How the coronavirus is changing our lives, flowers for the garden, British hymns, home made hot cross buns, RIP Fran, Boris Johnson's "herd immunity strategy", to Montrondo and other stories.

Sunday 15th March, 2020

Buying flowers at the garden centre last Sunday

Good morning friends and readers.

I hope your week was good. Mine was dominated by the fear of the coronavirus as was yours no doubt.  That's why we came to Montrondo on Friday to get away from it all and be safe. We may be safe here, but now we are debating to go home to ride out the storm there where, if we think about it, we are probably equally safe as we live in an isolated area far from the city and the focus areas. In any case if this virus lasts months, we cannot leave my father and Lucy at home for long.  If anyone is worried we have brought the virus here and one woman accused me of that on social media, my answer is that I have not. We have been extremely careful, following all the health recommendations and have been in practical self isolation for quite a while now. Here, too we are following the same style of life; practically self isolating, only going out for walks and keeping a very large distance from anyone we see. There are, by the way only about 11 permanent inhabitants making social distancing much easier here anywhere else. So please those who have criticised people leaving Madrid for their villages, don't worry we are not carriers, but responsible people who did not take the decision lightly. 

Since last Sunday our world has changed dramatically as has many people's mostly in Europe which is the epicentre of the crisis now.  If last Sunday there were about 500 cases in Spain, today that figure is around 6.500 and growing. Spain is now the worst hit country after China, Italy (21000), Iran and South Korea. Just behind us come France and Germany with about 4.500 cases each. This rapid increase in the spread of the virus is what has taken the government to announce a state of alarm and to take drastic measures to fight it. Spain is now in semi confinement, not quite as draconian as Italy but pretty much so.

Last Sunday was International Women's day with women (and men) taking to the streets all over the world to continue the fight for the impossible; equality and respect for women as well as an end to domestic and non domestic violence. It was probably the last big concentration of people in Spain and was, in the opinion of the large majority, a very wrong thing to do. 

Last Sunday was a very quiet day for us. There were no guests for the first time in 3 years owing, of course, to fear of travel due to the spread of coronavirus. I am slowly losing income from my flourishing Airbnb business and will be one of those people hit hard economically by the collateral effects of the virus. That day Italy took the most drastic measure so far by isolating 16 people in the north of the country and literally putting them into quarantine for a month or who knows how much longer.  It might have been coincidental that in the days to come the number of cases of coronavirus in Spain spiked, especially in Madrid. I personally think the demonstrations should have been called off.  120.000 people marched together. At the head of the demonstration was Spain's Minister of Equality, the far left Irene Montero. I was not surprised to hear on Thursday that she had tested positive putting the whole government into danger. 

With an eye on the developments both in Spain and abroad, our life, mainly at home, continued. It seems one of the most important factors in mitigating coronavirus is social distancing and I have to come to realise this more as the week draws to a close.  We were in practical self isolation only venturing out to buy food or go for our walks. And when we went out for food we did so armed with gloves which we later disposed of and kept the reglamentary 1.5m distance from fellow shoppers and shop workers. Gone are the days of dining out, going shopping, meeting friends or going to the cinema. How long will it last I wonder? It does take some getting used to. If last week we didn't go out to dinner so as not to break my diet, this week I wouldn't have dreamed of it. No one should go anywhere where there is a concentration of people. In any case that is no longer possible as of Saturday all restaurants and bars and non essential shops were closed as was all cultural and sporting activities. Life came to a halt, as if it had stopped in time. Thankfully we will still be able to take our dogs for a walk and in our case that poses no problem as we have access to country lanes which are sparsely populated. 

On Sunday I wasn't so worried. With the good weather coming on, Eladio began gardening to spruce up our sprawling and rather wild garden for the spring. He needed to replant bare patches in the grass and replace some of last year's flowers which  had died. So off we went for our annual outing to a garden centre (Verdecora) to get compost, geraniums and crysanthemums. Neither of them are my favourite flowers but they are the hardiest so generally last longer. But we did get one of my favourite plants, a blue hydrangea. I just love the blue variety although my husband warns me that if they are next to other colours they will change from blue to the colour of the hydrangea next to them. I wonder if that is true. Being one of the week's highlights, I have chosen a photo of me with a trolley full of flowers and gardening stuff to illustrate this week's post. It's a sure sign spring is coming and I love spring, don't you? Don't worry again as that, our only outing, apart from shopping, was done with the same precautions. We did not linger and rushed home. 

