How we're doing isolation

While John perfects his athletic prowess, gardeners like me have plenty to occupy us while we "self-isolate" at home to wait out the coronavirus. Here I'm tackling the bluebells that have invaded the iris bed under the lilac tree. All photos and video by John Denniston.

We're interpreting the "stay at home" rule somewhat loosely, given that it would be a shame to miss out on this spring's  cherry blossoms. This tree caught our attention on a walk in our neighbourhood on Wednesday.

What happens when people are told to stay home, go out only for necessities, and keep a distance of six feet from everybody they meet? Divorce? Loneliness? Babies? I can’t possibly predict how other people will react, but based on a few days of self-isolation and self-distancing in our household, here’s what’s happened so far:

 “I’m going to be making some circuits of the house,” John says behind me as I stand at the sink making lunch. I hear him running the circular route from the kitchen, through the dining room, the living room, the hall, and back into the kitchen again, kicking a soccer ball as he goes. When I turn around again, I see he’s got a bicycle slung over his shoulder – “for a video, you see.”

For me, there’s the garden, neglected for two years as I worked on my SFU master’s project. The invading armies of bluebells and buttercups that have colonized my flowerbeds are being repulsed, and I’m determined that after shamefully missing out last year, I will plant my traditional sweet peas this spring. The sadly empty container pots will be filled; the compost finally sifted and spread.

For both of us, there will be walks, especially since the sun has appeared and the spring blossoms are out. Cafes, bookstores and all non-essential businesses may be closed to discourage social mingling, but staying home doesn’t mean, you know, staying exactly home. As long as you don’t mingle, what could be a better antidote to coronavirus than an avenue of cherry blossoms in the sunshine? 

Out, nasty bluebells! These things spread like crazy.

These trees are in the park area of a school that is closed for the March break, but will remain closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus.

In the same park, we noticed the interesting shape of these tree trunks. With sights like these to enjoy in nature, who needs to mingle?