2 January

Despite the pillar box being completely burnt out, I'm delighted to report that Carole's birthday card and gift voucher arrived at her house. Grace still hasn't got her birthday card and Jane (whose birthday is also today) hasn't got hers either yet. Hopefully they will all arrive at some point.

It was raining when I got up and set off so I didn't go far but I did a second walk in the afternoon (by which time it was dry) so got my steps done. Spoke to Scott at the Orpington. His NYE dinner at home had gone really well with 100 covers - well above his expectations. He's going to start doing a weekly (Friday / Saturday), cut down, version of "dine at home" so we'll have a look at that later in the week.

Did Fay's fitness class - by the end of it my shoulders, upper back and arms were fizzing nicely.

We were expecting to watch Susan Calman's Christmas / NY show but it was all about Scotland for Scots and just a load of chat so we caught up with Doctor Who instead.

3 January

Body pump early then to the Co-op for my paper and delighted to find Oli's food on offer so got some of that as well. Went to the Orpington thinking I'd get my breakfast there only to find I'd read the opening times wrongly and they were shut. Got back home in time for the on-line service while I made some bread to go with the soup for lunch.

Had a second walkabout, the usual Skype call with Mum and Dad and chat with Christine. Mum and Dad getting quite fretty about their jabs - i.e. wondering when they'll get them - but they'll have to be patient and wait their turn. It doesn't help that they have no idea when their turn will come.

4 January

A wet morning that started with Paracise then a quick check on the potential route for Gilda later that morning. Other than the rain, it wasn't too bad. As I was walking around, I took a load of logo photos for our share of the family quiz later this month.

Gilda came about 11 a.m. and we decided it was far too wet to walk quite as far as we had originally planned so we just walked to Priory Gardens and then to the Orpington to collect a takeaway each for our lunch. Obviously we can't eat there (or even here at home) so Gilda took hers home with her and I ate mine with Jonathon who was eating leftovers from Saturday.

The main job for today was taking the Christmas decorations down. All done but they still need to be put in the downstairs cupboard. That means getting a load of stuff out of the cupboard, putting the decorations right at the back and putting everything back into place. A job for tomorrow.

Boris Johnson made a public address in the evening putting the whole country back into Lockdown. As far as I can see, there shouldn't be that much difference for those of us already in Tier 4, especially as Jonathon has already been locked down for a few days, but we'll read the small print tomorrow.

5 January

The day started with body pump (I'm wearing my trainers out). Towards the end Shreena lost her Zoom - turns out there was a power cut in her street (just round the corner from us). Hope it was a one off - we don't need power cuts to deal with along with everything else.

Went to Sainsbury's and the Orpington and was surprised to see magnolias budding up in a nearby garden. I hadn't noticed the gecko on the Mexican restaurant wall before so that was a nice surprise.

6 January

It was raining again this morning and we must have had a lot of rain because when I went out for a walk after dinner the woods were flooded. The brook was fuller than I'd ever seen it and flowing quite fast. Even the tarmac path that runs between the wood and the brook was flooded in parts - trainers were probably not the most sensible footwear in hindsight!

Before all that I did a couple of on-line classes, made the stew for dinner, popped to get my paper etc. and had a sit down with Jonathon. His legs are really stiff today and he can hardly walk at all. He had a call from the consultant's secretary while I was on Skype with Mum and Dad. The consultant is now working on a Covid ward and there will be no appointments for the foreseeable future. To be reviewed in 2 to 3 weeks. In the meantime, he will just have to struggle on.

Jonathon hid upstairs while Teresa cleaned downstairs. He hides in the front room when she's upstairs to try and ensure he stays safe. Teresa (of course) wears her mask throughout and, as most of her customers have stopped her from going to them, she doesn't really mix with anyone so the risk is pretty low.

It was a lovely sunset!

7 January

Pilates and circuit training to start the day then a walk to Priory Gardens as it was a lovely, chilly morning. There were loads of birds there and they all seemed to have plenty to say.

Jonathon had leftovers from yesterday for his dinner and I got some lean and green soup from the Orpington. There was so much sourdough bread with it that I ate half for dinner and Jonathon had the other half as toast for tea - such generous portions.

