Day 100 - Saturday 27th June
This feels like quite a milestone - 100 days in quarantine. And the last weekend before I start a job that seems perfect for me, after 3 years almost to the day of trying to make a living as a freelance. It's not that I'm not good at what I do - I love my work and I know I do it well - but I always struggled with sales, and balancing current projects against prospecting and voluntary commitments. In the end, the uncertainty of a post-Covid world just made me feel to vulnerable as a sole trader and I wanted the security of a pay cheque and the community of colleague. And simultaneously hubby is launching his career as a contractor after having been out of work for 18 months. I'm pretty sure this isn't typical during a lockdown, but we've both been fortunate.
It's a rainy morning, although not much cooler. My friend who runs a hat shop starts her closing down sale today, so I am to be there for when it opens at 10.30. Following a moped rider and then a cyclist along country roads slows me down, but I'm there by 10.45. It's surprisingly busy but we all organise ourselves so as not to get too close. I pick up a couple of summer hats, a couple of summer tops and a beautiful crystal necklace with matching earrings for me, and a scarf that will make a lovely gift. While I'm browsing I hear my friend ask her colleague to shut the door as "we don't really have room for more customers". It turns out ex PM Theresa May had come in to wish her well - my friend has made her many hats over the years. I was completely oblivious to her presence until after she left.
I return home around noon, grab some lunch and prepare a couple of orders for shipping. I'm going to continue running my online shop as a sideline; it's easily managed evenings and weekends. The teens arrive in search of food and I mention I'll be going to the postbox. My son's girlfriend reminds him that he has a return that needs boxing up for me to drop off, and he goes to sort it. She's a keeper. I get back and work at my PC, submitting my furlough claim and a bit of other admin. Hubby watches the football - his team is playing behind closed doors. They lose.
There's a vigil tonight from 7pm for the three guys stabbed last Saturday in Forbury Gardens. We're to light a candle - I put out three candles, one for each of the victims. On the news I hear that police have charged their attacker with three count of murder and several of attempted murder.
The samba teacher I danced with at WOMAD last summer messages me to ask if I'd like to be in a video the local samba drum school is creating; I say yes. This weekend would have been Glastonbury - I've never been but I'm sad about festivals in general and WOMAD in particular. I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to have a mini pop-up festival at home for family and close friends at the end of July, when WOMAD normally take place. If not, we'll try to do it later in the summer.
I make gumbo for dinner and add leftover barbeque chicken to hubby's. It's not warm enough to eat outside tonight. Hubby has been drinking since lunchtime and his anecdotes are repetitive. After dinner we watch the final episode of Rick Stein's programme about Mexico. This evening I would have been at the theatre with two friends, a birthday gift now postponed.
Tonight I am grateful that my son has a lovely girlfriend.
It's a rainy morning, although not much cooler. My friend who runs a hat shop starts her closing down sale today, so I am to be there for when it opens at 10.30. Following a moped rider and then a cyclist along country roads slows me down, but I'm there by 10.45. It's surprisingly busy but we all organise ourselves so as not to get too close. I pick up a couple of summer hats, a couple of summer tops and a beautiful crystal necklace with matching earrings for me, and a scarf that will make a lovely gift. While I'm browsing I hear my friend ask her colleague to shut the door as "we don't really have room for more customers". It turns out ex PM Theresa May had come in to wish her well - my friend has made her many hats over the years. I was completely oblivious to her presence until after she left.
I return home around noon, grab some lunch and prepare a couple of orders for shipping. I'm going to continue running my online shop as a sideline; it's easily managed evenings and weekends. The teens arrive in search of food and I mention I'll be going to the postbox. My son's girlfriend reminds him that he has a return that needs boxing up for me to drop off, and he goes to sort it. She's a keeper. I get back and work at my PC, submitting my furlough claim and a bit of other admin. Hubby watches the football - his team is playing behind closed doors. They lose.
There's a vigil tonight from 7pm for the three guys stabbed last Saturday in Forbury Gardens. We're to light a candle - I put out three candles, one for each of the victims. On the news I hear that police have charged their attacker with three count of murder and several of attempted murder.
The samba teacher I danced with at WOMAD last summer messages me to ask if I'd like to be in a video the local samba drum school is creating; I say yes. This weekend would have been Glastonbury - I've never been but I'm sad about festivals in general and WOMAD in particular. I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to have a mini pop-up festival at home for family and close friends at the end of July, when WOMAD normally take place. If not, we'll try to do it later in the summer.
I make gumbo for dinner and add leftover barbeque chicken to hubby's. It's not warm enough to eat outside tonight. Hubby has been drinking since lunchtime and his anecdotes are repetitive. After dinner we watch the final episode of Rick Stein's programme about Mexico. This evening I would have been at the theatre with two friends, a birthday gift now postponed.
Tonight I am grateful that my son has a lovely girlfriend.
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