Just Tuesday

Having got up with the lark yesterday, I had been tired towards the end of the day, so had gone to bed early. Therefore, I’d had the requisite 8 hours sleep by seven o’clock this morning and was promptly awake and wide-eyed. Regrettably, I still felt very tired, so I stayed in bed and read my book, played e-games on my phone and had a chat to John, all before I got up.

John had just waved the consultant out of the door as I phoned, but he promised to let me in on the conversations tomorrow, via a WhatsApp link if he can. The doctors had had a discussion about John’s case yesterday but come to no solid conclusion. They decided, however, that they would put him on a nebuliser to try and clear some of the gunk in his lungs and get him off the daily oxygen, and they would do the scan on his brain. “They won’t find one,” I teased. He grinned, “No probably not,” he replied.

I pottered around the kitchen, clearing up the debris from yesterday’s fun and games with the food and present prep for Mum’s birthday tea and then sat down again on the sofa, still feeling tired. I thought I’d read my book some more. I think I did read a bit, but the next thing I knew, it was nearly half past two. I’d been asleep for over an hour. Crikey! I’d only just got up!

I swiftly got myself ready to take a walk up to the shops and to nip round to Pete and Dawn’s for a socially-distanced outdoor chat to extend my condolences. It was so good to see them and so nice to be able to talk face-to-face for a little while rather than through a screen. I really can’t wait until we’re allowed to get together properly.

I phoned John when I got back and he had been for the brain scan. Nothing else exciting had happened today and he hadn’t been bothered to watch the cricket. “Have you been playing any poker?” I asked. “A bit,” he said, “but I’ve been reading about it mostly.” He’d found a decent website that is quite informative, so he’d been concentrating on that.

At six-fifteen, I tuned in to the ‘Couch to Chorus’ workshop run by Opera North. Tonight was the finale from Leeds, where some of the professionals were gathered to join in with us plebs to sing a real rousing chorus of the music we’d been learning. They also sang some solos, which was great to hear too. What was lovely is that Sue W had been to the workshops, too, and so there we both were, on finale night, singing our hearts out together – her in the Lake District and me in Balsall Common. Great stuff.

After the workshop I finally grabbed a bite to eat and thought I’d watch a spot of TV. The trouble is, I really can’t concentrate on the programmes, so I switched it off and finished my book. There’s a first. The book was recommended last light for our next read of the Bibliophiles group, and boom! I’ve read it already.

So there we are. Another early night planned, folks, and hope I feel less tired tomorrow.

News on the COVID front is much the same, as we reach the year anniversary of lockdown. I think I have miscounted and think today is Day 364 not Day 365. Ah, well. A minute’s silence was held at noon today for all those souls lost to the virus – all 126k of them. That’s a lot of people isn’t it? And it doesn’t bring them back.

• 5,379 people tested positive for the virus today
• 112 people died in the community with the virus in the last 24 hours
• 33 people die in hospitals with the virus on 21 & 22 March
• And it’s Day 76 for Lockdown 3; Day 365 since Lockdown 1; Day 372 since our self-imposed Lockdown 1

Take care everyone. God bless.