• For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here.
    (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation)

Search 69,459 Camino Questions

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD Good Luck, everyone!

OBSOLETE COVID THREAD
Status
Not open for further replies.

BobM

Veteran Member
Time of past OR future Camino
V Frances; V Podensis; V Francigena; V Portugues; V Francigena del Sud; Jakobsweg. Jaffa - Jerusalem
Best wishes to all of you currently on the road and struggling to deal with COVID-19 restrictions in real time.

I love those house-bound Italians playing music from their balconies or banging pots in time to the music and calling out to their neighbours; clapping in unison from their balconies when some positive announcement is made over the TV or internet. A martial arts guy in Wuhan practices in his empty studio, but his clients are following him at home via video links. An ABC newsreader in Australia says she sings 'Happy Birthday' to herself while washing her hands to make sure she continues for the recommended 20 seconds or so. Others recite the alphabet instead.

Far more uplifting than fights in the aisles over toilet paper. Or xenophobic outbursts at innocent people.

See you all on the other side.🙂

Bob M
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Yes. And I remain baffled why people have to remind themselves how long to wash their hands--haven't they been doing this 20-30 seconds all their lives anyway? Having asked that, I recall the many times over the years I have seen people in public restrooms flush the toilet and walk out without washing their hands, so OK I am answering my own question, even if I don't grasp why people were so indifferent in the past.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
I am one of those who never paid much attention to handwashing other than after doing No1's and No 2's. And handwashing on the trail after taking a leak was never a sensible use of drinking water for me.

Now I always wash my hands after returning home from shopping, walks etc. I have never done that before. But I don't use fancy sanitisers - just a squirt of ordinary, strong dishwashing liquid because it is more convenient than using soap. It probably peels off a layer of skin, but in a good way.

There is a lot to learn. I have never thought much about how we catch colds, flu etc. It's all about SURFACES, people - not evil miasmas in the air!! Epiphany.

Bob M
 
In a week at most, I will probably have to self-isolate as COVID-19 takes hold in Melbourne, Australia. We are in the inexorable grip of exponential growth curves that describe the progression of epidemics.

You may be interested in how I have setup my balcony for survival (pics).☘🐏🐥

I will keep chickens for eggs - and to slaughter😢 for meat in extremis.

The goat is for milk🍼, and for the company of a kindred spirit🥰 when things get bad.

Plenty of veggies as well.🥦🥕 Even if it is the end of the world, you still need to eat a balanced diet. You will want to look your best 😇on the Day of Judgment.⚖

The only problem is that I don't have much room left for exercise ⛹️‍♂️to keep in top shape for the Day of Judgment.♨

It's a good plan; I think I will be OK.🌈

Bob M
 

Attachments

  • Balcony.jpg
    Balcony.jpg
    384.3 KB · Views: 64
  • COVID19-balcony.jpg
    COVID19-balcony.jpg
    475.3 KB · Views: 74
Last edited:
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
For a moment I thought it was a TANK in pic 1
🙄😅

You have given me much pause for anxious thought.😟 The big weakness in my plan is water supply 💦for my plants and animals. What if the water is cut off? I can't rely on rain 🌧- after all, I live in Australia.🇦🇺

There is a temporary expedient as a last resort, but it would not do for the animals and might kill the plants . . .

Bob M
 
Last edited:
In a week at most, I will probably have to self-isolate as COVID-19 takes hold in Melbourne, Australia. We are in the inexorable grip of exponential growth curves that describe the progression of epidemics.

You may be interested in how I have setup my balcony for survival (pics).☘🐏🐥

I will keep chickens for eggs - and to slaughter😢 for meat in extremis.

The goat is for milk🍼, and for the company of a kindred spirit🥰 when things get bad.

Plenty of veggies as well.🥦🥕 Even if it is the end of the world, you still need to eat a balanced diet. You will want to look your best 😇on the Day of Judgment.⚖

The only problem is that I don't have much room left for exercise ⛹️‍♂️to keep in top shape for the Day of Judgment.♨

It's a good plan; I think I will be OK.🌈

Bob M

Ha Ha Ha
Being a fellow Melbourian I recognise your view. A very nice place to be.
Your councils panning rules must be much more lenient than ours. I would love a farm like that in my back yard
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
My new balcony survival setup is going well: the chickens and my goat (she is called Matilda, BTW - a lovely name and she is excellent company) are settling in nicely, with no squabbling. The veggies are coming along in leaps and bounds.

