Monday 11th January 2021

In the end, for the wrong and then right reasons, it would be memorable.

The weekend seemed long, longer than usual, but then we had just left the house once in order to go walking the whole two and a half days.

So, Monday came round, still dark at half five when I got up, coffee was waiting.

Jools was her usual blur of activity, leaving home at twenty past six, giving me just over an hour to get dressed. But then there was the podcast to listen to. I make a second coffee, an extra half spoon of sugar, and settle down to listen to two old duffers taking about decades old music. It is rather good.

At half seven I am online for the meeting. No new news. Obviously.

THen to work, where I have some reading to do, fix my time registration and look at the database, when the phone went.

It was half eight.

There had been an outbreak of COVID at the factory, two people from the office had tested positive, everyone who had been in close contact with them last week needed a test before they could work in the office. She was coming home.

I was to book a test too, but when I tried to, the truthful answers I gave lead to the advice to self-isolate.

So I carry on with work, waiting for Jools to come back home.

She arrived back with a huge laptop, after making us a brew, she settles down to log on. She had also brought a few dozen files to work through, so it felt like being in an office while being at home.

The morning passes.

She had booked her test for just gone six, so the plan was for us both to work thorough until about half four, me cook dinner, and she go into town. At least the internet connection held up this time, we both had enough bandwidth to work.

We had salt beef rolls with mustard and sliced dill pickles for lunch, which was rather good I have to say.

Dinner was bangers and mash with beans, the kids favourite, and mine. Or was. Not sure what my favourite meal now is.

Jools left at half five, driving to town, then going to the library for her test. I stayed home.

Just as she got back the result came that she was negative, but we must be careful and watch out for a loss of taste or smell.

But good news.

And to the evening, with it still being dark before four. Not much else to report, just we did stuff, listened to music then went to bed at nine.

Another day nearer to normal. We hope.