Back to a beautiful clear day.  Spent the morning phoning and and Skyping friends.  . One family are getting over what they think are mild versions of the virus, another surveying what looks like the devastation of what has been a very successful international conference business, another facing a couple seperated by serious health problems made much worse by being in lock-down. Several either directly or with family facing acollapse of income.  Really tough. Other calls simply a good chance to catch up.

Lunch in the garden.

After lunch Elizabeth had worked out a walk for us.  Driving out to Stoke Trister we walked on to Cucklington.  Up and down hill we followed a great hour and a half circuit keeping to the narrow country roads.  We passed many very attractive homes that only the prosperous could ever afford.  It was really enjoyable but again I thought of South London where so many are confined to small flats.  Money certainly makes dealing with this lock-down so very much easier for those with gardens and space around their homes. Even now under lock-down I think we should all be encouraged more to make the most of country walks and the use of parks, and stopping people driving out of towns for country walks is I think uneccessary except for the big “beauty spots ” that have attracted crowds.  Depriving those with limited space of easy access to common space does not seem sustainable and very bad for our health..

Finished watching all six episodes of Wolf Hall.  Superbly done this sad tale of politics, religion, sex, cruelty, chance and unforseen outcomes permeated by a sense of melancholy makes a depressing yet somehow fitting background to what is happening at this time of thinning.