That lovely productive mood that I have been basking in lately, took one hell of a tumble yesterday.

We had already started with some of the bad news a few days before but managed to cope.

Yesterday, the full force of the meaning of bad, hit us with both barrels.

One by one, and spread over the course of a week, four members of our family have been hit by the covid virus. Two of them are quite vulnerable, which was even more worrying.

Then came the news that our only breadwinner’s wages this month turned up with several hundred pounds missing. Turned out to be a clerical error, but no chance of amending this until next month. We are not a wealthy family, constantly robbing Peter to pay Paul, if you know what I mean. My sister and I are pensioners on a permanent budget, so looking to help replace this shortfall took some doing, and will involve rationing everything for a few weeks.

Drama taken care of, I couldn’t relax. What if the error wasn’t corrected next month? I had visions of us all sharing a tin of beans and/or going hungry.

This morning, the mood seems to have lifted. The sufferers are fighting the virus and feeling much better, thank heavens! We have also managed to convince ourselves that all will be well and the money will be reinstated next month.

Writing was the last thing I wanted to do yesterday, and that didn’t help my mood either… but today already feels more positive on that front, so I already have my happy hat on!