Poking the swab down the throat and up the nose does not get more enjoyable, but our day 5 covid test came with the promise of near imminent freedom. I did a lot of research on the UK gov list of over 300 test providers to find the sweet spot between cost and reasonably favourable reviews. There was a huge range in cost (from expensive to extortionate) and a generally inverse correlation with reviews. Settling on Nationwide Pathology turned out well: we made the first postal collection on Saturday morning and had our results by early on Monday afternoon. Following a morning of delightful sunshine, our freedom was met with a downpour which became rain, which became showers, and finally rain. I had held off session four of my return to run program in the hope that I could hit the open road instead of another hour of treading a furrow in the back garden. Patience was rewarded.
 |
| Embracing the big wide world on freedom run. |
 |
| Ottawa receives almost exactly twice as many annual hours of sunshine as London does. |
Then, after dinner, we dressed in the classic English summer outfit of hiking boots, sweaters and raincoats, and trudged through the puddles along the footpaths and lane ways to a nearby playground. There was a suspicion that this was an elaborate ruse to facilitate a stop at the adjacent pub. We'll never know, but the pint of English ale that I had been looking forward to for 3 years was well worth any deception. And far from being a reluctant tag along, the family was overawed by the big wide world out there. Toby was especially enamoured of the frequent trains passing high overhead on the railway bridge. This was a touching throwback to his three year-old self: "I see moon!".
 |
Goodbye board games! We're outta here...
|
 |
| Look how happy we are and we haven't even left the driveway. |
 |
Conveniently located "ye olde England" prop at the end of the street.
|
 |
| 4 hours and 32 minutes after quarantine ends, we have found a pub. There was a lot riding on this pint after 3 years away - it did not disappoint in any way. |
Just when you thought it was safe to expose your nasal passages, along comes day 8 and another covid test. This is part of the government's day 5 test-to-release deal: you still have to do day 8. Then it was back to the playground via the village bake shop. There are no covid restrictions in the UK now which makes for an interesting mix of mask wearing, physical distancing, and not giving a f*&k. The small sample size would seem to suggest that older, presumably vaccinated people are in the latter group, while younger people who are less likely to be vaxxed are still showing a little caution, occasionally.
 |
| Pastry. Coffee. Oh go on then, throw in the sunshine for good measure. |
We have guests for dinner tomorrow and we are picking up a hire car the day after. Our world is about to become exponentially bigger.
Comments