Working From Home – Week One

Day One

It was a strange feeling leaving the office last night, like waving goodbye to an old friend, not knowing when you’ll see them again. The University has decided that all non-essential staff should now work from home, so after a crash course in Microsoft Teams, I packed up my files and headed home.

Day One involved testing the systems to make sure we were a functioning unit, and it seems to be holding up pretty well, a bit of a baptism of fire, but not too bad.

In an attempt to put a routine in place, I got up as usual and went to an exercise class before work, there were only 3 of us & the teacher and so we spread out to keep over 6 feet apart and cracked on. A healthy start to the day.

Posted a picture of my work station on Facebook and was surprised by the number of people who responded, particularly at how carefully people look at posted photo. It is a well-known fact that I like the odd glass of wine every now and then, however there were some very cheeky comments about the proximity of my work station to the wine rack (see photo above). I didn’t even know the wine rack was in the shot.

The day passed uneventfully and it was civilised to be at home at the close of the working day, ironing pile tackled before dinner.

Email from my gym saying all fitness classes are suspended until further notice.

Day Two

After sitting on a bench all day yesterday, my aged behind has demanded a change of seating arrangement and I appropriated Alex’s chair from his room, as he has opted to stay with Amy in Portsmouth. I will admit to feeling a little unsettled while Nick is still in Manchester, I worry that he and his friends’ take on social distancing may not be in keeping with Government guidelines. He thinks he’ll be home by the weekend.

Unable to join an exercise class this morning, I went for an early morning swim instead and had the pool completely to myself, another civilised start to the day. My lunchtime walk to the village reminded me that I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country.

Another uneventful day, but I am amused that what I thought was Robert ordering heating oil was in fact Robert using the local brewery’s new delivery service and ordering two cases of Rebellion. We may freeze to death, but we will not run out of beer. It’s simply a question of priorities.

Day Three

Wandering to my work space this morning, I notice Robert’s fishing bag by the back door. Could it be he’s had enough of communal working and is off in search of a little peace and quiet, on the river bank? I try not to take it personally and focus on work. The cleaning fairies arrive at 11 and they too look more than a little put out at having to share their work space. I make them both coffee in an attempt to win them over, which seems to do the trick.

The wildlife seems to have got used to my presence, even if Robert hasn’t, and a variety of birds wander past the door to the garden.

I finish work at 12.30pm on a Friday, the cleaning fairies depart and I close down the home office for the weekend and head out for tennis – one of the few sports I can do without breaching any Government restrictions.

Robert returns home in true hunter gather style with 4 fish – we won’t starve, though it’s a fairly protein rich diet.

It’s the weekend

The social life has dropped off a cliff and so the weekend involves a list of jobs that we’ve been meaning to get round to for months. The weather is so glorious, we head into the garden for a frenzy of patio cleaning and weeding. While weeding the courtyard I make a very exciting discovery, the duck who has been loitering, has decided to make her nest in the flower bed under the sitting room window. We have our very own Springwatch.

Mothering Sunday, so Diane and I headed out for a walk round the Hambleden Valley, beautiful weather and six feet between us. We come back and sit in the back garden, again six feet apart and drink a bottle of pink fizz to celebrate. We are trying to work out what we can and can’t do and still stay safe. Our world is getting smaller and smaller. Let’s hope we’ve caught this virus in time. I speak to my Mum, who is slowly getting the hang of Facetime, fewer shots of the kitchen ceiling and her nostrils. She assures me she and Dad are in good spirits and good health, long may that continue.

End of Week One – roast lamb, roast potatoes and vegetables followed by profiteroles to celebrate Mother’s Day and a magnum of delicious red wine. We need to reset the alcohol consumption button next week, as my points total is nowhere near where it should be.