Category: the lockdown diaries

Day 72 – No more questions, your honour

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Right. Finally getting around to sitting down and writing this.

It’s been a busy day. Overseas conversations, moving an office, dropping off magazines with vulnerable people, a walk in the Green Belt, two runs, piano practice, dinner.

Actually haven’t done dinner yet, because I’m writing this before I start.

Oh, and finishing off writing a round for tonight’s quiz.

We won last night’s quiz, and it was a lot of fun… but…

I think I’m all quizzed out. I know. Bizarre to hear that coming from me: “Mr Quiz” as I am known to at least one person. (To be fair, that one person makes up completely ridiculous monikers for everyone, based mainly on the place he first meets them, so this was more about our initial encounter being in a pub where a guy was asking questions, rather than any particular penchant or specialisation people might think I have.) (“Mr. Kitchen” and “Ms. Bus Stop” will surely back me up on this.)

But I do like quizzes. Weirdly, I have been enjoying setting questions more than I have enjoyed answering them lately. And it feels like I’ve been doing nothing but quizzes for a while now and I need a break. So once this weekend is over, I’m taking one, as far as quizzes go.
At least, there will be nothing organised: I might dip in and out of Quiz Up or pop in a Dale Collins or two on Quizando in a spare 5 minutes, but that’ll be it.

Got to keep the brain ticking over.

So, full effort on getting a clean sweep this weekend and then sit back, relax and switch off the question and answer game.

Day 71, part 2 – Moved

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After 8 years of occasional bliss, overnight – while you were sleeping – 6000 miles… moved from South Africa to a new home amongst the bright lights of London town. The Big Smoke, innit.

Not me, obviously. I’m still here. Like I could get a flight anyway. Like I’d go to London anyway.

No: the blog. Away from Afrihost, and hopefully away from all the recent problems from which it has been suffering, and off to a new, more professional, much-recommended host.

The address remains the same. Do not point your browsers elsewhere. 

I cannot thank The Guru enough for his monumental efforts and extreme patience in sorting this out for me. From dealing with the slings and arrows of outrageous coding, through to taking  arms against a sea of well… actual troubles; and by opposing them, still having to deal with me and my lack of technological knowhow.

I am very grateful, and as soon as Level 5 lockdown is rescinded again in Cape Town, there will be wine.

In the meantime, please enjoy the new, faster, more streamlined and still every bit as poorly written offerings on here.

Day 70 – Did not sleep

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A proper night of lying awake. Checking the clock, wandering the bedroom, considering life, the universe and everything.

There was no good news. Sorry.

It’s left me a bit broken this morning. I have managed to tip coffee all over my right hand in an exhaustion-induced move that was distressing because of both the pain and the wastage involved. In addition, it turns out that one can’t absorb caffeine through one’s skin and so there was no benefit in my mood or general responsiveness. I’m going to try tipping some more of it down my throat just now and see if that makes any difference.

After yesterday’s brief return to data capturing – a task I really didn’t understand just how much I didn’t miss – I’m moving on to bigger and better things today. Obviously, there’s a quiz to write (there’s always a quiz to write), some sorting out to do in the garden, some schoolwork and a Scout badge to assist with and – hopefully – an exciting new project which will result in a more stable website experience for everyone even vaguely connected with 6000 miles…

And then one more thing to look forward to. Bihari are doing deliveries and I am absolutely here for that. No jalfrezi on the slightly limited menu, but plenty of their really decent alternatives. “No Cook Thursday” just became a thing – for today at least. And assuming that I’m able to stay awake until they arrive with my curry.

UPDATE: Booked the curry. Life is good again.

Day 69 – A life without plugins?

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Another blog crash. And even when I deleted the plugin which had previously caused the problems: nothing. And so I have been forced to remove all the plugins. Including the one which makes it easy to write blog posts.

I’m really not sure where we go from here. Is this the new normal that everyone is speaking about?

But I do understand that these things are of little interest or relevance to you, dear reader.

I’ll get something sorted out.

Meanwhile, with at least some of the students returning to the kids’ school this week, there’s a full online programme for them to follow this morning, meaning that I am free to play domestic games like washing, ironing and prepping the fire for later. It’s a glamorous life. Later, I might walk the beagle around the block in defiance of absolutely no lockdown regulations (which were declared illegal and unconstitutional last night, anyway).

It’s all rather chaotic and I’m really not sure where we go from here.
Is this the new normal that everyone is speaking about?

Back to it: that bed ain’t going to change itself.