Va Va Voom

Cherry

By Ray Schaufeld

Fri, 31 Dec 2021
  • 976 reads
8 comments
 

Most fear has faded. A very old couple move their pained limbs slowly round Bargain House, navigating the yellow/black chevrons and the one way system. They  do   not  want  to  get  it  wrong. Alison my friend from the bus-stop barcodes my basket.. 'Hi' I say 'Getting through it?' 

It's warm outside. Meadow foxtail grass shoots spears up through the verge. I share the socially distanced lower deck with 2 passengers and the dangling Covid 19 placards. 'Only travel if your journey is essential.'

Back at home I plant and water my new fuschia. Now for my impulse buy. A pack of 30 self-adhesive glitter disks. 3 sizes. Made in Germany. £1.50. 'Adds Va Va Voom and creativity to your home' I pull the backing off the first one, place it in the corner of my bathroom mirror and stick. Using the rest I proceed to measle the wood using a wiggle patterm to mask my unevenness. Only 3 fall off.

Our street has an on/off switch. One moment it's all mothers meetings and chairs sat out on the pavement and children chalking names and patterns in the middle of the road. The next it's frightened silence. No way of telling which mood will emerge. One child has chalked 'wash your hands'.

This days we're all blessed if we're not dead.

White-shirted Cummings sits in the rose garden at number 10 answering questions like an English batsman defending spins and googlies. Later my friend's daughter reposts the Facebook gag about Tripadvisor.

I write back 'Next time he could go to Castle Blarney.'

Or Hell.

 

 

Certificate PG
Non-fiction
Exmouth - It's the South West's Best Kept Secret

Comments

Submitted by drew_gummerson on

Enjoyed this Rachel. The collection of details serve to tell the story. 

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Thanks for your postive comment Drew. glad you enjoyed it.

And cheers greengrocers for the cherries.

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

Lovely to see you writing again!

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Aw cheers smileysmiley

Submitted by airyfairy on

This is great, Rachel. As insert said, it's lovely to see new work from you. Such lovely descriptions in this - the street with the on/off switch captured the feeling completely, and I very much enjoyed the description of Cummings! 

Here's hoping (again!) that it will all be a bit better this time around. Happy New Year! 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Thanks for the friendly feedback, yes here's hoping things  pick upsmiley

Submitted by Di_Hard on

This is the best thing I can remember reading about recent times.  This part specially

"I share the socially distanced lower deck with 2 passengers and the dangling Covid 19 placards. 'Only travel if your journey is essential.'

Back at home I plant and water my new fuschia. Now for my impulse buy. A pack of 30 self-adhesive glitter disks. 3 sizes. Made in Germany. £1.50. 'Adds Va Va Voom and creativity to your home' I pull the backing off the first one, place it in the corner of my bathroom mirror and stick. Using the rest I proceed to measle the wood using a wiggle patterm to mask my unevenness. Only 3 fall off."

that the journey to buy the fuscia was essential, with the bonus of the bargain buy, the high claims for the sparkly circles, and "Only 3 fall off" It's genius. and I love how you weave community all through this, bringing out the positive again. I feel it has been like that here, too. People who would normally be a blur through car windscreens smiled in the sunshine. I guess you must have had fewer tourists, too, more space and quiet

 

 

Submitted by Ray Schaufeld on

Di, cheers for your generous feedback. My piece is straight autobiography, life as I felt it.

In my experience space and quiet in Exmouth during the first phase of lockdown was not that easy to find.. My street was often noisy. Also pretty much everyone who could walk made full use of the one hour permitted walk. Exmouth has a number of walks 

Along the seafront

The path alongside the estuary to Lympstone.

The cycle path to Budleigh

The coast path to Budleigh

Round Phear Park

The path leading from the estuary up past Lower Halsdon Farm and up onto Exeter Road

I live in the town centre and walked all of these paths during this period of the first lockdown. None of them were quiet unless I walked very early or very late. There were no holiday people about however Exmouth is a town of approximately 37,000 residents. On the good side we all said friendly Hellos to one another as we passed. As the government eased restrictions bit by bit, this instant outdoor friendliness subsided back down to our usual less purposeful style of friendliness. In Exmouth we say hello to folks we know.  It is generally accepted but less usual to say hello to unfamiliar faces. We have now returned to our pre-lockdown ways.

However there is a quiet back road which leads to Point in View Chapel which is about a mile away from the town centre.. The vicar shut the chapel but placed no restrictions on the garden or big surrounding field. I often had the place to myself in the early evening. I felt no pressure to keep walking, I was able to stand still and meditate when I wished to do so and Point In View has some beautiul sweeping views which stretch down to the estuary.

It would be great if Abc could collect our lockdown memories in all genres and publish a book.

Keep writing Di, I often read your work and like it a lot

Rach