Tuesday 17 March:

I had my hair cut this morning (in anticipation!) and also called in to our local bookshop and greengrocers (their lovely proprietors promising they’d make home deliveries on our behalf.

After lunch, Moira and I went for a ‘triangular’ walk along the harbourside (we’re determined to walk every day – well, at least until the government decides to confine us to our house and garden).

We usually have Iris and Rosa round for tea/supper on Mondays and Tuesdays and so today represented quite a watershed. It was our final face-to-face mealtime together (always a time of much banter and laughter!). Today’s menu was Quorn Lasagne (plus two large family portions set aside in the freezer for Ruth to take home for their future family mealtimes. A sad realisation that it might be many months (or even years?) before we can repeat such old family rituals… and, to crown it all, no hugs allowed when we came to say goodbye.

A whole host of theatres, concert halls, pubs, cafés, restaurants, galleries, cinemas have announced that they’re closing their doors until further notice.

This afternoon, the government has announced a ‘cash boost’ to help families and businesses… alas, for many, it might prove too late. Also this evening, the Archbishop of Canterbury announced that all church services would be suspended until further notice… probably unprecedented (I’d suggested such a move to our vicar Lee over a week ago).