Day 2 - view from a car park(s)

The day started earlier than it did when I was working (and definitely since the lockdown and the resulting need to work from home) due to a momentous event - Rach had an appointment to get her hair cut or, more accurately, shorn as it had been so long.

Well, I did offer to take Rach to her 8.45 appointment - let's face it, I no longer have an excuse not to. Also, it meant avoiding public transport, which in the current circumstances and uncertain times, this seems to make good sense. And it was a right old gloomy day.

This entailed making our way in to the centre of Nottingham for the drop off and then for me to head off to one of the retail parks to wait. It should have been an hour however John (Rach's hairdresser) had forgotten he had an early appointment today and, by the sound of things, was still in his PJs when she called him.

Fortunately, John lives reasonably close but it did mean I had 90 minutes to observe the comings and going of the Castle Marina Retail Park rather than an hour. And, let me tell you, not a lot happens on a Thursday morning between 9.00 and 10.30. The highlight was the Costa drive through and judging by the volume of driving through, they're on to a winner at the moment.

Anyway, I had a bit more time to cogitate and plan what I should say as a farewell video message for the virtual leaving event on 24th July which, fortunately, I can't attend because we'll be away. Phew! This I did and then recorded the message at something like the 47th attempt (I bet Huw Edwards doesn't have this problem) this afternoon.

Next stop this morning was the M&S in West Bridgford and therefore another car park but this time it set me back 50p whilst Rach collected some items from the click & collect service. 

This is the first time since the lockdown began that we've ventured in to Nottingham to do something that passed as normal previously. But it's not normal: the precautions that retailers have had to implement are quite extraordinary and yet we've come to accept them very quickly. Also, it does seem that the approach has been inconsistent and some outlets have been far more rigorous than others.

It also brings with it a certain amount of apprehension and returning home does feel a little like returning to a personal sanctuary to which we can escape the unseen threat. It's no wonder experts are concerned about the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on mental health.

The afternoon consisted largely of getting ready to head off with the caravan on Saturday. The highlight was unquestionably a visit from Lou who managed to squeeze us in between a social engagement (she's making up for lost time!) and her first outside gym session (perfect weather for it Lou!). She was in good spirits and has been working so hard (as she always does) and has four 13 hour shifts this week, two of which are night.

So, day 2 is almost over and I feel ok. I have to confess that I've been taking a sneaky peek from time to time at my university email but that will all end on 31st July (I received confirmation of this earlier today), which is perhaps just as well! I don't think it will start to sink in until we return from our trip to Shropshire and I don't have to return to work on the following Monday.