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You know you are in dire straits when a trip to the market to get toilet paper becomes a Phys Ed activity for your now-homeschooled child. This morning Emma and I walked (well, I walked; Emma scootered) to several shops, on a mission to find a package of loo roll, as it's called over here. We found some in shop #3, our local Aldi, which had lots, but was limiting customers to one package only. Happily, Aldi also has lots of very good and inexpensive wine and there is no limit on that.

This past weekend the weather was glorious. On Saturday we went to Anglesey Abbey, our closest National Trust property, where we practiced our social distancing with hundreds of other people.




Perhaps inevitably, the National Trust announced yesterday that they were immediately closing all their parks and gardens because too many people were descending upon them en masse. We were hoping to go to the Botanic Garden yesterday, but alas, they have closed as well. We ended up going to Jesus Green, which is the large open space near our house, and playing frisbee. My frisbee throw, which was nonexistent before last week, is improving. Perhaps some good will come out of this COVID-19 pandemic after all.

We also made the mistake this weekend of trying to go grocery shopping. This was a demoralizing exercise in futility, as the shelves were empty, the store was packed, and the whole "stay 2 meters apart" thing was being blatantly ignored by everyone. We left, buying only some parmesan cheese and a bottle of antibacterial spray. Shelves were stocked in Aldi today, so memo to self: No grocery shopping on Saturdays or Sundays; try Monday instead.

For Mother's Day, which was celebrated yesterday here in the UK, Emma and Richard bought me some watercolor paper, paint, and brushes. Emma is keen for us to try water color painting together, so I've found a Youtube channel called "Watercolor Basics for Beginners." This will be a totally new area for me, so we'll see how it goes.

Emma is bearing up pretty well, under the circumstances. She connects with friends through Minecraft, which she played yesterday for 4 solid hours with a friend from London. They were able to use House Party, a video chat app for groups that is a great way for kids stuck at home to socialize with each other. I am grateful for Minecraft. Yes, it takes place on a screen, but it is creative and engaging and it keeps Emma happy and occupied.


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