Thursday 26 March:

Rose early, as usual, but decided to walk to the harbourside first thing (another beautiful, sunny morning). Walked to the water via Vauxhall Bridge just after 6am and then along the harbourside as far as Gaol Ferry Steps, then home. It was quite magical… hardly anyone about (just the occasional jogger), the sun shone, the water was mirror-like… just beautiful. So glad I decided to do it.

Moira and I had coffee in the garden again (pity that neighbour Tom’s bay tree masks all the morning sun!), then sketched briefly. Various domestic catch-up tasks (changing and washing bed linen, hoovering etc).

Rang my B.Friend friend, Zabiullah, to check to see how he’s coping… with some difficulty, I think (with the Mosque now closed due to the pandemic).

Read a little after lunch (re-reading “Three Men in a Boat” for the nth time – I’m over a quarter the way through the book and they’ve only just got to the river!).

Had a very good ‘Zoom’ chat with Ruth+Stu+Iris+Rosa at the end of the afternoon. They all seem in pretty good form – and the girls are producing some stunning art!

The Chancellor announced various financial measures to support the self-employed, which was good.

So sad to hear that the ‘Wonderful Joan Baker’ has died after an extended stay in hospital (I think she was 98?). She was a lovely lady from Holy Trinity Hotwells church community… and an occasional church pianist even in her latter years. She had an infectious smile and I loved her dearly. We’ll be raising our glasses to her tomorrow evening (sadly no funeral attendance is possible in the current times – but there’ll be a celebration service in due course, without question).

Tonight, there’d been a plea for people to take in “A Big Applause” for NHS workers… people were asked to come out of their houses/stand on balconies/open their windows and applaud the NHS/NHS workers at 8pm. Moira and I were keen to participate and I’d shared an ‘invitation’ via facebook (see image)… but we also ‘feared’ that we’d be the only people participating. How wrong could we be! The response was simply brilliant… LOTS of neighbours from our street (and adjoining streets) took part… and it really felt quite emotional. I love our community (and from the reactions on facebook, it seems that the response has been pretty amazing throughout the country).