Day 95 - Shopping centres reopen

This morning I headed out to get antihistamines, forgetting that today was the day that shopping centres could reopen. I ended up at the Wilton Shopping Centre and the place seemed to have just opened. Shop assistants were standing at the entrances to their shops, looking out with nervousness. I think, in some cases, that you’re still not allowed into the shop. If you want something, you have to place your order at the door in many cases. Although this is entirely up to the shop in question to decide. There weren’t many people in the shopping centre, and there was an excited and nervous feel about the place. “Our first day back in three months” was what I heard one shop assistant say to another.

The shopping centre has a one way system in place, where the centre is now one big loop. If you pass a shop and want to go back to it, you have to walk the entire loop again! There were lots of people wearing high vis enforcing this too.

I managed to pick up the antihistamines and a present for Peter’s mum, whose birthday is tomorrow. You have to get very creative when it comes to lockdown birthday presents and not being able to get to too many shops. I got her a body lotion in the chemist.

In the afternoon, I walked to the post office to post her present. The woman working there said that they only accept cash for envelopes bought there. I told her that I haven’t carried any cash in months, so she worked out a way of processing my payment by card. I wonder if this pandemic is going to be the end of cash. I certainly don’t want to handle coins that someone else has touched!

In the evening, we put the finishing touches on a rock and roll happy birthday video for Margo for tomorrow. We’ve done a few birthday videos in lockdown now but this one is by far the best. We’ve loads of messages from her extended family included at the end too. It’s quite emotional actually, especially seeing family in Canada talking about how they’d love to come this Summer but won’t make it because of the pandemic. I think Margo’s going to love seeing the video tomorrow! It was all Peters idea. He got his band to record it and then we all jumped around madly miming to it.

In other news, my sunflowers are looking amazing also. They’re as tall as me now. I can’t wait until they flower!Read more