In this post : dealing with isolation; faith; an arts fix; and some light relief.
Dealing with isolation.
Dealing with isolation will be an issue for many people. There is an interesting short video on the BBC News website : Submarine captain’s advice on social isolation – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-52085862
Key advice from all sources is : maintain a routine, maintain your standards, make contact with people and keep doing some exercise (even it it is sitting in your chair waving your arms and legs about). So pick up the phone and call someone.
Faith
At times of stress many people turn to their faith, even if they are not normally church-goers. Since they cannot now have a congregation in church all the local churches are making services available on the Internet by streaming live worship (typically from the clergy’s home) and/or by offering pre-recorded services. St Anne’s for instance use video conferencing to stream 2 services every day. Interactive services will require down-loading an ‘app’, but this is no big deal. They are also likely to need a password, this is not to keep the service private but to keep out those morons who think it clever to gatecrash a service and inject inappropriate content. Contact the church in advance to get the password.
- St Anne’s (Church of England) https://www.saintannebagshot.org.uk
- Christ the King Catholic Church http://www.cbparish.co.uk
- Bagshot Methodist Church https://www.bagshotmethodistchurch.org
- Brook Church https://brookchurch.uk
Need an Arts fix?
With theatres closed many organisations are making theatre productions available on the Internet for free, but often only for a short time with a new production released each week. There is an excellent listing to be found at
https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/stage-shows-musicals-opera-free-stream-online_51198.html
Listings from:
- National Theatre https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre
- The Shows Must Go On https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmPjhKMaXNNeCr1FjuMvag
This YouTube channel started with shows from Andrew Lloyd Webber and is continuing with other shows.
Expect a new show to be available from 7pm on Friday, usually for 48 hours, sometimes only 24hr. - Royal Albert Hall https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugNt9gmBgZSFEv4lc4B6Zg
The BBC’s arts editor offers his selection at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52145120
Want to see some sights outside of your home? Then have a look at https://www.visitengland.com/things-do-to-at-home-bored for a selection of virtual visits.
Clouds do have a silver lining
The Met Office have handwritten weather records going back 200 years which they would like to digitise so that they can be analysed better – so they launched a volunteer project. Self-isolation has been a boon https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52040825
We also have a post giving hints and tips on video calls whether to your loved ones or joining an online meeting such as the services mentioned above.
Bagshot Village 