Make my day ...

Wakened by sunlight again, I found myself wondering if the current situation is easier to bear in the rain. These half-waking miseries seem to be a theme, and not just for me: the morning is not a good time. The day, however, improved with the living in it. A flurry of phone calls and the delivery of flour and hand soap on the doorstep (blessings on our local Eco store!), followed by the ritually strong mid-morning coffee went a long way in restoring equanimity. Then we went out - another morning outing while it was still quiet. We saw little black calves and heard a myriad of birds, we walked 7 kilometres and felt warm in a chilly wind.

But the very best thing that happened today was on the doormat when we arrived home: two cards from our two grandsons, with Easter wishes and lovely messages looking forward to a time when we can be together again. Suddenly it felt worthwhile staying alive, staying healthy. We ate the soup I'd somehow cobbled together from the things in the fridge - what my bestie calls "green welly soup" - and did the things that we do in normal times, like writing reports for publication and sorting hymns for services.

And a quotation from the late, wonderful Leonard Cohen came back to me: "cheerfulness kept breaking through". Cheers, Alan and James!