11 May The Farce be with you
Monday 11 May : the lockdown is lifted in France and we start the deconfinement. I have mixed feelings about it, I would have preferred Paris and other metropoles in the badly effected areas to stay in confinement, the thought of a second wave of infection haunts my mind. In practice, not much changes in our daily lives, we still continue working from home office and home school. It does feel liberating and a bit rebellious to go out of the apartment at any time of the day without having to justify it. I still avoid going to shops and continue home deliveries and quick pickups from a point of relay.
What changes the most are the walks. First I go by myself, an hour or so around the neighbourhood but by the end of the week we start doing longer family walks. In certain parts of the neighbourhood most of the people are wearing masks and respecting distancing, in other parts not so much. Many of the small restaurants are open for take aways and are even selling beer and wine to go. Little pleasures of life. The parks and squares are still closed, but people gather around their closed gates or sit by the doorways enjoying the beautiful summer weather after weeks and weeks of confinement.
Highlight of the week is my son’s 14th birthday. We celebrate it at home, just the three of us, what else. Except that there is an extra sparkle added to the celebrations when the whole street sings him the traditional birthday song after the daily clapping at 8 pm. A birthday to remember.
