I was turning back into our road after my Monday morning bike ride when a car pulled up alongside me. My list of enemies is plentiful so I naturally assumed I was about to be kidnapped or assassinated but, as it turned out, Tom Robotham had been stuck behind me for a while so thought he might as well stop and say hello. I stood on the roadside chatting to him for a bit about what we’d both been up to and how we’re coping with lockdown before he went on his way and I went inside. It wasn’t until I’d showered & had breakfast that I sat down and realised that, other than Sam, Tom is the first one of my friends I’ve seen in over a month. It’s just staggering, I’ve gone an entire month without any human contact other than my direct family or Sam Morris, yet I’m managing to somehow continue to get on with my life completely separated from the people I care about. I observed to Hayley later on that evening that living through history might be momentous but it’s also terrifyingly depressing. 

You may have noticed that I’ve posted a poem on my blog. If you remember from one of my previous blogs, Nottingham University wanted either a short story or five poems to support my application for creative writing, so I decided to submit five poems. Before doing so I shared them with a few friends to get their opinions and every single one of them said that Three was their favourite. Not being one to deny the people what they want, I thought I’d share it on here and hope some more of you will offer your opinions. I enjoy writing poetry, it’s a great way to simplify your thoughts and express them in a subtle but meaningful way, so I hope you can appreciate my work. Also, as many have already asked, it’s called Three because it’s the third poem I wrote. I like the logic & simplicity of that.

I’m sure you will also have noticed the addition of a guests section to the blog. A close friend & loyal reader suggested to me a few weeks back that, although my ramblings are extremely fascinating & thought provoking, it might also be intriguing to hear from other people on their experiences of lockdown or other things on their mind. I thought it was a great idea so I asked a few of my friends if they’d like to write for my blog and they enthusiastically said yes. I’m hoping to publish a guest piece at least once a week, potentially every Tuesday, and this week my wonderful compatriot Adam Griffiths-Vernon became the first person to take the spotlight and I actually really like his piece, which surprises me because I usually hate everything he has to say. Obviously I jest, Adam and I have a strangely similar outlook on most things so it’s interesting to read what he makes of the current situation & how he’s been coping with it. I look forward to getting more people involved in due course.

A surprising amount of you have been reading my blogs without any prompting from me and I must say I’m awfully grateful. It’s a strange sensation to know that people are taking time out of their day to read the shite I come out with. I actually enjoy hearing people’s feedback on my writing, be it positive or negative, so it’s encouraging when I hear from my friends out of the blue so they can give me their thoughts. I realise this often comes across as me being quite arrogant and pretentious but, in what may come as a shock to most of you, I don’t really care. Again, I genuinely thank those of you that continue to support me in this endeavour. 

I got bored whilst doing my Uni work this afternoon so I decided to buy a sofa for my bedroom instead. Some of you have suggested that my spending is becoming a serious problem but, I say to you, live fast die young bad girls do it well. It’s one of those sofa beds where the back folds down to make it a double bed because I don’t really like having to share my bed with Sam after we’ve finished with our passionate love making. I know some of you may not deem it an essential purchase but the chair I currently have to sit in to play on my PS4 isn’t very comfortable for my back so I’m confident it counts as essential. I’m actually really happy with my room layout now – I’ve got a lovely corner desk with my two monitors on (it’s so much easier having two monitors), my TV is on the wall so I can watch it in bed and my sofa will slot in nicely at the end of my bed. All I need to do now is figure out where I can put my BDSM Sex Cage. 

Oh, I’ve just ordered a FitBit as well, in case you were worried I’m not spending recklessly enough. Stay safe.