This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
Those of you who follow us on Instagram will have seen that I took a late summer break to Corfu to escape the Covid-19 winter blues and to chase some summer sun. Other Half (OH) and I decided that, having had to wait 17 weeks for his postponed back operation and then a further 5 weeks with him laying flat at home and not going anywhere, my OH deserved a break. However it has meant some #wfh and in this instance the ‘h’ stands for holiday not home!
It really is incredible that one can be anywhere in the world and still be working as if we are in the office. I watched my daughter, who was staying with us, having a Zoom call with her office who thought she was in the UK, in a jumper and a bikini bottom. She sat in a position whereby it was a blank wall behind her. We all had to tiptoe around and not speak and also not make any holiday noise like jumping into the pool.
Having been out in Corfu for a couple of weeks I hear that many people, who can #wfh, are negotiating to spend the winter months here. Not that Corfu has great winter weather, similar to our own but not as cold. However they are relatively Covid-19 free and because of the small population if feels much safer. If it wasn’t for my dogs I would do the same.
My OH is over 70 so in the vulnerable age group and so he needs to live a semi-lockdown life if in England. We need to be very careful and I guess everyone over 60 is feeling the same way. We all need to self-police and look after ourselves, knowing our own physical weaknesses and catering for them.
The time difference of 2 hours between the UK and Corfu means I can have up until 11.30am for myself. I have breakfast, then go for a walk or a swim and still be at my desk when the UK opens at 9.30am. Our wifi in Corfu was so much better than at home.
In the evenings we eat at 6pm here, before the sun sets and to avoid the Mosquito dusk raid, so by 7.30pm (5.30pm UK time) I am back at my desk and doing all my post writing which works well as it is without interruption. I can even see my front door in Henley-on-Thames, via Ring, and talk to any delivery people or visitors.
Two of my children are living and #wfh at our house having given up their expensive London rentals and are ‘saving’ for a house deposit so home is being looked after when we are not there. Grace has been the anchor for A&G which I am so grateful for and thus has enabled me to get away for these weeks.
Winter in the UK is going to be long and tough this year until there is a tried and tested vaccine available for all. However it does make one reassess the way we live, the values we have, what gives us joy and what we can truly live without. It used to be that one wanted to be close to a big city with access to good restaurants, theatre, cinema and shops. Now if we don’t have to be near a city we actually want to be as far away as possible.
Wifi, a good laptop, a mobile phone and a Kindle or an Audible subscription can get me through this winter. I can #wfh with great ease. Aren’t we so lucky to live in this world of modern technology? And yet maybe all of this modern living has created a pandemic that has ripped the world apart and made it very small. Will I ever visit America again? Do I ever want to consider visiting places off the beaten track like South America or am I content to live a more peaceful and stable life in one (or maybe two places)!
Corfu has stolen my heart. It does that to people. So many of my friends have visited and also fallen in love with it. It is not just about beaches and sunshine, Kerkyra (Corfu town) is a jewel which continues to fascinate us each time we walk around it.
Of course this pandemic has divided us emotionally, physically, financially and politically. It is not possible for so many people to be able to jump on a plane and enjoy a holiday. I am so grateful and appreciative that we could and who knows when we will be able to go again.
Corfu is 3hrs 15 mins away by air and, I am happy to report, British Airways made us feel very safe and Covid free on both journeys. The passengers seemed so grateful to get away that they all all wore their masks without complaint. And yet on public transport in the UK so many people are refusing to wear masks which must make the job of those running these services so much more difficult.
However there are still many things that keep me grounded in the UK; family, friends, my dogs and much more. So visiting Corfu now is a happy compromise especially whilst the Corfiots are managing to stay relatively Covid free and create a safe environment for visitors. We will be back in the Spring for more Greek Filotimo.
If you want to know what Greek Filotmo is then read my last week’s post, Do you have Filotimo?, by clicking HERE.