Day 29: Last week was a good one, thanks to the Internet

It's been quite a week, though it occurred to me today that I haven't had a real face-to-face conversation with anyone other than my beloved for ages – just cheery hellos and how are yous with neighbours and good afternoons with walkers as I pass at the prescribed safe distance.

Where would I be without the Internet, and in particular Facebook? After some overzealous Facebook algorithm deleted all links to this blog, you would rightly surmise that I'm not its greatest fan, but there are ways round the block, as this screenshot shows. Thankfully, my readers seem undeterred.

Facebook has long been plagued with endless boring reposts from some users and a fair amount of rubbish from others, but I'm actually finding much to enlighten, amuse and flatter me in these difficult times.

Most importantly, it's Facebook that has kept me in contact with members of my ukulele group, several of whom have bravely shared videos of themselves singing and playing their ukes.  Unwilling to be left out, I contributed this one, originally written and performed by the incomparable Michael Flanders and Donald Swann.

Other uke-playing friends have live-streamed themselves in concert, ably assisted by wives or husbands, and my former ukulele teacher is offering free music theory lessons. The eagerness of so many to reach out, entertain and encourage has been phenomenal.

On Thursdays (the day the glazier came) several of us from The Ukes uv Azzard have been meeting on Zoom for a sing-song.  At times it can be a trifle chaotic, and quite impossible (thanks to time lags) to sing with everyone's sound switched on, but we're getting the hang of it and having a lot of fun.  Most importantly, I've been able to see my lovely friends, wave to them and share news. Sadly, though, the news hasn't always been good as L-- has gone down with the dreaded Corona Virus.  I do hope she gets well soon.

Three days later it was Easter Day, the most important day in the Christian calendar. Once more, Zoom came to our aid with a lovely Resurrection Day service from the vicar's dining room, and lots of chit-chat from friends in the parish.

Then, to round it all off perfectly, we turned to YouTube to watch Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, lead an Easter service from his kitchen. A few weeks ago, whoever would have imagined him doing that?

Later, I heard one BBC commentator ask him whether an Easter service had ever before been conducted with a toaster in the background. Toaster? It looks like a radio to me.