Day 45- Reluctant Early Start

I take my phone off flight mode to just miss a call from the scaffolders. They message to say they'll be on site in 40 minutes. I send the combination for the lock then struggle out of bed and into the car. It's Saturday morning. On site at 8am, there's no-one in sight. I text and get a reply they're on another job. I leave a grumpy message. As I look around I see a silver lining. There's so much rubbish in front of the house they're likely to squeeze the pipes and poles round the side and ding the new paint job. I text Kirk. Trailer required on Monday.
I prune the camellia which survived the demolition at the front, perched up a ladder. Dodgy but I get away with it. Three more hours in the garden and it looks tidier but not noticeably different. I'm pottering. Chipping away. Slowing down. Like everyone else, I need a change.
Covid update: 2 more cases. We'll be happier when we get to zero again, but the long tail reminds us that social distance is our immediate future. The good news is there are only 24 cases in the South Island. Globally the reported total has topped 4 million. Lack of testing in many places suggests it will be considerably higher. Russia now has the fifth-highest rate of infection with almost 200,000 confirmed cases. Europe marks the 75th anniversary of VE Day. In Russia, Putin lays roses at the Eternal Flame war memorial and Russian people upload pictures of family members and tell war stories online.