In just under an hour’s time (as I write this) the Prime Minister is due to address the nation. It is widely anticipated he will announce the beginning of a relaxation of quarantine measures, which will undoubtably mean people are free to leave their home beyond the four currently acceptable reasons. If this is the case, as I set out on Day 42 it would mean the end of the daily lockdown blog (although of course there will be a final post tomorrow to wrap things up).
But first back to today, or more accurately last night’s film. Mudbound turned out to be a really good film. Dark and gritty of course, it was infinitely more entertaining than Steel Magnolias. I might just let Sarah choose a film again…
This morning started reasonably early (8:30 is early on a weekend, right?!). I managed to write a chapter of my new book idea before enjoying the remnants of last night’s pizza for breakfast. It was of course as delicious as every other week, and having it on a Sunday instead of a Saturday made not one jot of difference.
After breakfast, the first thing I did was check the oil level on Sarah’s car. An alert had appeared on her dashboard, but when I dipped the oil it was clearly between the two markers on the dipstick. I even checked twice just to be sure. I suspect the sensor is faulty, not the first faulty sensor she has had on her car since she bought it. At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, cars where simpler before they were filled to the brim with electronics…
After checking the car, it was to the shed. We are in the process of selling our house, and plan to move as soon as we are able. That means we need things ready to go into storage, and one part of the house which definitely was not ready was the shed.
After clearing all the junk (and the useful tools) out, and finding a small army of dead spiders and what I suspect was an abandoned mouse nest, I set about sorting the items into things to take with us and things to be thrown away. Unfortunately we do not have enough room in the bins at the moment to throw away everything, and cannot yet go to the local waste sorting site, so I had to put everything back in the shed, but carefully sorted everything into a keeping and throwing pile for when we do finally move.
After sorting the shed, Sarah and I took our daily walk. I managed to convince her to walk down dog-shit alley, and she was pleasantly surprised to see the path currently free of excrement.
What was not as pleasant was the weather. After two gloriously sunny days, it has decidedly changed, with strong, wintery-feeling wind and rain. It was still a fun walk, but we might well have benefitted from breaking out warmer clothes.
Back home and warmed up, I set about finishing SPQR. It has been an enjoyable and informative read, and would certainly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about the history of Rome, and many of those who do not. My next book choice is Viking Economics, about the economies of the Nordic countries. Two chapters in I am not as impressed by the writing style, but the topic is interesting so I will persevere.
Dinner this evening was bangers and mash produced by yours truly. It was of course delicious, even if I was a little too warm from cooking to fully enjoy it. After the Prime Minister’s statement (33 minutes to go) the plan is to read, watch some Friends or try our luck with another film. I might dip into the ice cream as well.
As I mentioned at the start of the post, regardless of the outcome of the announcement I will be back tomorrow. We shall know is just over half an hour whether tomorrow will be the final post or not…
Self-Indulgent Twaddle 