Quarantine is bad for health

Vancouver sunset

 

 

Here I am, in quarantine again.... as I am now returned from visiting my family in Vancouver. 

To say that this is hard would be an understatement.

Another 14 days of being confined to quarters, with nothing to do but talk to my other half (OH), weed the garden, and consider my navel.

The lack of anticipation of big hugs all round makes this second 14 days feel like a very different experience.

Quarantine is bad for my health.

 

Not to mention the health of the airlines. 

 

This is Calgary airport international terminal.

 

My flight to Gatwick was the only flight listed on the board.

 

 

Calgary airport in the time of Covid-19

 

Before I left England I wrote to my MP asking why I had to quarantine on my return when there is much less Covid-19 in Canada than in the UK. 

 

He replied saying that he is too busy to reply. 

I think it is something to do with Brexit.....

Meanwhile I am quietly losing my marbles and the airlines are quietly going bankrupt.

Here is the arrivals area at Gatwick.

Anyway, apart from being just a tiny bit miffed, I am well and had a wonderful time in Vancouver with my family. 

All activities were outdoors, and on some days we could almost forget about the pandemic.

 

 

We walked the seawall. 

We cycled the seawall.

We swam in the sea, in mountain lakes and walked in the forest. 

All were cool and refreshing.

 

There are a lot of pine trees in Canada. 

 

 

 

 

 

And bears...... 

This is classic bear country.

 

Not to mention cougars......

 

Canada is a dangerous country.......

Or so my inner voice tells me whenever I try to walk alone in the forest.

Best to walk in a group. 

Which makes contemplative landscape photography almost impossible for one who is easily spooked.

Playing with a snow shovel on the beach and making pirate ships out of driftwood was much more appealing.

In Harrison Hot Springs I found the Sasquatch less of a threat.....

The Sasquatch is a much revered creature with a conveniently sized 2 metre arm span.

The hot springs were closed...... not so convenient. 

As were the kayaks and bicycle hire.

But my son and I did find ourselves on the set for a new movie 'Solitary'.

On asking, we were initially told that they were filming 'a movie' . 

But we were persistent. 

We dug deeper... and were told that it is about ' a man who has been in solitary confinement for 7 years and is then released into the world in the grip of a covid-19 pandemic  and social isolation'. 

I for one can't wait. Who needs 007?

Social distancing advice from the Sasquatch

When walking alone I decided to 'notice what I notice'.

I am known for noticing traffic cones and small things.

I cannot be the only person to think that the cones of Vancouver have been renamed for the pandemic.

The other thing that I notice in Canada is deciduous trees; mainly because there are so few of them.

I miss them when away from England. They are mostly found only in parks and gardens.

I enjoy the changes of autumn. The beauty of a single leaf left on the tip of a branch.

Mountain, tree, leaf.

Sources of great pleasure.

Enough.  Time to stop writing.

I am in quarantine and have lots to do.....

OH has gone out to do real things like sailing and walk on the beach.

He has left me with some potatoes. I will feast later.

For now I have just had a delivery from the postman; a new book.

'Japanese book binding' by Kojiro Ikegami.

I shall spend the rest of the day learning some different types of Japanese and Chinese bindings.

I will leave you with my video '14 days'..... from my first quarantine.

They really weren't so bad!

Confined to quarters in a Canadian Covid-19 quarantine

Calgary airport. a log fire.

 

Welcome to Canada!

A fake log fire and view of Moraine lake at Calgary airport. 

When I saw this I felt I had arrived. Flying to Vancouver via Calgary to see my family for the first time in many months. 

But first there must be quarantine. 14 days. No going out. No shopping. No visitors.

So I set myself up in an air bnb beside the sea, in the belief that being able to see the sea would keep me sane. Which it has. Almost.

All flights to Vancouver had been cancelled. So I immigrated through Calgary. I had a tense discussion with the immigration officer as I justified my visit.

She told I must stay put. 

I told her I knew that I must, and would...... 

She advised me that people would check up on me. Others also advised that officials would check up on me. Twelve days into the endurance test I am still waiting to be checked up upon. Not a peep.

So while I wait I am being obedient. And not having to wear a mask for 14 days is a treat in itself after wearing it for almost 24 hours on the journey over. 

The airport was eerily empty.

Cafes and shops closed.

Calgary airport . a mountain

When I finally arrived in Vancouver on a hot sunny evening it too was deserted.

Luggage carousel

I arrived to an early September evening in full sun. 