Meanwhile Oli, Miguel and Elliot were in Valencia. They spent most of that day with Miguel's dear friend Fran who was sadly succumbing to melanoma. That's the reason they had to cancel their trip to Stockholm. I got a lovely photo of the handsome couple which I am eager to share with you.

Oli and her partner Miguel

I think I told you that it was Fran who introduced Oli to Miguel. She had been sent to Valencia to report for her RTVE programme (La Mañana) and Fran was her cameraman.

Oli with Fran (in the middle) and another cameraman in Valencia in 2012 when she first met her partner Miguel. 

Later in the news room, Fran introduced Oli to his best friend. Fran was like a brother to Miguel and Olivia will always remember him for introducing her to Miguel. She says it's thanks to Fran that Elliot is now in this world. I met him once and know from Olivia that he was a wonderful person, positive and full of fun. When she worked with him, they had a ball of a time. Once they had to report at a hospital and Fran, Oli and the team simulated him giving birth with his friend's head being the new born baby! I well remember the photo which I found very funny at the time. I remarked to Olivia when she posted it; what a happy moment that was in contrast to this week when the poor man was dying in agony.

Fun with Fran (sitting) in Valencia when Oli first met himin 2012

It was Miguel's responsibility that day and on other days to organise all the visits to see his friend. He was very tired, as was his new bride, Marivi, and someone had to tend to the practical side of things.  So, of course, and despite the wonderful weather, they did not go to the beach. Today that wouldn't be possible as all beaches have been closed. Did you read that? Imagine Spain the land of sun, with no access it its beaches. I can't begin to imagine what that means for Spain's most important sector, tourism. It must have been pretty sunny though as they tried some sunglasses on little  - or not so little Elliot hahahhaa. He loves to play and is very sociable. We miss him so much and I don't know now when we will see him again - perhaps not until the virus is over, as Oli is now stuck in Valencia. She wouldn't dare to take a train to Madrid and then come here with all the risk of getting infected.  Anyway, sorry for rambling, here is the photo of Elliot and the sunglasses.

Elliot about to put some sunglasses on

That day, it was just Pippa and me on the walk as Eladio stayed behind to do the gardening. So off I went with my headphones on and listened to one of my spotify playlists. You may be surprised to hear that it is called "my favourite British hymns".  If I go on a walk on a Sunday on my own I always listen to that playlist. When I listen to hymns like "Immortal invisible, God only mine", "Love divine, all love loves excelling", "Stand up, stand up for Jesus", "Be thou my vision" and other favourites such as "Jerusalem", "Guide me oh thou great redeemer", "The lord is my shepherd, "Hills of the north rejoice", "And did those feet in ancient times" or all my all time favourite "There is a green hill far away",  I am transported back to school assembly at St. Joseph's College in Bradford or St. Peter's Church in Saltaire where I used to go when I went through a rather religious phase.

St, Peter's Church in Saltaire which used to be my parish church

I joined the girl guides at St Peter's where the Revd. Brandon Jackson was the parish priest. As a family we got to know him well and he even came out to Spain to marry Eladio and I. He was later the priest at Bradford Cathedral until he was promoted to be the Dean of Lincoln Cathedral. I admired the man a lot and I think I became religious because of him. However there is a darker side to this story as he once tried to assualt me sexually. I mused on that too on my walk on Women's Day, another of my nasty "me too" moments in life. He deeply disappointed me.