Alix messaged to let me know that my Avon order had arrived so I walked over after dinner to collect it.

Had an email from Lesley (in charge of church Music Group) to say she wouldn't be able to join us on Sunday because her husband, Andy, has tested positive for Covid. He works at Bromley Foodbank and, whilst he has no symptoms, he has been in contact with someone who has Covid so he and Lesley now have to isolate for a couple of weeks.

Mervyn phoned to see how Jonathon was. I think he was expecting us to say that Jonathon was fully recovered so he was a bit shocked when I explained that Jonathon still wasn't well. They had a nice chat later (when Jonathon had got up).

While I was collecting my Avon stuff, Jonathon spoke with Alison in Ireland and sorted out some IT problem for her so he's a bit of a hero!

8 January

Struggled to get to sleep last night so was a bit later getting up only to find Oli had managed to fasten himself in the bathroom and couldn't open the door. He can't have been in there very long and no harm done but he was definitely pleased to see the door opened!

Went for a walk with Jo but didn't do all that we'd planned because we'd just got into Goddington Park when we spotted a set of keys. We worked out they belonged to a red Toyota but there was no sign of the owner near the car park. A very kind lady (who took pains to tell me she was a PA and that's why she had a pen and paper) kindly wrote a note for me to leave on the car windscreen but it meant we felt we should hang around in that park so we could return said keys. In the end, the lady found us as she was asking people if they'd seen keys. We were very happy to hand them over, as she was to have them back.

Jonathon walked round the garden (12 laps which is his daily target). He didn't manage any laps at all yesterday because his legs were too stiff etc. It's hard to see him struggling but there's nothing we can do at the moment with the doctors all involved in Covid care. We heard today that the London mayor has announced a state of emergency for the London hospitals because they are overrun with Covid cases. Our local MP also provided an update. on 21 December there were 130 Covid patients in our NHS Trust, as at yesterday there were more than 700. This new strain seems to be spreading rapidly and is a real concern.

Heard from Lesley that there will be no live singing at church this Sunday after all - Jennifer (minister) has decided it's simply too risky. Also heard that Bromley Foodbank has now closed its warehouse because of the Covid outbreak that's impacting Andy and Lesley. Lesley now has symptoms and Angela, another singing friend, is also having a Covid test tomorrow. It's all getting far too close to home.

Mum's got a date for her first Covid jab so hopefully that will help her state of mind. Nothing so far for Dad so hope he gets his soon as well.

Mark phoned. He's fed up with being at home on his own already but will only go out for a walk if it's sunny so doesn't really help himself. At least he phones for a chat now and then (if I don't call him first) to have some contact with the outside world.

9 January

After a foggy start we had a lovely sunny day so I had a stroll after dinner. Before that it was supermarket shopping, Fay's gym class and collecting food from the Orpington to cook at home (yummy veggie lasagne). Fay doesn't have Zoom Pro and she lost her broadband connection at one point so the class was a bit bitty. The gym gang have now offered to pay for Zoom Pro for her for the next three months to try and combat the problem but haven't heard back yet.

10 January

We had a keen frost this morning but bodypump had to be done before I went out for my paper. Prior to that I gave my hair a bit of a trim (hack) because it was getting on my nerves. It doesn't look professional but it's not too bad and the wave in my hair helps! I probably wouldn't dare have a go at it if my hair was straight.

I took a few photos on the way to the paper shop, even a frozen spider's web. All very pretty and glistening with the frost but jolly cold for walking around.

By the time I got home and had listened to the on-line service it was time to go out for my exercise walk of the day to get the rest of my steps done. Popped into Tesco on the way back because Jonathon had run out of wine gums (that wasn't all I got!)

Had the usual Skype with Mum and Dad. Mum getting very excited about her Covid jab; Dad less so about Leeds United playing badly and losing 3-0 (at the time of the call). Christine phoned. Apparently someone has been round their village putting anti-vax notes through their letter boxes which is causing quite a stir. Other than that and lots of chat about the weather, there was no real news from Yorkshire.

11 January

A pretty quiet day. Walked via Poverest Park to get my paper, did a couple of gym classes - one "on demand" and one on Zoom, checked out the route for Saturday (see later) and had a Zoom call with Gilda.

