It was a painfully early start this morning to get to the supermarket. As usual I had set two alarms with a fifteen minute gap, but I must have been so tired I turned off the first alarm while still being half asleep. Luckily the second alarm woke me and I was up and out of the house with minutes to spare.
It was worth the hassle. There was only a half dozen or so people ahead of me in the queue, and once I was inside I had a rather serene mosey around the aisles. Other than dishcloths, I was able to get everything we need for the week, and a couple of chocolatey treats to boot!
Sarah was still fast asleep by the time I made it home and had unpacked the shopping, so I had the pleasure of waking her up, always good fun…
The morning meeting lasted nearly an hour today. We had to discuss new referrals to the team. We are currently only accepting urgent referrals to the team, so we had to reject all of the new patients as the risks were just not severe enough. It feels really uncomfortable rejecting patients who obviously need our help, but with the reduced resources we have at the moment we are having to make difficult decisions, and I am sure once this is all over we will be picking them up again as soon as possible.
After the meeting I was able to make a few calls to patients, but found most people were not answering today. I did wonder what they could possibly be doing, given everyone should be at home. I am hoping they did not answer because everything is going well and they are enjoying whatever boxed set they are watching too much to speak to me.
Lunch was left over pasta and a hot crossed bun. I love hot crossed buns, and this time of year I would usually be eating my body weight in buns. With limited access to the supermarket, this is only the second or third bun of the year. I must say it was a particular good example, but I am missing not having tried more. I had intended to write a post reviewing the selection of hot crossed buns on offer, but obviously global events have overtaken my blogging choices.
Sarah and I managed a few minutes in the garden at lunch. It was chilly but sunny, and we managed to get back inside before a particularly windy spell hit us. Back inside I had two Zoom meetings, the first with all the consultants in the Trust discussing issues related to our COVID response. After this, I had a meeting with my Learning Disability colleagues, mostly to provide support and discuss any issues which have arisen during the week. The increasingly slow computer systems dominated the entire discussion. It was good to have a little vent, even if it did not provide an practical solution.
I went for my evening walk alone today, Sarah having gone this afternoon. At the entrance to our street is a share grassy area, and it appears at some point today someone has been out planting bulbs. While they have not exactly done the neatest job, it will be nice to have a little colour around the place.
I walked a little further than I have been doing the last few nights, and I feel like I saw a few more people out on the streets than I have this last week. I hope I was imagining this, but I have read today that there has been an uptick in car journeys over the last week, suggesting people are going out more than they should be.
Back home we had our weekly FaceTime with my parents, brother and Jonathan. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, and we were able to laugh despite the situation. Apparently my parents were up until the early hours playing scrabble, and today my dad has built a set of shelves he has been threatening to do for nearly 3 years. It’s amazing what people will do to keep themselves entertained…
Dinner was the every popular beans on toast (with a sprinkling of cheese for me). Simple but delicious food, followed by another hot crossed bun (I told you I like them). As I write this I am watching the double episode of Simpsons on Channel 4 +1 and only a few minutes to the NHS Clap, after which we will watch a little Friends and then most likely an early night for me. One more day until the weekend!
Self-Indulgent Twaddle 