24th March 2020

After a hard frost overnight, we woke to another sunny day, with the temperature reaching a crazy 19°C by the afternoon.

It was our first day under the new rules decreed by the government after Boris Johnson’s address to the nation at 8:30 pm last night. As I drank my morning coffee, I noticed how quiet the roads were, no morning rush hour, no children walking past the end of the drive in noisy groups on their way to school, just the usual dog walkers.

After completing my daily set of exercises prescribed by the physiotherapist to strengthen my foot and knee, I observed the few pedestrians passing by, most carrying bulging shopping bags. A little later, runners, power walkers, and cyclists emerged, taking advantage of their now-limited, once-a-day exercise. It felt oddly like a normal Sunday morning, but of course, it wasn’t.

The rest of the morning was spent pruning another large apple tree and storing away the logs onto an already massive pile. We’re still lighting the wood burner in the evenings, as by 5 pm, the temperature starts to drop noticeably. Sue, armed with her hoover, waged war on the spiders and their webs clinging to the external walls before moving on to the gravel paths, clearing weeds and debris left over from winter storms. Joining the arachnids, the snails and woodlice lost their homes in the process!

Later, our next-door neighbour, Viv, struck up a conversation over the fence after I had finished chainsawing the apple tree branches. She asked, “Are we on lockdown then?” before confessing that she was quite enjoying the forced pause from work. As a chiropodist for over 40 years, she had never had a proper holiday or break, and being made to stop was, for her, a relief. Her husband Ian, newly qualified in the same field, felt the same. She was looking forward to sitting in the garden with a good book. In celebration of her newfound leisure, I gave her a bottle of this year’s homemade white wine from the stash in the garage.

Later in the afternoon, they passed over the garden fence a selection of pretty ceramic pots they no longer had use for and had been planning to take to the dump, though that, too, had officially shut down today, deemed a place where people might congregate.

Charlotte and Ellis seemed to have an exciting afternoon tackling some of his science homework. It involved a balloon, tumbler, and wooden skewer, classic hands-on learning! I also noticed they have a chemical crystal set to work on. I remember growing crystals in science lessons at school, great fun! Fortunately for Charlotte, Lucas now has all his lessons online from school, making things a little easier.

Meanwhile, Ruth, Joey, and Rocky are currently staying at Jamie’s house. Judging by the photos on Messenger, they’ve been having a great time playing with Maddie the rabbit. We’re all equally bemused by Jamie’s rabbit, who, despite having access to a whole lawn, prefers to hop over to a ‘Pets-R-Us’ bag and nibble on dried grass rather than eat the fresh stuff right under his paws!

This evening, both Sue and I received texts from the government reminding us of the ‘new rules’, a firm instruction to stay at home.

25/03/20
Today, Prince Charles was confirmed positive for COVID-19, and the death toll in England rose to 389. For us, it was another frosty night, followed by a sunny, warm day.

My morning bike ride (now officially government-sanctioned exercise) took me along the Grand Union Canal and through what, just a year ago, were open fields. Now, they’re being swallowed up by a massive building site. The place felt unnaturally eerie. Just last week, it had been a hive of activity with the constant roar of engines, the rhythmic pounding of hammers, radios blaring, and instructions being shouted. Today, there were only a few builders around, seemingly engaged in tidying up rather than creating anything new.

I also noticed that the local gypsies and travellers had taken advantage of the quiet by releasing a few of their ponies onto an area designated as recreational grassland. A small reminder that while much of the world is at a standstill, life finds a way to carry on.

On my return journey, I passed through the town centre during what would have been the usual 9 a.m. rush hour. Normally, this is a time and place best avoided by any car driver in a hurry, but today, there was no traffic and very few pedestrians. Those who were out seemed to be doing the same as me, getting their daily exercise.

A lone taxi sat parked in an otherwise empty rank, its driver watching with quiet resignation as I stopped to take a photo of the church.

Passing through Welland Park, I saw the children’s play area standing eerily empty. The parents of Harborough were obeying Boris, keeping their offspring entertained at home. It was a surreal sight; normally, this place would be filled with the sounds of children laughing and playing. Now, silence hung in the air, broken only by the occasional birdsong.

It was a perfect day for working in the garden, so warm that I swapped into shorts, a T-shirt, and sandals. Sue carried on with her weeding and clearing while I started by filling the strawberry planter that Viv and Ian had donated yesterday.

After lunch, I tackled replacing a fence post along our shared boundary, which gave me a chance to chat with our neighbours. They, too, were making the most of the sunshine, busying themselves in their garden. The bottle of wine I had given them received an “Excellent” review, and in gratitude, I handed over another. They were pleased.

To finish my day’s work, I dug up some struggling blueberry bushes that had been underperforming for a while. In their place, I planted a fresh bed of strawberries, hopefully, a more rewarding crop for the summer ahead.

As Sue prepared tea, I somehow found myself in a three-way video call with Jim Crawford and Brigitte. It felt peculiar to be chatting with two people miles apart and actually seeing them on the screen, something I wouldn’t have thought much about before, but now, it seems to be the only safe way to catch up. Strange times, indeed.

In Newbold Verdon, Mia tried to help Sarah’s gardening tasks by digging where she shouldn’t, and generally making “helping” as annoying as possible. Still, Sarah managed to make good progress, and by the end of the afternoon, the greenhouse looked well-organised, and the borders were noticeably tidier.

Later, she sent a photo of Mia sprawled out in the grass, clearly exhausted from all the “gardening.” It seems even little dogs can have busy days.

It sounds like everyone is making the most of the sunny weather, even if the circumstances are less than ideal. In Rothwell, like Mia, Ellis attempted to lend a hand with the flower borders, though I imagine his version of “helping”  involved more enthusiasm than precision!

The news about possible home testing is promising, though I wonder how effective and widely available it will be in practice. As for Germany, its handling of the situation by early testing to reduce deaths is definitely interesting. Whether it’s down to early intervention, widespread testing, or just sheer luck, it’ll be worth studying in the long run.

And as for off-licences able to stay open, well, small mercies! A little morale-boosting cider might just be essential after all.