Mum texted to let me know Dad has a date for his first Covid jab so they are both now in the system.

12 January

I think today was even quieter than yesterday!

A couple of gym classes on line / on demand, shopping and my exercise walk (after the rain had stopped) and that was about it!

13 January

Shreena had moved her class from yesterday to today so that was how I started today. With Paracise at 11.30 I had to squeeze my exercise walk, supermarket etc. in between so I had a very wet walk, got everything I needed and then came home to settle in for the rest of the day.

Gilda and I have suggested a Zoom catch up to the gang that we go to the ballet with. Most of the responses have been positive but there are time restrictions so I think the only time that will "suit" everyone might be 8 p.m. on week night. Just a couple of people to hear back from and then we can set something up.

Teresa came. She's doing a bit extra until either lockdown finishes and she can go back to her other clients or Jonathon's better enough to start doing vacuuming again. He can still manage downstairs vacuuming once a week (or more often re Oli fur) but struggles with any more than that.

Had the usual Skype with Mum and Dad. Mum's vaccination went fine yesterday with no ill effects. Dad's is due Saturday so hopefully it will be just as well organised and an easy process.

My seed potatoes arrived and need putting in the chitting trays so that will giove me something to do tomorrow (don't want to get in Teresa's way today).

Joined an RSPB on-line presentation in the evening, or at least tried to, but the presenter seemed to have trouble accessing the Zoom meeting so there was lots of meaningless chat between the various members while we waited for him to get there. When he finally arrived (he'd got the time wrong) the talk was very interesting.

15 January

No gym class of any sort today because I walk further with Jo than on my own. The weather was very frosty to start with but dry and really nice for walking. The blister on my foot meant no boots so we stuck to footpaths and alleyways so I could wear my trainers (still very wet and muddy in parts). Jo doesn't know many alleyways so she always seems happy to find new ones that I introduce her to.

Tried to get some more compression socks for Jonathon as they seem to help but they were out of stock at our local Boots and Superdrug don't sell them so ended up ordering them on line. Still, it all adds to my steps!

Dad's vaccination has been delayed by a day because of the snow in that area. Mum says the forecast is the same for tomorrow so he might be delayed again.

Celtic Connections started tonight. It's a festival we've often thought about visiting but not got to so it was great being able to have a "visit" from home and see what it's all about.

16 January

We'd had a tiny amount of snow when I first got up but the icy rain that followed soon washed it all away. It was really cold and wet when I went to the supermarket via the park. Funnily enough, the birds didn't seem to mind. Unfortunately Sainsbury's didn't have any low dose aspirin for Jonathon or The Mail for Gena and Ernie so I tried Boots and WH Smiths after breakfast and drew a blank. Finally, Tesco came up trumps and I got both but it was a bit of a palaver.

Fay ran her class for us. For some reason I found it really hard today. It's usually pretty difficult, particularly at the end but today it was even worse than normal. Perhaps I'm getting more out of condition than I like to admit or maybe I was just tired.

Jonathon had a go on his pedals and did 150 revolutions - 50 more than yesterday - but it was possibly 50 too many because his legs were really tired towards the end. As a special treat, he came with me for a ride in the car as I delivered a load of dog blankets to Farnborough following an appeal by a local animal rescue centre. At least it got him out of the house for half an hour or so.

We had lunch from the Orpington (cook at home). We shared a veggie biryani today - very tasty. The apple crumble we had for tea was even better and we have the second crumble for tomorrow to look forward to.

17 January

A beautiful sunny day so I took full advantage and went for a 2.5 hour walk, looking for ideas for my walk with Jo on Friday. I think I now have the core part of the walk sorted out, just the start to re-plan. I saw a couple of people that I know from church so had a quick catch up with them.

Before that I did my usual Body Pump class and really enjoyed it so clearly yesterday was just an off day for exercise.

Got the seed feeders for the birds scrubbed out because they'd got very grubby in the wet weather. They look much better now.

Had moussaka for lunch, the second part of our cook at home food from the Orpington. We don't fancy next week's menu - haggis (meat or veggie) or venison so I might have to cook!

Had the usual Skype call with Mum and Dad. Dad had his first Covid vaccination this morning so that's done and out of the way. He said it was very well organised.

