Day 8 - Thursday 26th March
Another beautiful sunny morning. I spend the first couple of hours trying to sort out grocery deliveries through the wholesalers who supply toiletries for my online businesses - a couple of them also sell wholefoods and organic produce. One is overwhelmed but the other is able to take orders and fortunately shows stock levels on its website so we can adapt what we buy according to what's available. I set up a What's App group for family and nearby friends so that we can pool an order and hubby can drop off to them. Then I review the accounts for my other business, which are due to be submitted at the end of this month.
I finish the morning with two webinars, both offered free, on how to thrive in a crisis. The first is highly practical, outlining steps to reduce costs, secure income and pivot your business to ensure it can continue to trade and be ready to ramp up when things return to normal. The second is more focused on mindset and soft skills. Very different, but both equally valuable and providing plenty of food for thought.
This morning I received a message that really lifted my spirits. I had been trying to thin out my wardrobe on eBay and last week I ended an auction early because the minimum bid had been met by a buyer in France and I wanted to post it to her in case restrictions were introduced. Today she messaged me to say that it fitted perfectly and that it was a ray of sunshine … unusual to hear back from an eBay buyer unless there's a problem and it gave me a real sense of global community. She also told me their lockdown has been extended to 28th April - a sign of things to come here, perhaps.
After a brief break for lunch, hubby and I both go to the garden to get some fresh air and exercise gardening. I'm planting the vegetable beds and filling propagators with tomato and pepper seeds; he's digging the polytunnel where the carrots, parsnips and potatoes will go. It's peaceful but I'm surprised that there are still a few planes overhead. Although I enjoy eating produce we've grown I'm not a keen gardener and it's usually a chore; today I was looking forward to it and find myself enjoying it. I even stay out to battle our overgrown brambles when the planting is done. I reward myself with some time in the hammock, but the sun is beginning to set and it's too chilly to stay there for long.
The government has finally announced support for the self-employed but it has been received with rather less enthusiasm than the support for those employed by others. Because it is centred on profits it takes no account of the overheads that will continue to be incurred while a sole-trader's business is on lockdown, it also seems to depend on having 3 years of history so it won't help those recently set up and still in the "investing to grow" phase and, crucially, it won't kick in until June so it doesn't really help pay the bills this month.
Dinner is enhanced by the arrival of our veg and salad boxes - I was expecting to have to scratch around for fresh ingredients tonight as they weren't due until tomorrow. I cook pasta with and without meat and while we're eating we compile a wish list for hubby who is planning to go out tomorrow. While we could survive on the contents of our larder for weeks, cooking the recipes we enjoy is one of the ways we can keep up morale so tomorrow hubby will try to pick up some essentials that aren't offered in the fruit and veg boxes plus some treats.
This evening at 8pm almost the entire country stopped what it was doing and went outside to applaud the NHS and keyworkers. Today I am grateful for everybody who is risking their own health to take care of others, either directly or indirectly.
I finish the morning with two webinars, both offered free, on how to thrive in a crisis. The first is highly practical, outlining steps to reduce costs, secure income and pivot your business to ensure it can continue to trade and be ready to ramp up when things return to normal. The second is more focused on mindset and soft skills. Very different, but both equally valuable and providing plenty of food for thought.
This morning I received a message that really lifted my spirits. I had been trying to thin out my wardrobe on eBay and last week I ended an auction early because the minimum bid had been met by a buyer in France and I wanted to post it to her in case restrictions were introduced. Today she messaged me to say that it fitted perfectly and that it was a ray of sunshine … unusual to hear back from an eBay buyer unless there's a problem and it gave me a real sense of global community. She also told me their lockdown has been extended to 28th April - a sign of things to come here, perhaps.
After a brief break for lunch, hubby and I both go to the garden to get some fresh air and exercise gardening. I'm planting the vegetable beds and filling propagators with tomato and pepper seeds; he's digging the polytunnel where the carrots, parsnips and potatoes will go. It's peaceful but I'm surprised that there are still a few planes overhead. Although I enjoy eating produce we've grown I'm not a keen gardener and it's usually a chore; today I was looking forward to it and find myself enjoying it. I even stay out to battle our overgrown brambles when the planting is done. I reward myself with some time in the hammock, but the sun is beginning to set and it's too chilly to stay there for long.
The government has finally announced support for the self-employed but it has been received with rather less enthusiasm than the support for those employed by others. Because it is centred on profits it takes no account of the overheads that will continue to be incurred while a sole-trader's business is on lockdown, it also seems to depend on having 3 years of history so it won't help those recently set up and still in the "investing to grow" phase and, crucially, it won't kick in until June so it doesn't really help pay the bills this month.
Dinner is enhanced by the arrival of our veg and salad boxes - I was expecting to have to scratch around for fresh ingredients tonight as they weren't due until tomorrow. I cook pasta with and without meat and while we're eating we compile a wish list for hubby who is planning to go out tomorrow. While we could survive on the contents of our larder for weeks, cooking the recipes we enjoy is one of the ways we can keep up morale so tomorrow hubby will try to pick up some essentials that aren't offered in the fruit and veg boxes plus some treats.
This evening at 8pm almost the entire country stopped what it was doing and went outside to applaud the NHS and keyworkers. Today I am grateful for everybody who is risking their own health to take care of others, either directly or indirectly.
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