23rd March 202

The world seems to have tilted on its axis. The death toll in England rose to 303 today.

Today, a seven-year-old girl was stabbed to death by a stranger in a Bolton park. An eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Dublin. Alex Salmond was cleared of sexual assault charges. And the trial of the men accused of murdering PC Andrew Harper was suspended after three jurors went into self-isolation. Just a few short weeks ago, any one of these stories would have dominated the headlines with round-the-clock media coverage. Yet now, they are mere footnotes in the relentless reporting of the pandemic. It feels dreadful to say it, but I would almost rather hear about these tragic events than the never-ending, minute-by-minute dissection of the coronavirus crisis. And yet, here we are.

But in the midst of all this, I did stumble upon one smile-worthy headline: “Dog so happy humans are always at home sprains his tail from ‘excessive wagging’.” No further elaboration needed. A small, ironic reminder that for some, these strange times have brought unexpected joy.

Charlotte posted a photo of Harry today. Don’t animals brighten those moments when they give you their hearts?

Charlotte had a delightful moment this morning when she discovered that the bird box, moved last autumn when the tree it was attached to was felled, had finally been visited by the blue tits that had been in residence for the last few years. Weeks of watching and hoping they would return have had a positive outcome. Nature can be kind.

Another bright, sunny day made my morning bike ride a pleasure. As I do each Monday, I finished my route by diverting to Lubenham to collect Peter’s mail from the box outside his flat. Though it was quite full, nothing needed urgent scanning and emailing to him in New Zealand. On the outskirts of the village, I spotted a police mobile speed trap. As I cycled on, I made a point of warning passing motorists, there’s enough hardship at the moment without adding fines for those who still have to travel for work.

Later, I cycled into town to buy seeds for the coming weeks of planting. The nearly deserted centre made it easy to observe the new 2-metre distancing rules between fellow shoppers. Though food shelves were fairly well stocked, seed supplies were sparse. Finding peas, beans, courgettes, carrots, parsnips, leeks, sweetcorn, potatoes, and cucumbers meant visiting four shops, Wilkinson’s, Sainsbury’s, Homebase, and B&M, before I managed to gather the lot. There wasn’t much choice, just the more expensive varieties. I should have thought ahead last week.

The 2-metre spacing is now marked out on shop floors in front of tills, a simple but effective way to encourage compliance. Everyone seemed to be following the rule. I paid by tapping my card to avoid unnecessary contact. I also noticed that after handling cash payments, till operators used alcohol gel to sanitise their hands. Very sensible. I mentioned to one of them how quiet the town was, and she replied wistfully, “Not quiet enough.” I felt quite guilty.

This evening, the Prime Minister announced even stricter measures. All non-food shops are to close. People may only leave their homes for exercise once a day, for essential medical needs, or for food shopping, preferably alone. Only those who must travel for work are permitted to do so. Children’s play areas and sports facilities will shut. No visits to friends or relatives. The police now have the authority to enforce these new rules.

We are now firmly in uncharted waters.