Eurovision party with strawberry scones, cucumber sandwiches, popcorn, martinis & manhattans. Drank enough for a headache this morning–not great, but it felt like a real party! Doing the background of my British Literature tea towel and props left over from my citizenship drinks made it extra festive. I was reminded that we need to give ourselves things to look forward to, not just get through coping day to day. We need occasions to create memory & community spirit. My head might hurt but I feel restored. I spent a couple of hours reading Defoe’s ‘Journal of the Plague Year’ for these troubling times & surprisingly similar in terms of false prophets (fake news), agonies of decision-making about where to ride out the storm & disruption to everyday life. Also using excess deaths rather than reported cases as the true measure of impact. Supply chain disruption–no horses.