Isolation Day 10 - Diary 5

Well I had a day off yesterday from blogging, probably as I'm running out of things to say about my Covid issues, thankfully I appear to have gotten off lightly. As far as symptoms go I do feel a bit weaker but getting stronger every day and unfortunately the taste and smell senses are still non-existent.

I see Greater Manchester and Lancashire has missed the highest level of restrictions but I feel very sorry for those in Liverpool and the surrounding districts. I live within a mile of the Merseyside border and those businesses that are on the wrong side are going to suffer terribly having to close for at least 4 weeks. I don't think the level of support announced is anywhere close to being adequate, but if we're heading for a national lockdown or a "circuit break" then surely it should have been done 3 weeks ago when the scientists first recommended it.

Personally I think we will need to learn to live with the virus until a vaccine comes along, socially distanced of course, hand-washing and mask wearing but that can't happen until track and trace comes up to speed. To be honest track and trace have called almost everyday and my experience has been positive. In fact I've just had a call to tell me I'm out of isolation tomorrow having done 10 days since my first symptoms. It'll be good to get out and about again. Yippee!!

We are still participating in the Office for National Statistics survey which means another Covid test for all of us today. They did ring me to say one of my tests was positive but it was the same day as my NHS test so I already knew and they've asked me to give blood as part of the antibody testing which I've agreed to, hopefully it may help someone.

Fingers crossed our level of football (North West Counties) is on this weekend as Ashton Athletic are away to Liversedge (Yorkshire) in the FA Vase but who knows what will happen in the days to come.

I'm not sure there'll be much more from me on this subject as thankfully I appear to have come out the other side. Thanks again for all the well wishes and support it really mean a lot. Look after yourselves and your families.

Keep Safe and Support the NHS x

Photo by Ian Stauffer on Unsplash

Isolation Day 8 - Diary 4

Thanks again for the positive comments, I'll try and keep this going for a bit longer, gives me something to do at least.

Lets get the important stuff out of the way first. Last night (Sunday I think) I decided to check out my taste and smell senses via the medium of alcohol. Obviously 1 bottle of beer wouldn't yield enough data so I went for 7 or 8 and a glass of white wine but with the same result, I tasted f**k all. I did have a bit of a buzz on though so you still get pissed but just don't enjoy it the same. My sister in law reckons she had coronavirus back in March before proper testing and was quite ill for a week and reckons her taste and smell haven't come back properly yet. My son Josh thinks he had it around the same time and he is now ok so I'm hoping for the same.

This virus seems to be affecting people in very different ways, some don't even know they have it and some have actually lost their lives, others just get flu like symptoms which is the category I fall into, so far. In fact all I have today after 8 days is a bit of a muzzy head but you can probably guess why that is. Talking about symptoms I'll go through mine just so you know. I started with a bit of a temperature but wasn't burning up, my resting heart rate was up a bit, it's normally around 60 beats per minute but was in the mid 80's for a couple of days, nothing bad. My legs were aching down the backs for a few days and I developed a slight cough and runny nose but didn't feel breathless. I found deep breathing fresh air beneficial, there's a breathing technique on YouTube by a doctor from Queens in London that I did a few times and that seemed to help. If you search "Coronavirus breathing technique" it should come up first. Anyway I hope none of you will ever need it.

I have an old school friend who is extremely intelligent, well I have a couple actually, I won't name them as I don't want to embarrass them. They make me think of Tyrion Lannister from Game Of Thrones with the quote "I Drink And I Know Things" well this one doesn't drink but he knows a lot of stuff. He private messaged me with a list that may help with fighting Covid and I thought I'd share:

Zinc (good source pumpkin seeds), 

Selenium (good source is Brazil nuts), 

Vitamin D (high dose supplements),

Vitamin C (if you have viral symptoms take 1-2g 3 to 4 times per day)

Like I say hopefully you won't need them and we can get shut of this dammed virus sooner rather than later.

Track and Trace were on the phone again yesterday asking about contacts, thankfully because of isolating from my son's diagnosis I only have my close family. I did tell her about the funeral I went to but she reckoned that was before the contagion period. Thankfully the team I help out with at Ashton Athletic had their game called off the weekend I was infected due to bad weather or I could have spread it there. Jeez, scary stuff!

Well I guess we're all awaiting the Governments announcement today with bated breath, lets hope we can take something positive from it. I'm with Andy Burnham the Mayor of Manchester. If it's deemed we need a lockdown whether local or national then people need financial support, you can't just shut everything down again without it.

Anyway that's it for today, take care and Keep Safe x

Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

Isolation Day 7 - Diary 3

Thanks for reading these posts, it's good to hear from so many people and the offers of help have been overwhelming.

Well my suspicions were correct. I received a text message this morning saying my coronavirus test was positive. It was pretty much nailed on when I lost my sense of taste and smell. I've had symptoms for a while but didn't get tested earlier as my wife Karen was ill the week before, had the test and it came back negative. I just thought I'd caught the same bug. Anyway myself and Lucas (21) are feeling loads better, our other son Josh (28) has no symptoms as we think he had the virus back in March, also losing his taste and smell senses.