Only had a very quick chat with Christine because the pinger went off as our tea was ready ten minutes after she phoned.

Continued to listen to the evening concerts in Celtic Connections. Nice folk music but nobody so far that we think we need to buy tickets to see in person after lockdown.

18 January

The sun rose beautifully while I was on my way to get my paper. I was a bit early to go to the Orpington for our usual Orange and Cinammon roll (Jonathon) and flapjack (me) so had a stroll about the back streets of Orpington until Scott opened, got my bits and pieces and then came home. As the weather was so good (i.e. not raining!) I went for a nice long walk to try out part of the route for Friday when I go for a walk with Jo. It should be a good mix of parkland, woodland, posh houses, normal houses and alleyways.

While I was out walking, Jonathon managed to mend the front window. The handle had got stuck so we couldn't open it but he'd got a new handle, looked up on YouTube what to do and done it!

I sent an email to Emily (colleague) to wish her Happy Birthday only to receive an email back begging me to go back to work as they are so busy. She even carried her holidays over from last year to this because she was too busy to take them. Emily works on problem loans and with tenants not paying their rent / hotels closed I can only imagine how busy she must be. I told her the same as I told Stefan months ago - I'll go back part time when the office reopens but I won't work from home.

It was lovely to see daffodils as I was prowling around and even more lovely to find our snowdrops just starting to show their white when I got home. Spring must be on its way!

Did a bit of pedalling on Jonathon's new kit and then a Pilates online class before Zooming with Gilda. She had no real news but will ask her physio if she knows any local neuro-physiotherapists that might be able to help Joanthon. We tested out our logo quiz round on Gilda in readiness for Sunday.

Pauline phoned. We didn't have anything to tell each other but it was good to chat.

19 January

Not to be outdone by the daffs and snowdrops, the aconites in our garden actually opened a little bit this morning but closed again as soon as the rain came.

Usual body pump class to start with (such an early start on Tuesdays) then a quick trip to get my paper and some other bits before going for my walk, managing to beat the forecast rain. I tried the other half of the proposed walk for Friday and it seemed to work fine so I think I now have a route.

Jonathon says his legs feel a little bit stronger today so that's encouraging him to continue using his pedals and circulation booster. He's also taking zinc and a mini aspirin every day (as recommended by other doctors of people in his Long Covid group). Let's hope the positive progress continues.

While I was out walking / running errands Alison Facetimed and Mervyn phoned so Jonathon had plenty of chatting today. He also filled in his Zoe app (daily recording Covid progress etc) and they are sending him a Covid test. Apparently I also should have a test so they'll arrive in the post in the next couple of days.

We had a lovely surprise from Pauline and Paul who had arranged for a Wensleydale hamper to be delivered to us. The Wensleydale and Cheddar are both delicious but we haven't tasted anything else yet - there are lots of yummy looking things in cake tins, the fridge and the freezer for us to get around to.

Had a takeaway for lunch from the Orpington - soup for me and a chicken and bean stew for Jonathon. He'll have the other half tomorrow because the portions are pretty huge. They have a Click and Collect option now which means we don't have to hang around as long - good idea.

Suggested to Emily that I could work from her house. I could almost justify that as required travel as we would be working together. Unfortunately she doesn't have enough room at her house so that's a non-starter but at least I offered. I don't have any other suggestions at the moment so it looks like we'll be waiting until the office reopens before I go back.

20 January

Not a good start to the day when I found Oli had brought us a present of a dead mouse and left it on the mat. It was duly removed and chucked in the garden for a carnivore to eat. Even worse, I found a second one on the stairs when I was going back up. Thankfully I hadn't stood on it on the way down so that was a positive! That one got the same treatment as the first one.

Did an hour of stretch and Pilates then braved the rain and went to get my paper via the local parks. It was very wet.

When I got back our home-test kits for Covid had arrived so that was our next job - didn't enjoy that experience at all but at least they are done, put in the bio-security bags and boxes and posted back.

Teresa came to do the cleaning and we had the usual Skype call with Mum and Dad.

Jonathon spoke to a neurophysiotherapist practice but they are not taking any new patients, other than virtually which isn't really what we are looking for so another dead end.

