Beer gardens

It's Tuesday. What's happened since Friday? It feels like not much but the reality is that it's a lot. Joining the ranks of the famous and infected - Matt Hancock, Chris Whitty, Dominic Cummings (unsurprisingly as they were all knocking around with the Prime Minister), and Placido Domingo amongst others.

I left the house for the first time in ten days yesterday. Chris and I walked to Withington via Whalley Range to collect some planters then came home via the petrol station for chocolate supplies. There was a security guard in the petrol station. I waited outside.

Our neighbour Mary has just left the house again. She goes shopping at least twice a day. Chris told her off last week but she's still doing it - only now she wraps a scarf around her face.

Dad called me out of the blue yesterday to talk about his wishes for when he dies. It was quite disconcerting if I'm honest. He told me about an old, large tax & VAT bill which he'd paid four years ago which his partners hadn't contributed towards. He doesn't expect to see it again and frankly I don't think he's bothered. Naturally I won't ever mention it because it's not my place to do so but there's something about the fact that he's been living in a crappy rental house, scraping money together for the last few years which makes news of this debt stick in my throat.

Robert and Nat have moved house over in North Yorkshire, I thought it would be postponed but it seems they went ahead with it anyway. Not heard from Matthew recently, I must catch up with him.

I've started to crave normal things now, like a pint of lager on a hot day in a beer garden, and going for pizza at Croma with Chris to eat a meal that I haven't had to cook myself. I wondered if Croma were still doing takeaway but it seems not. I think Mint Lounge, the Indian restaurant at the other side of Chorlton, is still doing deliveries so hopefully tonight will be curry night.