The view from my balcony blue and calm.

The view from my balcony

The quarantine had begun.

And the smoke from the wildfires had yet to arrive. Two days later everything was grey, visibility poor, and so it has remained for the last 10 days. Apparently the air quality is such that I am smoking the equivalent of three cigarettes daily. Luckily it is not permanent... all we need is some wind and rain, which will come soon enough.

So how does one occupy oneself for 14 days when not allowed to go for walks, shopping, talking to friends or visiting the forest that lies tantalisingly around the next bend in the road.

I can only say that somehow the days seem to pass.

Opportunities for photography are very limited. I have never been that interested in photographing indoor scenes.

I photographed my novel. only because it was brilliant. 

Lanny; by Max Porter

And the light at the window.

Before the sun disappeared.....

But my heart was not in it.

I decided to make a daily sculpture.

That plan lasted 2 days, as I had no access to materials, and didn't want to use garbage ( when in Canada.....).

berry and driftwood quarantine calendar

So I resorted to making small books with paint and ink on paper.

I have with me a supply of paper, a few tubes of paint and a couple of bottles of ink.

They have sustained me through a selection of dodgy creations, all looking remarkably similar; lines, dots, grey and red..... I am stuck in a rut.

And when not making books I am keeping fit . Thanks to Youtube I can take classes in ballet, yoga, meditation, cardio work outs and for a mad 10 minutes some good old fashioned line dancing.

My food delivery turned up, and I am now eeking out my rations for the last three days. Breakfast is taken on the cutting mat, surrounded by paper and glue.

Lunch is a picnic on the balcony with my book, and dinner a Netflix TV affair. 

I have learned that some things on my 'to do' list are never going to get done. 

And if they don't get done here, they will NEVER GET DONE. 

I have photographed some prints from book pages and worked them into imagined landscapes.

It all seems quite dark.... the pandemic lurking behind every corner. 

Horizon book

Imagined landscape  1

Imagined landscape 2

I have tried to write a daily Haiku, without much success. 

I have drawn a picture of a cave with pack rats for my grandson.

I made a video on how to make a book..... but couldn't sum up the energy for episode 2.

You can view it here..

View this post on Instagram

how to fold a sheet of paper into a small book #bookart #paperfolding #bookmaking #quarantinelife #papercrafts #bookish #bookstagram #isolationartschool

A post shared by abstract landscapes & bookart (@carolinefraserphotography) on Sep 13, 2020 at 6:29pm PDT

I have also created a video for yesterday's book "You are the Sky".

I came across these words by Pema Chodron on a yoga video, and  they resonated strongly with my isolation situation and changing moods. 

"You are the sky. Everything else- it's just the weather"

View this post on Instagram

“You are the sky -everything else - it’s just the weather”. an artist book made during quarantine in Vancouver. The last 7 days have been grey and hazy due to the smoke from wildfires. I heard the quote by @anipemachodron while doing some yoga... it resonated strongly with my current situation and so I made this book. Hand printed on Arches Vellin paper, with a simple sewn binding.

A post shared by abstract landscapes & bookart (@carolinefraserphotography) on Sep 18, 2020 at 10:32am PDT

Anyway, the time is passing and I am still well. If I were quarantining in some other other countries I would have been allowed out for a walk, or even to buy food. 

But I am in Canada so I am not.

14 days it is, even though the incubation period of covid-19 is much less than this.

And don't get me started on the need to quarantine when I return home....

Next time you hear from me I will be having an all Canadian Covid pandemic adventure. 

I can't wait!!

Whale Song - a new book

Whale Song

So here we are.

Partly unlocked.

Waiting for the world to adjust and recuperate.

A difficult time for many.

All that I wish to do is to visit my children in Canada. Which will require me to quarantine for 2 weeks in each direction.

And so I will. In a few weeks time.

And while I am waiting I have been thinking about the ocean, and whales. Freedom and space....

Journeys across the water.

In ink.

On paper.

Drawn with a birch twig, an automatic pen and a plastic out of date Tate Modern card.

Ink drawing tools

I started with waves, and ended with whales.

Whale Song

Pages that turned into a book.

Whale Song  -   a book

So there we have it.

A Japanese stab binding. Arches Rives paper, black ink and vermillion ink.

I think there will be more to come.....

And here it is, 'Whale Song' set to music. A video.

I wonder where this new camera-less journey is going to lead me.

Time will tell.

Meanwhile, there is vegetarian lasagne on the menu tonight.

OH will probably starve......