More lockdown news, 24 Mar 20

Now the boot’s on the other foot.  Carmen is a doctor, although not practising general medicine, and the word here in Spain is that all doctors in Spain should be ready to man the hospitals in the event of an increase in admissions and/or the loss of staff due to contagion.  She has said that if she has to go, she will, and that she will not come back to the house once she has left, until the crisis has passed and she is confirmed as non-contagious. 

 I don’t often think about my Army service.  That part of my life is long gone and although I have lots of memories, good and bad, it stays in the past.  I still stay in contact with ex-Service friends, those friendships forged in often difficult and dangerous places, as well as cushy postings, will always be strong.

But now I am beginning to understand the feelings the Service wives must have had when their husbands were suddenly called away to some trouble spot or other, no real appreciation of the danger they were likely to face, when they were likely to return and at times where they were actually going.  Hats off to them, there’s nothing worse than being left in the dark.  And let’s not forget the soldier husbands whose wives were also serving and would be called away under exactly the same conditions, leaving their husbands behind.  It was not permitted for a husband and wife to serve in the same theatre of war.

For us soldiers, we were young and had each other to talk to and support each other, and often felt excited about going off to save the world.  Carmen’s Hippocratic oath is similar to the Oath of Allegiance we soldiers took, she can be struck off for not doing her duty just as we could be dishonourably discharged for not doing ours.  So she feels that morally and ethically, if she is needed, she must go and indeed, like all doctors, nurses and front-line emergency staff, wants to help if she can.  It comes with the territory.

That would leave myself and my daughter confined to the house.  Not a bad thing, she is very sensible for her age but I know she will miss her mother, as will I.  We are in a much more enviable situation than most.  We have three acres of garden to roam around, although the weather is a bit inclement and even cold and rainy.  The local supermarkets deliver to the door so there is no shortage of supplies.  We have Skype, FaceTime, Facebook, email, WhatsApp and Uncle Tom Cobley and all, so are not really isolated, in fact, far from it.  I was talking to a friend in Australia yesterday and my family in UK send messages every day.  In fact, we have to allocate a time for social chit-chat outside of homework and chores that take priority.  Not a bad discipline to get into and one that can stay in force when this is all over.