Lockdown Diary - Monday 4th January 2021

Great start to the day! Not! Despite various stretching exercises over the weekend, I have not managed to shift my lower back pain.  I think I injured it a few days ago when I helped the early morning carer (when there is only one) move my wife and in the process broke two golden rules about lifting.  So now I pay the price - that'll teach me.

The main consequence of the lower back pain, apart from the pain itself, is that I can't do yoga. I've tried a few forward folds and it ain't good. Damn!  I shall really miss it today, though hopefully I can take a class on another day in the week, assuming I keep up the stretches and exercises and get it better.  It's also put paid to my press ups and weight lifts as I don't want to aggravate it further.  Usually I try and ignore it and make it worse - one thing yoga has taught me is to be a bit more in touch with how my body feels, so I don't wreck it. (Apparently there are no spares as it's a discontinued model)

Today's main morning carer visit came with an added pleasant surprise. During the course of the conversation the twin Thai sisters told me they had spent Sunday afternoon making Thai sausages - some spicy hot ones and some less so.  I said they sounded very nice and next thing I know I have a large spicy one (it's been said before) and a couple of smaller less spicy ones (ditto) which I put into the fridge.  They smell absolutely amazing, I can't wait to eat them with the boys. Apparently they are great cooked and chopped up with salad.

Still chuffed about the sausages, my reverie is interrupted by the delivery of some new bedding from the sales. Now I just have to find somewhere to put it!

I feel a bit lost this morning without yoga, though I have plenty to do: should I live long enough to retire, I will have no shortage of things to do with my time, even if we are still in lockdown when that happens.

Tonight is the first book club meeting of 2021 and we're due to discuss 'The Housekeeper and the Professor', and so I've just written my review of the book for Goodreads ahead of the discussion, so as not to give away what I thought of the book.  After the meeting tonight or maybe tomorrow I shall start on the next book, 'All The Pretty Horses' by Cormac McCarthy.  I am trying to keep an open mind about it, though I fear it is some form of western, which is a genre I don't generally enjoy.  On the cover the book several reviewers describe it as a 'masterpiece' and having read one other novel by Cormac McCarthy I am hopeful my doubts are misplaced.

There's just enough time to listen to some music before the book club Zoom call and for a change I choose something old to listen to. Suddenly it's 7:30 p.m. and time to join the book club meeting.

Book club was enjoyable, though slightly marred by a couple of power spikes that took out our internet connection twice during the meeting. 'The Housekeeper and the Professor' was universally enjoyed, and people's thoughts on the book pretty much tallied with mine. Several people had interesting observations on the book, which is one of the things that makes the discussion worth attending.  At the end of the meeting we chose March's book, which will be 'Where The Crawdads Sing', a book I already have, though haven't read.  After being dropped from the session for the second time I returned once the router had re-started only to find the meeting was over. Until the next one.

During the call we all discovered we were back into full lockdown, though to be honest it's not much different for me.  Nevertheless it's the usual shamble from this appalling government: having said yesterday it was safe for children (what about the adults?) to go back to school, less than 24 hours later, we discover it's not.  Hardly surprising giving all the evidence that it's children in two age groups who are currently the main spreaders of the virus, something the government knew about already. Johnson is not fit to lead this country as he is incapable of the leadership necessary to make tough decisions in a timely manner.

Rant over. Time to get some shut-eye - 'going' back to work tomorrow!

From one of the best albums of 2020, this is BC Camplight with 'I Only Drink When I'm Drunk'. For completeness I should add that the album is titled 'Shortly After Takeoff'.

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