Wednesday 25 November day 21 lockdown #2 Sleep has been a little better, no insomnia for hours last couple of nights. I've done a little online Christmas shopping, some was delivered and some I picked up in HH M&S. Quite unlike me to be so organised. I don't really do much so its not that onerous We had a family zoom last night for mum's birthday. I organised it and whilst it was a bit chaotic and did get a little hijacked onto other stuff it was just nice to see everyone. I had started off just making it the 4 of us plus mum and dad, and dad emailed wanting to invite lots of others too – I did ring him to make sure mum was happy with that – he said she was – though I'm not 100% sure she knew. She told me before she's not bothered about surprises and likes to look forward to nice things – but he says she does like surprises. It was all Framptons on the invite list – but I brought in the Maguires.

I've finished my final library book – The Wine of Solitude – quite sad and melancholic, about Helene's unhappy childhood and adolescence. It was set partly during the 1st World War and Russian Revolution and there was a sentence which struck me – it was almost an observation by the author about our heroine Helene and her lover – 'When faced with a certain level of horror the human mind becomes saturated and reacts with indifference and egotism' (page 146).

I've been to work today. Not a bad list, but busy as usual. But nothing awful and no nasties. Just before I finished, Jaime asked me if I could work tomorrow and I declined – to which I get comments such as 'there is a pandemic' – but they were pulling my leg A couple more things organised – quote for replacement to fence as it collapsed in the wind a few weeks ago and its being sorted on Monday. Quote for removals – got someone coming next week to do the estimate. Tomorrow is survey day