Ros Jackson @rosjackson@wandering.shop

The local quarterly free paper arrived, like a message from another world. Most of it is ads and event listings, with the odd restaurant review. I expect they'll pause the July edition.

@ruby Some really interesting reasons I hadn't yet considered. Another one: it normalises a behaviour that makes it easier for hay fever and asthma sufferers to wear masks against pollen and pollution.

This boy was sitting in the gift bag, but came out for his photo as soon as I pointed a camera in his direction. #caturday

@zee Yes, fingers and toes crossed.

@zee It's nice to read that you're on the mend.

@zee I hope you get well soon.

So I made a mask, and wore it outside the house for the first time. I'm seeing more people do so. It still feels quite odd, because it's not a cultural norm where I am. Yet.

If nothing else, I hope my hayfever is better for it.

@hummingrain If you're staying in, you're doing well enough right now and saving lives. Most people I know, me included, are finding it hard to focus on the usual things.

@glynmoody It's bizarre. There are plenty of UK workers laid off who could pick fruit and veg.

I enjoyed To End All Wars by David Tallerman, a mystery about a WWI Lieutenant in the trenches who finds something peculiar amongst all that horror.

http://www.warpcoresf.co.uk/to-end-all-wars.php

Fun With Fromage is a whole series of friends of mine eating cheese and getting excited about it. It's way better than I've made that sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5DgKpR1P2g

Interesting things happened to book sales as people prepared for lockdown. My feeling is that bucket list books will be replaced by less worthy and more fun or accessible stories in a couple of weeks. It's a bit like gym resolutions now in the first week after New Year.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/25/book-sales-surge-self-isolating-readers-bucket-list-novels?CMP=twt_books_b-gdnbooks

@Kitts I can't pick just one. But I like Lord of the Lost's Lighthouse at the moment because it's uplifting.

@irina I think a lot of people are looking for villains in the panic buying situation, when mostly what we're seeing is a lot of people doing a little bit to plan for isolation, and it all adds up.

@irina It does. In the UK it seems like the shelves are stripped and there's mass panic buying. Then some retail bod said "there's an extra £1bn of food in people's houses!" That's around £15 per head, on average. So the UK has gone crazy because there's no slack in the system for most people to get in less than a week's extra shopping.

@nimona I agree with Gwenfar's Garden, you deserve more. Good luck.

Steve White's Bog Roll Billionaire, for your amusement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS6Sg8zo0vI