Responding to the government's anti-virus advice and urgings

I've had to do it. I've cancelled all my caravan site bookings for my West Country holiday in March/April (21 nights away), and those for my North West Tour in May/June (33 nights away).

Oh, I was so looking forward to both outings! But the accelerating spread of the coronavirus, and particularly yesterday's government advice and urgings, really left me with no other choice. It may be possible, if the virus relents quickly, to get away during July. But I'm not hopeful of it. September is more likely - six months ahead.

Well, I have plenty to do at home. It's a golden opportunity to really sort out the house and garage, from a tidying-up and tarting-up point of view I mean. The garage doors could do with a repaint, for instance; and the garden needs some TLC. And I shall have the time.

I don't have to stay indoors. I'm not yet 70, and I have no health issues. I can get out for some fresh air - just not to places where people will be in any numbers. I have the means - my own car - and fuel is cheaper than it has been for a long time. So even if nothing is open - or I dare not go near whatever is - I can range widely and enjoy some freedom for a few hours, take plenty of pictures, and enjoy editing them in the evenings. Just as I would have, if a caravan holiday were possible.

Mind you, a wicked little voice inside me says, 'Go on: escape to Devon and Cornwall after all. You can practice 'social distancing' there just as well as at home. You can be by yourself, and don't have to go near anyone you don't know. You'll be fine.' It's hard to resist. And very likely it would indeed be all right. But (a) it's against at the least the spirit of the new people-contact and people-movement advice from the government; and (b) it seems rather self-indulgent, even selfish, to get away when so many people will be stuck at home.

Apart from that, I don't fancy coping with a dose of flu in a small caravan, if I happen to be infected already (I don't think so) or may become infected (certainly not impossible). And what if everything gets a lot worse while I'm away, and whole sections of the country are locked down, so that I become trapped in some West Country locality far from home, unable to return? An enforced, semi-permanent holiday in an ambulance-sized box on wheels would be no fun at all.

And there are definite upsides to being at home for the next few months. My local friends will still be there, within walking distance, and we can take turns to entertain and dine in each other's homes. No pilates, lunches out, or evening quizzes to go to; but we needn't be bored or isolated. Naturally, no kissing hello and goodbye! We will blow our kisses. And although we can't go shopping - I'd proposed lunch out and a mooch around the shops of Petworth for my birthday - we will all get richer from not being able to spend much. That will certainly be true of myself - my still-meagre savings will get a very welcome boost from staying at home and not going away.

It's all a big challenge, and it has to be seen as a big adventure, to be lived through and to learn from.

Life will not be quite the same afterwards. We will all have experienced something we never thought could really happen. I can see many people shifting their values, changing their attitudes and priorities, thinking more carefully about the future and what really matters. One or two people I know have said that this is nature's way of derailing the destructive forces in modern life, and giving us all a chance to pause and choose a better way. No more complacency or blind consumerism. Wouldn't it be good, if that's the legacy?

One thing's for sure: as traffic gets less, the air is going to get clearer and cleaner. We'll want to hold on to that.