We returned to London on Easter weekend, three weeks into the UK Covid lockdown. The journey itself was quite surreal, with French motorways almost entirely devoid of motor traffic and just an inside lane of HGVs transporting life’s necessities across the country. Our stop at a motorway service station was reminiscent of a Mad Max Movie, everything closed, not a soul in sight, just a twittering of birds no longer drowned by engine noise.
Arrival at the Eurotunnel was just as deserted, with a queue of five vehicles for the entire train. We were relieved to have all paperwork in order as we were stopped by the French police and questioned on the necessity of our journey. They were, however, very friendly and waved us through once Jonathan had waved his plaster encased leg under their noses.
Once back in Hammersmith we settled into another type of lockdown life. Daily exercise became a walk along the river towards Chiswick or Putney, wishing we could stop at the Crabtree or Blue Anchor for a beer in the sunshine. April remained remarkably sunny and hot so we made the most of the fresh air on the roof terrace, put our tiny barbecue to good use and got to know our neighbours by chatting over the fence and joining the street for the Thursday evening tribute to the NHS. London remained remarkably quiet and well ordered – polite queues outside the local supermarkets, appropriate social distancing in the post office and nods and smiles along the tow path.
Meanwhile, Jonathan was seen by a plaster technician who made a house call to remove the plaster and replace it with a weightbearing boot, so he was able to make his first tentative weight bearing steps along the street towards the river. He then saw an orthopaedic surgeon for removal of the tendon suture, and had on-line physiotherapy as no face to face therapy is allowed. We also completed all the paperwork and DBS checks to ensure we were set to start work in Cornwall when needed.
It’s bizarre being in London and seeing no one we know, as usually our trips here are to catch up with friends and family. Nonetheless, phone conversations have flowed and we’ve even joined the Zoomers for pre-dinner drinks. Finally, on the 4th May, Jonathan celebrated his birthday in lockdown fashion with an appropriately small cake.