As I listened to these wonderful, inspiring and rather nostalgic hymns, I asked myself, as I have done often in my life, whether I believe in God. Despite both my parents' fathers being priests, we didn't go to church as a family. I did, though go to a Catholic school, so something must have rubbed off. My mother was deeply religious but there wasn't really a proper Russian Orthodox church anywhere outside London so we only went to the Ukrainian church which wasn't really a proper church, at Easter. Listening to the hymns took me back to my childhood as well as to times I went to church in England. I think maybe, rather than religious, I rather like all the ceremony and rituals that go with believing. I cannot say, though that I do not believe. Rather than uplift me that day, these very familiar hymns made me feel nostalgic and sad and ache for the loss of my mother, my brother George and my Aunty Masha. They also made me feel a bit nostalgic for England, the country of my birth. Again I asked myself, where am I from? I was born in England to an English father but had a Russian mother and married a Spaniard - a priest to boot. That makes me something of a cocktail. I quite like my exotic roots but at the same time as a person I am a bit "rootless" and thus not quite setted anywhere. I asked myself what sort of funeral do I want when I die? Well, definitely a religious one but certainly not catholic (my mother was very anti catholic haha because of her very strict Orthodox upbringing).  I am divided between the Church of England and the Russian Orthodox church. I remember my mother always telling me she took me to Paris to be christened at the Russian church there. I think that was my first ever trip abroad. It must have been. Again I wonder what my life would have been like if she and my father had brought me up to speak both Russian and French. They didn't and in many many ways I regret it. My mother wanted her children to feel English but I do and I don't . As you see, never settled, just like her. Sorry for rambling again but these were my musings on my own existence that day on the walk with Pippa listening to British hymns which have so much impact on me.

My musing stopped when I got home as it was nearly dinner time and my mind turned to domestic issues. Eladio and I had a simple meal of tuna fish salad and then watched the news. For once coronavirus came second after the reporting on the marches for Womens' Day. Coranavirus was much more important to me and I was and am watching the numbers closely. The numbers were multiplying daily in Spain and my beloved adopted country may soon be the new Italy. . In Spain the main focus areas continue to be Madrid, then the Basque Country as well as  the wine growing region, La Rioja but now it has also spread to other communities or regions, although not on a grand scale.

We were in bed soon after dinner watching more news, on a different channel and then switched to Jordi Evole's new programme (Lo de Evole) where he interviews people in prison. As you may know I have a fascination with prisons and also other institutions such as hospitals, schools, convents, etc. I wonder why. We slept through an interview with the very pushy and aggressive Spanish minister for equality, Irene Montero but as I am not keen on her, it didn't matter. I wonder if she infected the interviewer, Ana Pastor, a high profile Spanish journalist. I hope not.

I was awake at 6 am on Monday morning and still without my PCs which were at a "computer sick bay". I got a call from the computer people to say that so far they had not been able to recover any files but were still working on it. Thankfully I had Eladio's PC from which I could work.

The next day, following government recommendations not to go to hospitals unless strictly necessary,   I decided my physiotherapy was not at all urgent and rang the hospital on Tuesday morning to cancel all my future appointments, at least for the moment. Oh how are lives are being disrupted. They would get more disrupted as the week progressed. 

Numbers soared in Italy and later in the day the Italian government announced the whole of Italy to be in lock down - that's 60 million people. In the morning the Basque (north of Spain) government announced the closure of all educational establishments in the town of Vitoria (the Basque capital) and in two other locations. Madrid followed suit that night when we we listened incredulously that schools and universities in the Madrid region (not just the capital) would also be closed from Wednesday onward. More and more regions followed the example as the week progressed.  Some people doubt that closing schools is a good thing. But it is for many reasons. To start with children may not get the virus badly but are great spreaders and they don't "do hygeine".  And they spread it of course to large numbers of people in their schools. If just one tests positive, the rest have to go into quarantine. It's essential they they stay indoors and follow all the new rules. Companies too were urged to send employees to work from home. Andy, our Scottish lodger, who works on the campus of the Santander Bank HQ was immediately told to stay at home as were all the thousands of other employees on the campus. The implications are enormous and our lives are being utterly disrupted. This is like living through some sort of biological war. The fear is that, as in Italy, the situation will get out of control and there will be no stopping the spread of the virus, no way to contain it any longer, only measures to mitigate its effect. In the US where I read early in the week that only 1500 tests have been taken, the figures there are obviously far higher. More worrying is that because there is no national health system, some people will not be able to afford the test, the bill of which could rise to over 3000 dollars or even if the test comes free which it seems it might, how will those who become really ill be able to afford the treatment?  Trump still seemed buoyant but maybe less so when the markets slumped in historic figures, similar to those of the financial crisis in 2008. or worse.  Coronavirus and lowered petrol costs - again partly due to the virus as airlines fly less and need less petrol.  Later in the week, Trump banned all travel  to the US from most countries in mainland Europe! Imagine! The economy is being hit hard as is normal life. Small businesses and freelance workers like me will be the hardest hit. I don't see an end to it. Even in The Lancet in an article I read it is not that sure the virus will recede when the warmer weather comes. Monday was the day when I really got scared.

