Silver Lining

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there are some good things that have come out of COVID-19, and I don’t just mean how much more proficient many of my friends have become with technology.

I know this sounds macabre, but think about it. When the lockdown was at its worst, funeral homes came up with a way that people could ‘attend’ a funeral remotely. And now, it’s just a part of a service they provide. It meant I was able to attend my aunt’s and cousin’s funerals from across the Atlantic, ditto my sisters being able to attend my uncle Ian’s. I think this is a good thing.

Groceries: I know Longos had grocery delivery before COVID, but because it wasn’t really used a lot, it wasn’t a heavily staffed service, which meant you often had to place your order 3 or 4 days before delivery, and there was a fair cost associated. And I’m sure other Canadian and UK supermarkets had something similar. But now, Click & Collect and Home Delivery have become such commonplace services that they are easily accessed, and reasonably cost effective. I placed an order at 6pm on Thursday, and it arrived before 10:30 the next morning. And here in Orkney, I can book a Click & Collect for the same day.

These are the things I think about while lounging about on the sofa watching cooking videos on YouTube, and sipping ginger ale or lemon ginger water. As I’m typing this, I’m reminded of all those period British novels in which the convalescents are served barley water – I think I have barley in the cupboard – how hard can it be to make? Well, there’s this afternoon’s project settled.