We will survive!

I've been planning a new blog post about capsule wardrobes, however in the crazy world that we're living in at the moment it seemed a bit frivolous. I know that I have readers from various parts of the world, so I wanted to send you all a message telling you to be strong and to be safe. I found Gloria Gaynor's song very inspiring when I was going through a difficult time after my husband John died, so that's going to be my theme song. One of the teachers at the Pilates and dance studio I belong to used to play a Spanish version of "I will survive" and I always found it uplifting. Click on this link if you want to listen to Gloria now.

I live in Spain, where John and I retired nearly 12 years ago. When we moved into our own home, after renting for almost a year, John and I decided to adopt a small dog from the local animal refuge, who was called Lisa by the neighbours, presumably after Lisa in the Simpsons! I'm so grateful to have Lisa since Spain's government declared an "estado de alarma", which has meant a lock down for all of us. This means staying at home except for trips to the supermarkets or chemists for essentials.

Having Lisa as my companion means that I'm not alone in the house, so she is helping me survive. She isn't used to having so many people around our building during the daytime so keeps growling and barking to warn me! I am allowed to take Lisa out for short walks, where I usually see fellow dog walkers to say "Hola" to, which stops me feeling too isolated. I learnt today that this situation will continue for another 15 days. If the number of cases continues to rise, I'm expecting the Spanish government to extend this period even further, so I have to be prepared for the long haul.

I was feeling a bit sad that my daughters, who were planning to visit me for the UK Mother's Day, were no longer able to travel here from London. I mentioned this to my Spanish neighbour, who had asked me if they were still coming. A couple of days later my doorbell rang and when I opened it she was standing there with her 5 year old daughter, who handed this bunch of wild flowers to me saying it was a present for Mother's Day. How lovely was that?

My Mother's Day present from my Spanish neighbours

Thanks to modern technology I was able to see and speak to my three children on Skype today, even though we all live in different locations, so that really lifted my spirits. Now that we've created our family group on Skype we plan to have a chat together on a regular basis, though I'm hoping that it won't be too long until we can do it in person.

The next few weeks won't be easy for any of us, but if we stay strong and think of others not just ourselves (as my neighbours have just done) and if we all pull together, I'm sure we will get by.
Tonight at 8pm I went onto my balcony and joined my neighbours in applauding those dedicated key workers who are helping us all survive, an act which we have been doing every night since lock down began. Someone then played this song Resistiré (you can hear it by clicking on the link.) so we continued clapping - as well as a bit of dancing in my case. I believe that this positive attitude will also help us survive.

What have I been doing, apart from the occasional trip to the supermarket and my dog walking? A bit of housework of course (not my favourite pastime!), trying out new recipes, and playing DVDs so I can continue with my Zumba and dance sessions. I am also planning to get back to blogging and no doubt will write about my capsule wardrobe soon, as writing is something that I find therapeutic. It's probably good to be positive and look forward to returning to whatever our normal life is. However I suspect that all our lives will be a bit different once we have survived this world crisis. I'm hoping that we will all appreciate our friends and family more, be grateful for everything that we have and that this community spirit that is so uplifting will continue.

Take care. Stay safe.