We joined a Zoom presentation about the wildlife of Croydon which was really interesting. Who knew that Croydon means a valley of crocus, particularly saffron. Hard to believe now that it's so built up.

We had our first evening gym class with Fay which went on for a bit longer than I expected but was very good and should help me sleep!

21 January

The sun was shining so I finally got to do my walk with Shreena. She doesn't do much walking so she said her legs were hurting a bit by the time we'd finished out 6.5 km but she seemed to enjoy herself. As the weather was so nice I gave the patio a bit of a wet brush. It gets really dirty around the bird feeders (and therefore quite slippy and dangerous).

Jonathon spoke to another neurophysiotherapist who seemed quite helpful but would prefer him to see a neurologist before he sees them so they have a better idea of what they are looking at. We therefore spoke to BUPA who have provided a couple more potential consultants for us to contact and Jonathon has written to the one that would be easiest to get to.

I recorded another song for church (I still sound like I smoke 60 a day - very croaky - but at least I'm contributing something.

Gilda and I had arranged a Zoom in the evening for the people we go to Sadlers Wells with (or used to!). Trying to find a time to suit everyone proved a bit tricky but we got there in the end and it was lovely to catch up with everybody. During the call I got a text to tell me my Covid test was negative so that was good. Unfortunately Jonathon's result was undetermined so I think that means he has to have another one which isn't fun.

22 January

Today started off on a high note with a message from Carole to say that Marie had had a baby boy - Henry William. Marie and Henry were both home by tea time so all good.

We then had a telephone call from the neurologist's office to give Jonathon a face to face appointment with Dr. Saldahna on Monday morning in Sevenoaks. I'll have to drive him there then wait in the car park as I won't be allowed in the clinic but it's such a relief that he's finally been given an appointment, even if he is dreading it.

I went for my usual Friday walk with Jo and managed to find some places she'd not been to before (including Tugmutton Common) and completely confuse her with all the alleyways etc. I knew where we were and we really weren't lost at all. It was a lovely sunny, frosty day which made the walk even more enjoyable.

Sad news in the evening - Rosemary (cousing Jo's mother-in-law) has died. She'd been poorly for a while so it was a blessing in reality but still hard for Mark and his Dad. They will be limited to 9 at the funeral which will also be difficult as she had so many friends but I imagine the funeral directors are quite used to dealing with restricted numbers. A funeral for one of the church members was held today, complete with Zoom joining instructions should anyone wish to join that way but I've no idea if they are planning something similar for Rosemary.

23 January

I set off before sunrise this morning to try and find where one of the potential walks with Jo would start (because I didn't think I'd have time today otherwise!) Although my phone map took me one way I think the way I found to come home is nicer so that might be how we get to the start.

Managed to get a Mail for Gena with no problem today - probably because I went to get it a bit later so the delivery team had had time to get it to Orpington.

Did Fay's gym class then went to the Orpington to collect Jonathon's pudding (deep fried Mars bar formed part of it in recognition of Burns Night) and then Masala Dabbas for our takeaway lunch (so yummy!)

Jonathon trickled charged Arty (his Audi) in case we need to take him to Sevenoaks on Monday (he's 4-wheel drive whereas Shaun isn't). We had some concern that it wasn't recognising the key but Jonathon changed the battery in the key and it seems OK now. I think Arty will need more charge tomorrow but at least we've made a start.

24 January

After an amazing sunrise, we had snow. It settled for a tiny while then the snow turned to icy rain and washed it all away. The squirrels didn't mind the snow at all and the birds soon reappeared as soon as it had stopped.

I was so busy admiring the sunrise that I had to rush to get ready for body pump but managed to log on in time and do the class. My triceps hurt because Fay's class (yesterday) and Shreena's (today) both involved a lot of triceps work (I think they must have been colluding).

Caught up with last week's on-line church service, went to Tesco and then watched this week's on-lines service so all up to date.

Went for my walk after dinner while Jonathon had a lie down. We've been a bit worried about Oli as he seems to have been a bit subdued lately but when Jonathon put his chair down and had a nap, Oli joined him and seemed quite happy to do so.

We enjoyed a family Zoom in the afternoon. It was lovely to see everybody, including the Doyle family including Henry, and the quiz idea of each family setting 10 questions each went down well. Needless to say, we came last as usual.