More seriously, some of the biggest challenges we will face will be psychological ones arising from many stressors: food, our health, worries about partners/children, having savings/jobs etc etc.

My adrenalin levels spike up with every foraging expedition to the supermarket. What will be on the shelves? I don't mean toilet paper, but milk and bread - which are sometimes absent. Fortunately for me, no one wants to buy fruit and vegetables. They are always in good supply. So far, behaviour has been good, but it is obvious that emotions are fragile among all the silent, determined shoppers in my supermarket.

Then there is a mental cost if we have to self-isolate for long periods. Forums like ours are no substitute for the company of friends - and simply being among people - but virtual companions here can play a role to ease the burdens on all of us and share coping techniques.

All the best.

Bob M
 
Last edited:
I have discovered that Matilda loves art, so I have hung one of my pictures on the balcony for her to admire. Hopefully she won't try to eat it, goats being what they are. A "Mona Lisa" is not cheap!

I have lots of plans for my balcony, and I hope to embellish it in other ways while I am in self-isolation. It will keep me occupied - and off the streets if I might put it that way in these troubled times.

The distraction of a physical task requiring concentration is a way of 'mind shifting' - a useful technique to keep one's mind off unpleasant matters and control anxiety.

Bob M
 

Attachments

  • COVID19-balcony-setup.jpg
    COVID19-balcony-setup.jpg
    653.1 KB · Views: 18
Last edited:
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
Lockdown in Melbourne is getting tighter. Non-essential workers can only go outside for shopping, medical reasons, and exercise (but not in groups). Many businesses (eg cafes, bars) have had to close.

I will keep posting occasional updates as long as I remain well. I am in a higher risk category if I get the virus, but with a probable survival rate of 85%.

The really stressful thing is just waiting for the invisible axe to fall. If I could get the virus right now, under my control and with access to medical care, I would probably choose to do it. Crazy?

Take care, everyone. My thought are with you all.

Bob M
 
BobM - what a lovely view you have from your balcony, it must be wonderful to sit there with a cup of something and watch the sky and the water. And you have the good company of Mathilda.
Enjoy and you take care, all the best to you.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
BobM - what a lovely view you have from your balcony, it must be wonderful to sit there with a cup of something and watch the sky and the water. And you have the good company of Mathilda.
Enjoy and you take care, all the best to you.

At the moment there are two cruise ships docked. Usually they come and go in a day, but these two are just sitting there. Possibly in quarantine with COVID-19. But the view is very nice. Matilda certainly likes the view and spends hours gazing out to sea (or in raptures before my Mona Lisa) when she should be making milk. I will have speak to her about it.

Watching the sky and water is indeed a great solace to me. Another way of 'mind shifting'. If I only had mountains to gaze upon as well, my happiness would be assured.

Best wishes
Bob
 
In the hope of cheering you all up:

In these difficult times, it is important that you mingle with people who love you, and maybe arrange a get-together party with people you like:


A very good idea indeed. But we must keep our gatherings small, so not too many mirrors, please!

On the subject of drinks, every cloud has a silver lining. The 2020 wine vintage in some of Australia's best vine growing areas has been wiped out by smoke taint from bushfires a couple of months ago. Since they can't make wine from tainted grapes, some wineries are extracting the alcohol after fermentation to sell as hand sanitizing liquid. Hand sanitizer is another product subject to frenzied buying.

Bob M
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I should say a few words about Chanticleer, my rooster. I have never met a lazier or a more conceited individual than Chanticleer. He spends his days perched on top of the scarecrow preening himself and lording it over the chickens. My neighbours are not too happy with Chanticleer either; with his incessant 'look-at-me-everyone' crowing. He will be the first into the stew pot if things turn really bad. In fact, I have done some forward planning on how to cook an old rooster.

Bob M
 
Last edited:
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.

I can't thank you enough for the excellent instructional video you brought to my attention, and I have sown a few toilet rolls as an experiment. The plot is a bit messy as the photo shows - chickens will be chickens and they love to scratch around in newly-turned earth.

If the experiment turns out as well as I fully expect it will, I have room on my balcony to expand production. Then my worries about running out of toilet paper will be a thing of the past - and I might even have a surplus to give my neighbours in thanks for putting up with Chanticleer's pre-dawn crowing.

