Sky Blue Vickie Continues to Wing it Like a Pro (and Learns that Cats Really Don’t Care if You Wear a Mask or Not)
Rewind six months…
There’s no vaccine. Trump is president. A massive explosion shakes the port of Beirut. Everyone is spending way too much time watching episodes of Tiger King on Netflix and taking part in Zoom pub quizzes. And Sky Blue Vickie’s flight from YVR is coming into land at London Heathrow.
Usually, returning to my homeland for a trip is a highly jubilant affair – a celebration marked by big bear hugs, sloppy cheek kisses, sparkling eyes and a ridiculous amount of partying with my friends and family.
But that’s not the case in August 2020. The UK I find myself in this summer is afraid.
After two weeks in quarantine (what’s not to love about quarantine when it’s 30 degrees outside, you have a pretty country garden to spend your days in and you can have English fish and chips delivered to your door?), I attempt to spend some quality time with my loved ones.
Occasionally we manage it, but the situation is difficult. Restrictions are constantly changing; making plans is a minefield; uncertainty reigns supreme.
Lockdown is looming; I can feel it.
But as you know, when life gives me lemons, I make (gin) and lemonade, so I take the opportunity to retreat into that most magical of worlds: the animal kingdom.
I decide to combine seeing a little bit more of the country of my birth with the chance to lavish some love upon some of the UK’s cutest kitties — so I join trustedhousesitters.com, pack my bag and go cat-sitting.
After all, pussy cats really do not give a hoot whether you’re wearing a mask or not.
I put on my mask, sanitize up to my armpits and ride empty trains across England’s green and pleasant land.
It’s a naturally socially-distanced adventure that takes me from the unspeakably picturesque fishing village of Wivenhoe in Essex to the marine town of Hartlepool in Country Durham.
I stroll along pretty riverbanks, I sit in quiet beer gardens, I shamelessly indulge in my Crazy Cat Lady needs.
So I travel. I see new places and taste new things – against all the odds. I’m relieved to be on the road, instead of sitting at home, worrying about things that are beyond my control.
Don’t get me wrong, the England I know and love most certainly wasn’t in full-throttle in the August of 2020, but I really did cherish the chance to sample a few of her quieter pleasures before she headed back into a full lockdown. And house-sitting allowed me to do that in a naturally socially-distanced (and bloody cheap!) way too.
However, towards the end of September it became clear that I would have to move on if I didn’t want to get stuck in lockdown. But where on earth could I go? Where was even open? Surely I was a fool to even THINK about getting on a plane.
Tune in next time to find out what happened.
SPOILER ALERT: One dog, 13 cats and three ducks were involved… And it was fun-fun-fun!
Sky Blue Vickie x
