30th March 2020: Coronavirus Day 15

Very inventive birthday 'card' from Abe and Saul.  What a treat!  And they made it themselves. 

Abe and Saul at work

Well, it's been quite a day!  Lots of cards and friends coming to the house - at a suitable distance.  6 eggs from my neighbour Sally who heard I didn't have enough eggs. Two plants and a bottle of champagne and some great gifts from the family and Peter including lots of books to keep me busy! 

This tailor made card from Keith and Nicky

Southwold, of course! 

After the initial excitement of opening presents, Peter and I sobered up and cleaned the windows downstairs at the front of the house.   They are now sparkling!  We had calls from all the boys and then a zoom call with friends!  

After which Peter cooked supper: Starter of pear, chicory, walnut and blue cheese salad.  Main course of veal escalopes, sauté potatoes and sauerkraut! 

March 28th 2020: Coronavirus Day 14

So it's actually Sunday 29th as I write and such is the smallness and narrowness of our private world that I can't remember what we did on the 28th.   A collective brain scouring is required to bring back to mind the trivial pursuits of the incarcerated! 

Ah yes!  We cleaned three rooms upstairs.  I did the moving and dusting and spraying and wiping and washing and Peter wielded the vacuum cleaner.  The upholstered blanket box at the end of our bed came up a different colour!  The rungs on the bedroom chairs were stripped of their grey fur coating!  There's nothing like cleaning your own home to get a good job done.   I know I should have tumbled to this years ago, but there never seemed the time or the incentive to do it myself.   "We must seriously think about doing our own cleaning" I said to Peter.  His look was doubtful.

A Squash and a Squeeze

We had a Skype call from Abe and Saul in the morning and they told us jokes.   They seemed quite cheerful.  We also had a video call with Simon, Tania and Pearl.  Simon is getting to grips with his problems and doing what he can to salvage the business and people's jobs.  I sent Pearl a story book that I had narrated for her.   It was quite an elaborate undertaking.  First I photographed all the pages of the book, then I made a power point presentation with the pictures and finally recorded myself reading it on Zoom with screen sharing so that I could go through the slides at the right pace.  Apparently it went down really well and more have been requested!   That'll keep me busy!  I must streamline the process. 

Laura watched a funeral of a distant relative on YouTube!  The strangest things are happening. 

In the evening we watched the first episode of a BBC version of Nancy Mitford's book, Love in a Cold Climate.   Peter walked out after a short while and found something better to do! 

For the record, Peter is re-reading 'Love in a time of Cholera' and I've just started  'The Western Wind' by Samantha Harvey.  

March 26th 2020: Coronavirus Day 12

Another lovely fresh day with sunshine and a piercing blue sky.  And another day with nothing much to report!  

We cleaned the sitting room and the study, so that completes our leisurely tour of downstairs.  We had lunch in the garden again soaking up the sun and topping up our vitamin D.  We talked to Eliot.  They are getting into a routine with a morning run/cycle and a home schooling session.  Nancy is on standby to go into school to look after key workers' children, but hasn't been called yet.  Instead on the days she is supposed to work she is putting maths puzzles online for the children at home. 

Screen shot of our Zoom session

In the afternoon I had a zoom session with Tania and Pearl and Laura and Etty which we have called Story Time.  I read them a story and did some really bad singing! Etty waved her spoon and Pearl looked thoughtful.  There were a few technical hitches, but we'll get better at it.  It was lovely to see them both.  Pearl asked where Grandpa was, which delighted him, and he hurried to the kitchen to put in an appearance!   Tania did a screen shot for us! 

We walked round Gill's garden again at about 5.00.  Three laps and one jogging lap!    In the evening I watched a couple of episodes on Netflix of a show called 'Unorthodox' about a girl who escapes from an orthodox family in New York and goes to Berlin.   Not sure if I liked it.

At last I've finished the book I'm reading, 'The Sparsholt Affair' by Alan Hollingsworth.  It's the book club book and I'm rather sorry I recommended it.   I don't expect there'll be a very positive reaction.  Apart from the subject matter (rather promiscuous gay, male relationships and the artistic scene of the 30s onwards) which some people may not enjoy, the story line is rather disappointing and doesn't really get anywhere.  Rather too many characters and not much happening!   

March 25th 2020: Coronavirus Day 11

A lovely sunny day.  Very fresh in the morning but warming up by lunch time.
So what did we do today?

• A couple of calls/conferences calls for Peter
• A load of washing for me
• A bit of gardening
• Exercises in the garden with my laptop perched on a chair and two cans of beans for weights! 
• Talking to Sally
• Looking at a lot of emails - ditto for Peter
• Lunch in the garden - a sort of omelette using up stuff from the fridge
• Knit and natter on Zoom (not entirely satisfactory - too many people talking at once) 
• Reading
• Walking round Gill's garden several times - one circuit jogged! 