In the UK, Boris Johnson chose a strategy for the virus which was quite the opposite to the rest of the world; the so-called "herd immunity strategy" I think the news of his announcement didn't make the headlines here but when I read the news I was astounded. Basically the idea is to let the majority of people get the virus, but slowly, so as not to collapse the NHS, with the objective of obtaining what they called an "immune herd"; i.e. if everyone gets the virus, they either die (the elderly and sick) or recover. Those who recover will be immune and thus the virus is erradicated. That's basically what happened 100 years ago with the so-called Spanish flu, which by the way was not Spanish at all. However, the Spanish flu killed 50 million people. Boris Johnson admitted many elderly and would die. Does he not care about them? In one article I saw from The Telegraph, this is a sort of "culling of the elderly". No one in the rest of the world wants that. However, the British public, worried at the unfolding of events to combat the virus in Europe,  seem mainly to have bought his strategy. It's absolutely bonkers. The rest of the world can't be wrong where the strategy is to fight the virus, save as many lives as possible  and wait for a vaccine which will come eventually.

Coronavirus was on my mind the whole day. God knows how many times I washed my hands, always thinking that's maybe not enough. But our little and now limited life continued. I was happy to hear from Olivia who called me from Valencia on her way to the beach with Miguel and Elliot (it would be their last). She also sent me a photo of father and son. Oh how I miss my little grandson. Being a digital native, I think he is attune to video calls and gently smiled as we spoke.

Father and son in Valencia on Monday. 

We didn't hear much from Suzy who was living at Oli's flat, so it was a day on our own again and a very quiet day too. She is right now worried her flight to London on Tuesday may not take off. I think it will as as she has a British passport that is further guarantee she will be allowed to leave. I'm not sure she will be safer in London but she is young and if she gets infected she will recover quickly. Ah but when will we see her again? 

Shock came that night when the latest drastic measures in Madrid were announced as we were preparing our dinner. The biggest decision was the closure of  all schools and universities in Madrid, the Basque Country and La Rioja. The others which were announced on Monday and Tuesday were no more government sponsored senior citizen trips, no flights to and from Italy, the cancellation of the big "Fallas" festival in Valencia, all official exams to be suspended, sports events were to be held behind closed doors, no events with more than 1000 people, working from home and, worst of all, for us at least, the recommendation not to travel within the country unless it was essential. For us coming to Montrondo was essential to our health. Only here are we safe and have not brought the virus nor are we likely to catch it here. . I always used to say to Eladio, if anything dreadful happened in the world, such as a war, we could always come to our home in Montrondo and that's just what we did.  However, I am now rather regretting that decision. We can't stay her for the duration of the virus.   More draconian measures were on the table as the figures increased. . I can hardly imagine what the closure of schools and working from home will mean for families with children. I, myself, am very worried for my father who is soon to turn 101 but we are keeping him safe.  It's funny to think that 100 years ago, the year he was born, it was the peak of the so-called "Spanish flu" when 50 million people died in the world. I was and am also worried for ourselves as the three of us, Eladio, my father and I are all in the danger age bracket.  At least Eladio and I don't have any underlying illnesses that could make catching the virus fatal. The implications of all these restrictions are unbelievable. It seems like WW2 and a big sense of loss of freedom. Our lives are changing daily and I wonder if and when we will ever get back to normal. Right now the most sensible thing is to adopt the new style of communication, so foreign to us all and called "social distancing" which needs no explanation. All the above means the best thing is to stay at home and take all the precautions we are being instructed to; mainly washing our hands and not touching our faces - apparently this is something we do some 90 times a day, as well as keeping our distance form other people. 

We were able to turn our minds from the news when we switched on Netflix and watched a few cliff hanger episodes of "Toy Boy". Even so, I found it difficult to sleep.  I have to admit that that night I was scared. I still am as I write today. 