With sincere thanks,
Bob M

PS: I am thinking about getting a few rabbits. Stay tuned.
 

Attachments

  • COVID19-balcony-setup_toilet_roll.jpg
    COVID19-balcony-setup_toilet_roll.jpg
    680.7 KB · Views: 5
I can't thank you enough for the excellent instructional video you brought to my attention, and I have sown a few toilet rolls as an experiment. The plot is a bit messy as the photo shows - chickens will be chickens and they love to scratch around in newly-turned earth.

If the experiment turns out as well as I fully expect it will, I have room on my balcony to expand production. Then my worries about running out of toilet paper will be a thing of the past - and I might even have a surplus to give my neighbours in thanks for putting up with Chanticleer's pre-dawn crowing.

With sincere thanks,
Bob M

PS: I am thinking about getting a few rabbits. Stay tuned.
According to my experience, each sown roll should yield a whole bag (wrapped) of rolls. It works so well, I have quit my retirement money and live of the HUGE profit genereated from them the last weeks. Good luck with your new profitable business!
 
According to my experience, each sown roll should yield a whole bag (wrapped) of rolls. It works so well, I have quit my retirement money and live of the HUGE profit genereated from them the last weeks. Good luck with your new profitable business!
My heartiest congratulations on the well-deserved success of your innovative project. Truly inspiring! It gives me great confidence for the future. My retirement fund has taken a severe hit over the last month. We are all affected. But a friend told me that he still had enough money to last him the rest of his life - provided he died next week. Very poor taste at such a moment, I thought.

Bob M
 
Last edited:
A selection of Camino Jewellery
It grieves me to say that Matilda and I have had a slight falling out. What happened was this: Matilida objected to my toilet roll plantation encroaching on her space and she also made some slighting remarks about its untidiness. Why this obsession with neatness? It could not go unchallenged and I retorted smartly that her time would be better spent minding her own business, namely milk production.

Alas, more sharp words ensued and we are not speaking to each other at the moment. But I have every expectation that a reconciliation can be effected if I employ my usual tact and grovel sufficiently.

Bob M
 
Last edited:
Thursday, 26 March. The lockdown is getting progressively tighter as COVID-19 cases rise in my home state of Victoria, doubling about every 3 days - much the same as in other countries when the epidemic first struck. I have decided to stop my early morning excursion to pick up a paper from the local shop. I did this with some reluctance, because it will deprive me one small (but valuable) opportunity for direct human interaction with people I like and have known for years, something we sorely need in troubled times.

It is tempting to keep the TV on when we are stuck in our homes and in need of stimulation. One of the dangers of self-isolation and relying on TV for information is the constant deluge of bad news that can affect our mental state. Now I try to keep the TV off as much as possible, otherwise it can get a bit overwhelming, especially seeing some of the confronting coverage from Spain and Italy.

I have a reading plan to occupy myself, which will include re-reading 'Blindness' by José Saramago. The book deals with a mysterious epidemic that strikes people blind. It is a very confronting, but also an uplifting book, with some beautiful imagery and language.

There is good news on the supermarket front. Supply is getting much better and I am more confident that I will be able to get all I need in one weekly shop. I want to reduce my exposure to crowds as much as possible as virus infections ramp up. There is a Community Hour from 7 to 8 am for elderly and disabled shoppers on 3 days of the week and for medical, health and similar workers on 2 other days. We need the latter to remain safe and healthy as never before as they expose themselves to danger every working day.

Isolation presents us with many challenges. See these tips from astronauts and others.

Bob M
 
It is tempting to keep the TV on when we are stuck in our homes and in need of stimulation. One of the dangers of self-isolation and relying on TV for information is the constant deluge of bad news that can affect our mental state. Now I try to keep the TV off as much as possible, otherwise it can get a bit overwhelming, especially seeing some of the confronting coverage from Spain and Italy.

Isolation presents us with many challenges. See these tips from astronauts and others.Bob M
We spend our time in self-imposed isolation cleaning the house and tidying up everything. Our place looks very good and clean now, and we have normal supply of toilet paper (not excessive; we still have normal bodily functions) on stock. All is well here.
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
During WW2 the US Army developed a 'five in one' ration pack of food and other necessities for five men for one day. It made logistics planning and supply easier to have this standard unit. Subsequently, different ration packs were developed, including a 10-man pack designed for an infantry Section of 10 men. They usually included 20 sheets of toilet paper per man per day. This paper was to be used for facial and general cleaning as well as its obvious function.

