Well, yes. I know. I only call you when I need something or when I feel bad. Which is it today? I don't know.

But you're my blog, and that's why I have one. Sometimes I need to just say the stuff out loud, or in any event, type it. I used to do this over 20 years ago. I'd format it manually and upload it via FTP, having updated the index page and suchlike. Such ancient, so journal, wow.

Anyway. It's self-isolation day 113 here at Murray Mansions, and everything is wearing thin. Patience, sanity, reason, sobriety, they're all in short supply, especially at the weekends when there isn't even the welcome distraction of work (crammed in my tiny little box room) to make the days trundle by a little quicker.

So what's changed? Well, one quick highlight – we went to the zoo yesterday. All three of us in the car, out to the zoo, and a jolly good time was had. I think aside from my wife and I we saw precisely two adults wearing masks, and two children (in different families). We remained masked up regardless. It was nice.

On Saturday night the wife and I had a video chat and a couple of beverages with some friends in Germany, and tried out an "online escape room", which was heaps of fun. Check out https://thepanicroomonline.net/ if that sounds like something you might enjoy. We didn't finish it (it is possible that performance may have been impaired by alcohol) but we can resume it any time, apparently, so we'll see how that goes.

We bought an above-ground 12ft pool just in time for the hot weather. Unfortunately, the lawn wasn't level enough to set it up. So now – literally as of today – we have a levelled lawn covered in astroturf, and we're almost 2 grand poorer. But soon there will be splashy splashy, so... that's good.

My band was doing a lockdown video for one of our songs, but what with life being as crazy as it is right now, no-one else in the band has had time to get any footage to me yet. I hear rumours the singer has been filming up a mountain, so I'm sitting by my inbox awaiting the results.

If I had gone insane... actually lost my mind... would I be able to tell? Probably not. Which is troubling.

I have applied the jumper cables to the project folder on my mac labelled "second album", and have gotten as far as redoing drums for two songs and bass and rhythm guitars for one. More news on that as it breaks.

Oh, and in a surprise move, I appear to be having a short course of guitar lessons starting on Friday with a splendid chap called Jay who lives in Brighton. He's my mate's teacher, and my mate is having three weeks off, so I'm taking his lessons for that period. No idea what I want to do with these, but it will be interesting I am sure.

I hope you're OK.