Tuesday came. As I told you, the first thing I did was to cancel the  physiotherapy sessions  I suppose they will also cancel my  exams this month and next which are necessary to obtain Spanish citizenship. I was worried too about protecting ourselves at home.   I  had to take into account Lucy who is here all week looking after my father and the house and Zena our weekend carer. I spoke to Lucy very carefully about the precautions and she herself suggested staying here even at the weekends. I agreed as that way she is not exposed to the virus and cannot bring it into the house. I was sorry for Zena who will lose her income but everyone has been told more or less to stay at home. That was a difficult decision to make but the safest. 

With not much to do, I decided to make my yearly home made batch of hot cross buns for Easter.   knew that would cheer me up. Besides, doing something with my hands would distract my worries of the new situation. I needed a few ingredients, not many, so off I went to Carrefour Market, a local supermarket which is usually pretty empty on a weekday morning. But I was in for a surprise. The place was crowded with shoppers panic buying and loading huge trolleys. I was in for a bigger surprise when I saw empty shelves, something you only normally see on TV when reporting on poor countries. Of course we have already seen people stock piling on toilet paper (of all things) in places like Australia but not in Madrid!

One of the empty shelves at Carrefour on Tuesday morning

I realised immediately that people were panic buying and I was not going to be one of them so just stuck to my list of ingredients. I got the last packet of flour and the last litre of the type of milk I wanted. The cashier told me there were huge queues outside the supermarket when it opened in the morning and that people were stuffing trollies with produce worth up to 400 or 500 euros. I wondered if the world had gone mad. I was told by another stunned shopper that it was much worse at the more popular low cost supermarket, Mercadona. That was the first tangible effect I witnessed after the restrictions put in place the day before.  Of course there was no toilet paper. The images of people hoarding toilet paper around the world are a bit baffling. I don't get it. Why toilet paper? I did not buy any having quite enough at home. 

Feeling amazed and rather depressed, after the bizarre experience at Carrefour, I drove to the computer repair shop to pick up my two PCs. They hadn't been able to restore any of the files in the new PC but had been able to crack the password on my old one. Thus I at least had all my work up until last September. I would spend the whole of the next morning copying them onto my new computer and more importantly syncing them on  One Drive (Microsoft cloud) for a hefty price. I thought it was worth the price though if I were ever to lose all my files again but oh what a bore and waste of time. I came home to wash my hands and disinfect my computers just in case. 

Once home I decided to cheer up and get on with making my hot cross buns. If you are interested, this is the recipe.

The recipe I use for hot cross buns

The process is long as the dough has to rise for an hour three times and you have to work with very sticky dough - a bit like brioche - but finally I had two batches in my old ovens. As the glass is so dark now I couldn't see how they were doing but when I took them out I was happy to see they had turned out ok. I won't taste one though till Good Friday, a sort of "law" in our house. However I gave one to Lucy and one to Andy and I was told they were delicious. I think they look delicious don't you?

My hot cross buns.

Eladio also used his hands that day but in the garden. After planting the flowers, that afternoon saw him mowing the lawn. Here he is in the throes of it and it's a quite a job as the land our house is built on measures more than 2.500 m2.

Eladio gardening on Tuesday

As my husband was gardening I went on our walk on my own with Pippa. It was a very sunny day with temperatures rising to 22c. On my way back I saw Andy, our guest, who was out walking with Elsa our lab. He's such a nice guy.  Here he is with Elsa in the selfie he later sent to me.

Andy and Elsa

I was home just as Eladio finished and set about making dinner. Suzy arrived from her own confinement at Oli's flat. Her singing lessons and doctor's appointment had been cancelled. That was when she decided she was going earlier to London than planned.  (Yes London and not Bali thank goodness because of the dangers she faces there) . She was afraid that the virus could get out of control and flights cancelled, etc, just as has happened in Italy. I agreed it was the best decision. 

I was in bed late and after watching more of our series, I just couldn't sleep thinking of all the implications of the new restrictions in Spain and those that would come. The whole situation is unprecedented for us. It's mind boggling. Finally I must have fallen asleep as the next I knew I was awake and it was 6.15 in the morning.

Wednesday came. It was a quiet day of confinement at home with me spending all morning on my PC restoring files, etc. That was  a good tactic to keep my mind off darker thoughts. I only ventured out for a walk with Eladio and Pippa in the evening. It was a glorious sunny day and we comforted each other, being in our large house and garden and not cooped up in small flats like many people in the city. That is our advantage so I shouldn't be complaining. I'm not actually complaining, I'm worried. I think I'm worried as I am rather a control freak and there is not much I can control here, only our own behaviour. 

