Saturday 18th April
There is an ongoing debate about whether facemasks should be required in all “crowded” locations, as part of lockdown relaxation. That would be interesting in a crowded bank. Rain this morning, and I dog-walk wearing 
my kangaroo-leather hat, not worn for a while. It doesn’t fit as well as it did. I need a haircut, but no prospect of that for several weeks. I visit Broughton Co-op to purchase items forgotten in Aldi yesterday. The queue in the rain is short, and the shop only moderately busy, the atmosphere relaxed, with customers and staff friendly, smiling, and socially distancing. This is in contrast to Aldi where customers tend to be grumpy, focused and difficult to avoid. Come to think about it, I am grumpy and focussed when in Aldi. I leave the Co-op, unavoidably pushing my trolley past those queuing to enter, as there is a synchronised double side-step and the queue moves to the right as I pass to their left, which I find a bit disconcerting. A Zoom family get together this afternoon. I have discovered virtual backgrounds, and chat to everyone from the Yorkshire countryside close to my sister’s home. On this evenings dog walk we meet Alec, once our postman, now retired, with his wife Janet, who was at school with me. Alec asks after many of our neighbours in the Lane by name, and we update him on their welfare. So far, no Covid-19 on the Lane.
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.
