25th July 2020

After testing positive for coronavirus, 61 people have died in the UK. The Government last night imposed an immediate two-week quarantine on anyone returning from Spain, including its islands, following new outbreaks of the virus that have prompted Spanish health officials to warn of a potential second wave of infections.

On a day of sunshine and showers, we had surprise visitors. I had thought that Jim and Bridget would be returning from Cyprus at the beginning of August, but in fact they flew into the country last night. They are staying with their daughter, Sarah and her family in locked-down Leicester until the money transfers are completed and they can move into their new home in Harborough. They arrived with Sarah and the dogs, Hoby and Shoby, at around 11 am and stayed for a couple of hours. We sat in the garden chatting until a shower forced us into the sun lounge, with the patio doors left open.

In the evening, Sue and I watched the film Steve Jobs, a biopic of the American business magnate, industrial designer, investor, and media proprietor. Surprisingly, technophobe Sue enjoyed the film, whereas technophile me disliked it.

Charlotte and Jamie have both been busy with projects: Charlotte has been building steps up to the chicken coop, and Jamie has been plumbing a new bath into his family bathroom.

26th July 2020: After testing positive for coronavirus, 14 people have died in the UK.

Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia’s navy will be equipped with hypersonic nuclear strike weapons and underwater drones. The Russian premier has repeatedly spoken of his desire to develop a new generation of nuclear weapons capable of striking targets anywhere in the world. Meanwhile, Donald Trump spent his Saturday golfing at his resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, before toasting wealthy prospective donors at an evening fundraiser for his re-election campaign, later taking to Twitter on Sunday to boast about his exploits. The phrase “Nero fiddles while Rome burns” seems an apt description of this president’s performance.

Sarah, Lee, Alice and Mia drove to Tenbury Wells to visit family friend Sheila Palmer and to pay their respects at the memorials to Sue’s mother and father.

27th July 2020: After testing positive for coronavirus, 7 have died in the UK. The virus responsible for COVID-19 has been detected in a pet cat in the UK for the first time. However, I think it, unlikely there is any danger of the government issuing orders for the mass culling of cats in our animal-loving country, that would certainly bring a large section of the population onto the streets, there may even be a movement ‘taking the purr’ in protest!

On a miserably wet day, Sue visited Doreen for a couple of hours over lunchtime, and I started the process of pickling onions in readiness for Christmas by laboriously peeling the outer layers. Like-minded Sarah started a jar of plum Gin.

28/07/20 After testing positive for coronavirus, 119 have died in the UK.

Today we visited Sarah, Lee and Alice. As usual, shortly after arriving, we took Mia for a walk. Our 5.5-mile ramble was made memorable by a three-hundred-metre stretch along what was once a green lane but is now thickly overgrown with nettles and brambles. This forced me to carry Mia, who couldn’t possibly navigate the dense, spiky foliage at ground level. Part of this torment took us past a strange cluster of wooden buildings that defied any obvious purpose, yet as we passed a rusty gate, a loud beeping noise sounded, clearly intended to alert any occupant to our presence. Peering through the metal structure, it was plain that no one (save perhaps the occasional passing tramp) had lived there for many years.

Just before this ordeal, we had picnicked on a grassy slope that gave us some welcome shelter from a stiff breeze. It was during this peaceful interlude that Mia cheekily relieved Sue of one of her sandwiches while she was focused on filling a small container with treats for the canine thief. By rights, as retribution, Sue should have devoured Mia’s meaty treats, but I am sure Mia knew that was never going to happen.

We arrived back at Sarah’s at exactly 2 pm. We spent a while sitting in the back garden with her and Alice until Lee joined us. He and I then went to look over the vehicle they had bought to convert into a camper van. It was much larger than I had expected. We spent some time examining and discussing the obvious faults and its potential. It will be a good project for them both over the next eighteen months, the timescale he has set to complete it. Shortly afterwards, we returned to Harborough.

After a quick visit to the Co-op to buy herbs and pickling vinegar, I spent the evening bottling my onions using the Sarson’s recipe we so enjoyed last year.

29th July 2020: After testing positive for coronavirus, 19 people have died in the UK. Russia’s first potential COVID-19 vaccine is expected to receive local regulatory approval in the first half of August and be administered to frontline health workers soon afterwards (Reuters).

Suffering from a stomach ache, I chose to rise late (no, I didn’t scoff any pickles!) and drank plenty of water throughout the day to flush my system.

