Sunday 29th March
Virtual church service this morning, using “Zoom”. Of 40 or so regulars I suspect about half are sufficiently internet-confident to try something new, and so I am little disappointed that only nine of us join in. Maybe it’s a combination of clocks going forward last night, and the “service” starting an hour earlier than usual. The service goes reasonably well, with just a few glitches to iron out next time we try it – maybe microphones need to be muted to avoid “noises off” (in my case dogs noisily playing with a “chew”) and singing hymns most definitely does not work. We walk the dogs, and with a bitingly cold wind we meet (at a distance) only dog walkers this morning, no couples or families exercising.This afternoon we meet one family on the fields behind 
us. We part to hug the footpath edges as we approach each other, maintaining the proscribed 2 metres of social distancing, each of us returning to the centre of the path after passing. This afternoon my sister Pauline WhatsApp’s a quiz to the family, identifying contagious diseases from “emoji” symbols. We get 9/10, although fail with the 11th “bonus question”. I note that no youngsters do well – for once it is a quiz with no questions about popular films and personalities. I receive regular e-mailed updates of Government “Corona virus guidance”, several a day, although most are of limited interest and promptly deleted. An update today on Social Distancing dictates who can travel where and for what purpose, stating “Every citizen is instructed to comply with these measures”, very reminiscent of historic wartime propaganda – and not necessarily from the British side. I put the recycling-bin out tonight, ready for tomorrows collection, and as requested by the District Council I carefully clean the handles. Not sure how effective this is against lurking viruses (viri?) since, unless I smear them with scarce alcohol-based hand sanitiser, I only have antibacterial kitchen cleaner. Almost at the end of the first week of lock-down, and, thanks to our employment situation and where we live, it is a relaxed lifestyle. We may feel differently after a few weeks. During a radio interview a Spanish citizen in lock-down for three weeks is going “stir crazy”. We have great sympathy for those living in a small city flat or single room. As Steven said “I am so glad that I am no longer in my London shared house”.
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.
