When one day is no different from the next, it’s hard to comprehend Boris’s speech last Sunday. Go out. Don’t go out. Work but don’t go to work. At least not on public transport. But it’s OK to be on a building site, especially if you happen to be a worker and not a manager, in which case it’s OK to stay at home, along with the architects and anyone else who isn’t actually a labourer. Above all, stay alert, which is something I would imagine is appropriate advice if you’re having to pass through a war zone but not so appropriate when the ‘enemy’ is completely invisible.
Here’s what I find so hard to accept. The man has advisors, his partner is in PR.
This is not a man delivering the news in self-isolation without the wherewithal to know that before you address the nation with important information, it’s probably a good idea to solicit the opinion of others just to make sure what you’re saying makes sense.
While I may have been just as confused before he made his speech as after, anyone working in construction understood exactly what he meant. Get on with the job of literally rebuilding the nation, brick by brick. Surely there was no other reason for the Finchley Road, at 7.15 am on Monday, to be wall-to-wall traffic, when every other morning it had been quiet enough to almost ignore the requirement to look both ways when crossing. Clearly, in this invisible ‘war’ we are fighting, construction workers are dispensable personnel.
Luxury in lockdown
I like nice things, who doesn’t? If lockdown has taught me anything about myself, it’s that in the absence of being able to go out, visit friends, spend money in restaurants, bars, stuff I don’t really need, spending money on little luxuries makes me feel better.
It all started with olives. I know. Stay with me. My partner and I like Sainsbury’s basic pitted kalamata olives, especially on the weekend, while preparing dinner. Since lockdown, we seemed to be going through them more frequently then pre-lockdown so Bob decided to have a look online and see if he could purchase them in bulk. Before he knew it, he was researching ‘what are the most delicious olives?’ and a few days later, 4 enormous bags of kalamata and green olives turned up, direct from an olive supplier, putting Sainsbury’s own brand to shame.
Then came the cheese. I’m not big on cheese but Bob loves it so, as it was his birthday, I decided to go all in and order the 2019 Award-winning cheese selection from the Fine Cheese company. At the same time, my son decided to do the same from Neal’s Yard Dairy. We now have lots and lots of cheese. Not just any old cheese. Award-winning, expensive, amazing cheese. You know how I said I’m not a cheese eater. Well, now I’m a cheese eater, especially if it happens to be Colton Bassett Stilton, of which I had no awareness prior to this week and now I wonder how I ever lived without. If you like cheese, you’ll love this one.
Let’s talk about socks. Being indoors, living in a flat where we don’t wear shoes, socks have now become a thing. Pre-lockdown, I was happy with Primark black ankle socks. Then Bob bought a pair of alpaca socks and now I’m thinking, maybe I can take all the money I have saved not going on public transport and splash out on some indoor cashmere socks. Or maybe not. At the moment, it’s still just a thought as they are not essential but then, nor are olives or good cheese.
On attempting to record vocals
My attempts to become a sound engineer are not panning out as well as I had hoped. I now have a mini mixer, a Zoom X4N recorder, a new lead to connect them together but it’s still not working as it should. I am so bored of trying to work this out when all I want to do is sing along to a backing track. Enough said. I’m tired of talking about it.
That yellow sweater
Like the rest of the nation, I have binge-watched Normal People and now I am wondering if Connell ever went to NYC and, if so, did he meet a nice girl there who understood his accent or is he still pining after Marianne? And where did she get that fab yellow sweater that has made an appearance in a number of episodes? Kind of vaguely shetland, but in a batwing shape. Despite not wanting to like the programme, because it represented to me an idealised and cliche-ridden tale of a poor, good looking guy who falls in love with an unobtainable, quirky, rich girl, I couldn’t help getting drawn in which, I suspect, speaks to the hidden romantic in me. If you haven’t seen it, check out the Instagram channel, Connell’s Chain, which is devoted to different images of Connell while wearing the neck chain that plays a dominant role in the show. It already has 123k followers.
What I’m watching and listening to:
Now that the lockdown has relaxed around letting agencies and real estate, we’ve seen a sudden surge of interest in Silver Sharers, both from homeowners with rooms to rent and those seeking a room. Despite preaching the importance of customer research when starting a business, I have mostly been a complete scaredy-cat when it comes to actually do it myself.
This week I decided to drink my own Kool-Aid and conducted 5 interviews with prospective customers of all types and it has been fascinating and, I have to say, a little addictive hearing what they think. I’ll be watching and listening to more people who have come forward to be interviewed this week as we’re working up our plans for Silver Sharers 2.0. Exciting times!
I really enjoyed this Flash Mob from Moscow of Putting on the Ritz
Nile Rodgers Meltdown 2019 playlist
Shout out to a couple of guys who decided that the world needs a better way to host virtual parties than Zoom and Houseparty and built Rally.video in a couple of weeks. You can have multiple conversations at the same time, in the same room. Check it out here.
We also had a Friday Night Curry prepared by a chef, Michael Gordon. Usually, he’s catering private parties but hasn’t been able to work due to lockdown. I believe he’s doing a different themed meal every week. It’s £15/head and he drops them off in the NW London area. Our veggie curry meal was very tasty. He’ll prepare meals you can heat up at home too. michaelgordoncatering@outlook.com
That’s it from me this week.
Stay safe and well.
Suzanne