Care and share

We’re very lucky to live so near to the coast and my regular exercise is usually taken walking by the sea. The first decision is whether to turn right at the bottom of the road where I’m soon to be on the prom heading in the direction of town and the pier with all the hustle and bustle then the bird reserve, the docks and the river Orwell. If I turn to the left I’ll be on the grassy cliff top heading for The Dip and the golf course, eventually The Ferry and the river Deben. Since March I’ve purposefully been turning left in order to avoid the increasing number of socially-spaced gatherings which make my path quite tricky. That is until this week when I turned right. It was a delight to suddenly catch sight of people I’ve missed for so long…beach hut owners and ex-pupils as well as long term friends. It really shook me though, when one usually cheery lady didn’t give me her wide grin and wild wave and her eyes had lost their twinkle. We stood and chatted for many minutes, maybe twenty or more as she told me about the loneliness lockdown has brought. I thought she might cry, so instinctively put my hand on her shoulder. The sunken eyes looked at me and she said I was the first person to touch her since March. She hadn’t/hasn’t seen her family and only 3 people have knocked at her door. So here’s a challenge for you, dear reader. Make a batch of Jammy Shortcakes – you’ll get 20, that’s 4 more than the recipe intends. Wrap the extras and take them to a person who lives alone. Chat for a while and then pause, give them a chance to tell you how they feel. And wait.