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I should have been in Hamburg this weekend, along with Mrs PBT’s, enjoying a short cruise on Cunard’s flagship, the Queen Mary 2. Instead the QM2 is moored offshore in Portland Bay, and I’m stuck in "sunny Tunny" as the local sometimes call Tonbridge, contemplating what job needs doing next in the garden.

When the current strain of novel Coronavirus began its slow, but inexorable creep across the world, I was still thinking, like many of us, that somehow it wouldn’t be too serious and that we’d escape the worst of its effects. How wrong could I be, but even in early February, as Mrs PBT’s and I journeyed back from a short visit to South Wales, I was still fairly optimistic that our cruise would go ahead.

We’d booked the holiday at the start of the New Year, and whilst there were reports coming out of China about a novel Coronavirus that might have jumped the species barrier, like many in the western world I paid scant attention to them. After all previous viral-related conditions, such as SARS and Avian flu,had not really come to much, but now, four months later, here we are shut up in our won houses with the world economy at a virtual standstill.

So not really knowing quite where we go from here, I’m just glad of the fact that we’re all safe and well, with enough food to eat and plenty of tasty beer to drink. We’ve a garden that’s large enough to exercise in, should the need arise, but we’re also located on the edge if town and sufficiently close to some attractive countryside in which to enjoy a walk.

I’m waiting for the lad to get himself ready, so we can head out on a stroll shortly, then there’s a Sunday roast to look forward to which, today, will be cooked and delivered to our door by the excellent people at the Nelson Arms, Tonbridge – more about that later.

The sun isn’t shining today and now, as I finish this short post, a little light rain is starting to fall. I’m going into work tomorrow and it’s nice to get a little normality back into my life, even though because of social-distancing measures, we’re running with a reduced level of staff.

As for our Sunday dinner, well three tasty roast pork meals, complete with all the trimmings, were delivered on time to the Bailey household, along with a two-pint container of Shere Drop, from Surrey Hills. I also ordered a two-pinter ofHacker-Pschorr Helles for the boy - as you have to spoil people sometimes.

That’s it for now; the cruise can wait until happier times return, but rest assured I’ll be back with more lock-down ramblings, soon.
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