Life in Bengeo in Covid-19 Times, Part 1

 

Path up the hill in Ware Park, 15th April 2020

 

Path through woods in Ware Park, 15th April 2020

Geoff Crodingley

 

Blue bells in the wood near bridge over A10 bypass

 

Path through the fields in Ware Park, 15th April 2020

 

Path through Ware Park Grounds, 15th April 2020

We are now into our fourth week of lock-down and life has settled into  a pattern albeit not the usual one.

No longer do Gill & I pick up our granddaughters two afternoons a week; no longer can we hold family meals and gatherings; no longer do I play tennis nor duplicate bridge; no longer do I volunteer at  Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies.  I can still transcribe interviews for Hertford Oral History Group (HOHG) and perform various Internet tasks, e.g editing Herts Memories.

One thing I do enjoy at the moment is my daily walk.  I have tried various routes: I particularly enjoy walking along the tow-path to Ware over the bridge by Glaxo and back up the other side of the river past the old Ware Park Mill site.  However I find the tow-path tricky to negotiate, trying to keep at least two metres away from other walkers, cyclists etc. coming both ways, and a section of the path on the other side of the river is very narrow.  I have therefore settled on a walk through the trees and fields of Ware Park.  As you can see from the attached images, the trees are greening up and there is a patch of bluebells to see in a small wooded area, although not the swathes visible in Panshanger Park.  I’ve had a pheasant scuttling across my path a couple of times and heard various birds chattering away.

I do keep in contact with friends via telephone calls. We do receive various transmissions via YouTube and I do play friendly bridge for an hour with three friends three days a week.  Also I’ve learned to use FaceTime; WhatsApp and Zoom.  Among other things we use these to join in quizzes with family and friends.

Bird song seems to be the most consistent sound at the moment.  It’s as if I have been transported back to my childhood with only the occasional car on the roads (if you ignore the parked cars!) and even less aeroplanes in the sky.  That aspect of lockdown is very pleasant.  It’s as if the birds are enjoying being the centre of the sound world.  There is a blackbird which sings away merrily and confidently every afternoon in a neighbour’s garden, after spending the morning searching for worms in our garden.

We have at least three further weeks of lockdown but will we oldies be allowed to meet our friends even then or even more important engage with our families again?