Very cold week, with snow cover persisting. On Tuesday there was a bit of blue sky with occasional snow showers, and we went for a walk before lunch, posting a letter and then venturing into the Rosary, which of course looked beautiful. No milk had been delivered; so Dot popped into shop on Rosary Road. No bins emptied either: we have just heard that the blue one will be emptied tomorrow and the brown one not at all. The road does look a bit dodgy.

In the evening we had a CNSOB Zoom meeting, which featured a general ineptness. Even the organiser, who is a nuclear physicist, didn’t seem to know what he was doing as far as screen-sharing was concerned. Lots of time wasted. My contribution on Westray was not particularly inspiring, but Fred’s was interesting. Adrian of course did a full-scale Powerpoint production, exceeding the time limit. He could have taken all evening, and probably should have. Meanwhile Dot was FaceTiming with Amy, which was almost certainly more interesting.

I think it was on Tuesday that we watched Jaws, which featured a large shark that these days looked decidedly wooden. However the film’s depiction of idiot authorities who put making money before people’s safety seemed up to date. I wasn’t entirely clear, though, why councillors should be urging people to get in the sea when they were already on the beach. You can’t buy things in the sea.

Wednesday was very sunny, with a deep blue sky. Still very cool, though snow was being melted by the sun. The Hello Fresh guy drove up the road with no trouble, but reversed all the way down. We watched The Thomas Crown Affair, which was a delight: very cleverly done and well acted, with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. Also had a Compline session, which went well, though Kim couldn’t join us. Saw highlights of superb FA Cup game between Everton and Spurs, which sadly Everton won 5-4.

It was sunny again yesterday, and at one point Dot and I were standing in the utility room doorway, enjoying the sun’s warmth on our faces. However, it was still very cold generally, and the previous night had seen extremely low temperatures all over the country, notably –23C in Braemar. The pavements were extremely slippery; so we resisted the temptation to go for walk. Des brought round the groceries, and Dot and I did some reading in the afternoon, which was unexpectedly nice. I am nearing the end of Clive James’ Poetry Notebook.

Dot has a dodgy back, and my neck is painful if I get it in the wrong position. Later we watched Crimson Tide, a good nuclear sub thriller, and most of The Lost City of Z, a film about an explorer in the Amazon. We saw the end of it this morning: interesting but by no means perfect, though that would have been difficult when the subject matter is true, but no-one knows what happened at the end. David FaceTimed, which was slightly less surreal.

So it’s now Friday. Still extremely cold, though it shouldn’t last much longer if we are to believe the forecasters. Des is getting Dot some fish and chips tonight: too fatty for me, unfortunately. At some point we are supposed to be taking up some hearts to the church hall to be put in the windows for Valentine’s Day with reassuring messages. As I write, Dot is creating them.