Friday 15/05/2020
A week of drizzle in Madrid has meant that despite our freedom to roam, venturing out from the cosiness of the flat hasn’t been an attractive option. I’ve always been one for getting the right clobber on and getting out of the house regardless of the conditions, but I haven’t been tempted in the slightest this week. I’m definitely not complaining about the bad weather as it has in fact made confinement slightly easier over the last few months. However, a stint of hot weather is around the corner according to the forecasts which is surely going to make the quarantine much more challenging. Madrileños usually plan their holidays accordingly to escape the intense, summer heat of the city however for now we’ll have to get used to enduring the high temperatures from within our confines. It is rumoured that Madrid will be denied progression to phase one again next week, meaning the shady spots in the park will remain out of bounds and dreams of escaping to the breezy sierra will have to wait for another seven days.
In other news, our friendship with the couple next door has continued to blossom and now we are breaking rules to enjoy each other’s company on a weekly basis. We all acknowledge that we are neglecting our civic duties by fraternising with possible super-spreaders however we’ve already opened the floodgates. Although it is a little bit naughty, we have all persuaded ourselves that our dinner parties are essential because now we can play our favourite four-player game Catan. We are taking turns to cook each other dinner and indulging in long evenings of themed meals and round after round of this great board game. This organic friendship with Marta and Inigo has been one of the highlights of the last few weeks, injecting a dose of normality into each of our weekends and reassuring us that we haven’t forgotten the art of socialising.
This quarantine has proven that humans are social animals. Although virtual meet-ups have done a fairly good job at filling the void, after two months they aren’t quite cutting the mustard anymore. Our lack of physical contact with our loved ones has intensified our hunger for their company. As governments begin to ease restrictions, people everywhere are making exceptions to meet friends and family who they have been desperate to see for too long. If it is already happening against the rules, I can only imagine the scenes when the government finally let us socialise again. How are we going to resist the urge to hug?!
Jammie Blogger 