Day 19 of lock down in Italy: It’s Saturday but it’s still a school day in Italy so Miss S diligently did her Italian homework and lesson via TeamView this morning.
My day started a little earlier. Well, a lot earlier. The sweet earthquake rendering snores of my delightful husband woke me at 5:30am. But not his usual snoring worthy of ear plugs. This was the deep thunderous snoring that gets deep inside your soul. I asked him to roll over...twice. Instead, he jumped out of bed, grabbed pillow and blanket and retired to the lounge room. Within 1 minute I could hear his snoring again, except this time the whole street got to share in the joy.
I lay there waiting for sleep once more only to have it elude me. At 6am I resorted to Netflix thinking “The Crown” might help. It didn’t. Needless to say by 11am Gigi asked me why I was cranky only to have his head bitten off. Why do men insist on telling women how they (the women) are feeling? It’s the most infuriating thing.
This morning I distracted myself from my bad mood by sweeping and mopping floors, folding laundry and washing towels. After lunch I lay down and fell asleep listening to Wil Andersen interviewing Judith Lucy. It’s the first day time nap I’ve had since lock down started.
I woke to find Gigi had cleaned the bathrooms and was attempting to fix his laptop while playing chess with Miss S. Miss S had all the art materials laid out on the table. She decided to make a virus model from recycled materials for a Girl Guide badge and I did some pastel pieces.
We then got busy in the kitchen. We made choc chip biscuits that are divine. Then apple strudel for dessert. Miss S washed up and cleaned the stove.
It started as a gorgeous morning but turned overcast, then showers and now it’s quite cold again.
It felt a bit harder to be inside today. Gigi went out briefly to procure fresh bread and refill water bottles. Alas the bread was all gone and with shops in the village now closed on Sunday by local government order we’ll have to wait til Monday. We’re both feeling reluctant to go shopping for supplies after news of the newly infected family in a neighbouring village. Well it’s more than reluctance; it’s fear.
We’ve discussed the fact that at some time this year it’s very possible that one or all of us will catch COVID-19 but frankly I’d rather not. But once lock down is over there will surely still be contagious people in Italy and I don’t want to spend the rest of our time in Italy trapped inside this apartment afraid to enjoy life.
I can’t imagine that Italians are going to allow the summer to slip by and remain in any state of lock down. It’s THE time of year when they all love to be out and about day and night. They wait all year for the three months of summer. It’s the highlight of the year for most people.
Italy had nearly another 900 people die today bringing the total to more than 10 000. That headline was enough for me today.
Day 20 of lock down in Italy: Gigi is cooking Indian curry for dinner and Miss S is giggling as she watches a movie. It's just starting to get dark as the clocks went back an hour at 3am this morning.
The day has included mosaic art, toe nail painting, a session in the garage gym and video chats with my parents and a few of Miss S's friends. Gigi has spent a good portion of the day dismantiling his laptop. His working on a tech solution and the less I know about it the better. Let's just say it's not looking promising. I'm pretty sure we'll set up a GoFund me account soon having had two laptops crash and die since the lock down started.
The highlight of the day has been Miss S's decision to rearrange her bedroom. I distinctly remember several months ago a conversation where we clearly agreed that the furniture was in the optimal position due to the location of powerpoints. Regardless, she has spent most of the day moving furniture with her father's help, cleaning, re-organising, throwing things out and generally pottering. It warmed my heart.
Today has felt especially chilled. We crank it up again Tomorrow with school lessons, lesson planning and a shopping trip. I'm having an internal debate about when is the optimal time to venture out and hit the supermarket. I figure they'll already be a queue there when the doors open. And anytime between mid morning and 1.30pm will attract those that dash out to the shops to buy something for the obligatory lunch time cook up. So, I might go in the lull when most people are sitting down eating lunch. First, I have to work up the courage to go. The anxiety levels are sitting a little higher at the thought of interracting with anyone outside of my family.
My mother was completing her first online shop for groceries today. I only wish that was an option here.
The COVID-19 news from Italy isn't great. Although the mortality rate has dropped for the second day running with just 756 deaths, it will only be a matter of 12 hours before the total death rate exceeds 11 000. It feels a bit like we're sitting inside of a ticking time bomb.
Sicilian police are protecting local supermarkets from locals who are looiting the stores claiming they've run out of money to buy food. The Italian government is offering to distribute food vouchers. What really needs to happen is a cash injection to every resident that has a bank acocunt regardless of their tax or employemnt status.
This headline caught my attention today: "Mafia set to profit from Italy's coronavirus devastation". The webiste local.it is report that "from the historic Cosa Nostra in Sicily, to the immensely powerful 'Ndrangheta in Calabria and trigger-happy Camorra in Naples, Italy's mafias were "caught on the back foot (by the virus), but are now organising themselves," In addition to extorting the expected 65% of small and medium businesses that are currently heading towards bankruptcy, the Mafia has acquired a wide range of business operations over the last few decades including "multi-service companies (canteens, cleaning, disinfection), waste recycling, transportation, funeral homes, oil and food distribution." Obvioulsy a number of these services are vital during the COVID-19 crisis and the Mafia familieis will surely set their own terms.
The potential for social unrest in southern Italy is mounting. Apparently "Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has made €25bn available to support families and businesses affected by lockdown." But with many people falling through the bureacratic cracks (including ourselves due a stuff up with the equivalent of the Tax office / social services agency) or not registered as employed due to the large cash economy in Italy it is mostly the people in the South who are going to suffer.
It's time for a few pages of "Little Women" to be read by Miss S in bed. Last night she read me a very funny poem called "Chocolate Cake" which was in her Grade 4 poetry book that was posted from Australian but never studied due to changes in the curriculum.
The end of March is quickly approaching and tomorrow marks the start of our fourth week. One day at a time making sensible choices and learning the ultimate lesson in patience.
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