Zombie apocalypse much?

Anyone else feel like they are living in the pages of a science fiction novel? The coronavirus crisis seems to have rapidly gained momentum in the UK public consciousness, with the traditional 'keep calm and carry on' mentality seemingly moving inexorably towards  the 'panic and buy toilet paper' mode.  Most of the people at my office (including me) are still in 'carry on' mode, but my trains are emptier, I'm seeing more people in masks (a pointless gesture unless you are actually sick yourself - in which case what are you doing out of the house?), certain shelves are empty in the stores (the only handsoap I could buy at Wilko is bubblegum pink and scented like LoveHearts), the chemists have signs up like 'Sorry no hand gel', and even our local little DIY store has their dust masks prominently displayed on the till.  The cashier and I were joking about those because they don't even seal well enough to keep sawdust out of your nose, but nevertheless she said someone had bought £70 worth.  My son, who has suffered a normal head cold for a few weeks, was sent home by his office mid-week on paid holiday and I am being bombarded at work by official emails from local, national and government sources about exactly how I should be washing my hands and don't worry everything is under control. I was in Aldi today where there were long queues and they are rationing certain foodstuffs to four per person. A female customer was taking this out on a very tired looking cashier, while my cashier said they had put toilet paper out that morning and sold out in 30 minutes. And just while I've been typing this, I've received an email from the university to say my Japanese classes are cancelled until further notice - and I've been studying for the end of term test we were meant to have this coming week.

Meanwhile my in-laws, both in the 'at risk' elderly group with my f-i-l particularly at risk due to compromised lungs, are staying indoors as much as they can as a precaution. I'm worried about them but there isn't anything more they, or we, can do really. It's so sad for the families that have already lost loved ones, and the economic impact is looking worse and worse.

Just yesterday it was announced that Pour L'Amour du Fil, the big quilting and stitching show in Nantes, France, that I was booked to attend next month, has been cancelled.  I've now cancelled my hotel and my train ticket (less a £10 admin fee) but I can't get a refund on my Easyjet air ticket.  Travel insurance won't refund me unless the Foreign Office actually starts advising that no one should travel to France. Easyjet are waving the normal fee for changing date or destination so I suppose I could go somewhere else.  The French show is talking about rescheduling for September but who knows if that will happen or if the usual providers will be able to attend the new date.  Europe as a whole is probably a no-go zone because even if you can get there, you might not be able to get back.  So I am trying to decide if I really want to fly somewhere like Inverness or Ireland or just give up on the money.

Crafters on social media in my various hobbies are joking about how we are more prepared than many people for potential self-isolation, and I was so happy to see the photograph of the woman fortunate enough to have had the foresight to take a sewing machine onto her (subsequently quarantined) cruise ship.  I hope she also had sufficient thread and fabric. I've taken a sewing machine on holiday a few times in the past -  and even a knitting machine once a long time ago - but those were all to self-catering cottages.   I hope wherever you are, the virus is leaving you and your families alone and that you are all safe (and have enough toilet paper).

So apart from the looming end of the world scenario, my big news this week is that I finished the Let's Bake Quilt by sewing on the many buttons on various blocks and giving it all a final touch-up press.  It hasn't turned out how I was imagining it would (in terms of being wrinkly instead of pancake flat like the designer's) but it is a cheerful fun quilt that makes me smile.  It took me five months to make, which is lightning speed compared to my usually glacial progress, and unlike most of the quilts I made, it is actually quilted and finished right away.  It's hanging in our hallway where I can see it every day and enjoy it.

I've now started a scrap quilt using up some of the 2.5 inch squares I cut from all the leftover fabric scraps a while back, and from some very elderly white tone-on-tone fabric for sashing.  It's just a nine-patch, set in a layout I saw in a Craftsy picture, one of those infuriating 'quick' quilts that actually take ages.  DH came in and said "You've made 10 blocks already!" and I was like "yeah, but I need 88 for a single size". These are the first blocks and sashing just put on the design wall, not seamed to each other yet, just to get an idea what it will look like. I don't think I will have enough pre-cut 2.5" squares so I will likely have to sub-cut some of the many 2.5" strips that I also have ready.

So TV time for a few nights has been trawling the tub of pre-cut squares looking for matching sets of four in the same fabric, then making up block sets - each laid out on a stacking paper plate.  And when I get tired of that, I've been working on the cross-stitch sewing picture.  I like how it is turning out, apart from my scissors don't look a whole lot like the chart (usual inability to count accurately). Sorry about the shadow on the picture, I was standing in my own light.

Keep calm and carry on.