Starting as we mean to go on - In the name of Thiago - Day 107

And so another working week begins. It doesn’t half still feel weird writing that, knowing that I as I sit in the summerhouse in the early evening sunshine, I still haven’t left the house today. I guess this is a feeling many of us are getting accustomed to now.

Angelica is back at work today after a week’s annual leave. It’s around 5.30/6pm when I start to think about the day she’s having and just hope that it hasn’t been too traumatic. I will be ready to support her but will avoid asking too many questions, as it can often make a bad day worse.

I’ve just finished reading the first Killing Eve book and I liken the feeling that I have to the one experienced by the character Niko, who is the husband of Eve Polastri the MI5 agent. It’s often better just being in the dark.

Here is our own protective agent Griz. He’s not quite secret service but Elisa is very fond of him and his is an interesting role. The plan is that he will chill out on our driveway and act as a reassuring presence to passers-by each day, eliciting similar feelings of hopefulness to those experienced by people seeing the rainbows on windows that children have been drawing. This picture is from yesterday where he is dressed as an oompa loompa. I'm not sure why.

To that end, I bumped into my neighbour ‘Super Steve’ – see blog day 11 'Plumbing the depths' for more about him – yesterday as he was coming out of his house at the same time I was leaving mine. He mentioned that he’d seen Griz as he was coming back from his one a day with the family. ‘Scared the shit out of me, he did’. I’ve not fed this back to Elisa yet..

Griz hasn’t quite made it out yet today. As you may not necessarily be able to determine from his sullen appearance sat on the pouf in my front room, he was supposed to be out to work painting the fence on our driveway today but Elisa’s motivation hasn’t been there and so unfortunately our protective force has remained idle. Maybe tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, Elisa has made a promise that she will do the Jo Wicks workout tomorrow morning. But as with everything that Elisa does, there must always be negotiation. Luckily I recorded her making this promise this evening on the proviso that I was only going to send it to her Mum. I wanted to upload it here too but it looks like the file is too large. Sorry folks. Have a little look at this family photo from when the little man was just a day old instead.

Well that’s it from me today, short and sweet I know, much like my good lady. I really hope it’s been a manageable shift on the Covid-19 ward for her. I know it will have been tough going back, there’s no escape from that harsh reality.

But you can support her and thousands like her, who are putting their lives on the line for the rest of us by helping me raise my £10,000 target for the two hospitals that did so much to look after my little man Thiago. Thank you everyone.