Toilet roll situation: Genuinely had to get a new loo roll out today, but don’t think this is indicative of the next however many days. I generally buy bamboo toilet rolls from who gives a crap in v. large quantities approximately once a year, so am confident in supplies.

Pasta stocks: good.

Have about the normal amount of pasta I have in the house, which is:

• an open half packet of shells (I don’t think I bought these? Don’t know where they came from)
• A unopened packet of impracticality large pasta
• Out of date lasagne sheets from the Foodbank (I volunteer there and they can’t give out out of date food, so if it’s going in the bin and we want it it we can take it home)
• One packet of spaghetti 
• One packet of stuffed Asdas ‘extra special’ stuffed sage and butternut squash ravioli; an impulse buy a few weeks ago that am now pleased about 

Cough: variable. Bad when eat or talk and when I woke up. Better than yesterday, but chest hurts a bit. Not unmanageable.

Temperature: debated yesterday about its existence. Took nap and woke up drenched in sweat. Today confused about temperature, as my house during the day is v. Variable. Sat in the conservatory, which does not help. Right now I feel like I’m burning up, but is this physiological? Is this the two glasses of wine? Is this an actual fever? Looked up ‘how to tell if you have a temperate’ on wiki how to, it suggested a thermometer or someone holding a hand to my forehead. Have neither a thermometer or someone willing to touch my forehead.  Unsure. Face feels very hot right now. Are my hands just cold? 

Today’s verdict on whether I have coronavirus: began day sure I did not, but have flipped back and forth several times. Probably will never know. Lungs sort of hurt and face does feel very hot right now, so. Maybe. Possibly.  Most likely this is just a bad cough.

Human contact: am millennial who hates talking on the phone, but have embraced phone calls and have called / answered calls to:

• my manager to advise am sick and required to self isolate (partially so that croaky voice confirmed sickness, not hysteria) 
• Friend in her work break
• My parents 
• Other friend who wanted to know if I wanted any thing bought to my house
• Other friend who is also self isolating, who I may have mocked slightly when she came down with this cough etc the day before I did (sorry)
• My parents again 

Also video called into work meeting and had two guests to my house (don’t worry: two meters of distance remained and I antibacteria-ed my door handle after washing my hands for a very long time), one bringing computer screen for working at home and one bringing wine and nacho kit (friends are the best). Am introvert, so this is probably more human contact than I usually aim for, but it was nice. Am trying to set up good habits as suspect by next week will be mildly insane.

Street has set up a WhatsApp group to make sure people are well looked after. Lots of encouraging messages about looking out for elderly neighbors and toilet roll sourcing tips. Really encouraging to see everyone banding together. Have not told them I may have plague and am self isolating. 

Mum’s top tip of the day: (my mother is checking in daily, which is nice but unusual. Day zero’s top tip was ‘take the bottle of wine into your bedroom. It’s more efficient’.)

You could use the opportunity to pair up your socks.

Mothers. 

General:

Am trying to use this as a profound learning experience rather than a total inconvenience, so am focusing on nice things I am learning through being stuck in my home. This is partially because the morning before I registered my new cough (do not pass go; do not collect £200), I was reading a book about trying to eliminate hurry from your life. The book encourages seeking silence and solitude, which I have now thrust upon me in abundance. Think this might be a period for us all to do that, as options for what to do in our spare time become more limited. One of the things the book suggested, is that you have an addiction to hurry if you become irritated at minor things you don’t really care about, which rings too true. Since the dawn of 2020, I have been enraged / irritated by:

• There not being any basil or oregano when I came to cook my gnocchi bake the other weekend, and my housemate saying ‘oh yeah, I finished it and forgot to get some more’ (my housemate is currently visiting her parents, and not currently staying at my house; this is not in anyway connected to #herbgate) 
• Costa changing their toastie meal deal to be a meat option and a vegan option. Justice for veggies!!! I JUST WANT SOME REAL CHEESE. WHY DON’T YOU HAVE THREE OPTIONS? 
• My spreadsheet project at work
• Train delays
• Being given a 63p refund for a train delay 
• The fact that my workplace has pool tables in the staff room, which is actually a nice thing, and that when people play them during break it’s really loud, and I’m a grump who doesn’t want to hear the loud balls etc 

Am trying to use time to find new rhythm of being: reading my book and my Bible, sitting in conservatory, painting, cooking nice things. Trying not to watch too much TV, so just watched one episode of Ru Paul and then sat by my fire under a blanket and read more of the book about not being in a hurry.  Lovely evening.

That being said, new announcement that I have to stay in for 14 days made me ugly cry. However, housemates is elsewhere, so effectively live alone so my sentence is still seven days.

Have run out of instant coffee. Why is no one stockpiling coffee? 

(Maybe they are. Did I miss this memo?)