When Jonathon tried to phone the NHS hospital to cancel his February appointment with them they simply said "There's nobody here to help you at the moment" and put the phone down. Well, he tried and will try again tomorrow.

We managed to get back home in time for Pilates so I did that then went for a walk after dinner (testing a route to the start point of a Bromley Council recommended walk for Friday) before Zooming with Gilda and settling down for the rest of the day.

26 January

I started out with one plan for this morning and ended up doing something different! Plan A - body pump (did that), go get paper / shopping, come home for breakfast, go pick up Gilda's takeaway, have a quick chat with her then go for a walk.

Oh well ... Gilda phoned to say her physio was sick so she wouldn't be coming after all and there would be no takeaway to collect. So ... I decided I would do my walk while it was dry (the sky looked threatening) and didn't get home until almost dinner time. No breakfast - not like me at all!! I popped into Sainsbury's on the way home so got that done as well.

Pauline phoned in the afternoon to see how Jonathon was after his trip to the docs yesterday so it was good to chat with her.

I was delighted to see that our first crocuses are flowering. Spring must be on the way!

Jonathon finally got through to the NHS to cancel his appointment on 16 February as it's no longer needed now he's seeing Dr. Saldahna.

I spent almost as long trying to get hold of Boots as they'd only sent me 4 pairs of compression socks for Jonathon rather than the 5 I'd ordered. All sorted now and the final pair is on its way.

Celtic Connections seems to be improving and we are really enjoying some of the acts now.

27 January

Wet and rainy when I first woke up so did an hour of exercise before facing the day. Went to get my paper via the park and was happy to see the birds were cooperating nicely for photographs.

Went for my exercise walk after dinner (it was dry by then) then home in time to Skype with Mum and Dad. No real news other than Mum had been for fish and chips yesterday and Dad is due at hospital for his infusion tomorrow.

Alison Facetime'd Jonathon to see how things had gone yesterday etc. and Teresa came to do the weekly cleaning.

Gym with Fay seemed really hard - perhaps I'm not made for evening gym classes.

28 January

The highlight for today was a trip to the big Sainsbury's which meant taking Shaun out for a run. I went early and it was very quiet so soon whizzed round and got what we needed and the freezer is well stocked again.

Jonathon got a date of next Tuesday for his MRI scan. The scanner at Sevenoaks is broken so his appointment is in Maidstone. He got a later call bringing it forward to Saturday morning, still Maidstone, so not too long to wait. By the time we get him sorted out I'll know quite a few hospitals in Kent that I didn't even know existed before this week.

While I was out walking (checking part of the route for tomorrow which turned out to be impassable so good job I did), Jonathon did some jobs around the house but they didn't go smoothly so he wasn't in a good state when I got back. Alison called him and he calmed down after a little nap but he's clearly very worried about Saturday (understandable).

We watched "Dancing Nation" that was put on by Sadlers Wells in conjunction with the BBC so we could watch it on iPlayer - a really wide variety of dancing reflecting what they do in real life.

29 January

I think Jo and chose the wettest part of the day for our walk. I was tempted to message her and postpone to the afternoon but I could hear her saying "Don't be such a wimp" so off we went. It rained for the 2 hours we were out and the sun came out just as we got back to the High Street. It was a lot wetter than yesterday when I tried out the route - possibly because it had been raining all night. Oh well, we got our steps done!

Prior to all that I did a couple of on-line classes (stretch and pilates) and popped to get my paper.

Tried a new recipe for dinner - turkey steaks in ginger sauce. Very nice so we can have that again sometime. I'd bought the turkey steaks yesterday with no clear idea what to do with them so chose a recipe from the internet and took it from there! Ready, Steady, Cook - eat your heart out.

Carole phoned to see how we were prior to J's MRI scan tomorrow and quite a few people sent messages wishing Jonathon good luck so hope it all goes smoothly and we can make some progress.

We watched La Fille Mal Garde by the Royal Opera House in the evening - one of my favourite ballets.

31 January

Usual start to Sunday with Bodypump but I didn't expect to see foxes mating in the garden when I looked out between tracks! Oh well, I guess that means we'll likely have cubs to destroy the garden this year.

