It’s a friday night – so what on earth are we doing stuck at home? Oh yes, I remember, it’s the bloody Covid-19 Plague. People around the world are stuck, many of them in very unsafe or really horrible places, which is very sad. But here’s a story that’s just ‘difficult’, not dreadful.
One of my friends here in Uruguay has an in-law visitor from a European country. The visit was to have been from just before Christmas through New Year until mid March – a fairly lengthy enough visit for any house guest, but reasonable considering the length of time since these people had seen each other, and the cost of tickets from Europe to Uruguay in high season. Also, as it was over summer, and our friends live close to a coast with easy access for beach walks and enjoyment, and said visitor is a helpful house guest, it was all going to be ok, no problem.
But we all know what happened – seemingly overnight, the pandemic hit Europe, and within a very short time it arrived in Uruguay. Flights were cancelled, and amid chaos around the world, international borders all closed with very few days’ notice. So my friend’s visitor is still here of course. She’s safe and well, but still here 🙂 Currently the estimated, possible (dare I say ‘hoped for’ ?) departure date is the first week in May, perhaps … Thank goodness this multi-generational household is holed up in a house on a large block of land, and our autumn weather is mostly holding fine … so that even within the garden there is enough walking/running/yoga space for everyone to be active at the same time and not get in each other’s way.
My friend’s visitor is a keen needleworker, and with the shops shut, is running out of projects to keep her hands busy. As a kindred soul I totally empathise, so today I sent a photo of some fabric, needles and threads I’d be happy to make available for her, if the son in law were to drive by and collect it to help keep this woman’s hands busy and her mind sane.
My pic includes a metal tamplate for hexagon patchwork (a Covid quilt would be a good long term project for the duration 🙂 and I have plenty of fabrics I’d be happy to see out the door that would go well in it. The mauve fabric is some linen I’ve had for years and no longer have the slightest idea why I bought it. It was prolly ‘good value’ on a stall one sunday on calle Tristan Navaja. I’ve bought some great fabrics there down the years.
It’s a great street market, a flea market really, though lots of people do their weekly fruit and veg, grocery and household shopping there, too. You can buy everything from a tap washer to a AAA battery, from some work boots to an antique fox fur collar; from a new wallet to an antique linen tablecloth; some new fluffy slippers or an early edition of almost any book you can think of, if you know where to ask. I’ve bought leather remnants that I’ve used in my textile art, and I’ve had some great fabric finds. Some of the vendors have been there for decades and greet us warmly no matter how long since we’ve been there. I’ve nearly worn out the best wooden spoons I’ve ever had that I bought there years ago. We’ve acquired some lovely old historic books about the city of Montevideo and the whole country.
This bloody plague – I’d love to hurtle down there on sunday morning for an hour or two’s browsing and shopping, followed by lunch at the Mercado del Puerto … Yes, that will be one of the first places we visit when it seems safe to leave the house.