The Australian Army used the same concept; with a field allowance of toilet paper for use in its primary mode, if I recall correctly, of 6 sheets/man/day. Perhaps we could base our calculations on something similar when doing our shopping.

Bob M
 
In a week at most, I will probably have to self-isolate as COVID-19 takes hold in Melbourne, Australia. We are in the inexorable grip of exponential growth curves that describe the progression of epidemics.

You may be interested in how I have setup my balcony for survival (pics).☘🐏🐥

I will keep chickens for eggs - and to slaughter😢 for meat in extremis.

The goat is for milk🍼, and for the company of a kindred spirit🥰 when things get bad.

Plenty of veggies as well.🥦🥕 Even if it is the end of the world, you still need to eat a balanced diet. You will want to look your best 😇on the Day of Judgment.⚖

The only problem is that I don't have much room left for exercise ⛹️‍♂️to keep in top shape for the Day of Judgment.♨

It's a good plan; I think I will be OK.🌈

Bob M
What the goat doesn't eat first the chicken will
 
Join our full-service guided tour and let us convert you into a Pampered Pilgrim!
I am experimenting with one rabbit to begin with because I don't want the entire balcony to be overrun with rabbits. A serious problem will be immediately obvious from the photo: my rabbit loves vegetables as much as I do; and my garden presents an irresistible temptation that she has already yielded to. Perhaps I can devise an enclosure.

But why persist with rabbits you ask? They are delightful companions and I want to remind Matilda that I have other friends who do not make petty criticisms about my garden. She is not the only fish in the sea!. Too Machiavellian, perhaps? I won't say childish. But I will not be the first to buckle!

Bob M
 

Attachments

  • COVID19-balcony-setup_rabbit.jpg
    COVID19-balcony-setup_rabbit.jpg
    687.4 KB · Views: 2
Friday 27 March: There are now 522 cases of COVID-19 in my city of 5 million people (Melbourne). So far 3 have died. This is far less than in many European cities (or New York); but with a doubling time of about 3 days, my city is on the same mathematical trajectory. We can only hope to 'flatten the curve' so that our health system is not overwhelmed, because in 15 days Melbourne is likely to have about 16,000 COVID-19 cases and possibly 100 deaths.

Our State and Federal governments are following professional epidemiological advice and seem to be handling the crisis sensibly. Mistakes inevitably occur, because neither our leaders not institutions have ever faced a problem like COVID-19, which has created both a health and an economic emergency. I cannot begin to imagine the stresses on families who have lost their jobs and have only limited savings to keep food on the table and ride out illness. Not to mention worry about their children. It distresses me when certain leaders want to let the virus rip, heedless of the human cost.

So far I am well. I am now a scrupulous hand-washer. At first it was a bit awkward (like any new physical activity), but now handwashing has become an ingrained (excuse pun) habit and I always have soap ready to hand, if I might put it that way. I will keep this habit in my post-COVID-19 life because it will help stave off colds and flu. So some good will emerge from my experience of COVID-19.

Here's another thing: We get used to certain brands at our supermarket and stress-up if the shelves are bare of those items. I like a certain brand of muesli for breakfast, but it has been out of stock recently and that caused me a little unease on my early foraging expeditions. It's crazy, because other equally good brands of muesli were on the shelves, and now I enjoy them with equal relish. Same with packaged orange juice. But in this case I now buy oranges instead - they are never out of stock and probably better than packaged juice. And, in any case, would my health suffer irretrievable damage if I could not have orange juice for breakfast?

There is much to think about. We are creatures of habit in so many ways, especially in dietary matters, and changing even simple habits requires an effort.

Bob M
 
Last edited:
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
What the goat doesn't eat first the chicken will

You have hit on something that I am watching very carefully indeed. So far the chickens seem content to scratch about for worms and insects in the garden.

Bob M
 
Thank you. Interesting and supportive. Personally, I am doing quite well in our volunteer quarantine (13 days now), but I have to say that our neighbor is struggling some:

View attachment 71937

Perhaps you could discreetly suggest the following to your neighbor.
Use-PPE.jpg
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Plenty of space on that balcony for a yoga mat.
And you're in luck as goats LOVE yoga.



YES! This is a truly excellent suggestion. Matilda will LOVE it - and our relationship will be back on an even keel again after a few fraught days.

