Thursday April 2nd
A routine uneventful day, dog walk-garden-dog walk, for which I am grateful. There are mutterings about the necessity of another Aldi expedition. This mornings walk is a little later than usual, and Croft Hill is busy. Social Distance is already second nature among all, and comments on the weather are routinely been replaced by enquiries after health. In the garden I now have the opportunity to sort out years of mistakes – short plants hiding behind tall ones, sun loving shrubs now shaded because a neighbouring shrub has grown. 
The activity is perfect for the circumstances – outdoor exercise within the boundaries of home, with brief chats over the fence with neighbours. We are lucky to be in this situation. While I garden, Chantal works at home, and so not in a position to “comment” on my plant re-locations. I sneak next door to collect an offered cutting, a young shrub for our front garden. It feels like sneaking out of school. I watch the lunchtime news, and wonder if reporters were busy last weekend cleaning, tidying and decorating front rooms in preparation for home-reporting. At 8pm I go outside to applaud the NHS. Chantal and Steven are having a badly timed deep-and-meaningful discussion and stay indoors. Unlike last week I am the only one out on the Lane. I am a minute or so late. Maybe, others came out promptly, but, like me, were disinclined to be clap alone, or maybe it was because there was less publicity. I didn’t realise that there would be a repeat performance until an hour before. It may have been silent on our Lane, but I know that we are all grateful to the NHS.
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
