Quarantine day three

How cheering to wake up to a day of brilliant sunshine, mild weather and no wind! As I was closing the bedroom curtains last night , the moon shone brightly in between clouds, ascending just above the terrace rooftop south of our back garden.

I went to bed half an hour earlier than usual, and benefited from this, strangely, with a night of relaxed sleep with just two disruptions. I published the YouTube link to my upload of Morning Prayer and biblical reflection on WhatsApp for the first time before Radio Four's 'Thought for the Day'. Tonight, early bed and up at six to be sure I reach Llandough Outpatients for the op by seven thirty. I do so hope that this will enable me to return to complete physical normality.

Over the past couple of years, I've remained active and fairly fit despite infection, but having a wound at the base of my central nervous system, often irritatingly uncomfortable, thought never painful enough to require analgesics, has been a strange experience. I compare it to grit in the eye or a stone in the shoe, something that incessantly undermines bodily harmony ans hinders focus. I've not been able to sit and relax comfortably without consequence. If I've taken photographs obsessively these part two years, it must be because this is a head and upper body activity for which I need to stand.

I've stopped playing guitar which I've done for the past sixty three years. A guitar is, after so long, like an extension of my body. Sitting to concentrate on playing has proved as hard an effort as coping with rheumatic fingers and wrists. Fighting against the reaction of the nervous system to make the effort to play has felt counter productive. Better to rest, avoid any negative over-stimulation and wait to survive the affliction, in the hope of one day returning to enjoy playing. It's been much harder since Clare has started to learn jazz piano, as I'd relish the pleasure of playing with her. 

Most of my walking today was outdoors, enjoying the sun. I begin to feel normal, relaxed, and not feeling confined by the restriction of a few days self-isolation. My sister June has had a plague of flying ants and ordinary ones on her Wandsworth Common balcony. She was worrying about how to get rid of them, and then the local bird population turned up, crows, magpies, then blue tits and coal tits. It's been a while since we've seen tits in our garden. Or ant plagues for that matter.

In the local news today, a further closure of Blackweir Bridge while work is done dredging out hundreds of tons of stones from the river bed, presumably to improve flash flood drainage and let broken trees that fall in the water float downstream and not block the channel. I hope this doesn't have too much impact on the ecosystems of the riverbed that help sustain fish, and insects on which the birds feed. This past week or so I've seen swallows and swifts feeding on the wing over the river, a lovely sight as summer arrives.   

Thanks to another delivery of fresh salmon, sea bass for the freezer, plus laver bread, supper tonight was my favourite Welsh sea food. Then a couple of hours writing, and off to early bed.