Wednesday 20th May
Our Wedding Anniversary, and I gain Brownie Points because last week, while shopping in Sainsbury with Chantal, I use the pretext of browsing for something in the gardens section while Chantal starts shopping. I manage to choose, pay for, and deposit in the car a card and chocolates, with only a brief “Where Have You Been?” comment when I find Chantal in the food aisles. The pre-lockdown procedure would have been to nip into the town centre from the office at lunchtime on the day before, and just sneak the chocolates into the house when Chantal isnt looking. Lockdown requires more than usual pre-planning, not my strength.
An early dog walk around the quarry edge before the day gets too warm. Others have the same idea, and I meet quite a few people, walking, cycling or just chatting and enjoying the views. It is not too busy, and giving way to on-comers to maintain distancing is normal and natural. I have time to sit for a while on rocks overlooking the countryside, away from other people, gathering thoughts before starting the day
Our first office team meeting for two months this morning, using Microsoft Teams. I log in early, soon joined by another colleague, who sounds as though she is speaking while blowing bubbles underwater. As others join, they too are speaking underwater, and I realise that the problem is not colleagues speaking underwater, but me listening underwater. I eventually log off and re-join, which resolves the audio problem, but now my video image is on its side. Rather than fiddle with options during the meeting, colleagues have to accept that I am lying down throughout the meeting. This afternoon IT suggests that an update of Microsoft Edge should resolve the problem.
We discuss the lockdown working arrangements, which, under the circumstances, is working as well as can be expected. Writing to those causing a problem without first witnessing the issue has generated only a handful of counter complaints or denials. The effectiveness of the letters will not be known until our call out service resumes, which will be a gradual process, starting with observations made from the road, no house visits. Traditionally two people are needed for individual safety (we deal with some interesting characters). Two in the office can easily socially distance, but not when two people are in a car, as is the practice at night when one person drives and another answers the many calls that we receive. Guidance from the City Council is that two in a car does not require facial covering, merely copious amounts of alcohol hand sanitiser. Current Government guidance is that face coverings should be worn whenever social distancing is not possible. A cynic may conclude that there is a desire by the City Council to resume normal services, but not to source a supply of face coverings.
Today our electrician, after three visits and a lot of chatting, finally installs power down the garden. We now have five outdoors sockets in the back garden, for patio, greenhouse (yet to be purchased!), pond (for pump, filter and garden power tools) shed (outside – for power tools) and most importantly for the lower patio, where we can now use laptops without periodically returning to the house to recharge them. No more 
extension leads when strimming the lawn edges!
A hot day, and Chantal fills the dog-paddling pool, an instant success with Ellie. Tia has never been an enthusiast, preferring more dubious river water for bathing.
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.
