Lockdown Diary - Thursday 1st April 2021

Up and showering just after 6 a.m., though somehow the cleaner manages to arrive before I'm fully ready - she was on the porch at just after 6:45 a.m. today.  I guess it probably took two attempts by the alarm to get me out of bed, that's probably it. While she's donning the clothes of supercleaner, I go and finish off getting ready and getting some clothes on.

After I came downstairs we chatted briefly and then the first carer of the day arrived: Thursday is fully underway.

I've got a parcel to post today, so as soon as it gets close to 9 a.m., I'll be off to the Post Office. I want to send it to get to its destination on Saturday, so I'll have to queue up to get that sorted. Meanwhile the cleaner is cleaning my office / inner sanctum (where I sit and write most of this drivel and most of the other drivel that spews forth from my brain via my fingertips!) [Futile gestures, words into the void]

Off to the Post Office.  

When I got to the Post Office I was first in the queue - that doesn't happen very often - and now my fragile Easter parcel is in the hands of the Royal Mail. Will the contents arrive in one piece? (No, because there are several pieces, but will they arrive in one piece?)

Next

I do various things to occupy my mind until after lunch when I decide it's time to sit down and finish 'Potiki' for book club.  Shortly after finishing it, the plumber phoned saying he's five minutes away and wants to come and see what needed doing to the kitchen tap.  Keen to get the damn thing fixed, I said yes please, not to mention that from Tuesday onwards I have to stay in the house until my operation and can't accept visitors (outside the ones that have to come here). Can't even go out for exercise.

The plumber cometh. I explain the history of the tap (it's parents, upbringing and life achievements to date) and he takes a closer look. Having seen the problem he reckons he can fix it here and now using parts from a new Vado kitchen tap that's missing the spout thingy that he has in his van. Turns out to be slightly more complicated than he thought as he needs to drill out a couple of washers to keep the taps from the body of the monobloc, but he fixes it and the result looks perfect. As the tap he had was useless he doesn't charge me for it and only charges for an hours labour. Result! 

While all this plumbing is going on my brain is concocting a review of 'Potiki' and once he leaves I go and commit my thoughts to a document. I won't be sharing this or any thoughts on the book club until after Monday's meeting, of course. Don't want to spoil the excitement.  Afterwards I read an article from MÜ magazine as I'm now free to read what I like until I start the next book club book on Tuesday.

The carers arrive for the evening call and, as there's no Idler drinks tonight, I chat with them as there's no hurry to get set up. I've lost the will to go and walk as I'd intended, so instead listen to some music.  Soon it's time to start making dinner - fish stew tonight - with various fruits de mer and some salmon. Son #2 gets it underway and I help him by preparing some of the vegetable and the salmon which needs skinning and cutting into chunks.

We sit down for dinner ridiculously late again, but the compensation is that the fish stew is exceptionally good this time (the second time we've made it) and makes for a great backdrop to 'Narcos: Mexico' which reaches a particularly harrowing point.

Time for bed, said someone that springs to mind.

Julia Holter / 'Feel You' / 'Have You In My Wilderness'

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