Lockdown Diary - Wednesday 28th April 2021

I did not want to get up this morning. I don't know what time I got to sleep, but well after 2 a.m., mind churning over and over, then the alarm went off at 6 a.m. and I had to drag myself out of bed. It took two hits of the snooze button before my brain could convince my body that it wanted to be up. Even then there was an argument about 'want' versus 'need'. Semantics notwithstanding, I got up.

Pretty much got straight into the shower, finishing with a blast of cold water to fire up the cells. In return they are all saying, 'Nooooooo!' 

The cleaner arrives, we have a brief chat. Fifteen or so minutes later the first carer arrives, another brief chat. My body is screaming 'CAFFEINE' and I am only too willing to comply, though I will wait until at least 9 a.m. until I have breakfast.

My mate in Berlin pings me to say he's feeling no ill-effects from the Astra-Zeneca vaccine and so is ready to chat now, if I am.  I am indeed so we chat for an hour or so and reset the world according to out vision.

After lunch it's time to go for my (theoretically - it didn't happen last year) annual blood pressure and blood test as part of my medication review.  I drive to the local centre where my GP surgery is, with a view to grabbing some missing shopping items whilst I am there.

My blood pressure is more or less on target, it's in the right ball park, if slightly high, so with any luck my doctor will be happy. It's always high in this setting. The nurse takes a couple of tubes of blood for analysis and says the results will be back in a week. I'll hear nothing, unless there's a problem.  They normally do an ECG as well, but I've had quite a few of those lately, so maybe they have access to these? In a joined-up world they would, but they probably don't.

One thing is clear now: I am much better than I was a week ago. My recovery has really come on in the past few days. 

In contrast, the weather has taken a turn for the worse and is now persisting down, so I think my walk for today is cancelled.

Time passes, mostly spent writing a letter and notes to accompany some music I'm compiling. Rollercoaster.

The unrelenting excitement maintains fever pitch with the delivery of our replacement toaster, the old one having bitten the dust earlier this week.

We watch the first episode of the new series of 'Line of Duty' whilst having dinner. After that sleep. 

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / 'Stranger Than Kindness' / 'Your Funeral... My Trial' 

[I've chosen this as a small tribute to Anita Lane, who died today. She wrote this song (amongst others) for the Bad Seeds, with Blixa Bargeld]

[[]]