Coronavirus diary

It’s been a day full of the joys of back pain. I slept badly. Every time I moved, I woke up. But it does feel as though the pain is easing up a little. One thing I forget whenever this happens is just how exhausting pain is. It necessitated a midday nap. I should be back to normal in a couple of days. It has meant another day of not getting a lot done so hoping I’ll be a little more productive tomorrow. And on it goes. The days, weeks, and months, merge into a formless mass. These words here […]

Today has been a day of pain. I tweaked my lower back this morning. I have a weak spot where I’ve slipped a disc twice and have occasional facet joint issues. Thankfully this is a facet joint issue, a lot less painful than a slipped disc but painful all the same. I managed to get a physio appointment so I sit here tired, and with my lower back all taped up! What it has meant is a day of getting little done apart from managing to reduce my inbox. Reducing my inbox is about as exciting as my day got. […]

It’s one of those days in lockdown that I would have been better off staying in bed and letting the day pass me by. Minor irritations became major irritations. I’ve been for plenty of walks. There have been good moments. I ran into a fellow Queenslander in Dulwich Park. We met a few months ago. I heard him calling for his dog and heard his Aussie accent so of course had to stop and chat. His wife grew up in a suburb close to where I grew up. So we chatted, and I kicked a ball for Max, his dog. […]

Not a terribly productive day today but some days are just like that. I’ve got itchy feet at the moment – I’m eager to go beyond my ‘within walking distance’ confines of southeast London. But I suspect it won’t be any time soon. I’m avoiding public transport as it’s not a necessity. And on the news… A further 55 deaths bringing the total 40,597. This is the lowest figure since 21 March – pre-lockdown. I’m a little confused given we know that 59 people died in England… A further 1,205 positive cases, again the lowest since lockdown began though it’s […]

Today was alpaca day! A wander to the Horniman Museum gardens for a good catch up and a gossip with my friend and a hello to the alpacas. The lucky things have had haircuts again. I miss having my hair cut. It’s been an easy day. Another late Saturday night chatting away led to a slightly later start to the day. And a reduction in the number of deaths, down to 77 which is the lowest figure since lockdown began. No further deaths in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The total reported across healthcare settings is now 40,542. This is a […]

I’m at the stage of lockdown I’m too exhausted to be furious. I’m sleeping well but I do keep waking up at around 5.30am. I’m not really an early morning person. At least I’m not having the strange dreams that lots of other people seem to be having. I dare not track the amount of time I spend daily shaking my head at the horror show of the government response to Covid-19. Here I’m referring to national policy approaches, particularly those in England. As of today, another 204 deaths in the UK, bringing the total to 40,465. These figures only […]

A lazy day today and I’m over the grumps of yesterday. I’m also over the carb munchies which I always get when I’m about to get a cold. And I managed to catch the 5 minutes of sunshine we had today. All is well. Except if I see too much news. The reports coming out of the US are horrifying. At President Trump’s press conference today, he declares the US as pretty much over Covid-19, and pretty much over the protests about the murder of George Floyd. ‘It’s a great great day for George Floyd…’ You couldn’t make it up. […]

It’s one of those days in lockdown where I’m in a grump. It might be having getting up way too early after waking up from 4.30am. It might be the change in weather – grim, grey, chilly. Or it might be that in going to the shops today, it seems that lots of folks can’t be bothered with social distancing anymore. Maybe because I’m having carb cravings which for me is an early indicator of a cold (and yes, I can still smell and taste, no aches, no cough). It’s one of those days I’m tempted to throw a temper […]

My light entertainment of the day consisted of watching Prime Minister’s Questions. It was a cringeworthy performance from the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, in responding to direct questions from the Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer. While amusing to watch, it is of course underlined by bad political decisions which have cost so many lives. I think the only response is to laugh with incredulity, or to cry. Perhaps a mixture of both. I think I need to get out more! And it’s the political positioning that is painful to watch – being told that government have done a […]

Where do I even start … On the plus side, I’ve had a few lovely short walks, some good food and I got a decent amount of work done. I was wandering past a preschool today as a few kids were arriving with their parents. There was laughter, there were a few tears. The staff looked so happy to see the kids. But the news…oh, the news today has unleashed waves of fury and despair. I’m sure I’m not the only one feeling this way. And that’s without looking at the news in the US as that just makes me […]

A couple of schools near me have opened their doors to some students. Judging from the photo the students organise themselves into bubbles, I’m assuming to limit them mixing too much. It’s made all too real when you see newly painted lines on the footpath measuring the distance they should stand away from one another. This school has been open for the duration of lockdown for the children of essential workers. A lot of people in the ‘shielding’ group, sent a text on Saturday evening telling them it was OK to go outside, remain at home. The text was sent […]

I continue to be befuddled by the UK Government’s handling of this crisis. While the daily infection rate of those tested has now moved below 2,000, the view from the Office for National Statistics is that it hovers around 8,000 a day. And infection rates continue to vary widely across the UK, and across England. I’ve linked here to a dataset that gives indications of the rate of infection (the R value) across local authorities. Schools are due to open tomorrow, though only certain grades. Many of those shielding due to being high risk if they become infected with Covid-19 […]