You tend to speculate where have we caught it from but I guess we'll never know, it's so random and contagious all you can do is be careful, keep washing your hands, social distance and wear the masks if possible. One thing I would say which it says in the text message is "try not to worry", there's enough mental pressure with all the news bulletins being thrown at you constantly, try and eat healthily and do some exercise. Walking, deep breathing, stair climbing whatever you can.

As someone pointed out to me in the comments yesterday I think this kind of isolation is harder when you have the virus as you aren't allowed out at all, no going for walks, visiting shops and you're reliant on other people or getting home deliveries.

I really hope there isn't another national lockdown coming. People need to respect the rules and other people but we can't just let the virus run riot as some have suggested, we need to protect the NHS for those who will need it. I went to a funeral recently, an old agent friend who used to book our band and I knew he was ill but his health went downhill fast as his appointments for cancer treatment kept getting cancelled due to Covid. We really can't let that happen again.

I'm missing the football this weekend. I'm normally either stood on the touchline helping out with Ashton Athletic Development squad or manning the turn-style for 1st team home games. Unfortunately we've had to cease all football activities at the club as at least 3 players have tested positive. These grass roots clubs really need your support at the moment and I saw a wonderful tweet from one of our young 15 year old supporters regarding the Premier league charging fans £14-95 pay-per-view. His reply to BBC Sport was "£14-95 to watch a home game on your TV or £14-95 to watch a game in real life, get a drink, programme and something to eat. I know what I'd rather do @AshtonAthletic" We actually only charge £6 to get in and can I recommend the Tetley bitter, it's tremendous!

By the way drinking beer and wine without taste and smell is crap as I found out last night, of course I had a few in the interests of research but I can confirm it's not good. I might try again tonight to see if there's any improvement.

That's all for now, until next time. Keep Safe x

Isolation Day 6 - Diary 2

Thanks everyone for all your offers of help after yesterday's post it really made us appreciate our friends even though we haven't seen many for quite some time. Well things took a bit of a turn yesterday, I think I mentioned I'd not been feeling great all week, a few aches and pains, particularly in my legs, bit of a cough and sniffles but nothing really bad just a general malaise. That said as each day passes I've been getting better so I just put it down to a cold until I noticed I couldn't taste my food, a piece of toast, it was like eating a piece of cardboard, not that I eat cardboard but you get my meaning.

I then tried sniffing stuff, clothes, flowers, toothpaste, soap (which I got a hint of), whatever was around but basically I realised I've lost those senses and I can tell you it's weird! I spoke to Lucas (21) our son as he's experiencing the same and he agreed saying you still crave food but it's just odd when you come to eat it. I had my usual porridge with grapes and blueberries this morning and it tasted of nothing, but I still had to eat it. Bizarre!

NHS Track and Trace called this morning to make sure we knew we had to self isolate, a nice Geordie lad who was very helpful. I confirmed we understood the rules and we can't do f**k all for 2 weeks, obviously I didn't put it in those terms. He offered to get us help with anything we needed but I told him we're ok but always good to know just in case. I asked his advice on my new symptoms and he said to get another test despite having one done for the Office of National Statistics on Wednesday (which I haven't heard from since). I've been to Haydock Park this morning and been tested again, not a pleasant experience but necessary. It's a drive through and they give you the option of D.I.Y. or they will carry it out. I opted for the latter as I wanted it done properly in case I'd cocked it up, boy do they shove that swab right up your conk. Anyway results to come in 24 to 48 hours. I'm not too concerned though as I feel much better than I did but I do think it maybe positive.

I'm sure you heard of the sad passing of Eddie Van Halen this week, my social media exploded, he was a real pioneer of guitar and an amazing player, writer and all round musician. I made sure I listened to Van Halen's debut album yesterday and watched a lovely documentary on YouTube. It's difficult to explain how influential he was to so many musicians. At the time no-one could play or sound like him, he opened up a new style of playing using both hands on the neck that so many have copied and tried to emulate. I remember playing Jump by Van Halen back in the day and no-one could quite nail the solo like he could or if they got close, make it look so effortless. For those not familiar listen to "Beat It" by Michael Jackson, that's Eddie Van Halen playing guitar. Amazing!

That's me done for today. Tonight I'll be mostly drinking beer and wine, not sure how that's going to work if I can't taste it but in the interests of research I'm willing to give it a go. I'll be back with the results tomorrow. Keep Safe Everyone xx

Photo by Anika Mikkelson on Unsplash

Isolation Day 5 - a few thoughts

Perhaps I should have started this on Day 1 but it's taken a few days to get used to the new situation having found ourselves having to isolate for 14 days after our youngest son (21) tested positive for coronavirus. Thankfully he's much better after the aches and pains of last weekend even though he's still lost his sense of taste and smell. By the way I did find it funny last night as he asked his older brother (28) for a shot of his expensive vodka to see if the senses had returned. They hadn't. Maybe he'll ask him again tonight? Or maybe they've already come back!

