Postcard From The Pandemic

This week I’m posting a personal update, my ‘postcard from the pandemic’. It’s a short note on life in my ‘corona-cave’ that I shared with my personal friends, and I thought I’d share it with you, too. I hope you feel free to share anything you like about your experience, as well.

Next week I’ll return to our regularly scheduled chic-life programming.

Bonjour friends. How are you doing? Is everyone ok?

I’m still very much in my pod of hermitude, going out only for weekly groceries and when the cleaners come each fortnight to purse their lips at my pile of neatly-stacked pizza boxes. They are NEATLY STACKED! I’m so in love with my gorgeous friends, who keep in touch and prod me to make dates and then stay sweetly silent when I say I’ll need to check my diary (they know there’s nothing in my diary).

Although I’ve definitely had my share of difficulties, this has also been a rich time for me.

I’ve made progress on this website, A Chic Life, and seen my readership swell to now reach fives and tens of people.

I’ve become adept at several evidence-based psychotherapies which I self-administer with surprisingly acceptable results and for only a modest fee (chocolate) – plus I’m always available for an appointment.

I’ve taken up calligraphy so I can now produce illegible scrawl in both regular handwriting and also a charming script.

I’ve completed several art history courses and I’m currently doing a class on classical music (misnomer – it’s correctly called ‘concert’ music, one of the many, many, MANY factoids I have been bestowing upon Craig when he makes the mistake of asking me about my day).

What else? Ah ouai, I’m also learning French, très slowly, via a 10-minutes-a-day podcast. At this point I can express very basic ideas with poor grammar and limited vocabulary – so I’m ready to declaim against science and disparage women on French websites.

As for shopping news… I got a beautiful white handbag for my birthday, but as I go nowhere I’ve been considering carrying it with me to the sofa to watch TV at night. I can keep some Ferrero Rochers in there. I also bought a pair of rose gold Eiffel Tower scissors, which I love so much I just randomly cut up paper. They have made me so very happy, though the librarian has asked me not to visit there anymore.

So friends, what’s been happening with you?