Friday 17th April 2020 – Day Twenty Five

Good morning all

Thank you to everyone, who has suggested ways of mixing my days up, so that I know what day it is! My two favourites from yesterday were:

From Janet: One of the things I do is take a different walk everyday, stopping to look up and around and down, and I always find a statue or a frieze or a sculpture I have never seen before. For example: a wonderful globe in the LSE complex – it is huge and coloured; the carvings around side of Waterstones, Trafalgar Square – the oldest Roman Catholic Church in London – just off Holborn Circus

From Christine: A bit of a cheeky suggestion for the blurred days feeling – try Days if the Week underwear. Available on eBay.

So everyone, the lockdown has been extended to May 7th (another three weeks). However, it is possible that for many of us, this could be for a little longer. If you need any help while this crisis continues, please do get in contact with me. We can support you with a daily call, help get your shopping, collect your medication, and support with laundry needs. Please get in touch

What can I share with you today? – FOOD AND SHOPPING

From Sandra: Just to say how grateful I am for the shopping ideas in your emails. I took the plunge and ordered a veg box £30 from London Dairies and it contained many items, ie not only veg. If you are happy to order just a veg box you can do it without even going on to the website by phoning their number: 020 8440 0619. In addition to the veg box I ordered 24 sausages for £6.

From John: Fast track food deliveries from Sainsbury’s; Over the last few weeks, they’ve been adapting to meet increased demand for food and other essential items.As part of this, they’ve recognised the need to prioritise the most vulnerable customers for home delivery slots. The government has identified you (or a member of your household) as someone who is extremely vulnerable to coronavirus, which is why we’re contacting you.

From Theresa: do you like cheese? I am non-dairy so I do not eat cheese. Maybe other members like them. “Britain’s farmhouse cheesemakers have tons of cheese that was destined for restaurants,” Today’s new delivery guide is devoted to getting all that lovely cheese delivered direct to your door.

From Alison: A quickie! M&S and others selling Hot Cross buns cheap – Perfect for bread n butter pudding! V cheap as already has the rising sugar etc.

ART & CULTURE – From Marcel: Every year Classic FM invites its listeners to list their favourite three pieces of classical music. All the entries are then tabulated and a list of the top 300 is formed according to popularity.

From Theresa: if you buy the May 2020 issue of BBC Gardeners’ World magazine, you’ll get six free packets of seeds worth £18ish. The magazine will be £6.99 at supermarkets/newsagents, or it’s £7.99 delivered online at Mags Direct, until Wed 27 May.

You’ll also get a card giving 2for1 adult entry to 460+ UK gardens – most of which are currently closed. However, the card’s valid for a year until 9 Apr 2021, so it’ll be valid at places such as Eden Project and Kew Gardens when they reopen. There’s also a cheaper £5.99 (or £6.99 delivered online) version of the magazine which comes with the 2for1 garden pass card, without seeds

From Dominic: A reminder! Official Treasure Island | Free National Theatre Live Full Performance. Watch Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure of mutiny, money and murder, brought to life on stage and filmed live at London’s National Theatre. It’s a dark and stormy night. The stars are out. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins.

From Chris: (his favourite living artist) – A Message From Yayoi Kusama To The Whole World.

INFORMATION – From Trudy: This is such an Epic, tumultuous time we are living through, I feel inspired to mark it by writing an Epic poem. I want to write something that expresses the feelings and experience of all of us, which is why I’m using this particular interactive format. I’d be grateful if you would be part of this process and answer the questions in this link (it’s completely anonymous)

HEALTH – From the Centre for Ageing Better: The outbreak of COVID-19 means the most vulnerable in society will be spending at least the next 12 weeks in isolation, in so called ‘shielding’, but what implications does this have for their physical and mental wellbeing?

Lastly from Janet; Another reading

THE STOLEN ORANGE by BRIAN PATTEN

When I left I stole an orange
I kept it in my pocket
It felt like a warm planet

Everywhere I went smelt of oranges
Whenever I got into an awkward situation
I’d take out the orange and smell it

And immediately on even dead branches I saw
The lovely and fierce orange blossom
That smells so much of joy

When I went out I stole an orange
It was a safeguard against imagining
There was nothing bright or special in the world

Thank you to everyone who has so far completed our survey, we have nearly 160 responses. It makes for interesting reading so far, and will be a great help to the team as we navigate the next three weeks of isolation!

If you have not done so already, please could you take the time to complete the questionnaire, your suggestions, comments, ideas are really important and useful to us.

You can contact me ANY TIME on 07759 646507 in case of an emergency

Be safe

John