The Quarantine Diaries

I didn't sleep at all well, so a bit of a late start for me this morning, but I'm still at my desk by 9.30 after listening to the excellent More or Less on BBC Radio 4 which takes a reassuringly analytical approach to the statistics behind CV. A few emails to deal with, followed by a fairly detailed job application that's due in today, then a little too much social media. As always, I try to share mainly positive stories. I'm horrified to read on Twitter of a local landlord who is threatening to wind up two entire chains because the branches he hosts as tenants can't pay their rent this month. Yesterday rent-to-own operators Brighthouse and restaurant group Carluccios both went into administration - no doubt the first of many. Radio 4's lunchtime phone You and Yours is full of people who have fallen through the gaps of the chancellor's programme to underwrite jobs and on the news programme that follows I'm alarmed to hear that many UK citizens are stil...

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....

Last night the clocks went forward one hour - so that's one hour less of lockdown. Even though it's only an hour, the change of time in spring and autumn always messes with my body clock and I'm up earlier than I really wanted to be. I had big plans to get a lot done today but I'm feeling tired and decide to cut myself some slack. I manage to get a little gardening done, which is good - that means I've planted everything now that I wanted to, apart from things it's not time for yet. I spend some time on the PC - first installing first an Android emulator and then House Party then retrieving some photos from the cloud and backing them up on my external drive. The photos are of a trip to Tanzania three years ago and it's lovely to see them again. People have been sharing photos of beaches in a bid to spread happiness on Facebook and I upload one from Zanzibar. I also add it to Zoom for use as a virtual background, which will take off the pressure to keep my ...

The weekend is not so different from other days for me since I work from home to my own schedule, and if I wasn't keeping this blog I probably wouldn't have noticed. But I try to resist the urge to check work emails at least. I'm at the PC checking social media when I receive a message from my friend in Australia asking if I want to Skype - yes, absolutely! We have a lovely chat, with the best call quality we've ever experienced. Australia has not yet taken the step of requiring people to stay home, but she's very sensibly doing so. Fortunately she works for a national infrastructure provider so her job is relatively safe and they are taking precautions to protect their staff by allowing them to work at home. As we discuss how the crisis is affecting our mental health the recognition comes that I'm coping pretty well. Clearly I have no control over the virus, but my natural reaction to a crisis is to keep calm and make a plan which in this case is primarily how ...

Today is the day of the weekly shopping expedition so I spend some time planning menus and writing a highly aspirational shopping list for hubby, who is our designated hunter gatherer. This provides a welcome opportunity to read recipe books in my hammock in the sunshine. In between I do a larder stocktake and check my emails. Friday is check-in day for the trustees of the charity I co-chair - fortunately we all seem to be well - and there is some discussion about how we protect the organisation from the economic impacts of the crisis while continuing to serve its stakeholders and, of course, keep its staff safe. Its mission is connecting businesses and charities for mutual benefit, so it has a critical role to play locally. It's my daughter's birthday next week and shopping online for gifts has to be completed today if they are to arrive in time. We've been looking for a way to celebrate with her remotely and as we are all fans of escape rooms we have found a couple of o...

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 equ...

After an early night I woke up extra-early so I decide to take the opportunity to attempt to book a supermarket delivery. Still no slots available, the calendars just stop in mid-April. The government's advice is to have groceries delivered if at all possible, but it simply isn't possible if you rely on the supermarkets. At 10am the new online box delivery service from a local fruit and veg wholesaler goes live and I'm ready to order my boxes moments later. Everything I manage to get done despite the crisis feels like an act of defiance against an unseen enemy and fuels my resolve to thrive despite the challenges. I spend the rest of the morning completing a supporting statement for my application for a non-exec role; it helps keep me distracted from the rolling CV news which surrounds me and I'm pleased with how it reads when it's finished. After lunch I chat on Skype with my daughter and grandson and on Zoom with my friend. Our son emerges from his room with the...