There was talk that day, mainly on social media, of Madrid being closed down. Later the local authorities dismissed this as false news.  It was on Wednesday that the WHO announced a pandemic. Basically that means the virus has spread all over the world and is nearly out of control. There is no longer time for containment. Now the focus is on slowing down the spread so that hospitals can cope with the numbers of patients. Meanwhile, in Liverpool, a Champions League match was being played between "the Reds" and Atlético de Madrid. Instead of it being behind closed doors, 3000 Madrid fans were allowed to travel to the UK and watch the match. That's 3000 potential virus spreaders or virus catchers in a stadium with thousands of spectators. It should not have happened and makes no sense whatsoever. This week, too, the  health minister in the UK tested positive for coronavirus and Bolsonaro of Brazil. So did a leading Spanish politician, Ana Pastor. A top figure in the far right party, Vox, Ortega Smith, also tested positive as did some of his party members.   His party had held a big meeting with 9000 people last Sunday, shooting themselves in the foot. The leader of the party, Santiago Abascal, later apologised. He also has the virus. Vox has 52 members of parliament who are all now in quarantine. Because of that parliament in Spain has closed down for a week. Life is slowly coming to a standstill. It's difficult to get used to. 

That night I found it difficult to sleep again. Thursday came, I was awake really early. My thoughts turned to Fran, Miguel's friend. Oli had told us he had been sedated the night before and I was expecting news of his death any time. My thoughts also turned to our new nightmare; coronavirus. Thus I got up at 5.45. Feeding the dogs and making my coffee was a peaceful experience. Reading the latest news wasn't. It was that morning I read that travel to the US from most mainland European countries (the Schengen ones in general) was to be banned for one month. I immediately thought of Fátima's sister, Gloria, who was due to fly to Miami at the beginning of April for the birth of her first grandson. She won't be able to go now. My heart went out to her. I was also amazed to read that little Denmark, a country close to my heart, had imposed a country lock down after a huge spike in cases. Many countries around the world were announcing bans on travel from Spain, France and Germany and other European countries. 

Very frightened at all the news that's when we took the decision  to literally come to Montrondo. I also couldn't take it anymore. The news of the virus, its spread, the implications, etc have probably aged me this week. When I looked at myself in a mirror while washing my hands (once again) on Friday, what did I see? A haggared, old,  wrinkled, worried and very tired woman. That was me on Friday. It's still me today.

In the midst of all this,. came the terrible news of the death of Fran. Oh poor soul. Miguel was terribly upset as was Olivia. But she had to be very careful and avoid contact with people. She was not going to go to the wake at the funeral parlour (there are no food receptions at wakes in Spain) but in the end, out of humanity, went there briefly just to give her condolences to his new and sad wife, Marivi, and devastated parents. My heart went out to them all. The only thing that cheered me up was seeing little Elliot in Oli's arms, feeding after waking up. That is a wonderful image to keep in my mind whenever I am down or worried. All I can say is RIP dear Fran and to thank him for being the go between which resulted in Oli and Miguel becoming a couple as well as a mother and father. Oh how sad.

We just had to go shopping that morning and we did so taking all the possible precautions. We did not panic buy and were pleasantly surprised and glad to see that Mercadona and Carrefour Market were fully stocked. Once home, as I was putting everything away, I got a phone call from Oli. She told me a good media source had told her off the record that Pedro Sánchez, Spain's premiere, was to make an announcement to the country with a new series of measures against the virus, one of them being the closure of Madrid which in the end he didn't.  That is when I, at least, panicked. We took a last moment decision to leave for Madrid straight after lunch and before he made the announcement. Thankfully later when he did appear, there was no mention of closing the capital and the province.  By then though our car was packed and we left. We went in a hurry but left my father and Lucy with lots of provisions, my father's health card as well as money for anything needed. Suzy would be there at least until Tuesday. So off we went, leaving our house for our other house in Montrondo where we needed to escape the virus, the panic and the craziness which was driving me mad and making me ill. We set off at around 5 pm and got here at around 9 pm. We were so relieved to be here, a remote area of Spain in the mountains, free from the virus and safe from the world. Although we feel a bit like pariahs here, with fingers pointing at us from "bringing the virus to the village", as if we would. As soon as we had settled in, Eladio put on the fire. The house was warm though as my husband had turned on the heating remotely. We had a late and light dinner - grilled fish with spinach - which we ate with a much needed glass of red wine. I don't often drink alcohol as it gives me a headache but that night it felt like medicine. When I posted on FB that I too was staying at home, as instructed, but at our home in the village, one  woman accused me of bringing the virus here. I hardly know her but felt insulted as I haven't brought the virus here because we have been extremely careful in the recent past. Also, Montrondo is our second home and my husband's village.

