The overriding thought was that we are now almost 10 months down the virus road and we seem to be in more of a mess than we were last March. A couple of weeks ago I heard from a neighbour who has many relatives working on the NHS frontline. They outlined how worried they were and how they feared for the well-being of staff both mentally and physically. I thought they were exaggerating but it now seems that they were spot on.
Mind you keeping to the new restrictions is tough for me because every time I go out the door there are four people with me. I just cannot restrict myself to one.
Firstly there's my friend Optimistic Pete - a happy go lucky kind of guy who has sunshine in his life. Then there's Realistic Pete - a man who likes to weigh up all angles and consider all the options. Thirdly we have Cynical Pete - a man who questions everything and accepts nothing. Fourth in our party is Pessimistic Pete - a miserable son-of-a-gun for whom the world is a very dark and hopeless place. We were joined for a short while by Don't Give a ---- Pete but we managed to rid ourselves of him as he wasn't a very wholesome person and was even disliked by Pessimistic Pete.
But that is how I feel every time I go over the threshold. I like my friend Optimistic Pete. He thinks that all this virus stuff will be over by Spring thanks to the vaccine. Apparently he's in group five and so is expecting his shot in the arm early spring. In the meantime he's keeping active with walks and writing and is supportive of everything the Government is doing and is a big supporter of Boris Johnson.
But the others give me cause for concern. Realistic Pete can be a bit of a bore, quoting politicians and medical people, weighing up this and that without really coming to any conclusions but at least he stays in the world as he sees it and doesn't do anything rash.
Cynical Pete believes nothing that he's being told by the Government and politicians. He claims to have met people like this before in a former life. Nothing for him is as it seems. But worst of all is Pessimistic Pete who claims the whole virus thing is a hoax and we are being controlled with electronic chips being put into the vaccine. This man is a real bore.
The problem is that when I go out with these people I never know who is going to be the dominant figure. Some days it's good old Optimistic Pete but on other occasions it's Cynical Pete. Thankfully to date Pessimistic Pete has never come to the fore (yet).
* * *
It felt rather strange referring to myself as Pete. People often ask me if I prefer being called Pete or Peter. Usually my answer is I don't mind at all. I always keep my R on but am quite happy when people drop it. In fact it feels more friendly. A lot of people over the years have called me Stuart which comes from a wrong hearing of my surname.
Being called Stewart has annoyed me over the years - so much so that when I am giving my name I always say "that's Steward with a D and not a T." Mind you my latest DNA data suggests that I'm 10% Scottish which probably means that originally my surname may have been STEWART.
* * *
So if I'm 10% Scottish, I feel I need to listen to what Nicola Sturgeon is saying about the pandemic. I must say I'm impressed. She is so different to Boris Johnson. Seems to give it to you straight. Yesterday she estimated it would be at least May before we got back to some form of normality and that seems to be a reasonable assessment.
Poor old Boris. He thinks he's Churchill. Just have a look at his address to the nation on Monday evening. He was trying to be Churchillian but failed miserably. He has obviously modelled himself on Winston and has even written a book about him.
Sadly Boris is falling very short of being Churchill.
* * *
Thanks for all the comments with regards to Tuesday's blog about my travels. I was asked what my favourite country and what my favourite cities are.
Those were tough questions. Over the years my favourite city has changed. For a long time it was New York and then Zurich and now, probably, Berlin. That's mainly because of the history. As for favourite countries. Well those would include Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and Canada. From a history point of view I would include both Vietnam and Cambodia.
As far as cities in the UK are concerned I love Norwich (obviously), York, Chester and Belfast but top of my list will always be Liverpool for the history and the music.
* * *
So now that we are in another strict lockdown what's to do for the next couple of months. Here are my aims.
1/ Walk an average of at least three miles a day
2/ Tidy up the study
3/ Tidy up the garage
4/ Tidy up the garden
5/ Continue to write and publish a daily blog
6/ Self publish my book "A Year in Lockdown."
7/ Self publish a book on the Second World War massacre at Le Paradis in Northern France.
8/ Read as many Charles Dickens' novels as possible
9/ Publish the monthly Hethersett Herald e-magazine
10/ Write and edit the Spring edition of the Norfolk Family History Magazine - Norfolk Ancestor
11/ Write a number of features for the local Media.
That little lot should see me through the latest lockdown.