Friday marked the entry into Louisiana of "Phase 1" of the return from Covid-19. I'm still not sure exactly what that means. A bit like Boris's pronouncements back home everything appears to be veiled in confusion and conflicting information.
Hopefully it means the start of a move back towards some kind of normality but, honestly, who knows. And what even is normal anymore? The world is changing beyond belief in such a short space of time and trying to find a place in it is an ever moving target too it seems.
Not really knowing what is going to happen is the hardest thing. Trying to prepare for the key parts of the year with only vague plans available. When will I get back to see Katie? Will I be home alone on my 40th? How long will it be before I can give someone a hug (as much as I like my work colleagues we are a way from that at this point!)? You try to take the little snippets of positivity you get and use them to build a foundation, but you just don't know what the foundation is built on.
Gears are beginning to grind. The pool and gym have reopened at limited capacity - though the sight of the side panels being raised on the gym too might give you some idea of the temperature at nearly 6pm in the evening (30+C in case you were wondering).
And the great thing about the heat is that it also brings the rains. It is a seemingly never ending cycle here - build up of humidity and temperature, awesome storm, really pleasant post storm "glow", and repeat.
At least I should start to get out and see more of Baton Rouge as Phase builds. It may be a while before domestic travel becomes the norm again but the bits I've managed to see recently have been pretty promising. As the bars and restaurants tentatively begin to open their doors I hope that one of the key purposes of this blog (showcasing this part of the world) will happen on a more regular basis.
For now though, let me leave you with tonight's dinner - Creole-spiced chicken and andouille jambalaya. A taste of the south, hopefully there will be many more to come soon.
Till tomorrow, Tom
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