It's a strange time for everyone with this second wave (especially here in the North) but I'm finding my new state of affairs akin to the last national lockdown as I'm already losing track of the days, forgetting to put the bins out was one example luckily remembering after hearing the refuse wagon turn the corner and dashing down partially dressed to walk them down the drive. I am allowed to put the bins out aren't I Boris? 

I have been feeling a bit under the weather with a slight cold, in fact every little ache, or slight cough is accentuated as you think is this the start of "my corona-virus" but as I had a test for the Office of National Statistics the other day and it's now been 48 hours I reckon the test is negative as they only inform you if the test is positive - part of the survey conditions apparently. Something we signed up a couple of weeks ago after receiving a letter saying you receive vouchers for taking part, £50 for the first test and £25 for each subsequent test. I'm hoping you can spend them on guitars?

I applied for some funding the other day as I now can't work for 2 weeks. I'm self employed and the Test and Trace Support Payment has just come in but you need to do it through your local council. If you're in the same boat be prepared to spend a few hours as they want to know everything, understandable I suppose. After downloading my tax return, turning it into a pdf, photographing my bank statement, downloading an isolation note, writing a letter to explain how I can't work from home I finally submitted my application only to be told by a pop up window that I hadn't submitted enough information. I had but repeated the submission a couple more times. Same message 'Computer says No'.

I decided to email Wigan M.B.C. to explain the situation and my frustrations being careful not to come across as an arsehole and left my mobile number. I actually got a phone call back from a nice lady who informed me that they'd received all the information required - 3 times! But I definitely detected a touch of sarcasm in her tone . I was sorely tempted to kick off about their IT department's incompetence but thought better of it as I could do with the cash.

On other matters my wife wants to redecorate the kitchen, that's not happening, our dog Luna seems like she constantly wants to go for a walk and follows me around the house but thankfully we have a decent sized garden so we can take it in turns tiring her out. I've also done an online shop at Asda, the first for quite some time which should arrive tomorrow around 6 pm, just in time for beer o'clock. Of course I've forgotten quite a few food items but hopefully the 3 cases of Heineken for £21 will arrive intact. Bargain!

Well that's it for today. I'll try and keep this little diary going for my isolation period but I can't promise as my good intentions often fall by the wayside. Keep safe everyone until the next time...

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

Free Digital Download of Still Life

Hi all, those great people at Bandcamp are waiving their fees today, that's Friday 1st of May so I've decided to do the same for the digital download of Still Life.

I know things are tight for many artists, some are struggling and rely on music to pay bills or put food on the table so if you are able why not purchase some of their work or watch a live streaming gig and donate. I've seen some great ones lately.

Anyway I hope you enjoy the album, it's free untill midnight or pay what you want. 😊

Take care everyone and stay safe x

Click on the link below

https://chrispicton.bandcamp.com/album/still-life

Music in this strange new world

Well it's been a while!

Like many I find myself with plenty of time on my hands due to the pandemic that is Covid-19 and like many I'm unable to do my day job, not only that, there are no gigs to look forward to with my band Museum for the foreseeable future.

I've been finding work around the house and garden to fill the days, the same jobs I've been putting off for months maybe even years. At least things are looking much more shiny and new.

I've been doing a lot of thinking and in a way I feel lucky that I have my music and writing to fall back on.

It really is time I recorded and released some new music, the only reason this hasn't happened is I've been writing a book and the enforced lockdown has been the perfect time to get it finished.

In case you're wondering it's a young adults book but I'd like to think it would appeal to older generations too, it's a kind of crossover thing if you like, I hope so anyway. The idea started from a piece of music, a Prog Rock song to be precise. I'll not give the plot away now but it's a thriller that will hopefully draw you in and get you hooked, fingers crossed.

I think I'm coming to the end with final edits and checking the copy of the text but it's taken much longer than I thought what with the day job and life in general. Writing a book is much tougher than I expected and let me tell you and I have every respect for authors who are able to churn them out year on year.

Apart from consuming much more alchol than usual this strange new world has had me deliberating. I really would like to change the way I make a living when all this is over. I do actually love the creative process whether it's writing words or playing live, or writing and recording music. It can be very fulfilling starting from scratch with nothing but a blank screen and producing a piece of music a lyric or even a story.

I've also realised that working from home is probably going to become the norm for many people and I think I could cope with that. Don't get me wrong I'd still like to get out and play live with the band but that's not going to be possible for quite a while yet. I think Live streaming is the new way forward but that's a subject for another post which I'll come to again. 

Anyway the book is certainly the reason for my lack of musical output and there's a lot more to come once I can hopefully get it published and release this self inflicted ball and chain I have hanging around my neck. I'm only joking I think. 😆

Thanks for reading this and I'll be back, sooner than you think. Look out on Friday for a special deal on my music at www.chrispicton.bandcamp.com

Keep Safe everyone.

Chris.

Photo by Girish Dalvi on Unsplash