This post was mostly going to be about paying my electric bill. Which was a rather stressful experience and worth mentioning as it threw me of balance for the rest of the day.

I wasn’t sure that I needed to pay it while I am staying at home but when I happened to look at the calendar and saw that it was due today I thought that I had better at least check. So I asked 5 people and the consensus was ” don’t know”. I thought that I had better pay it then as the choice was don’t pay and worry that my electricity gets cut off so no heating, internet or lighting etc. Or go out and hope that I don’t touch anything infected with coronavirus or get too close to anyone. I got my homemade mask which I wear as a scarf and I found some plastic gloves which I stuck in my pocket. As before most, but not all people wore masks. First I had to go to the bank and wondered who had been touching the keys before me. I thought about putting on the gloves but was worried that my fingers would slip on the keys and then my card would get swallowed by the machine and I wouldn’t get it back for days. Imagination is not always a good thing. It was also a bank machine I hadn’t used before. I was very careful not to touch my face afterwards. Breathing a sigh of relief as I now had enough money for the bill and at least a months shopping I headed for the tabaccheria to pay . Disaster!

Apparently I couldn’t pay with cash. I don’t have an Italian credit card. I left almost in tears and headed for a backstreet incase I did cry. While there I tried my favourite therapy . Swearing! So after remembering that there was another smaller tabaccheria further down the street I went in there and it was no problem to pay with cash. What a relief!. I had thought about going to the farmacia again but decided I had had enough excitement for one day and went straight home at speed.

It ‘s awful that a little thing like that can almost cause me to cry but I suppose staying ok takes a lot of energy.

I had several things planned today but as it was nice this morning I sat outside and read for a while in the sun. Then one of my daughters phoned and we discussed how we were coping. She is still allowed to go for walks. Huh! What a luxury!

I read a lot today. It takes my mind of stuff and distracts me. More than Homes under the Hammer on youtube. I can pretty much tell what the presenters are going to say by now. And Escape to the Country is for rich people. I want to see them find a little ramshackle cottage in the woods for £40000 where the person says ” they love its old 60s carpets and orange kitchen units and they’ve always wanted an avocado bathroom suite. Where are these people??

Eventually I thought I had better do something to justify my existence so I took 2 photos of my room and then stuck them together so I can use them for reference. My first painting in my coronavirus series will be called ” my safe space” ….. unless I change my mind.

And then I made the amazing discovery…..( everyone else might already know this but it was new to me) that dark chocolate eaten while drinking wine is just lovely. I can’ t believe that 2 of my favourite things combined are so good. So I have learned another useful thing in this time.

I think my heart rate is almost back to normal after my scary morning. The good thing about being a ” big feardy” as my mum would have said is the enormous amount of chances I have to be brave. Even by accident.

Think I might have a small toast to myself tonight. That’s 22 days nearly done.