m redoing the #Littlefreelibrary hoped to have it done and recreate the opening party.  Did not happen. Soon!  My door is open and and these two little ones are standing in the doorway.  Taken aback, surprised at the early hour.  I ask of course.  Mothers gone to work, the rest of the household is still asleep and they went AWOL with plastic bags under their arms in case of rain.  I’m looking at grubby little faces and ask “have you washed your hands?” LOL of course not. OK first things first  breakfast next                                                           Wasn’t really ready for them i’m painting.  It’s ok they want to spend time here, cleaning? what!  I’m informed they have gone with their auntie to clean and know how to clean. Oh my god, i’m in chaos, books here papers there, I live in my studio.  Cleaning has never been part of my mantra.  All of a sudden it occures to me CLEANING (it’s my birthday! a Gift from heaven?  Recall a friend while teaching at the Bass Museum always was fascinated going thru my purse ART STUFF!

Hour later, saved by an emergency.  Flooding down the street. A picture is worth a thousand words.  Posted it to local FB page.  We saved the day and had have fun doing it.  Got immediate response from the City of Lake Worth Beach.  Who can resist splashing in the water.  They head home in the sunshine under my umbrellas just in case it rains again

It’s not even noon.  More rain expected plus morefor the next few days.                     Corona Virus upstages every life-event. Whats a Birthday like in quarentine?  Got lots of birday wishes on FB via Lake Worth Local, Lake Worth Beach Voice, and Lake Worth Life  and some awesome cards and long distant video chats.  All totally unanticipated or expected.  So once more to all who took the time to acknowledge me.

Thank You        Corona Virus Detainee  

It’s been exactly a week that I posted the last Corona Virus lockdown musings.

I made the exception, escaped to the beach. It was open for the first time after the nine week lockdown. Found that I was trespassing on Palm Beach’s beach. A part adjacent to Lake Worth Beach just south. In fact go north and same would Have happened. Lake Worth’s own beach is nestled in between, on Palm Beach Island. A little known fact. So our quirkey little seaside town owns its own piece of paradise on the Island?

Back to my Royal Poinciana neighborhood is my little corner of , paradise. Fancy Nancy no longer studies here, her mother is not working so she stays home . However in a previous post w picture of four little girls, who asked to learn here showed up waiting for me as I got back from the beach. LOL.

May 15 It’s one of those days raining. A rainy day and I feel just like my cat.

Shared this photo with artist friend . She replied “feel same way, still in my PJs, going back under the covers.” it’s 11:43 a.m. My other cat Oopsy is on top of my head on the headrest of the arm chair I’m occupying. No one is moving today. LOL

Kimberly is serious, 10 and wants to learn reading and drawing. She was articulate about this. Ok, so started her of with Nancy Drew‘s (Lilac Inn) Might have been to advanced. What’s a paddle, I draw it and explain. What’s a canoe, I draw that and show her the yellow one I have. Slow going. We go to collect my mail and she picks up a Poinciana blossom, that is what she is drawing in the picture above. as any ten year is able to draw. The leaves, stamens, the entire structure of the blossom is accurate.

May 19. City Hall on Zoom . Gosh am I one of 3 watching. Would have thought with the convenience everyone can tune in. No need to go downtown. Got there a few minutes after the start, go to kitchen, fix my coffee, feet up on the easy chair. First up are the first responders our #91 fire dept. doing annual report. We have 49 fire stations in Palm Beach co. I’m ready for a trivia quiz. Xx

Show and tell Nancy is maintaining the garden we started and here she is kidsplaining.

I went to our beach this morning, as weather is predicted for afternoon. Met these great people.

Expected far more people as the car park upstairs was full. The weather calm overcast no surf. Found majority from Wellington area.

They went first to Phipps beach but apparently no parking allowed there so they came here, to our Lake Worth Beach.

I went my usual route south to do shelling. Beaches was clean. Found one pc of sea glass, technically not yet sea glass, so I took it home to dispose. No cigarette butts, no bottles, no trash, it’s possible to keep it up.

Discovered my Tiffany necklace* bandana when wet does not allow air thru. Yes people were wearing masks and some did not. The suggested distancing was observed, I counted about all were 20 feet apart. Very one I’m sure was grateful for the opportunity to have this freedom. Saw only one chair.

And yes I saw people I knew. Lol.

The lines for the food giveaway are still happening on Tuesday mornings. I hear of others also but remain self quarantined. Finally I received Essential Internet after I terminated myself for 90 days to satisfy Comcast Xfinity. Yet for more than two years I tried, qualified but they would not give me a break. Had their flyer in my hand knew I qualified as did this whole neighborhood. Now I have it and assisted my Guatemalan latch-key kids to get on and obtained their devices from PBSD.

So other than tutor I became somewhat domestic. Lol. Wondered who here in our community had to learn to cook and survive. My instinct comes from the old country.

Supreme Court is in session, Dr. Fauci is today’s hero.

My lifeline are friends, neighbors. Just got a delivery of bleach. Did you know your toothpaste has poison control phone number. Your not suppose to swallow it either. Not seen here is artist friend Vee who brought art materials. As well as Susan below here, who also remembered the children here and brought toys and paints. I let the kids illustrate my correspondence.

my guest in my living space/studio are the LWB City Commissioners via Zoom. Determining the future and welfare of our quirky little seaside town. Maria my Colombian friend was first to done the mask in this area. We chat she tells me that no one bothers to wear mask at Bryant Park when she walks her dogs, now that we are in Phase 1.

I rarely bother w the phone so impersonal, rather see a face. My form of communication is letters. #sendgoodlettersgetgoodletters. Majority are artist friends and I let the kids get the mail. They never disappoint.

Also visiting this charmed cottage over the fence are these kids. Asking if I teach and could they come to learn here. Had no idea I have this draw. I recall when I met my husband r.i.p. what drew me to him was how kids gravitated to him to watch him paint, and never interrupted him. This was his studio so the spirit is alive.

My live for now revolves here and under my Poinciana tree. Tammy Pansa checks in calls. So a great big thank you to all who showed you care that includes messenger. Lol. And from artist friend R-man

What do I want I want for nothing. Well, Send letters .

How many of the stay at homers, reached out HELP and now really appreciate Teachers. It was yesterday. Never to late to write a thank you note and put them in your will. This Segways into, if you do not get your thanks into the post TODAY your favorite teacher (Mother) won’t get your card.

We now are still in my garden doing long distance learning.

Then on to the prescribed lessons via the “device” from the Palm Beach School District. Left hand on the table, sit up straight. Am I asking to much? They will eventually be returning to school some day. No slacking, it’s not a vacation. Will they be held back because of lack of interest and not doing the work. The teacher have video chats w the kids. It’s a little like the zoom meeting that took place last night with our City leaders.

Reminder Mothers Day is this Sunday. Last delivery day, is Saturday if you mean to have your Mother’s Day cards there in time. Then again there is, “to your door delivery” from Awe Flowers. Also, Convivo Books is local and will deliver in 33460 while your there get yourself something as well. Not sure? Check Them out as today at 3:00 pm the will be on FB with a podcast.

As a collector of many things and do continually divesting into file 13. Among the gems I unearthed a little 84 p book. Tattered, moth eaten. Amazing what these women dealt with and knew. You can keep eggs unrefrigerated for months. But I was perusing for Mango recipes as it’s Mango season. Also found recipe for onion pie. Not trying that. Lol

Count down to Mother’s Day in 9 days. We are all separated from people we care about, love, have unintentionally drifted from by happenstance. We can remember them…

4-30-2020 One more day MAY.