Into the second week of my quarantine, then, and so far the time has gone surprisingly quickly. But time does seem to have a habit of doing that. I can’t believe, for instance, that three weeks ago I was just setting out from Toronto on The Canadian; that it’s only six weeks since I enjoyed that jazz brunch at Ronnie’s. As I look back, these memories have turned almost into dreams.

It’s been a quiet day. That’s an odd thing to say because the day hasn’t been any different from any other of these quarantine days really: I did some workouts; washed some clothes; spent time in the afternoon working on my music and my crochet, but my mood seems quieter.

The Husband finished his 21 day quarantine today and he’s now back at home with the dogs. Though, coming straight from Plague Island UK, his quarantine was a week longer than mine, it sounds like he made a better choice. His room was bigger and he was able to hire a walking pad. He paid extra for a better food choice menu too, whereas I’m worried that these two weeks (plus the three I spent in Canada, to be fair) have undone my normal assiduous diet and exercise regime and that it’s going to take me ages to retrieve my form. It’s preying on my mind and upsetting me.

I’m looking ahead to when I can rejoin the Bach Choir’s rehearsals but still very daunted at the ground I have to make up before I do so. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to learn and prepare the Mass in B Minor but I’m acutely aware of how low my base line knowledge of this great work was and that I’m going to struggle in that first rehearsal. I’ve done loads of work but it takes such a long time for it all to fix in my brain.

The last couple of days I haven’t turned to my Carus or Cyberbass learning software but I’ve listened to the Mass all the way through whilst crocheting the Havana blanket which I have carted all the way around the world to occupy me in these two weeks of isolation. In the past I’ve found Bach ideal background music for calm concentration on essays or translations. I’m now finding that the methodical action of crochet is ideal for focusing my mind, without distracting thoughts, on the Bach.