Bob M
 
Good news! Matilda and Anastasia (my rabbit) have become firm friends. I often see them absorbed in confidential tete-a-tetes - I won't call it idle gossip when they should be doing their chores. More discipline is required on my crowded balcony. I thought of asking Chanticleer to be my enforcer, but his laziness knows no bounds. Perhaps an appeal to his vanity and self-importance might work?

Anastasia has a talent for reconciling little domestic tiffs, and I notice that Matilda no longer looks scornfully on my toilet-roll plantation. I am not so stupid after all!

More good news! I invited my neighbour and a couple of friends over to demonstrate goat yoga (see demo in photo), which will be an excellent diversion for us. I have high hopes that it will heal the rift with Matilda.

Bob MCOVID19-balcony-setup_yoga.jpg
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Saturday 28 March: I try to go for a daily 30-minute walk when there are few people about. Even so, I usually I pass 40 or 50 other people out for exercise. We keep our distance, but even so each of us is encountering a large number of potential infection points.

Further restrictions are being introduced as COVID-19 cases inexorably rise in my State. The beaches near my home have just been closed to prevent crowds gathering on this warm week-end.

So far most of our COVID-19 cases have been traceable to other known cases, mainly travellers from other countries or from cruise ships. But when community transmission rises and the sources are not known, that will trigger the next round (Stage 3) of the lockdown. It is only a matter of days away, perhaps a week.

I am still well. I hope you all are too.

Bob M
 
I offered Matilda some chocolates as a goodwill gesture to improve relations." Are you trying to kill me?" she shrieked in horror, "goats can't eat chocolate!" The chickens, perhaps? Anastasia?

COVID19-balcony-setup_latest.jpg

Bob M

PS: My survival balcony is becoming completely insane and out of control, not to mention being wildly off-topic. But it's fun to add in your ideas. Incorporating them is testing my rudimentary Photoshop skills to the limit, but I think it is best for the Photoshopped image to be seen as obviously manipulated. After all, I enjoy my Picasso as much as the Mona Lisa.
 
I will continue my more serious posts in another thread, Life in a Time of Pestilence. The title is from a book of the same name.

Bob M
 
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Bob, I can't find you new thread - Life in a Time of Pestilience. I did see and read your first post in the thread, but then it disappeared from the Forum. I do enjoy your writings, makes me smile. And it is hard to find things to smile about in these sad times.
 
Bob, I can't find you new thread - Life in a Time of Pestilience. I did see and read your first post in the thread, but then it disappeared from the Forum. I do enjoy your writings, makes me smile. And it is hard to find things to smile about in these sad times.

It has been deleted by our Moderator because this forum is not the place for it. I was ambivalent about the idea myself and posted with some trepidation. I have no objections at all to the deletion.

I will be keeping a daily account offline as a personal record of the times. I think it is important for me to do this. It will be somewhat like a daily blog from my pilgrimages, only this will be a very different journey.

I will continue the light-hearted story of my balcony, but without any of the more serious postings.

Very best wishes.

Bob M
 
In times of high stress when we can't control a threatening situation like COVID-19 we might resort to magical thinking and superstitious behaviour to prevent bad outcomes. None of it is crazy - touch wood - if it gives comfort to an individual. My balcony is going to save me, but that's rational thinking, no magic there. Even so, I need all the help I can get.

I was discussing this with Anastasia and mentioned in passing that I planned to get a lucky rabbit's foot. A look of alarm crossed her face and she hopped out of my reach. Why all this suspicion? Anyway, I put the knife down and bought a lucky rabbit's foot online. It hangs on my balcony and gives me great comfort.

BTW, I always step onto my balcony left foot first; that's my lucky foot.
Bob M

COVID19-balcony-setup_latest_2.jpg
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I have probably stretched our Moderator's patience to the limit with my crazy off-topic posts, so this will be the last one. I hope I managed to give you a few 'mind-shifting' moments amid COVID-19

Good luck, everyone.

Bob M
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

❓How to ask a question

How to post a new question on the Camino Forum.

Forum Rules

Forum Rules

Camino Updates on YouTube

Camino Conversations

Most downloaded Resources

This site is run by Ivar at

in Santiago de Compostela.
This site participates in the Amazon Affiliate program, designed to provide a means for Ivar to earn fees by linking to Amazon
Official Camino Passport (Credential) | 2024 Camino Guides
Back
Top