Day 12 - Monday 30th March
A surprise this morning - my son appears at breakfast-time! He's been completely nocturnal since we picked him up from uni, joining us for dinner which in his case is breakfast. Less good news is that he thinks his nose-piercing is infected. We decide not to bother the NHS and to try to care for it at home. I suggest tea tree but after consulting the internet he decides on a saline solution. I remind him to keep taking his vitamins to support his immune system; I don't need to remind him to get enough sleep! I receive a message to say that on her morning dog walk my friend has left by our gate a jar of jam she made from damsons from our tree - a lovely thought.
A fairly productive morning, finalising the annual report for my limited company and dealing with some emails for my voluntary roles. We had a programme of activities lined up to promote the public consultation on Reading's Climate Change Emergency Strategy, but these are no longer possible or, indeed, appropriate. We're going to wait three weeks before deciding whether to cancel, virtualise or postpone the launch event we had planned for July. Had a good chat this morning with one of my friends from the sustainability industry - we agreed that many of the skills we have developed working on climate change in a world where most people seem oblivious to the risks are transferable to CV19. In addition the enforced home-working is helping people explore new ways to work that don't involve as much driving and flying and hopefully they are realising that the time released from travel can either make them more productive or improve their work-life balance. I wouldn't want to frame climate change wins as a silver lining for coronavirus, but there may be opportunities to learn and grow that will eventually allow us to claim back some of what we lose to the virus, for the environment and for social cohesion and community.
After lunch my sister pops over to pick up my folding bike, which she collects from the driveway with appropriate social distancing. My niece is training to be a dancer and is finding it difficult to maintain her stamina which will be difficult to rebuild when classes resume. My niece plans to start running for exercise, and the bike will allow my sister to accompany her without falling behind. It's lovely to see her for the first time in weeks, although it's odd to be unable to hug her as usual.
I'm seeing an increasing number of articles suggesting that many people may have already had CV, mildly, but not been counted because the NHS guidelines only consider cases where there is fever. We've all had coughs in the last 8 weeks, and mine featured muscle pain, loose bowels (sorry, TMI) and a very sore throat - all being mooted as CV symptoms in addition to the cough and shortness of breath. As a result, I'm veering between being terrified I might catch it and develop pneumonia (increased odds in my case) and wishing I could be tested for antibodies in case I'm now immune and can stop isolating and start being useful in society.
It's lovely to receive a call from the friend who left the jam; among other things she is one of three friends with whom I attend the WOMAD festival in July, which now seems in doubt. She suggests that the four of us meet online for a drink later in the week - of course I say yes. After joining Gareth Malone's online choir practice I attend online yoga, then we have fajitas for dinner.
Tonight I am grateful for generous and thoughtful friends.
A fairly productive morning, finalising the annual report for my limited company and dealing with some emails for my voluntary roles. We had a programme of activities lined up to promote the public consultation on Reading's Climate Change Emergency Strategy, but these are no longer possible or, indeed, appropriate. We're going to wait three weeks before deciding whether to cancel, virtualise or postpone the launch event we had planned for July. Had a good chat this morning with one of my friends from the sustainability industry - we agreed that many of the skills we have developed working on climate change in a world where most people seem oblivious to the risks are transferable to CV19. In addition the enforced home-working is helping people explore new ways to work that don't involve as much driving and flying and hopefully they are realising that the time released from travel can either make them more productive or improve their work-life balance. I wouldn't want to frame climate change wins as a silver lining for coronavirus, but there may be opportunities to learn and grow that will eventually allow us to claim back some of what we lose to the virus, for the environment and for social cohesion and community.
After lunch my sister pops over to pick up my folding bike, which she collects from the driveway with appropriate social distancing. My niece is training to be a dancer and is finding it difficult to maintain her stamina which will be difficult to rebuild when classes resume. My niece plans to start running for exercise, and the bike will allow my sister to accompany her without falling behind. It's lovely to see her for the first time in weeks, although it's odd to be unable to hug her as usual.
I'm seeing an increasing number of articles suggesting that many people may have already had CV, mildly, but not been counted because the NHS guidelines only consider cases where there is fever. We've all had coughs in the last 8 weeks, and mine featured muscle pain, loose bowels (sorry, TMI) and a very sore throat - all being mooted as CV symptoms in addition to the cough and shortness of breath. As a result, I'm veering between being terrified I might catch it and develop pneumonia (increased odds in my case) and wishing I could be tested for antibodies in case I'm now immune and can stop isolating and start being useful in society.
It's lovely to receive a call from the friend who left the jam; among other things she is one of three friends with whom I attend the WOMAD festival in July, which now seems in doubt. She suggests that the four of us meet online for a drink later in the week - of course I say yes. After joining Gareth Malone's online choir practice I attend online yoga, then we have fajitas for dinner.
Tonight I am grateful for generous and thoughtful friends.
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