15th April 2020

Today, a 99-year-old veteran raising funds for the NHS by walking 100 lengths of his garden has praised the public for their generosity as donations surpass £7.5 million. Captain Tom Moore remains on course to complete all 100 of the 25-metre laps before his 100th birthday on 30th April.

Today, I cycled to Welham and back, watered the vegetable plot, felled and logged a Victoria plum tree that hadn’t survived the winter, and finally dismantled a wooden bench that I’ve repaired so many times it’s now beyond saving. Later, I caught up with Sarah, Charlotte, Jamie, and Roger Woolnough for a good lockdown chat on the phone.

Sue made leek and potato soup before continuing to tidy up what is, by and large, an already pristine garden. We both spent some time stroking Millie, the three-legged cat, who seems to prefer our garden to her own.

We may not have raised money for the NHS, but we’re doing our best to avoid being a burden on the medical services by sticking to the rules. And yes, we always wash our hands thoroughly after stroking Millie!

Sarah and Lee had their names down for an allotment in Newbold Verdon, and they’ve now been offered a choice of two. They hope to view both this weekend and decide, as the site is just a short walk away. They don’t expect to cultivate much this year; most likely, they’ll dig it over and leave it until next spring.

Meanwhile, Sarah has made some very professional-looking fudge, though I doubt it will last long enough for the rest of the family to sample once lockdown is over!

Charlotte spent much of the morning messaging Ruth to determine whether a shoot that had popped up in Ruth’s garden was Japanese knotweed or not (no pun intended). After much discussion, it was decided, much to everyone’s relief, that it was, in fact, a young peony! Time will tell for sure.

Jamie is re-tiling the en-suite in his bedroom, though he seems to be a few tiles short of completing the job. He plans to reuse some of the old ones; we’ll see how that goes.

Today, Roger Woolnough ventured out of the house for the first time since returning from Cyprus, taking a walk to the post box. Like us, he keeps himself busy with gardening and doing his best to avoid the news. He has an allotment in Harborough and, last week, hired Glyn (a local handyman) to dig it over for him. He’s now considering driving over to inspect the handiwork sometime next week.

16/04/20

Boris Johnson will consider calls for the heroic Captain Tom Moore to be knighted after he raised more than £13 million for the NHS by completing 100 lengths of his garden. The 99-year-old veteran has spent the past week walking up and down his 25-metre garden, a remarkable achievement. A wonderful piece of news, and I think he is thoroughly deserving of a knighthood.

Unsurprisingly, lockdown is set to continue for another three weeks.

The fine weather continues, encouraging the ‘stay-at-homes’ of Harborough to work on and enjoy their gardens. After watering the red and blackcurrants, my morning cycle ride took me towards a rather quiet and deserted Braybrooke. For once, instead of taking the field paths, much of my route was along empty roads, a route I would never have considered cycling on before, given the usual volume of traffic and the hazards they pose. While the absence of traffic may be safer and better for the environment, it feels strangely unsettling.

Despite its many failings, I think I was more at ease with the pre-virus world. But that world isn’t coming back, and there are some positives. I regularly pass fellow citizens out exercising, many of whom, by the looks of things, have rarely engaged in much physical exertion before. I now admire gardens that, until recently, were more akin to refuse dumps or scruffy wildlife sanctuaries. As we pass one another, people keep a respectful distance, often smiling and sometimes exchanging pleasantries.

I recall that, in the early days of writing this lockdown blog, I noted how many people refused to acknowledge my cheery “Good morning.” Now, things have already changed, not all for the worse. The saying “A trouble shared is a trouble halved” seems to hold. Perhaps the new world ahead of us might just be a better place? After all, we have all been through the same traumatic event. Haven’t we?

Sue and I spent another afternoon in the garden. We are still finding plenty to do, but at an increasingly leisurely pace.

Sarah had a visit from Chloe, who had brought along some gifts for the baby. Chloe works for the NHS, and to show their appreciation, Sarah and Lee thoughtfully made a large sign to greet her. Of course, the visit was brief, with social distancing observed at all times and appropriate protection worn.

Today, Charlotte laid a path in the back garden, running from the garage to the chicken coop, using hexagonal slabs.

In the evening, we attended the lockdown National Theatre, virtually, of course. We watched a very disappointing adaptation of Treasure Island, in which neither of us could find any merit. An ingenious set was let down by a poor script and inappropriate casting. If you’re going to tamper with a classic, it must remain faithful to the plot while offering something novel in its presentation; otherwise, what’s the point? Seeding the cast with females playing male roles while acting as if they were in Pirates of the Caribbean simply didn’t work on any level. Still, it passed the evening, and at least the peanuts and Lidl cider provided some consolation.

17/04/20

Captain Tom Moore has continued his extraordinary fundraising for the NHS, with today’s total standing at £18 million. A petition for him to receive a knighthood has now gathered half a million signatures.

The weather has turned much chillier compared to yesterday. Sue carried on busying herself in the garden while I took my daily scoot through the Leicestershire countryside. Unfortunately, I had to cut my intended route short, as the field paths were particularly busy with dog walkers. Usually, there’s plenty of space to maintain the required two-metre distance, but I found myself stuck behind a gentleman whose dog insisted on sniffing every tussock and bush at length. Aware of my presence, he did his best to encourage the dog to move on, but the hound was utterly indifferent to the virus-host-on-wheels trailing just a few metres behind. With a sigh of resignation, I turned off the track and headed home, where I busied myself making a chicken curry for our evening meal.

In the afternoon, Sue and I ventured out for a two-hour walk along part of the route I would have cycled in the morning, if not for the fastidious mutt! As earlier, plenty of couples were out taking their government-sanctioned exercise, all carefully observing the new social etiquette of keeping their distance.

Our walk took us along the canal and through the eerie emptiness of a deserted building site to the north of town. We then returned home via Lubenham, passing the planned route for AdamSmile, a new path to be built in memory of a young lad who was tragically killed on a nearby busy road while cycling to school.

It was the first time Sue and I had ventured out together since lockdown began, and probably the most strenuous exercise she’s had since returning from the Amazon. By the time we got back, we were both exhausted, with sore feet and aching legs. The rest of the afternoon was spent in soft, comfy chairs, enjoying warm drinks.

In the evening, we had planned to watch The Phantom of the Opera from The Show Must Go On!, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s initiative on YouTube. However, we were simply too tired to summon the concentration, so we rescheduled it for tomorrow. Lockdown can be surprisingly exhausting!

Jamie has successfully ripped out his en-suite shower, and the family is looking forward to seeing, via Messenger, what he’s replacing it with.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Lee have been buzzed by military aircraft today and have been speculating about what might be going on. With the government flying in 30,000 Romanians to pick fruit and vegetables, I suggested that perhaps it was them, or maybe an alien invasion? Then again, is there a difference?