Lockdown Diary - Monday 26th October 2020

I'm really glad I no longer work Mondays.  I can't imagine going back to working five days a week and on the few occasions where I've been flexible to meet special demands of work that could be met in no other way, then I've noticed the difference.

Mondays are always busy, just busy with things I choose to take the time to do.  At least two of the things I regularly do on a Monday benefit work indirectly: if I didn't do meditation and yoga then the source of energy that powers me through the working week would be diminished.

Today's a special day: son #2 starts his new job as a cybersecurity apprentice with a very large multinational corporation.  They've supplied him a laptop as well as a couple of boxes of various of their household products which will be very handy.  He has an online induction meeting at 10 and various other meetings today. There are 21 emails to greet him and he is initially quite surprised as he's not worked for a large corporate before and this continues into the 90 minute induction where there a number of other new joiners across the organisation, most of whom, by his estimate, are at least in their fifties! Shock! Horror!  I'm reminded of when I joined a large multi-national as a fresh-faced graduate in September 1979. 

We've had to call a GP out to visit my wife as it became clear from the morning carer call that she has a temperature and her body is limp and without any muscle strength. She's not been herself the past few days, sleeping all the time and on the rare moments she's opened her eyes, she is clearly not seeing anything and her eyes are have no life in them. Until this morning there were no other obvious symptoms, no temperature and her oxygen level has been normal when I've checked it. It's always disturbing when she gets like this as I start to fear the worst, especially when there are no other symptoms, and it reminds me of when been with someone as they've slipped away. At least the temperature indicates something more 'normal' is wrong.

The doctor arrived early afternoon and checked her over and she does indeed have a temperature: 38.6C! He listens to her breathing but can't detect anything odd nor does he think there's a UTI, but can't rule that out either. His conclusion is that we start her on antibiotics and give her paracetamol to reduce her temperature, and see how it's going in 48 hours.  Luckily we have a stock of the antibiotic in un-constituted form ready for such occasions and so we are able to start her on it when the mid-afternoon carers arrive 10 to 15 minutes later. If she doesn't respond to the antibiotics then there is a chance it's the other thing, which is viral and therefore won't respond to antibiotics, but only time will tell. He suggests I order a home test for covid, just in case, though there is no reason to believe it's that, yet. Monday, bloody Monday.

I decided, probably against good sense given the above, to go for a walk. I need exercise and I need to try and put things out of my head and let medication do it's thing.  Sons 1 and 2 are here, though son 2 is working.

Son #2 has had a great first day in his new job: he's met his mentor, who he gets on well with and has got a programme of work for the week mapped out, including attending his first technical design board tomorrow. Nothing like getting stuck in!

At the final carer call of the day my wife's temperature seems to be dropping and she seems less drained/exhausted, this being a good sign. As agreed with the doctor the carers administer a second dose of the antibiotic, with the plan being to return to three times a day from tomorrow, morning, lunch and night.

It's been a day.  No time for music as I feel quite drained after all the worry and what have you.

Son #2 and I start making the dinner - he's found a recipe for the chicken breasts that involves making up a spice mix to coat the chicken before cooking, so I let him get on with that while I prep the veg.

Over dinner we watch the third episode of 'The Third Day', the last before the 12 hour live marathon, which divides it from the remaining three episodes. We have yet to agree how we'll handle the mega-episode: watch the edited highlights, or go for the full 12 hours?

Today's tune was decided yesterday, it was the other tune paired with the Bert Jansch song on Sunday's Radcliffe & Maconie.  The song is by Laura Nyro from the album 'New York Tendaberry'. It's called 'Captain for Dark Mornings'.  I've not played the album in quite a while (until yesterday) but have listened to this song several times over now. Her voice and performance in this song are quite extraordinary, there is so much raw passion, emotion and soul.  It reminds me why I became a fan, thanks, in part, to Todd Rundgren, some years ago.

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