please empty your brain below

I had my last haircut a year ago - in Viet Nam. They were taking all the precautions we are, borders were closed to foreigners, and each hotel took your temperature on entry and you had to fill out a form stating where you had been the previous two weeks. Almost as good as our "world beating track and trace".
Today my wistful nostalgia in this form of media is my year's anniversary of meeting a friend for drinks after work in central London. We'd debated the virus news (distant, confusing) and decided it was fine to continue with our plans. The bar wasn't as busy as usual. Overloud laughter carried, sounding brittle. Later, we headed into Soho, feeling hedonistic, like this was the last night out of the old way of living, make the most of it. Taxi home... and then I cancelled weekend plans thinking perhaps I shouldn't go out as that virus does sound worrying, and everything cancelled soon after.
My last day in the office "as usual". I took a few extra bits home with me as I was working from home on the Friday with a dentist visit booked.

I've been to the office 4 times since then and probably that's how it'll stay for now as the office has been closed down now, except for a small little meeting space with a couple of desks for when we have to meet.
Friday March 13th 2020, nice walk along the Lea valley. Puzzled seeing a few people with masks on but otherwise more or less normal London. Little did I know how it would change...
A fair few hundreds of thousands of people last ran their regular Parkrun on Saturday 14th Match. Happy anniversary to you all.
Last day in the office on 12th. We were already testing remote working. I was the first to go fully remote on the Friday. It was odd talking to people, I normally sat next to, over Skype. More people went remote, the following week, so I felt less detached. .
A year ago yesterday I last saw my cardiologist, who explained the two procedures that tests indicated were necessary. I have yet to receive an appointment for either, and can only imagine what horrors he may have experienced in the last 12 months.

A year ago today, I walked alone for hours then sat atop the windy ridge at Dunstable Downs. In the aftermath of personal loss and feeling mounting anxiety, I shed a few tears.
I don't think that cycle rack was outside Plymouth station last time I was there, in 2018. Looks ok, apart from being (as usual) ridiculously close to where motor vehicles may misjudge and collide with it.
In Hong Kong a year ago everything seemed to be getting back to normal - we were about to go back to work after 6 weeks of WFH. Unfortunately the second wave started very soon afterwards :(
This time last year my birthday plans were cancelled. He was going to take me for a trip to France for my 75th. The consolation gift was a weekend at his place after which we hugged farewell not knowing how long it would be before we meet in the flesh again (it was nearly 6 months).
On March 14th last year I went on a LT Museum 'Hidden London' tour of Moorgate. I remember that the group had to meet by a kiosk which was advertising hand sanitiser - should I buy some? Perhaps not now. However as soon as I had lunch after the tour I started to feel some anxiety and I decided to head for home in Reading via Paddington rather than spend the rest of the day in London.

The Circle Line was only running a 50% service due to planned engineering works so the trains were all busy but I managed to stay a metre away from anyone - surely good enough to avoid infection? All I can say is that a few days later I felt slightly shivery, tired and feverish for about 48 hours - maybe mild Covid? But quite possibly something else.
A year ago or thereabouts my supervisor was planning a ski trip to Austria while we took the piss - 'was this a good idea?'. Then work closed while he was on his hols, and he came home with something nasty, high temp and feverish, fainted and bashed his head. So that's one way to go to hospital with Covid. He recovered in about 3 weeks, I'm glad to say.
A year ago yesterday was the last time I shook someone's hand. Autopilot meant that it happened, though immediately afterwards I remembered that I shouldn't have done it...
One year ago today I was in a committee meeting where it was decided that events could go ahead as planned in the Autumn as we'd be "back to normal" by then!
Nothing really changed for me the following week either - except seeing utter madness in the supermarkets, so I think of Mother's Day (22nd) as being the start of actual Lockdown.
The world was split into parallel universes during the period 5th to 23rd March. I went to a work event in Winchester on 11th March. The city centre was like a ghost-town, but the train back to Pompey was the usual rugby scrum. On 23rd people were queuing at 2m outside the bank, but Tesco was as much as a free-for-all at present, albeit with the odd person with a scarf warpped round their mouth...
Friday 13 March: went to see Kodo drummers at Royal Festival Hall. Confusing at that time trying to work out the new rules for buses, Tube, cafes, shops etc. There were quite a number of empty seats at RFH, but I couldn't guess whether it was late cancellations or not. Really great show though.
I remember using TFL rail from Romford to Ilford on Wednesday 11th March 2020. Little did I know it would be the last train I would use until the following July.

I've only been 2 stops on the London Overground this year, so my train use is down the pan.
A year ago went to Bath for the weekend including seeing a gig (Frank Turner). Seemed as busy as normal though was surprised the Apple store was closed. We had hand sanitizer and at the time I was surprised the gig was on and the Bath marathon was also taking place that weekend.

I remember calling in at Stonehenge on the way home to Winchester and made my girlfriend move seats on the bus up to the stones as a family of Italians sat down close to us.

Feels a world away.
A year ago I was at a friends house watching Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival. Due to subsequent restrictions and not having a car that was the last time I saw him.

We both agree now it should never been allowed to take place with a crowd of about 40,000 spectators.

As we all know, the rest is history.
My diary tells me that I went into Taunton for a haircut and a bit of shopping. And no, it wasn't me who was coughing on the train.
Looking back I still can't quite understand how governments everywhere were so ill-prepared given the time they spend on disaster planning. Masks in particular would have a long shelf life so could have been stockpiled for just such a situation instead of us being told that we mustn't deprive medical staff of them. I seem to recall we were also told they didn't really help, though that message seemed to change when they became more available.
*Pedantry Alert* - your train was going across the Royal Albert Bridge, since the Tamar bridge is a road bridge.

On the 12th of March I walked to the office, did some work at then walked home. The strange thing is, that actually sounds like an exciting day out now...
On March 6th last year I attended a work leaving do - up to couple of hundred people came along in a hired community hall - loads of food, drink, dancefloor, the works. Was a really nice do with great atmosphere and pleasant crowd, all the more poignant since I've only seen about 2 of the people from that event in person since due to the enforced home working but of course in retrospect it may well have been a Covid spreading event.

At the time though the government advice was about singing happy birthday whilst washing your hands and Johnson was still boasting about shaking hands with Covid patients.

Was really glad to have fitted in visit from parents at beginning of March as we've only seen each other once since then.
13 months ago Boris gave his stupid autarky speech instead of imposing a lockdown. 12 months ago my wife was on a picket line and contracted Covid-19. She still has long Covid and we've spent a year in real fear for her life and health. The wonderful NHS (my eldest is studying to be a nurse), I'm sorry to say, has been useless in supporting her.

Frank F., I'm sorry for your loss and I hope you get your operation soon.

DG, I think you're wrong about not being interested in you as you say near the beginning of your post. Your whole blog is very much about you and your thoughts as well as the stuff you experience. For myself, you and a handful of other online writers on other subjects (photography, tech, politics etc.) are really welcome presences in my mind. I'm very grateful to you for writing your blog.
It's probably nearer 3 years since I was last in Plymouth but that picture confirms that it is still one of the ugliest, least welcoming and least user-friendly stations!










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