The rules about driving out into the countryside to go for a walk are unclear, so we think we may use Gill's garden as a circuit track!  She was in the greenhouse working and we waved at her as we went past.

Waitrose delivery coming tonight.  I've already had an email showing about 10 items not available for which they are offering substitutes (some of the not suitable) and about 5 items not available at all - including plain flour. I put a notice on the door for the delivery man with the items I didn't want marked. 

As it was such a struggle to get a delivery slot with Waitrose, I'm switching to Sainsbury's where I get priority booking as I'm over 70!   What a perk. 

March 24th 2020: Coronavirus Day 10

Last night the UK went into 'lockdown'.  We can only leave the house to buy essential food and medicines, or to attend to a vulnerable person or to exercise once a day but only with someone from your household and 2m away from anyone else.  The police will be fining those that don't comply.  We've been doing this anyway so there's no change as far as we are concerned.   What we need to check is that we can go by car to a place to walk outside Norwich.  

Confirmed UK cases: 6,650   New cases: 0067 UK deaths 335

Peter spent most of the morning on a conference call while I spent over an hour talking to Miriam on Skype, did some washing and got it dry on the line and ironed it all .  I did a few laps of the garden, but that didn't generate many steps.  I stood under the pergola in the corner of the garden where I thought the neighbours couldn't see me and did some exercises.  The rest of the morning was spent footling around on line and after lunch we went for a walk in the Plantation Garden.  Just one circuit to give us some exercise but with the ulterior motive of seeing if people were keeping their distance from each other.  If they don't, we may have to close the garden.  This would be very hard as it's a wonderful space for some air and tranquility.  When we got back we had tea and cake on the bench in the front garden in the warm sun and then we returned to our laptops.  A flurry of emails went round the cinema club group and we have decided to set up a zoom virtual cinema night - all watching the same film and then discussing it online.  

I set up a subscription to the British Film Institute and we may watch a film tonight.   PS  We started watching 'Sorry We Missed You' by Ken Loach about the gig economy and zero hours working and, in the current circumstances with so many unable to work, it was too depressing and we switched it off.  I think we need some comedy! 

March 23rd 2020: Coronavirus Day 9

Peter went out early for a blood test at the surgery and while he was out I threw together a batch of soup which absorbed some of the left overs in the fridge.   After breakfast I dusted the hall and the lobby and Peter vacuumed.  Another two rooms done!

I started on the study, pulling stuff of shelves, some to go for recycling and some to go up to the loft.  I emailed Chris and Sue about cancelling our lunch date in April.  Ros rang and we had a catch up. Sue replied by email but Chris rang and we had a good chat.   She was talking about her poetry group and I suggested they use Zoom.  Chris was keen and we had a telephone tutorial while she installed it and then we 'zoomed' each other and she was delighted.  Penny also rang.

Oak tree near Salhouse

After lunch we went on an excellent walk around Salhouse.  About 4 miles on good paths and just one stretch of road.  The weather was perfect and the people we met (about 5) all respected the 2m distance except one old lady who went rather close to Peter.   On one of the tracks we came across an amazing old oak tree with a very contorted trunk. 

Back home for tea and fruit cake and the prime minister's daily briefing only to find he was chairing an emergency meeting - which probably means draconian measures to be announced later.

Apparently the library has been putting out story time online.  Etty has been listening!

Etty

Long talk with Lucila this evening.  Things in Santiago, Chile not good.  Her neighbourhood is a hotspot and she is staying at home but expecting her brother to come and live with her - and he's been in contact with the virus.  

March 22nd 2020: Coronavirus Day 8

Sitting down to write this the day after, we're finding it difficult to remember what we did.  Days are already sliding into each other and there's no distinction between weekday and weekend.  I wonder how long we'll keep this blog up with nothing happening.

Our list of trivial pursuits was as follows:

1. Peter snuck into the office to collect his Chinese visa so that he could photocopy it in order to claim a refund from his Chinese colleagues.  He also collected the details of his hotel in Vienna, no longer needed, so that he can cancel the reservation.
2. I planted some courgette seeds, planted some helibore plants I'd grown from Gill's seedlings, did a bit of weeding and planted some coriander seeds from Nigel.  
3. We sat in the sun for a while on the bench in the back garden.
4. Peter made Welsh rarebit for lunch and we ate in the garden.  Sunny and just warm enough
5. I started knitting a jacket for Pearl for next winter
6. We read our books and finished the crossword.
7. We talked to Eliot and Rupert
8. I talked to Caroline and emailed various friends
9. Read and sometimes responded to What'sApp groups (Liss,Adler,Watkins/LissFamilyBusiness/Knitandnatter/Pottery

We watched the prime minister's press conference at 5.0pm.  People are not keeping their distance from each other out of doors.  I think we can expect some very stringent measures soon.