After dinner we sat on our sofa by the fire with Pippa at my side, watching the TV, another debate or programme about the virus. We can't escape it in the news. My dear cousin Katty rang me worried from New Zealand and cross about the nasty woman's remark on my FB feed. It was lovely to catch up with her. She is also worried for her 73 year old mother, my cousin, and her 95 year old grandmother, my Aunty Valya, in France.  France too announced new draconian measures that day including the closure of all educational establishments from tomorrow onward, as did Belgium and many other countries. Later France announced virtual confinement of the whole country as did many other countries such as Norway and Portugal.

For the first time in days, I slept well, tucked under our warm duvet with my dear husband by my side. I woke up to a surprisingly sunny day and to my new life in virus free and quiet Montrondo. I was glad to be here but not happy as my family is split and I am constantly worried about coronavirus. We spent the whole morning with the TV on following the development of the virus and its effects on people's lives. Maybe that wasn't a good thing to do. We also did domestic tasks like washing sheets and I spent some time, slowly preparing our lunch. We had enough provisions to last us a few days but we shall soon run out. Already I have no food for Pippa left (sniff).

That day the Spanish President announced the government would approve a law for a state of alarm to take place to be approved yesterday. That would allow the government more leeway to dictate stronger measures all around the country, such as limiting freedom of movement or the delay of the upcoming elections in the northern regions. This would also allow him to call on the Armed Forces and to have powers over the all powerful regions in Spain (comunidades autónomas). That day, our long term Scottish lodger, Andy, whose family live in France, upped and left, driving home to be with them. I would have done the same in his shoes. However, for us, that means a depleted income. I have now lost all income coming from Airbnb and we will be on a tight shoe string. It is much worse for people literally losing their jobs as businesses closed and bars and restaurants were shut down as well as schools. The economy has been hit so hard it reminds me of the Wall Street Crash.

Meanwhile in Madrid the streets were empty. People were taking heed of instructions to stay at home and the main arteries of the city made it look like a ghost town.

We were at home all day. I only spoke to a relative in her house next door which is about 150m away. We talked at a distance, not even greeting in the new way, either with the elbow or foot. My relative also felt criticised for having come from Madrid even though she also had been in self isolation before coming here. The virus is also affecting relationships. What isn't it affecting? Maybe the shares of the likes of Facebook or Netflix.

We did go out, but only for a walk in the open air. We know the virus is not in the air, so I don't think we were dangerous to anyone. We even avoided the streets and walked mostly through the empty paths and fields. Here is Eladio on the walk that day, enjoying the sunshine. It was a glorious day, by the way, despite the virus.

Eladio on our walk on Friday evening

We came home refreshed and Pippa needed a full bath after digging mole and mouse holes with her long snout and getting covered in earth hahhaa. She, thankfully, is immune to the virus itself and what is going on. We made dinner and decided to leave the "telly" off until the 9 o'clock news as we had had our fill of coronavirus. That was a good strategy. Again I had a tiny glass of red wine which unfortunately brought on a full blown headache.

I went to bed with a headache and was thankful for Eladio massaging my neck and head which always helps. I didn't sleep too badly. I think I was exhausted emotionally and in need of a good night's sleep. I was awake at 6.45 which I consider not bad at all.

Friday came and our new little world was about to get even worse. We knew the government was in a special meeting to decide the new measures under the state of alarm it approved that day. We were on tenterhooks as to what that would mean. With all the measures possible in my mind I wondered if people would still be able to take their dogs for a walk. Across the country, all bars, restaurants and public areas were shut off, including beaches. What was to come next we all wondered? The order was to stay at home and only venture out for basic necessities to get food or go to the chemist. But what else was coming we all worried? Equally worrying were the number of cases and deaths rising dramatically by the day and the news of hospitals with not enough ICU beds or respirators. That was the first time I heard the term "triage". Triage is the choice of doctors whom to treat and in what order, giving priority to those whose chances of survival are higher. Oh God have we come to that? I'm afraid we have.

