Freedom!

Friday
A wet start to freedom, with more rain forecast for the weekend.  But I was not really complaining.  It was good to get out, though I didn't really have trouble coping with quarantine.  It could have been worse, like being cooped up in a small hotel room.  Exercising on the bike or spending time cooking (and working of course!) helped time to pass.

My first day out of quarantine was a Friday and I went to the office and it did feel a bit surreal, walking down the streets that had been part of my routine for so long before it was interrupted for 6 months.  It was noticeably quieter with many working from home, but there was still some life on the streets.  But some things had changed.

My favorite street fruit stall near Victoria station was gone. I got the best figs I ever had there last year, 3 for £1, and sometimes I would get bananas and preaches too.  I guess they depended on volume with the prices they charged and once the office crowd and tourists were gone, it must have hit them hard.

Quite a workout on both legs of the walk to and from office.  I brought the Bengawan Solo pineapple tarts, cookies and bak chang (I call it my care package:)) for the mission colleagues. I had to support the paper bag with my arms because I was worried the bag would tear because it was wet.  I wore my raincoat and because it doesn't breathe, I was sweating by the time I got there.

My key fob to the office still worked thankfully, not like the one for the apartment.  Some of the local staff had changed and it was nice to say hello to the familiar faces still there, like the cleaners.  They are from Peru - Manuel and Rosie.  Everything was still working in the office, nothing had fallen apart - you can never take things for granted in an old building like this.  Like the fire in the ceiling lights last year was a big shock.

 I had only some old cookies from Marks and Spencer for tea in the morning, and then joined in the small group meeting via Zoom which started around 1.15 pm and skipped lunch.  Had some nuts that were 4 days from expiry and that kept me going.  Pretty good nuts though.

So I was a little hungry when I left the office, and contemplated heading to my favourite Korean restaurant Lime Orange for dinner.  As I approached it, I saw the lights were on and that was reassuring.  Some people were standing inside near the entrance, and normally that meant they were waiting for a table so I thought it was crowded.  But then I saw that it was only about half-full and for a moment I thought of going in.  In the end, I kept walking past.  I just felt uncomfortable, especially as many of these small establishments are really cramped, and often ventilation isn't great.

Then I thought it was still not dark yet and maybe I should head home quickly, get changed and hit the road for a short run.  But I was feeling a little tired after a long day and the walk, and decided to head to the bigger Sainsbury to get better meat and fish that's not available at my local store.  And also resupply of coffee (Lavazza, the official coffee of Arsenal!) and my favourite granola!

Lugged the stuff home in the rain, sweating profusely and I was done for the day. No need for a workout anymore. A wet but good start to coming out of quarantine.

Saturday

More rain forecast for the entire weekend but sometimes it can clear up pretty quickly.  Originally there was a window around 1 pm but it cleared up at 11 am and I quickly decided to head out.  I ran out towards Strutton Ground, a small neighbourhood nearby where I go for haircuts (it costs 12 pounds if I recall correctly); frozen Chinese food like beef brisket (cooked in sauce - yummy) at a place called China Centre (there's a small eatery inside called Bamboo Basket that Mummy and I ate in once - decent but not great); and burritos at a weekday lunch pop-up stall - when they close off the street to traffic.  The barber and Chinese place are still in operation, but I don't think I will go to the barber for now - just to be safe.  I had already bought hair clippers from Amazon because of this.

I ran towards Parliament, crossed Westminster Bridge and headed west before reaching Battersea Park and turning back.  Later I find out that along the way my GPS had gone wonky and at one point, I am running on the Thames!  I may have stepped in a puddle but I am pretty sure it wasn't the river...

Dinner was instant Chinese rice (Uncle Ben's - great stuff, just pop into a microwave and 2 minutes later, hot rice!) and chicken soup.  I am also working my way through all the food from 6 months (or more) ago, and also stuff that we brought over in April last year, and one of these is my favourite almond dessert.  The pack I opened had expired in 2018, RIP.  The dessert does not even turn out white anymore :) but it still tasted alright.  I just don't want to waste food, and am determined to go through everything, including all the tea we have accumulated over time.  Making good progress!