Locked in

We're in for the long haul and I'm thinking positives. The days are getting a wee bit longer at every sunrise and I'm turning my thoughts to the garden and the year ahead. The feeder I cleaned yesterday was visited by a couple of magpies, a starling, a coal tit, a blue tit and a pair of great tits. I must clean it more often. Who wants to eat from a dirty plate after all?

It was a dreich day that was uninspiring in terms of a walk, but we headed out for a turn about Norwood Park and back via West Dulwich. Fred treated me to a take-out latte at the Italian caff and I had a brief 2-metre-distant hello on the pavement with a Feast volunteer who was treating herself to a take-out lunch. 

There were fewer people out and about, but that might be as much to do with the weather than the lockdown. On the news, it was reported that one in 30 Londoners have the virus and my nearest hospital is the first in the city to postpone operations that require an intensive care bed. Sobering thoughts, those.

The good news in this home is we've figured out that the kettle thermostat can be jiggled a little so the kettle doesn't overboil and I'm filling a flask with the hot water to stop me boiling water every five minutes (I need tea on a drip). This should solve the condensation problem in the kitchen. With both of us at home all the time, we've changed the ecosystem in the flat – constant kettle, heating, etc. We're working out how to get the balance right.

The pine cone is on my Christmas flower arrangement.