There were loads of birds in the garden for that hour as well but I couldn't do my Big Garden Birdwatch while doing Bodypump so did it straight after dinner when I saw the starlings coming back in. Had quite a good mix of birds so better than some years.

Didn't join the online service today. It was on Zoom with breakout groups so sounded far too much like work to me.

Decided to go for my walk in wellies. Good job I did as the park was really muddy. Wellies - lovely on grass / mud but not at all comfy for roads / pavements so not really sure where that leaves me. Road walking in my walking boots probably and hoping there's not too much mud to paddle through on the non-main paths.

Had a Skype call wth Mum and Dad. Their friend, Pauline Murray, had been broken into while she was having her Covid vaccination but nothing much taken.

Spoke to Christine. Her Mum has been taken into hospital. She has poor kidney function and is in her 90s - a worry for Christine.

1 February

Started today by doing the gym from the recording of the session I missed on Saturday. Not sure if it set me up for the day or finished me off!

Caught up with the ironing then did my walk (very wet everywhere), calling in to Boots to pick up Jonathon's asthma repeat prescription on the way back. Didn't have to wait which was good (and unusual).

Collected our dinner from the Orpington and had usual Monday Zoom call with Gilda. Mark phoned just as we finished the Zoom call - he seems a bit fed up! Mervyn also phoned to see how Jonathon was so a bit of communications day.

Jonathon heard from docs. He has an appointment to see Dr. Saldahna on Wednesday but has already been told that he needs two more scans. They are being very thorough.

Jonathon heard back from Dr. Saldhana's secretary who advised that his steroids could be provided via an e-prescription. This has now been organised and Jonathon has paid for them (not NHS prices when we go private but not as expensive as I thought they might be). The company that is supplying them has let us know that they'll have to order some tablets in so it could be a couple of days before we get them. J will speak to them tomorrow to find out which have to be ordered in because it would be helpful if we could have the strong ones asap with the others to follow.

He also heard from the radiology / imaging team at Maidstone and has a date for his next batch of scans of 16 February so not too long to wait and it gives the steroids a chance to work.

Went to Sainsbury's the longer way round and came across this tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore who had been clapped for last night (we didn't join in). Very apt I thought.

Heard from Liba. She's asked me to go back to work as she and her team colleagues, particularly those with children, are really struggling to keep things going. I explained what I've already agreed with Stefan so no luck for her there.

Had a catch up chat with Nigel but there's no real news from pbb other than he has to do an annual appraisal for me (complete waste of time but boxes need to be ticked. Received a box of goodies from pbb with a note to say they were to help us get through the off-site but I'm not sure if I should attend or not so Nigel will find out and report back.

Did Fay's class from yesterday evening as she sent me a video from her Zoom account - worked well.

5 February

Took a few photos of the garden this morning as I went to fetch one of the old garden chairs to put in Jonathon's shower to make life easier for him. I had to lift it over the top of the shower rail because it just wouldn't go in any way round through the doors.

Jo and I went for our Friday walk. I'm responsible for choosing the route (so I go non muddy!) and it's strange how often her friend, Carol, who she walks with on Thursdays and I choose similar locations but different ways of getting there. Jo seems quite happy wherever we go so easy to please.

After dinner, we had a productive afternoon with cutting Jonathon's hair, getting him into the shower and he also managed a shave so he looks and feels human again! His steroids arrived and he's had the first blast of those so hopefully he'll start to show some signs of improvement before too long. The doctor has warned us to expect mood swings etc. not least because the dose is so large for the first 5 days. So far his mouth has a funny taste but no other side effects (early days).

We also had a delivery of logs and natural firelighters. Half the delivery arrived and the other half could come anytime in the next 5 days or so. Not sure that's particularly efficient but that's how it is.

As the weather was so nice (felt like spring) I gave the patio a scrub outside the back door, around the bird feeders. They are really messy eaters, particularly the starlings, and it was starting to get a bit smelly out there. It's not perfect but it's definitely a lot better. While I was doing that Pauline phoned for a quick chat which was nice.

As we've entered another phase with Jonathon's medication arriving it seems as good a time as any to start a new page so that's it for this one.