The New Normal.
Life has completely changed since France closed non-essential businesses and asked its citizens to go into confinement in mid-March. It was supposed to last for two weeks, but now has been extended until April 15. I think this came as no surprise to anyone and now we all wonder if it will be extended again. So we wait.
Fortunately, the boulangeries and fromageries are considered essential! I'm trying to avoid going out as much as possible, so every time I think about leaving the house to run and get a baguette or pop into the local fruit and vegetable shop, it's a mental tug of war of wanting to support local businesses vs. respecting the fact that we should stay inside as much as possible to avoid spreading this virus. The latter is winning. But when I do venture out, about every 5-6 days, I try to shop at the small, local places.
Obviously, tourism has been hit HARD, so I'm not working for the time being. This means I could be doing many things to fill my days, but I've found it difficult to focus. There's a great amount of uncertainty, not just for our future, but for many of our loved ones as well.
So I'm cooking. A lot. Much of my time is spent coming up with inventive ways to use up things that have been lingering in our kitchen cupboards and drawers. I'm thinking of it as a kind of therapy.
Looking out our windows at the (almost) empty streets is truly bizarre and sometimes it feels like we're the only ones living in our neighborhood. Then every night at 8pm, we know we're not alone. It's the hour when we join our neighbors by either hanging out of our windows or stepping out on our balconies to applaud the French healthcare workers*. It is truly moving, and is one of the ways we feel connected to each other during this "interesting" time.
I hope that you and your loved ones are staying healthy and sane. We are all in this together and we will get through this!
* who should all be granted sainthood when this crisis is over, in my opinion.
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7 comments:
Bravo to all of you parisians. I live in the countryside near Carpentras, so I have a very big garden to keep me busy. I cannot imagine how it must be confined to an apartment, and I applaud all of you for remaining focused and optimistic. I bet I would not have done as well. But as you say, cheese and bread are essential, as is wine, so we have shops open. Plus I have a local market gardener less than one km from here who has everything. I am very fortunate.
bonnie in provence
It is such a weird experience reading all of my favourite bloggers' posts and experiencing the same thing myself - all of us are waiting for the world's curve to flatten and normalcy to be restored (or some form of it). One thing that is also recurring is food, in this case cheese and wine! Here in Kelowna we now have a cheesemonger (unusual for Canada) and they are delivering orders throughout the city, in some cases with wine!
For this I am fortunate! One day at a time and finding pleasure in the little things.
Bonnie
Glad to hear that you're doing well! We can't complain and are just staying hopeful that our loved ones stay healthy and safe. Take care and wishing you all the best!
Murissa
That is wonderful to hear! Keep supporting those small businesses and take care of yourself.
:)
What beautiful pictures! I'm so glad you're still able to go out to the patisseries and boulangeries. We're doing the same questioning here: Should we go to our favorite food cart? Is it too risky? Will it go out of business if people don't go to it? We usually end up going. I have also come to appreciate our outdoor space a lot more - even a little goes a long way. I really hope both of you and all your loved ones stay healthy!
I've been out in the car twice since March 14, once for groceries and once to a co-op for wine. Tuesday will be my third trip out. We don't go into supermarkets, but order on line and then drive over to pick up the order. It's all surreal, so empty are the streets, and then again the long lines of people spaced out for safety, waiting in line to get into the store. We've been cleaning out our freezer and eating pretty well, if I do say so myself. I think this is going to last for a few months yet, but I hope I'm wrong.
Beautiful photo!
Amen - Every health, fire, ambulance drivers should be saints! I live in rural Pennsylvania and we are in "stay at home" orders until June 4. What a strange time, I too am doing a lot of cooking and also finding "mystery" foods hiding in my pantry and trying to figure out Why did I buy this and when? the use by dates are scary.
Love your photos.
Wishing everyone GOOD HEALTH.
Take care, fondly Pat
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