Lockdown Diary - Tuesday 28th July 2020

Up early in case I'm returning to work. I had a feeling I'd booked this week off as leave, but as I should have gone back to work last week, I need to check whether my client needs the work I was doing completed this week.

Shower. Exercise. Dressed and making breakfast just as the first carer of the day arrived.

I ate breakfast whilst setting up my work laptop, to get in touch with the people who could let me know my plan for the week, a process hampered by my password having expired last week.

As luck would have it, I had booked this week off as annual leave and my client is also on leave this week, so instead of returning to work, I have a bit longer to fully recover.  As it turns out this was doubly fortuitous.

Once I knew I was free today, I had a few chores to do and also to arrange chats with a couple of friends this week, then began to read the current issue of Private Eye.

The carers and I have been keeping a close eye on my wife since the weekend's incident and during the main morning call, it became clear that she is unwell.  She is unusually tired, more so than normal, and appears to have a temperature. I contacted the Community Matron who called back late morning and agreed to come out to see her at around 3 p.m.

By the carer's lunch call they and I agreed we thought she must have an infection, though other than keeping her cool there's not much we can do until the Community Matron gets here.

After they left I did my daily meditation and then helped the boys make lunch. Usual scenario - lunch whilst watching 'South Park' - and once that was cleared away there was time to get set up to start the 'Idler Guide To Jazz'.  I watched the first class on the beginnings of Jazz covering the period up to 1927. Followed up by listening to the recommended music for this period, which while not really my cup of tea, was interesting as context and to illustrate the origins of the music.

Midway through the Bix Beiderbecke track, the Community Matron arrived and started checking my wife over.  Several checks later the matron concluded that she has a chest infection, which is always a concern as it's the one thing she really has trouble shaking off.  We always have a stock of antibiotics for her because it's such a risk. The matron called the care agency and scheduled to start the antibiotics and some liquid paracetamol starting with the evening carer call. The matron is going to come back tomorrow morning to check how she's doing and our GP has decided to visit on Thursday to do a meds check and more.

All this has put me on edge: I know my wife is at risk if a chest infection progresses, though the matron didn't seem too concerned. Guess we'll just have to see how it goes overnight, now that the carers have given her the antibiotics and paracetamol.  Somewhere deep within my brain there is the seed of thought that the next thing will be the start of the end, its always there, waiting to resurface.

Somewhere amongst all this I read more of 'Ulysses' and started reading 'Machines Like Me', by Ian McEwan, which is Sci-Fi subgroup's book for August. Need to make some progress on that this week if I'm to finish it in time, 'cos after Monday I'll be starting the next main book club novel. Aaaaaaagggghhhh!

I also started listening to Sunday's Freak Zone which includes music by Swell Maps, Jaga Jazzist and Hedvig Mollestad amongst many more.  Good programme so far! 

Next thing I know I'm getting the dinner started - the meat takes 40 minutes in the oven, so I decided to start it and the veg, until son #2 took over. 

No time to listen to albums, so Freak Zone was it for tonight - got to find a balance between discovering new music and listening to what I have, wherever the mood takes me. Next album up will be Tim Burgess's 'I Love The New Sky', probably tomorrow night.

Started watching 'Good Omens' tonight. Loved it. David Tennant is suitably over the top as the louche demon, Crowley (interesting choice of name) and Michael Sheen equally good as self-deprecating angel, Aziraphale. I haven't read the novel(s?) so I wasn't comparing it, but there's great dark humour which made me laugh out loud several times. Can't wait to see the next episode!

You all know what happens next, so I'll not repeat it. Until tomorrow!

Love these guys! Aquaserge! A new album must be due soon, surely? (...and don't call me Shirley) This is 'Virage Sud' from the album 'Laisse ça être'

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