Tales From The Crypt - Inside the Eye of the Storm (Thursday 7th July to Saturday 9th July)

Not much of a storm really, in all honesty. Let's face it, I do like to exaggerate. Recently someone actually suggested I was a bit of a drama queen! Ignoring the apparent gender anomaly, I would suggest in my defence that I do enjoy extrapolating for comic effect, but drama? Emphatically, no. (Me thinks, he protesteth too much) Not for nothing is my middle name Hyperbole. 

I think I have strayed a little. I have COVID. I have avoided it for two years and just when I'm about to attend something really good IRL and meet a bunch of people I've only met over Zoom, up until now, I get it. 

Let's begin at the beginning, though reading back through the previous blogs over the past week, this has been on the cards for a few days, I just didn't see it coming.

Thursday morning. The carer is here and so is the cleaner. I had a lousy night and feel like I'm getting a cold.  On Wednesday night I took an LFT and it was negative.  Just to be on the safe side I decide to take another test and before taking it I joke with the carer that it'd just be my luck to get COVID with the Idler festival coming up at the weekend.

Thirty minutes later I find I am indeed COVID positive. Unbelievable. I haven't been anywhere crowded, when I've been to shops I've worn a mask and, as far as I know, I have not been in contact with anyone who has COVID.

I tell the cleaner to warn her (luckily she always wears a mask to protect E), don a mask and suggest I keep well away from her.  I also open windows everywhere, especially where E is in bed and then shut myself in my office to work.  Although I am COVID positive, I feel well enough to work.

In the end that didn't last long.  I've gone from feeling like I have a cold, to feeling really tired, with a throbbing headache and aching lower back by the afternoon.

In order to protect E, I have to go into full lockdown in my bedroom.  I also have to talk to the carers from a distance as I don't them to catch it.

I've asked the boys to take tests too. Turns out son #3 is COVID positive as checked late Thursday night, and, despite having no real symptoms, it looks like he is the one who has unwittingly brought it into the house.  It's a shame, but not his fault. If I hadn't suggested he tested, he'd probably never have known.

On Friday son #1 goes out to meet his gf and spend the day together. Whilst he's out he starts feeling a bit crap.  By the time he gets home that evening, he too is positive.  So now only son #2 and E are free from this damn virus.  We are all taking extra precautions to protect E. I'm not sure what more we can do.

From Thursday through to today, Saturday, I've barely left my bedroom. Food has been brought to me and left outside my bedroom door. I feel a bit like a prisoner or that I have travelled back in time to the days when I was a student, living in my lofty garret.

During this time Q and I have kept in regular contact and it has been heart-warming to know that she is recovering, if slowly. Now all I have to do is get better and we can meet again.

The Idler festival is underway and I am missing all the fun.

Amongst all the COVID gloom and doom, one good thing has happened: Boris Johnson has resigned (I think, hard to tell from his speech). PTL!

I think I've been lucky with my symptoms so far, touch wood. My three worst and most consistent symptoms have been tiredness, headaches and lower back pain.  I have had others (I'm still producing some lovely green stuff), but they haven't lasted for long.  I'm not sleeping well either, but hey?

During these COVID days I seem to have done very little. Hard to concentrate.

I have watched all six episodes of 'The Undeclared War'. Enjoyed it, disbelief suspended.

This evening (Saturday) after eating, Q and I watched the penultimate episode of 'Sherwood' together, but apart.  This episode was excellent and the series has been thought-provoking. It takes me back to those days and I remember people collecting for the miners in town. I gave money to them when I could and got a lot of stick for supporting the strike from work colleagues at the time, briefly earning me a nickname appending 'Red' in front of my actual name.

Chatted with Q after 'Sherwood' before attempting to travel towards sleep, a distant destination.

[Apologies if the above doesn't entirely make sense; my normally non-linear thought processes are even more jumbled]

Led Zeppelin / 'Kashmir' / (Live)

[[One of the greatest riffs, never tire of this. The live footage is fun!]]