Lockdown Diary - Valentine's Day (Sunday 14th February 2021)

Valentine's Day.  A day of mixed emotions in the post-MS world.  I have organised a range of things for my wife, including a flower delivery today and various other presents.  She should also have received, according to a time-honoured tradition, an anonymous Valentine's card through the post yesterday, however Royal Mail have let me down - I guess it should arrive on Monday.

The flowers were delivered before the second carer call and, as she was awake after the call, I decided to share the flowers with her. She liked the flowers and I have now displayed them in a vase after several attempts with vases that weren't quite right and rearranged them to display them to their best advantage. I'm no flower arranger, but I've had a go!  After the flowers she returned to sleep so the card and remaining presents will have to wait, probably until the lunch carer call.

It is a strange day.  Almost everything we would normally have done on Valentine's Day is no longer possible for my wife, though of course this year almost all those things are impossible for everyone in the country.

There's the past and then there's also the future.  Perhaps I have managed to sow the seeds for something? 

The carers arrive for the lunchtime call and the process wakes my wife again and so I take the opportunity to open the card that I signed and share the other presents:  an ultrasonic electronic oils diffuser, complete with oil and some nightwear.  It is so hard to find things that she can actually make use of in some way, without repeating yourself every time. Food and drink is out and, much as I like chocolates (mmmmhh! chocolate (to said in a Homer Simpson voice)), I'd have to eat them and then I'd need the door frames widening, so not a good choice.

A little later son #2 emerges and he has organised, on behalf of my wife, a card and some presents for me.  As always he's been very enterprising and looked through my wish list to buy me books, CDs and a movie.  I am a lucky man.

Son #2 and I plan to go for a walk, once he's eaten his lunch. Off we go even though it's windy, cold and rainy.  It's gotta be done!  

We return from a decent walk, which was only marred by son #2 tripping over a branch and nearly braining himself.  Luckily he's OK, just a few cuts and bruises.

Somewhere in amongst my activities today I have read the papers and a little more of 'Where The Crawdads Sing'.  I also played a little of the Valentine's Mix CD/playlist, hoping for synchronicity.

The evening follows the usual pattern, culminating in dinner, 'Mr. Robot' and sleep. 

Tonight, in Buffalo N.Y., Todd Rundgren's 'Clearly Human' virtual tour (every show is being transmitted live from a venue in Chicago) kicks off.  It's named 'Clearly Human' both as a pun and also a reference to his 1989 studio album 'Nearly Human', which will form a significant chunk of the set.  The 'tour' is supported by a nine-piece band and covers 25 dates across the USA. From that album I've chosen the tantalisingly appropriate song, 'The Waiting Game' 

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