So, this is February

Is the year looking brighter for you yet? It's starting to feel a bit better to me. The brighter weather is definitely part of it – Mr Robot and I can sit in the garden after work when it's not quite dark, and notice the bulbs coming through. (Now-me is very pleased that past-me went a bit bananas ordering bulbs on Parkers' website. We're probably not going to be sitting in a pub beer garden in April, so our own garden will have to do.) 

I went into Bath for the first time since September recently – I had a dentist appointment, and as I had cancelled the one I'd booked at the start of lockdown I thought I really shouldn't put off another check-up. The day was grey and damp anyway, but even so I was startled at how empty the city was. It's always busy, and even last September it was surprising how many tourists there were. The train I got is usually a commuter train and whether I'll get a seat is uncertain; this time I had a whole carriage to myself. Friends in other parts of the country that have had worse Covid numbers reckon their towns are still fairly busy, so I guess this is a sign of why infections are lower in the south-west – people have been very good at distancing and isolating. 

My dentist is just over Pultney Bridge.

It did feel very eerie walking past big shops like Debenhams and Top Shop knowing they'd never open again. When all this is over, we'll have a new normal to adjust to – let's hope it's one where people enjoy things like smaller festivals and indie shops, not just shopping online and only the big events. If lockdown should teach us anything, it's to enjoy what's right there, to make the most of our lives, not to crave what everyone else is declaring 'the best' and live in an endless state of FOMO. On the subject of enjoying what's there, I got myself a takeaway latte from the Bridge Café near my dentist, and it felt like such a rare treat. I only drink coffee a few times a year, but every mouthful of that latte was heaven!

I've bought myself a few other treats too. The Cornish Cheese Company had a glut of Cornish Blue because lockdown had closed a lot of their usual outlets, so I did my bit for the British cheese industry and ordered a whole 800g one. Herb plants should be on their way – we cook a lot of south-east Asian food and you can't get things like Vietnamese coriander/rau ram or holy basil in the supermarkets, so I'm going to grow my own. 

Some ramen made by Mr Robot.

And a Tweetie mentioned Ffern, which does small batches of organic perfume four times a year, as the seasons turn. I got lucky and a space came up on their ledger, so I joined. I'm not sure work intended the working from home bonus they gave us to go on cheese and perfume, but it's doing me good!

Haven't made much (magazines for the day job aside), but I have been slowly working on old projects. Even if nothing's getting finished, the sense of progress is a soothing one. 

Finally, I've been regularly tweeting about the state of things in Burma/Myanmar. There's been a military coup there following last year's elections, and the people are protesting for democracy but internet access is being limited more and more, and the situation's becoming increasingly brutal, so people like me who can't be harmed for spreading information really need to step up and do it. Please keep that beautiful country and its brave people in your mind!