The Terry Fox run was great! We managed to do a few different distances, although there was some confusion about routes. I think next time I'm going to have to be a bit more organised and actually put up clear signs for the different distances. In the end Lawrence and I ran the 15km, and Maggie did the 6-7km with Bryan, as he is nursing a sore ankle, but then there were people in the middle like Kiana who did I think a 10km... then there was the rest of the group, who don't regularly run here, and so they had no clue where they were going and got completely lost! But in the end everyone found their way back to the house and we had a big bbq with chicken and ribs. I was particularly happy because this was the first time that Malcolm and Duncan have actually participated in any kind of running activity with us; I hope that it won't be the last. Duncan is already experienced at running, having trained up for his para-junior trials, but I'm happy that Malcolm is also interested. Both boys are tall and slim and long-legged, so it makes sense that they would both be fast runners.
We've been having a very busy time rehearsing "Grease", four days a week, and I've also seen an increase in demand for private voice lessons: I am up to ten confirmed students and there are more asking, so I have had to expand my private teaching days from just Tuesday and Thursday, to include the days when I have "Grease" rehearsals. It is tiring but it's good to have so many motivated students.
This has meant that I have had longer days, and more frequent days at the school... Last autumn we were able to use the scooter to supplement the car, but unfortunately someone stole it right out of our driveway a couple of weeks ago! That really stinks, and what's more, our insurance covers liability and damage but not theft. So unfortunately we have only one vehicle at the moment. As I wrote last time, that means early mornings for me, driving Maggie to work and then returning home, before going back to do lunchtime lessons and/or after-school rehearsals.
That is a bit tiring but it's been going ok, until this past Monday...
Our dance director was feeling a bit off last Friday the 18th September, and she awoke with a fever on Saturday morning, so we told her to stay home. She got tested and late on Monday we received the news that she was COVID-positive. So that meant that we had to call a halt to both rehearsals and lessons this week. I went to my doctor early on Tuesday and got a test prescription, and took a bus to the nearest testing centre, which is maybe 9 km from here. I am still waiting for the results but so far I have no symptoms after six days since contact with the dance director. Nevertheless my doctor suggested that I sleep in a different room from Maggie and try to avoid close contact with her and with Duncan for the next couple of weeks. So I have been sleeping in the attic, which is actually very calm and quiet, with lovely light in the mornings.
It's been a bit frustrating because while I still am getting paid for my work as musical director, I am not able at this point to give private lessons... during the March-May confinement, I did so via teleconference, but that was when the students were at home. The logistical issue now is that they are in the school, so the challenge is finding a place there that has a stable internet connection, external microphone, a speaker system, etc., and there are also some concerns about students being in a school room without some element of supervision. We are having some meetings this evening to discuss how we might solve this problem, for the rehearsals and also for lessons.
There was an added wrinkle today: the Belgian test-trace contact centre called me this afternoon, and said that since I was considered low-risk, and had had no symptoms, that I would likely only have to quarantine for seven days instead of the usual fourteen! So that's a question for my doctor... which is the proper duration of isolation? I left her a text message so we'll see what she says.
Our neighbour across the street rang the bell yesterday and said that the new windows have arrived, so he wants to take some final measurements this evening, and will start installation next week! So that's great news. Just in time for winter...
I have been a bit bored all by myself at home this week, so after getting a batch of sourdough bread going and tidying up the kitchen, I went out today for a run, and as it was not too hot (around 17 degrees) and I was well-rested, I managed a quite fast 10km at a 5:29 average pace, with my fastest ever 1km pace, at 4:26! I'm not really training for anything in particular but it feels good to stretch my limits a bit.
That's it for now. Stay healthy, everyone!
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