Wednesday 26^th February, 2020 1815

Went to bed just after one last night and woke up about four for a pee. Then despite being dog-tired I simply couldn't get back to sleep again. The only plus is, I am not working so can take a nap any time I wish. In fact for the next four weeks with the online stuff I can do likewise.

After that it will be hectic. Seventeen periods a week plus the commute. Jody spent quite some time trying to sort my timetable this morning, the blithering idiots who made up timetables from two different departments had only done one thing right and that was give me Tuesday and Thursday afternoons off (I only asked for either of them so I can top up electricity as needed). At least it gives me two shopping days in the week.

They had clearly not collaborated because I was down on Mondays to work 0800-0950 and then 1430-1620. I am too old to spend another hour or so of my day going home because of a 4½ hour break and so I simply said “non” - not doing that. That's now been changed. As far as I know, currently, rather than having everything on the ground floor, I still have classes scheduled for the 3^rd and 4^th floors. Once I officially have the timetable I will probably whinge. Being the only foreigner here they should be wishing to keep me happy! To be fair, the building changes and higher floors I can handle because I will have the 1200-1430 lunch break to move locations, plus it seems I only need to take my laptop and a lunch box/drink two days a week. More work than last term (in fact more than any time since I've been at this school) but I was rather expecting it, being short-handed.

Anyway, then Jody told me the big mall was open again today! Well that meant Burger King and no cooking tonight and a trip to Metro after. Yippee!

Then a new development. We got in a taxi to go there and found ourselves hermetically sealed off from the driver! I think all the cabs are the same, they have had the interior trims removed, plastic sheeting put it and the trims screwed back in to hold it in place! Worse, they aren't taking cash! You can only pay by scanning the QR with your phone. I asked Jody to ask the driver how I could get a taxi on my own when I have an old man's phone that won't do that, plenty of older people are the same? Walk was the answer! After a while he relented and said if it really was the only way I could pay then they would take it. Until this is over I shall be sure to take the exact fare needed, for those trips I do normally take I know pretty much what they cost. I can lob the money through the front window!

The Mall was open but Burger King wasn't. Bummer. Let's check out McDonald's, the poor second cousin. Open but nobody allowed inside and you had to order and pay online! Dumbphone victimisation again! Good job Jody was with me. We managed to find a sofa on which to eat, during which time I never saw anyone entering or leaving Metro. I did decide we should check the second entrance in case they were herding people into pens so nobody escaped the fever check. They were.

The good news is, I got cheddar and cream cheese (the latter for my smoked salmon), tinned tomatoes and cannellini beans for making minestrone and that was it. I was going to buy two frozen pizzas for tomorrow but as you can see from the photos, the cupboards were largely bare!

I am wondering whether to email Oxfam for a relief parcel!!