Thursday 21^st May, 2020 2230

Payback for being lazyish for three days. I have ploughed through four lots today, which probably means I will be averse tomorrow. Bugger it, I've given myself the best part of next week off (and not been questioned at all) so after almost 4800 assignments and burn-out, I am going to slow down a little before the manic arena that is exam fortnight starting 1^st June .

And then time off in which I have no idea whether I can do anything or not. It's not as if I will spring clean the house or take up a new hobby, the only thing that motivates me these days is travel and writing. Even cooking has paled with nobody to cook for. And let's face it, doing a Sunday roast for yourself is really, well, a lot of work. It makes Burger King suddenly attractive and that's sad.

Last night I went to Xinghe restaurant around the corner, bloody stupid, I should have just had a cheap hotpot but I did have sashimi and sweet pork. The latter there is too crispy for my gums and there's loads in the fridge which will be chucked away but we do these things when we are bored, don't we?

This afternoon I was surprised by knocking at my door. As usual I was attired in short sleeves and boxers. My home, why should I wear trousers? It was Brenda. No, she didn't come to get me to sign my new contract, it was a courtesy visit to deliver a packet of ten.

No you dirty people! Ten face masks!

I think the school now has a statutory obligation to provide every teacher one new mask per day and for some reason it was felt as a foreigner I didn't already have a bloody pile of them in my office. I've been using the same one for two weeks (the handles fell off the last one) because I only put one on when I have to go into a shop so now I have a surplus of medical masks. Wonder if I can get a sideline and extra money working in the hospital.......

I've just started watching the complete box set (5 series) of Last Tango In Halifax. It's taken me down to 8Gb storage after downloading from the BBC but this was only after Jeremy Clarkson on Millionaire mentioned it to a contestant and said it was good. So far, yes. It passed me by first time around and I confess because of the title. I mean – Halifax?

What is it with all these UK TV ads about what companies are doing in the Covid dooberry? All the “caring”crap for peoples' mental health? Sorry, well actually I'm not but how the hell is a banking application going to make you sane? If you were bonkers before then you still are now.

Oh God, I am so un-PC.

Well I can only relate my own experience of lockdown. To be fair I was never confined to barracks, just never had anywhere to go as everywhere was closed. Besides that it was no different to every sodding holiday here! No mates in town so nobody to go out with and the only escape was travel. Except this time it was actually hard work and not time off. I may have moaned but I haven't complained because my salary goes into the bank every month.

Sure I get bored very occasionally but sirens have yet to wake me at night and force me into underground bunkers. My children (not that I have any) haven't had to be sent away to safety. I have no gas mask in my home even though occasionally after baked beans one would be handy in bed.

The more this thing goes on the more I think the effect of the panic is doing more damage than the virus. Millions throughout the world are now jobless, companies have gone to the wall and even when eventually the virus is considered vanquished life will not be worth bothering with.

I want to go to a pub and sit six feet from everyone? Dine behind a perspex screen? It's a bloody virus, deal with it and get on.