9.05 am. Two and a half months on and I haven't succumbed to the virus yet. Thank Heavens!
Am late this morning. Had a bad night waking up constantly with weird dreams. One of these involved actress Barbara Windsor. Why poor old Barbara of all people? Hadn't been watching any Carry On films lately!
While getting dressed, realise with horror I have to let my belt out a notch. Stepping on scales with trepidation, my worst fears are confirmed. Put on... more than 2 lb?!! Will have to skip lunch. And maybe dinner too...
Note my Zoom meeting with client has been cancelled. Phew! Am having a bad hair day. Will have to be brave and dye my own hair tonight.
Apply my make-up with care. What do you mean nobody will see me? Have an Amazon delivery today, haven't I?
10.14 am. Having volunteered to do some pro bono work for a charity, it's time to buckle down. After numerous phone calls and emails, eventually got the necessary photos and testimonials a week later to write a press release. Ready to be sent out today.
11.31 am. Interrupted by phone call from girlfriend X. Another one who's gone bonkers during lockdown, but then who am I to talk? Convinced she got some unexplained powers to switch on electricity just by entering a room, she's scared in case she sets her house on fire. Can I help? Hmm...am not a psychotherapist nor a fireman, so no. But just talking to her for about 20 minutes is the extent of my assistance and probably all she needed.
12.16 pm. Ding dong! That must be the Amazon Fresh delivery. Man wearing mask puts down crates of food and bottles of wine on my doorstep. Do I have an ID to show? Really?? Was it my carefully applied make-up that turned back the years? Eerrr..., no, apparently not. Anybody delivered alcohol has to be ID-ed during lockdown, I'm told.
1.30 pm. Phone call from fashion designer friend and on and off client. Offers to make me a whole collection of fetching face masks to suit different outfits. Yes, please! That cheers me up a little. Also a couple of blackbirds singing outside my window. I never used to hear them before.
2.09 pm. Email pops into my inbox from national paper. They love story in press release and want to do an exclusive on Sunday. Yess! Email charity excitedly. They don't understand exclusives. Try to explain but will have to wait for decision. Aargh! Don't want to miss the opportunity
3.16 pm. Phone call from USA. Company I've been chasing for weeks on behalf of client confirm large payment transfer. Though credit chasing by no means in my usual PR remit, I accepted to do it exceptionally in these cash-strapped times. Not entirely selfless move though as It also means my invoice can be paid now.
Spend rest of the afternoon on social media and trying my design skills on Canva. Charity still umming and ahing about Sunday paper exclusive. So frustrating.
6 pm. Stop work to watch the news. Should I have a glass of prosecco? I'll have to dye my roots and do my highlights later, I caution myself.
Then I remember I have some ripe homegrown strawberries on my terrace.
That wins the argument. Pop one in my glass of prosecco. Cheers!
6.45 pm. Time to tackle hair dye and give Netflix a miss. It's not something I've done before.
All done via video. Client in cosmetics who supplied the dye is instructing me how to mix three different products and apply them on roots. Can't really see what I'm doing at the back.
7.30 pm. Time to wash off dye and inspect. Missed out chunks of hair here and there. Do it again
8.56 pm. Ready for the highlights now. Don't need instructions this time - have done my own highlights for years. Products mixed when realise have run out of foil, an absolute must for the procedure! What now?? Shop across the road long closed.
Quick thinking needed. Open fridge door and whip off foil covering a half-eaten shepherd's pie. Necessity is mother of invention as they say.
12.30 am Five and a half hours later hair dyed, streaked and dried at last.
Ready for bed. Dreaming about being locked up in burning house after girlfriend X has switched on the lights in the kitchen. Wake up in panic. Daren't go back to sleep.
Well, tomorrow is another day. Or is it?
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