Jan Marsh

DAY TWENTY-ONE Three weeks down. The advice from Paul Wood, whose prison experience has formed the basis of his coaching and speaking career, is to stay focussed on the present and not think too much about the parole or release date, because if it's changed the disappointment can

DAY TWENTY A cold, windy night turns to a bright morning. The brisk air gives me a tip and after meditation I walk up to the reserve to look out across the bay to the mountains. They're spectacular with a fresh fall of snow, quite low and topping

DAY NINETEEN After the rain the day dawns fine and clear, washed and a bit ruffled with leaves and sticks scattered over the garden. Once I'm up I knit my way through the morning news. Boris Johnson, after releasing himself early from isolation and infecting who knows how

DAY THREE I remember to sit quietly at 9am, joining my sister in her meditation group, and when I message her she says she likes the thought that I'm there with her. After that I attend to emails and some writing tasks.Time has stretched somehow and little

DAY EIGHTEEN Easter Sunday. I wake to the gentle sound of rain trickling in the downpipe. Easter is often that holiday where people are tempted to a last hurrah of summer activities, head off into the outdoors and get rained on. Most people will be snugly at home this Easter,

DAY SEVENTEEN Before I get up I answer a questionnaire which has arrived via a friend's Facebook feed. It's from Massey University and the University of Winchester in the UK and asks about exercise before and during the Level 4 conditions. I'm rather proud

DAY SIXTEEN Good Friday starts very quiet. The port seems not to be working, though I didn't expect time and tide to be suspended for a religious holiday. However, by the time I'm at work on the windowsills, Mark Knopfler crooning in the background, DIY in

DAY TEN Saturday. I'm happy to get on with the painting as soon as the day warms up. It takes most of the morning. When I open the 20 year old tin of red paint for the windowsills, I'm relieved to find that there's

DAY ELEVEN Sunday. My bodyclock hasn't changed with the end of daylight saving so naturally I'm up early. That gives me a chance to second-coat the parts of my window frames that need it and to re-do the windowsills with the red paint even more thinned

DAY TWELVE Groundhog Monday. I get ready for my piano lesson, signing in to Jitsi and placing the laptop on the stepladder so that the piano keys are in the picture. I warm up a bit playing the scales I've been learning and going over my pieces. At

DAY FIFTEEN The Thursday before Easter is the traditional day for hot cross buns and I've made Monday's purchase last so that I have one with my coffee today. There are a couple of squares of chocolate left too but I doubt they'll last

DAY THIRTEEN It's been a social day. I began with a meditation and chat with my sister. Then I had coffee and knitting with the friend who gave me some brightly coloured wool at the beginning of the rahui – I've started a turquoise beanie – and we

DAY FOURTEEN Is it just me or did the second week go faster than the first? It's always intriguing how quickly people adapt and make their lives work in whatever circumstances – sometimes to our detriment if we're accepting conditions we should protest against, but in this

DAY NINE Just as I finish my morning meditation, I have a call from my neighbour to say that her choir is doing an online singing lesson which will culminate in one minute of noise to acknowledge the essential workers. She's warning me so that I don'

Day One At first the jargon sounded funny, strange combinations of words or familiar words in different contexts. Why was it 'self-isolation' instead of 'isolate themselves'? Wasn't 'shelter in place' what people did when they were too late to flee bush fires

DAY TWO I'm awake too early. After a bit of tossing and turning I give in, put on my dressing gown and make a cup of tea. The cat, Po, thinks it's breakfast time so I feed her, even though it's only 5am, and

DAY FOUR Sunday and a day of connection. First the 9am meditation and a call to my sister, then our first online Quaker Meeting, an experiment with a certain irony because Quaker worship is mostly silent. Half a dozen of us pop into the screen and we sit in our

DAY FIVE Today is a day of new things. My piano lesson, which didn't work at all last week when we tried to do it on our phones, goes well. I set my laptop up on a small step ladder, the camera pointed down to the keys of

DAY SIX Another beautiful autumn day. I start as usual with salutes to the sunrise, breakfast with news on the radio, 9 am meditation and writing. I'm leaving the radio off more than I usually would, although I admire the dedication of our national presenters who are working

DAY SEVEN One week down. There we go, that wasn't so bad was it? At least, not for me. I feel very grateful that I'm in a good position to do this – already retired, in my own home with no worries about income and plenty to

DAY EIGHT We start Week Two. After the initial flurry of calls as we contacted each other to make sure we were all right, things have grown quieter. I still don't seem to achieve much but I stick to my routine and make sure that every day I

In Praise of Curiosity The sense of danger must not disappear: The way is certainly both short and steep, However gradual it looks from here: Look if you like, but you will have to leap. W.H. Auden 'Leap before you look' As a small child I was

We're often encouraged to be present or mindful, or reminded to let go of past and future to be in the 'now'. Why is it so hard to do? Distraction has its role. Sometimes we need to distract ourselves from difficult feelings or useless worry, a

Talking to strangers I love this autumn weather. The sea is calm, reflecting the cloudless blue sky and adding its own deeper notes, the air is fresh without being cold. As I set off towards the beach I notice a group of kayakers lifting their vessels into the water at

Lately we are becoming familiar with the term 'deferred maintenance', meaning, basically, that our built environment has been neglected and is deteriorating. We see the results all around us: yellow stickered buildings that do not reach building standards, even in towns that have not had severe earthquakes. Cold,