Jim rang to let us know that they had moved into their house on Abbey Street. From the short video call, it appeared they haven’t purchased any furnishings yet; he and Bridget will no doubt be busy over the next week or so buying and installing the essentials.

Jamie and Ruth have booked a trip to Prague in November. Charlotte and the boys popped in briefly during the afternoon to pick up a couple of gravy boats from the large quantity of crockery Linda had given Sue earlier in the day.

Retiring to bed very early in the evening, I distracted myself from a pressing and gurgling internal plumbing issue by binge-watching a few episodes of Breaking Bad. Appropriately named, it is the second time I have watched the series (it really is that good). I didn’t switch off the TV until nearly midnight. Before my eyelids finally met, I followed my usual routine of turning off the Wi-Fi on my mobile and putting it on charge. As I picked it up, I noticed an unusually large number of emails, the first titled “COVID-19”. Tired but now inquisitive, I opened it.

I have been a member of the COVID Symptom Study group at King’s College Hospital in London since the early days of the pandemic in the UK. They have been collecting data throughout, and each morning, I have dutifully reported my current state of health through their app. The email read:

“You’ve recently reported feeling unwell with a particular combination of symptoms. We would like to offer you a test to discover if you have the virus right now. This does not necessarily mean you have COVID-19, as we are also inviting some people we believe do not have the virus.
As you know, we have developed a software test (an algorithm) to predict COVID-19. To validate this, King’s College London is now running the clinical study that you joined, and the Department of Health and Social Care has agreed to give you access to a COVID-19 test. This testing process is run by the Department of Health, and no data will come to us unless you choose to share it.
The Department of Health is therefore inviting you to have a PCR swab test to confirm whether you are currently positive or negative for the virus. This will let you know your status and help us develop an even better understanding of which symptoms are most related to COVID-19 infection. Please note, you do not need to be an essential worker to have received this email.”

The rest of the email explained the process and provided a link to the DHSC testing site. After pressing the link, I filled in the required details straight away and was surprised to be given an appointment for 10.30 am the following morning at a mobile test centre in Corby.

Despite having eaten nothing during the day, I had a very disturbed night, plagued by stomach pain, loose bowels, and anxious thoughts about the test.

30th July 2020: After testing positive for coronavirus, 38 people have died in the UK.

I woke still suffering, but once I began moving around and had my first cup of coffee for over 36 hours, my innards responded positively and began to settle. By the second cup, I felt ready to face the masked men and women of Corby.

The testing station was set up in a public car park and consisted of a simple arrangement of a couple of small marquees, with lightweight barriers channelling cars towards the point where test kits were handed out. From there, you parked to carry out the test yourself before proceeding to a final bay where the sealed bag of ‘goodies’ was collected. The instructions in the kit were easy to follow, and the self-test itself took only a minute. The unpleasant part was the tonsil swab, which triggered a strong gag reflex. The same swab is then used for the nasal sample, clearly done in that order for a very good reason! The result would be emailed within 48 hours to five days.

Soon after arriving home, the refrigerator we had ordered last week turned up. As it is an integrated model, I spent the afternoon wiring it into the kitchen and attaching the unit door. As a precaution, I cancelled a get-together in the garden that I had planned with friends for that evening, so after fitting the fridge, rather than preparing seating and nibbles, I treated myself to a much-needed nap.

31st July 2020: After testing positive for coronavirus, 120 people have died in the UK. The self-isolation period for those with symptoms or a positive test has now been extended to 10 days. New restrictions have been announced following a worrying rise in infections and will affect more than four million people, including the whole of Greater Manchester, Burnley, Blackburn, Bradford, and other areas.

On a day when the temperature reached 34 degrees, Ellis celebrated his 10th birthday at the seaside with the family in West Runton, Norfolk. I think it is the first time Harry has been to the sea and, from all accounts, he seemed to turn into a little dolphin, following Charlotte into the waves. Despite the cooling sea breeze, by 5 pm, they had had enough of the heat and sun and drove to Long Sutton, where they checked in for the night at the Granary Hotel. Long Sutton is infamous for Dick Turpin; the highwayman lived there for about nine months under the alias of John Palmer. There is even a road in the town named after him.

I ventured to eat today and by the evening felt the benefit, as the stomach pains had eased considerably. What a godsend a working kitchen refrigerator has proved to be on such a ‘stinky’ hot day, no more traipsing to the garage for milk. I find it quite exciting, in fact, bringing back memories of the thrill and wonder of having cold drinks and magical ice cubes in our first fridge when I was very young.