With restrictions here in France reduced, I have been reflecting on what makes life worthwhile, how we can continue to move towards a normal life agin and how we can work together to support each other post Covid. The usual update on our life here but I hope you will indulge me this month as, in addition, I take a little time to reflect on the way forward for all of us.
“Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for.”―
Well, of course the garden is our main to do focus at this time of year. In the potager the tomatoes seem to have dodged the blight, although were showing signs of distress with all the rain, and are producing their tasty offerings at last. My favourite summer treat , cucumber soup, has made an outing and we have started preserving and squirrelling away the results of our labours. Winter veg are in and protected from the cabbage whites eggs by Kevin's patented net cages. If only the sun would stay around a bit more all looking good.
We have also been busy with projects to upgrade the lily pond and swimming pool areas.
Love
othing was going to stop her this time and she had her vaccines, purchased all her Covid tests and filled in all the paperwork and we were able to spend a lovely week filled with love and laughter together. Kevin's son and daughter and one of his grandsons are booked to visit in October half term so we are keeping everything crossed for that as we haven't seen them since July 2019.
The internet helps us to keep in touch with the rest of our family and we are pleased to see them looking happy and healthy and out and about again seeing friends and going on holiday. We have missed them chez nous this year but we don't feel completely isolated from them and accept that for the moment we have to keep in touch virtually. One way to combat the effects of the pandemic is to get out into the countryside My son and his family took to a long boat for a week and I think these photos show how the experience benefitted adults and children alike.
This house usually has several summer visitors bit none were expected this year until our Swiss friends visited us in their motor home bringing their energy and their music to entertain us. What a delightful couple of days we had.
We have been lucky that our circle of friends has been able to meet with fewer restrictions and we have enjoyed musical evenings at our local bar and night markets together. The weekly sewing group might be more chat than sew but it has been such a support in these unusual times and every day there is a message or two keeping in touch. All makes me feel very loved.
Hope
We will have our first trip away for almost two years to celebrate my birthday next month. We aren't going far but seeing some bits of France that have been on the to do list for a long time. A break from daily life will be a great morale lifter I'm sure. We are seeing a return to activities for all age groups and are hoping that September will bring in a period without restrictions. I can't wait until I feel ready to visit everyone in the UK again. We are all hoping that life is returning to normal slowly.
Liberté, Egalite, Fraternité
Covid has affected everybody across the generations in different ways. We know we are lucky. We live in a rural location, we aren't losing revenue, we are generally in good health and we have each other. Now we are vaccinated we feel safer but we are still cautious in larger groups, in public places and with our own mental and physical health care.
It is not chance that has me using for my title this month three words with the same initial letters as the French national motto Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. This stage of the pandemic seems to be proving as divisive as the beginning. Anti vaxxers claim those who are vaccinated aren't thinking for themselves. Those who are vaccinated claim those who are not aren't thinking of others. The need to be vaccinated in order to enter certain places is emotive and here in France with the Pass Sanitaire in place from August 9th, at the heart of the dissatisfaction with this decision the word freedom is often used.
Liberté
So what do we mean by freedom? Is anybody completely free to do as they will? Does your right to freedom compromise mine or vice versa?
President Macron has recently stated “Chacune et chacun est libre de s’exprimer dans le calme, dans le respect de l’autre”, a-t-il souligné. Mais “la liberté où je ne dois rien à personne n’existe pas'. This dilemma of protecting poeple's individual freedoms whilst protecting society as a whole isn't a new dilemma and certainly not in the case of illnesses and vaccinations. Here is a quote from the Lancet in 1823 from an article that I think is worth a read entitled 'How to Talk About Freedom During a Pandemic':
“We cannot see that there is any undue violation of personal liberty in the sanitary authority acting for the whole community, requiring to be informed of the existence of diseases dangerous to others. A man’s liberty is not to involve risk to others,” the author wrote. “A man with smallpox has the natural liberty to travel in a cab or an omnibus; but society has a right that overrides his natural liberty, and says he shall not.”
Egalité
So in the current debate those who aren't vaccinated claim they are not being treated equally. Are they right? In both the UK and France the government's restrictions have been compared to the Nazis treatment of the Jews and other minority groups, a comparison I, personally, abhor. It is true that being vaccinated gains access to certain venues and activities but no -one is being forced to be vaccinated, although they may be obliged to show a recent Covid test. Those who aren't vaccinated still have the freedom to shop, exercise and meet with family and friends. The regulations are temporary and are not influenced by race, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation.
Fraternité
A latecomer to the party. ' The third term, fraternité, was the most problematic to insert in the triad, as it belonged to another sphere, that of moral obligations rather than rights, links rather than statutes, harmony rather than contract, and community rather than individuality.'
It is natural to look first to the safety of ourselves and our nearest and dearest but one of the joys of the Covid pandemic was seeing communities across the world working together to help each other. There are many groups that will need support as we emerge from the pandemic. Whatever our differences surely working together for the common good will help everyone?
So I wish you all the happiness of Kant- Something to do, someone to love and something to hope for.
A bientôt
P.S. After 18 months of missing teeth I finally came to the end of the dental work and got my smile back!
