Tuesday 28th April
A colleague reports that 79 messages were left about noisy neighbours over the weekend. I mail Team Managers and suggest that we resurrect Friday and Saturday night duty officers – not on nights, but to interrogate the voicemail the following mornings, leaving fewer messages on Monday. The proposal is to be implemented from next weekend, my manager acknowledging that it is my idea, and that she is sure that my suggestion is not influenced by the fact that I have no weekend duties until June. I pause from working at home for one minute at 11am to join the nation in silently remembering health professionals and carers who have died from Covid-19, infected in the course of their duties. Classic FM follows the silence with “Abide with Me”, singularly appropriate and very moving. At lunchtime the Scottish Parliament recommends that face masks be worn in crowded situations, including supermarkets. Other countries require face masks for some activities during a relaxation of lockdown. Boris, recovered from Covid-19 and back at work, has a habit of implementing measures at short notice. Maybe I will be required to dress appropriately for my weekly Aldi trip, and I feel a panic purchase coming on. Amazon offers a variety of face masks, although many unavailable for delivery until June. I refer the purchase to Chantal, the household Amazon Prime subscriber, who after reading reviews that some are not quite as described, orders three packs of differing specifications for imminent delivery – those that prove inadequate can be returned. Tonight is virtual pub night on Zoom. Bespoke backgrounds are still a novelty, and some of our regulars stop chatting to browse photographs, and display images of us all from many years ago. Maybe next week I’ll suggest one photo for each of the two rounds of drinks that we enjoy.
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.
