Dear LPG,

Now that being shut away in our houses is coming to an end, we are all breathing out a bit.  I hope we understand what the government is telling us when we read between the lines of all the changes in their policies designed to get us back out there.  Although I have to say that I am very aware that the virus is still out there too.

In general, it appears to me that the youngsters are pleased at the prospect of getting back to work and school, even if it hasn’t happened for them yet, while we older ones are a little less eager to get there.

There is an air of relief around, but there have been advantages to having more time on our hands, and I think that one of the most important bits of advice that the television, radio and so many other aspects of media filtered down to us was that we all needed to take full advantage of the communication devices that we have around us and talk to each other. 

I know that my telephone did overtime during the height of my self-isolation and I don’t think that I am the only person that came across some telephone numbers of friends I have not seen of or heard from for years.  In my case I made and received calls from old workmates, and even a school friend that I have not heard from since my teens.  I also learned a lot more about my children and what they are up to on a day to day level and the telephone calls were so much more unhurried.

I just want to say that I hope all the renewed friendships and relationships that have been forged by phone will not end just because the stay-at-home aspect of this world crisis does.

I bet that there are so many people who have received or made a phone call to more than one friend from their distant past over the past couple of months just because they found the number and had nothing else to do, and as our lives spill out beyond the front door again and time again is in much shorter supply, there is a danger that all those regenerated friendships will be lost.

So, I have now made yet another list, one that I suggest that it would be good for all of us to compile; I suggest that while there is still a little lock-down time left, we make a list of those friends that we called, and relationships that we reclaimed, because we had all that time to talk.   Then we can adopt one farmers habit as life allows us beyond our front doors again, and as our spare time again shrinks into short supply.  They rotate their crops, and we should rotate our telephone conversations so that they include the friends and relations that we don’t usually get to telephone, talk and catch up with a little more often in the future. 

I hope that my latest list will help me to keep in touch just a little more and a few readers will follow my lead. 

CJ, Brockley.