We waited with bated breath all day and only went out for a walk with Pippa feeling guilty we had left the house and avoiding all human contact. Again we walked through the fields and I got stung by nettles. It was said that in Madrid one person out of five now knows at least one person in their circle with the virus. Well we know one person who may have it, Chati, Suzy's nurse friend. She works at a on old people's home and came in very close contact with a resident who was tested positive. Thus she is in self-isolation at her parent's home and in their room which is the only one with a separate bathroom. Even though she may not even have the virus, her mother brings her her food on a tray which she leaves outside the room. Imagine! We don't know anyone else personally but that day even the wife of Pedro Sanchez, Spain's President, fell victim to the virus. During the 7 hour cabinet debate to apply the state of alarm and come up with the new measures which would literally confine most of the population, he should probably also have been in self isolation. At the meeting was Spain's vice president, the pony tailed far left Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias whose wife, Irene Montero has the virus. Why did he go if the government is telling everyone to stay at home if they have been exposed to coronavirus? He should not have gone although the government held the meeting with a distance of a metre between each person present.

Eventually the emergency meeting ended and at 8.30 pm, the President appeared on television for the third time this week. He told us the state of alarm was now in place with all its implications. As to the confinement measures, they were not as drastic as we had envisioned. He virtually put us in semi confinement though and of course the measures could become tougher. All measures now affect the whole country. The government, at least for the next 2 weeks, will take total control of the country. Movement of people will be limited, schools of course are closed as are all non essential public spaces. The government will be able to control all health matters, even taking over private hospitals, etc. transport will be limited, there will be restrictions for weddings and funerals and the use of the army to help keep all the restrictions in place. Freedom of movement is limited but not total confinement. Taking your dog out for a walk is allowed (sigh of relief), only one person per household can do the shopping, people who find themselves in areas outside their main residence may return (another sigh of relief) but no city, so far, is to be closed. Sánchez said the virus had already spread and that this measure made no sense. What made sense, he said, was to stay at home as much as possible wherever people were at  that their main or their holiday residence (another sigh of relief). As to which establishments would remain open and with access to the public, these are: food stores, chemists, tobacco shops, newspaper kiosks, computer and telco shops, veterinary clinics, banks, petrol stations, dentists and unbelievably hairdressers and physiotherapy clinics. People were rather amazed at the decision to keep hair salons open and keep the one metre distance between the hairdresser and the customer. That kept twitter amused as it did me. We were also waiting with bated breath on what economic measures would be taken to compensate for loss of jobs and income as a result of the measures but that did not come and won't  until Tuesday.

I think we watched the news, the announcement, the whole press conference with the President which went on until nearly 10 pm, for more than 3 hours. At the end we hugged and both felt comforted we have each other to ride this storm, this new and unknown way of life with no vision of when and how it will end. The virus in just one week has changed all our lives dramatically. After the coronavirus marathon on the TV, we were in need of a tonic. We got it when we watched the final of the talent show, "Prodigios" (child prodigy talent show). It had us entertained until it finished at way past midnight.

We went to bed last night with our minds boggling and with the knowledge that we were about to live through the storm of the virus which will change our lives for ever, at least for the next few months.

I woke up today and as I do everyday, I checked the latest statistics on a site I have been following all week called Worldometers. This is it if you want to follow it too. I woke up to another sunny day here but also to a debate in my mind as whether to ride out the storm here or at home in our main residence on the outskirts of Madrid. I am inclining towards the latter. No doubt you too will know the answer when you read my post next Sunday. God knows what the figures of the virus will be next Sunday. If last week at this time we had 500 and this Sunday we have 6000 I dread to think what that number will be next Sunday.

We all have to ride the storm and try to adapt to our new life, a life of staying at home and being extra careful, especially with our elderly and the most vulnerable.

Hoping you are all coping as well as possible, all I can do is send you courage, courage I need too and positive thoughts and the hope that this will soon be over and just a blip in history. Right now it feels like we are in the middle of a biological war. So again, courage my friends.

Masha.