Friday April 9

I haven’t posted for over a month because there really hasn’t been a great deal to say but, for those of you still attempting to follow what Lockdown life is like in London – in particular in Soho-

HERE IS THE NEWS:

The threat of Avian ‘flu must be over as the five pelicans in St. James’s Park who have been locked up for months are now free again to join the one they couldn’t catch .

This was the scene of calm efficiency at Lord’s cricket ground when we received our second dose of Pfizer ten weeks after the first and proceeded by much anxiety as we had heard so many stories about vaccine supplies being about to run out. I was vaccinated by a British Airways flight attendant who confided in me. her worry about whether she would still have a job post-covid.

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We had our first gourmet meal of Lockdown ,courtesy of Tod and Trisha’s daughter and son-in-law ,who ordered it for Tod’s birthday from one of London’s most famous restaurants. As they arrived at the restaurant to collect the meal, our friends rang to alert us to warm plates – then rang us again not long afterwards to say that the restaurant couldn’t find the order. A secession of ‘phone calls followed with Trisha becoming conspicuously more drunk each time, as she quaffed the Prosecco the anguished restaurant was begging her to drink.

Eventually, everyone gave up, Tod and Trish made their way to our apartment and the meal followed about half an hour later delivered by a gentleman “The Writer” described as “looking like a butler” who staggered under the weight of a massive box. The fact that.the restaurant had put into the box five or six jars that had nothing to do with the meal as an apology for the mix- up, made working out which ingredients actually formed part of the meal an excellent parlour game. We had arranged to eat on the terrace with two tables placed suitably far apart, however, it was so freezing cold we quickly agreed to move indoors, keeping all the windows open and reassuring ourselves that we had all been vaccinated twice. However, as we put together the meal, social distancing became the second casualty as we rallied round heating ,stirring, serving and pouring.

It was a brilliant meal and a terrific evening, laughing, drinking, enjoying one another’s company, all the things we used to take for granted pre-Covid. We parted feeling elated and optimistic.

Only afterwards did I think, we are four people, in our seventies, who regard ourselves as models of good behaviour and, in my and “the writer’s” case, have been obsessively careful for over a year of Lockdown. If we found it impossible to keep to the rules, how hard is it going to be for the young?

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And finally……………