Well that´s torn it!

I was beginning to feel a bit optimistic about the pandemic here in São Paulo, the vaccination age has reached the 77 to 79 year olds which means after them I should be in the next cohort. But...on the news today I heard that the current infection and death rates are higher now than they were at the height of the pandemic last July and the ICUs are full...looks like I shall have to go into full isolation again.

Masks

They say you can get used to anything over time, I have found wearing a mask has become a habit although I still don´t like it.

Here in Brazil masks are compulsory on the streets,on public transport, in shops etc, in other words everywhere you go outside your front door. When I take Toby for a walk I automatically pick up my mask together with his lead.

The problem for me is I made my own masks and being extra cautious I think I made them with more layers of fabric than strictly necessary, which makes breathing a bit harder. So if I am walking fast or trying to talk at the same time I get a bit breathless. Another problem is that because of the summer heat my face perspires a lot and my mask gets damp, especially under the chin as the sweat runs down, not very nice!

It is over a year now since I started wearing a mask outdoors and only going out when it is unavoidable. I just wish there was some light at the end of the tunnel but I can´t see it yet.

A bunch of eccentrics

 I´ve been watching Time Team again tonight and it struck me what a wonderful collection of characters archaeologists are. They might spend a lifetime specialising in just one type of artifact, wear colourful clothes and have wild hair, but nothing can distract from their enthusiasm and love for discovering the secrets of the past.

Time Team

Thank goodness for the internet and YouTube. This business of staying in all the time is wearing a bit thin after one year. 

Many moons ago, during one of the periods I lived in England, I studied extramural archaeology at Manchester University. I found the course fascinating and went on to do some voluntary work pot drawing and working on digs. When I moved back to Brazil opportunities to get involved in anything like that were a bit thin on the ground, so to speak!

Imagine my delight when I discovered a few days ago that the TV programme on archaeology,Time Team,  is available on YouTube. I have been binge watching it ever since. I know the programme ran for many years, and apart from anything else it is interesting to see how the main participants aged over that time.

Toby

 

This is Toby, my Yorkie. The sign says "I ate my mum`s cheese"! It was my fault as I left a shopping bag on the floor. He scoffed 200 grams of mozzarella cheese in a matter of seconds, which did not agree with him at all...

I´ve had Toby since he was a two-month old pup, and he will be fourteen this year so he is getting on a bit. Sadly he has had 'dry eye' for years and slowly lost his sight. I think he can only see vague moving shadows now. I have to put ointment in his eyes every day and keep cleaning them every few hours. There is no cure and I was not willing to inflict either of two procedures on him. One was to stitch his eyelids partially closed to stop him blinking, and the other was to connect his salivary glands to his tear ducts to lubricate his eyes. There was no guarantee either procedure would work and I found the idea of them pretty barbaric anyway, so we have just managed as best we can. He is perfectly happy, goes for walks on a lead, and plays with his toys. There is nothing wrong with his sense of smell, hence him finding the cheese!

I originally got him thinking he would be company for my father who lived with me. I was still working then and my father, who was blind, spent a lot of time alone. Unfortunately my father did not take to him, but I never regretted my decision. Toby is great company, especially now I am on my own, and even more so now I am mostly shielding because of the pandemic. He is not a lapdog though, never wears clothes and does not spend his time yapping, thank goodness...he is a proper little dog.

The one that got away!

I think I overdosed on Caminos on the Via de la Plata, and there was a four-year break before I felt like doing another one, in 2016. I chose the Camino Inglês or The English Way, which is only 119km within Galicia, from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela, used mainly by Northern Europeans pilgrims who used to arrive by boat. It is a very peaceful way, countrified and quiet, with few other pilgrims. I went on my own which was just as well because after about five days of walking my hips became very painful and I had to give up.

I caught a bus into Santiago and hung about for a few days before my flight to the UK to visit one of my sons was due. It was a nice chance to explore the city without rushing. Naturally this time I did not apply for a Compostela as I had not walked the compulsory last 100km. So, that brings my Camino tales up to date, since the one mentioned in my last post planned for April last year fell through because of the pandemic. I hope I´ll be able to do another one in the not too distant future as I´m not getting any younger!

Flight voucher

 Well, that´s a relief! I had an email today telling me the validity of my flight voucher has been extended until June 2022. I had a flight to Spain booked and paid for for last April, to walk another Camino...which obviously didn´t happen. I was given a voucher valid for one year expiring next month. I have been dithering about the last couple of weeks wondering what to do about it, but now, problem solved!