It is day 32 of the national lockdown in India. Corona cases are gradually rising with most hotspots in the larger cities. Many areas of the country still have no confirmed cases and Kerala which initially had the highest number of cases now has the virus under control. Lockdown measures are slowly being relaxed in areas where there have been no recent confirmed cases with small businesses and manufacturing allowed to resume if social distancing measures are respected. The Madikeri district where I’m staying has had no positive cases reported in the last month so I hope the restrictions will soon be relaxed here as well. I may then be…

It’s now three weeks into the Indian government lockdown imposed across the country to prevent the spread of corona virus. Life out here in the rural community appears to be continuing pretty much as usual. The farmers are allowed to work in the coffee plantations and locals are going about their usual daily routine although they wear face masks when going into Madikeri which is enforced by the local police. The youngsters are also still able to enjoy themselves playing cricket in one of the fields near to the plantation. I feel very fortunate to be stranded up in the Coorg hills during the crisis. I joined a WhatsApp group…

India is almost half-way through the 21 day lockdown although it is likely the restrictions will be extended as the number of cases exponentially rises. I’m making the most of the lock down reading books and observing the natural world around me continue its normal cycle of life. It is surprising how much has changed during the 3 weeks I have been here. When I arrived the coffee bushes where suffering from the dry conditions as the plantation has no access to an irrigation water supply. The plants had tried to flower earlier last month but the dry conditions caused the flowers to quickly shrivel and die. Last week there…