20TH – 26TH APRIL

Tuesday 21st April

(With apologies to William Wordsworth)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
Where only birdsong could be heard
One walk each day is still allowed
If social distancing is observed
Spring has sprung and all around
Golden daffodils abound.

Beyond the Rainbow

Painting & poem original work by Denis

Denis, Northern Ireland

Thursday 23rd April

It is now 23rd April and we are in the fourth week of Lockdown, I live with my husband about a mile away from Glasgow Airport. Our daily exercise takes us down by a nicely landscaped industrial site with a large pond with a Japanese Bridge in it and then round the perimeter of Glasgow Airport runway. The industrial site has little work going on now, but the wildlife is surprising. The pond has large bullrushes in it and amongst them we've spotted fifteen ducklings, a beautiful swan on a reed nest, moorhens and lots of ducks. Today there were lots of little white butterflies with apricot tipped wings. On to the airport which now resembles a plane park with rows of BA and Virgin planes standing stationary. I would say that I enjoy the tranquillity, the peace. The air is fresher and you can see the woods on the hills in the distance. Somebody said to me I'll see you when this is all over. I know what they mean, but even in this most precarious time I think we have to live every day. I hope that the government of UK and Scotland will find a way to open the parks so that people who live in flats or city centres can get in to benefit . We can still practice social distancing. Nature is so beautiful.

Gwyneth, Scotland

Friday 24th April

Having the Times delivered every morning to our house has taken on a new level of satisfaction since lockdown began. With the rediscovery of time and unrushed breakfasts, the newspaper now gets the attention it deserves rather than the skim reading of the past.

Whilst browsing the T2 section of the paper I came across an article titled, “What, only 800 pages? The best doorstop books to read now”; discussing what lockdown reading challenges some of the paper’s writers were undertaking. As I had already begun my own reading marathon, I decided to respond to this article, and wrote to the Letters page that afternoon:

[The next day] …I was chuffed to see my letter published with the heading ‘Best Doorstops’ “Sir, What a bunch of lightweight readers your writers are (What, only 800 pages? The best doorstop books to read now, Times 2, April 20). At a mere, 1,474 pages, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth had languished unread in my bookcase for 20 years, waiting for the perfect moment to be rediscovered. That time has come. Since the lockdown began, I have read 433 pages, and am engrossed in post-Partition Indian family life. Whether the ending of restrictions or the final chapter comes first is open for debate.” Jill, London.

This week has been made memorable by the enjoyment gained from an impulsive decision to write a letter… and thank you for asking, I am now on page 485 and going strong.

Jill, London

Sunday 26th April

Another short event was the day I decided to have my hair cut. All the barbers and hairdressers were closed. So, I asked my son for his beard trimmers. He offered to shave my hair. I sat in a chair wrapped in a towel whilst he shaved my hair off.

He asked me the obligatory barber shop questions like; where I was going on my holidays and we had a nice little chat about where I had planned to go. We then discussed Liverpool’s prospects in Europe (which in reality did not look good after a first leg loss but in our fantasy, world was very positive). He undid the towel and held a mirror to the back of my head at several angles and then asked if there was anything else? I left him to sweep up my hair trimmings.

Stephen, Bedfordshire