The final Q day has arrived.

Isn’t it funny how things drag at the time but, when you look back you can scarcely imagine where the time went? So it was with being a parent of small children; so it has been with this year; so it is with this quarantine.

Breakfast, yoga, Bach yadda yadda. And then: packing. And hoping that the hotel does not notice the shower head with a rubber part that’s come adrift or the fact that the wooden cabinet that encloses the tiny fridge is a little warped and makes the fridge door catch on it. The bottle of milk that has had to be stored on its side has consistently leaked and made the mdf expand, you see. It would be good if M&S allowed you to order little bottles of milk that would fit upright in a small fridge. Oh well.

What have I learned during this quarantine period?

It’s good to have a structure to your day. If you’re not working, have a project or a hobby to get on with;

Watch or revisit a series you liked;

Try and take some exercise every day. I was unable to hire a walking pad but I did dance and HIIT and yoga workouts instead of running. I did 2km walks up and down this small room. This helped me sleep without too much difficulty. Next time, though, I’d make sure I had enough room and could hire a portable treadmill;

Keeping to your normal bedtime and waking up routine helps keep some level of normality;

Try and find a place with food that suits you. The food in this place is nutritionally very poor and relies on rice noodles, cornflour and salt. I ditched the menu after a week and ordered food in. Luckily I’m in a built-up area so there are plenty of restaurants with delivery service by Foodpanda and Deliveroo so my meals are generally still fairly hot when they arrive. Make sure your hotel knows to bring the food up to your room right away. If you’re in a quieter part of town, paying extra for an upgraded menu is really worthwhile;

Paying extra for a larger room or a great view is also well worth it. Being able to see daylight or a busy street scene below or the sea will enhance your day immeasurably. The poor Husband spent 21 days in a room with a multi storey car park right outside his window and no view. That’s awful;

Accept all kind offers of food parcels or company via Whatsapp, video calls or social media;

Make sure that you check your privilege. Yes, it’s not really fair that we have to endure this quarantine but actually we are lucky that we can travel and see our family and friends and that we have the means to pay for it. Count your blessings.

Try and enjoy this retreat from life.

Finally my favourite food deliveries were:

Breakfast: Pret A Manger croissants, juice and coffee;

Lunch; Eric Kayser sandwiches

Supper: Has to be Ask for Alonzo for their tasty Italian food and the slightly flirty messages on their packaging.

I can actually leave at 00.01 hours tomorrow morning, and I’ve heard of people doing that but it’s going to be difficult for me to get a cab to DB, and then a cab within DB is impossible to imagine at that hour so I’ve paid for this hotel room tonight and arranged to leave at 9.30 in the morning. I’ll be escorted out through the departure lift and out of the door.

And that will be that.